n«2 



DR. 



PULNEY ANDY ON BRANCHED PALMS IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 



Ramification in Indian Palms is very uncommon; and the only variety in which this 

 peculiarity is known is in the Doum-Palm of Egypt. Although it appears rather difficult 

 to account for such variation, yet it must be admitted that, without an axillary leaf-hud, 



from some unknow 



accident, the ramification could not have originated 



It 



appears to me that the leaf-bud, either from a tendency to duplication or from accidental 

 causes, such as partial destruction of the original leaf-bud by insects, chiefly of the beetle 

 kind, remains inactive until a succeeding one shoots out, when it becomes revived, and 

 thus gi* I rise to an additional branch. A similar view, I believe, is also prevalent 

 among some intelligent native farmers here with reference to the specimen in Plate LI. 



fig. 3. 

 1'L'om inquiries, I learn that as many as twelve branches have been observed in the 



Palmyra, as well as dichotomous division in the Areca-nut Palm. A tree of the latter 

 kind is reported to have been in existence in the town of Trevandrum ; and it is only 

 about two or three years ago that it was thrown down during stormy weather 



Twins and triplets amongst Palmy 



and Cocoa-nut tr 



are 



y common ; and I 



was shown on one occasion a specimen of five shoots of a Cocoa-nut Palm coming out 

 from a single bed, said to be from one seed, and five years old ; but they appeared to be 

 about the size of a six months' growth of an ordinary Palm. I offered a good reward to 

 the owner to dig out the plant, to ascertain the truth, but he persistently refused to 



permit me to do so. 



As regards the specimen of a spadix of the Cocoa-nut Palm throwing out the vernal 

 leaves, one is struck with the truth of the flowers being nothing but the modification 



• • # 



of leaves ; and, in my opinion, the flower-bud cannot, by such metamorphosis, give rise 

 t < ) ramificat ion in a Palm without a true axillary leaf-bud. The fact of the vernal leaves 



ay within a month of their formation is in itself a sufficient proof. 



1 Lowev 



my knowledge and researches on the subject 



limited, I beg leave to 



place the matter before the Linnean Society 



