THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 76 



Habitat. — Sind, Baluchistan, Punjab, Afghanistan : Abundant 

 in the Peshawar Valley, in Kohat, and in the trans-Indus territory 

 along the eastern skirts of the Suliman range, ascending up to 

 3,000 feet ; on the hills which form the western boundary of Sind ; 

 common locally on a limited area in the central Salt range, be- 

 tween 2,500 and 5,000 feet, and on Mou.nt Sakesar ; in one 

 place in the Siwalik tract east of the Jhelam, near Sumani 

 above Bhimbur ; common in the Khaiber Pass, and generall}?^ in 

 the low arid mountains of eastern Afghanistan ; everywhere 

 up to 5,000 feet in Baluchistan and Mekran, except near the 

 coast. 



Flowees— From August to November ; friiit ripens in summer. 



Uses. — It is a very useful plant in the arid regions where it is 

 common. The stems, leaves, and petioles serve as fuel ; the 

 delicate young leaves are eaten as a vegetable ; the reddish-brown 

 moss-like wool of the petioles is impregnated with salpeter and 

 used as tinder for matchlocks ; the matting made of the leaves 

 is considered to be superior to that made of Phoenix ; of the leaves 

 and petioles rope is made ; the leaves are also made into fans, 

 sandals, baskets, pouches, and brushes : in the trans-Indus coun- 

 try a rude kind of drinking-cup is made of the entire blade, b}- 

 tying together the tops of the segments ; the seeds are pierced, 

 made into rosaries, and exported for that purpose to Mekka 

 via Muskat, from Gwadur on the Baluchistan coast, west of the 

 Indus (Brandis). The leaf-bud or " cabbage," and the young- 

 inflorescence, as well as the flesh of the fruit, are commonh^ 

 eaten. 



Cultivation in Europe. — This stove-plant grows best in a 

 compost of sandy loam, to which some leaf soil and a little 

 charcoal may be added with advantage. Good drainage is neces- 

 sary. The palm is propagated hy seeds and offsets, if the latter 

 can be procured and detached without injury to the parent 

 plant. 



Opinions as to the treatment of this palm seem to be divided. 

 A London Gardener writes that NannorlioiJS is probably one of the 

 hardiest of Fan Palms and that it does not like artificial heat, 

 preferring the temperature of an unheated greenhouse. 



