THE FALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 359 



sufficient for the supply. The fans are from two to three feet 

 across and have a border made of a flexible wood. They serve 

 as a protection both from the sun and rain ; during a shower of 

 rain the fan is laid almost horizontally^ on the head, the water 

 being allowed to run down behind the back of the bearer. The 

 leaves are never employed as thatch, though their texture would 

 seem to recommend them for that purpose ; the trunk, however, 

 is occasionally used for ridge-beams." (Seemann.) 



Cultivation in Europe. — Of all the palms introduced in Europe 

 there is none that could rival as regards ornamental effect with 

 this magnificent palm. It was discovered by Seemann on the 

 Fiji Island and some other isles of the Pacific Ocean. 



The regular globular silhouette of the crown of leaves borne on 

 a straight erect stem gives the tree a very fine appearance. In 

 the European hothouses the large leaves with long unarmed stalks 

 are at once distinguished amongst the leaves of other palms. 

 The gigantic fans are sometimes 5 feet broad and 4 feet 

 long. Whilst young the leaves are covered with a tawny down 

 which disappears yerj soon. The imported seeds germinate 

 rapidly. 



Illustration. — We reproduce on Plate XXIX the photograph 

 of Pritchardia paeifica, kindly supplied by Major Gage. The speci- 

 men represented is growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens of 

 Sibpur, Calcutta. 



WASHINGTONIA, H. Wendl. Bot. Zeit. XXXVII, 68 

 (1879). 



The genus is dedicated to George Washington. 



Benth, & Hook. Gen. PI. Ill, 923 ; Pritchardia subg. Washing- 

 tonia, Drude, Engl, und Prantl. Pflanzenf. II, pt. III, 35 (in part) 

 (1889) ; Baillon, Hist. PI. XIII, 319 (in part). 



Trees, with stout columnar endogenous trunks covered below 

 with thick pale rind and above with the persistent sheaths of 

 many dead leaves, long tough roots and a broad terminal crown 

 of erect, then spreading, and ultimatelj^ pendulous leaves. Leaves 

 induplicate in vernation, alternate, flabellate, orbicular, divided 



