THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 515 



Description. — Resembles in appearance the Coco-nut Palm, 

 but is not nearl}^ so high as that tree, and the truiak is considerably 

 thicker. Stem unarmed. Leaves erect, ultimatelj^ spi-eading, pin- 

 nate, furnished with 3-4 dozen dark green leaflets, sometimes 18 

 inches in length ; petioles rounded, and dark brown below, flat and 

 green on the upper side. 



Fruit about the size of a large hen's egg, growing in clusters, 

 each cluster resembling a bunch of grapes. Nut ovoid, 2^ inches 

 long, 1-| inches bi'oad, shortly beaked at the top (beak compressed- 

 conical, 4 lines long), brown, roughish ; putamen 3-celled ; seeds 

 2 or 3, oblong, 16 lines long, 7 lines broad, obtuse at both ends. 



Habitat. — Honduras, Panama. — Grown in Indian gardens. 



Uses. — In the Province of Panama wine is prepared from the 

 trunk. The unexpanded segments are used for wrapping up cakes 

 of Indian corn (tortillas) previous to boiling them in water. The 

 expanded leaves serve as thatch, and are employed in the religious 

 ceremonies of Palm Sunday. From the fruit an oil is extracted. 

 (Seem an). 



ATTJ-LEA SPECIOSA, Mart. Palm. Brasil. 138, t. 96, f. Ill, 3,4, 

 5,6 (subnomine A. Excelsce) ; Hist. Nat. Palm. 111,298, t. 169, f. IV; 

 Palmet. Orbig. 117 ; Wallace, Palmtrees Amaz. 117, t. 46 ; Drude in Fl. 

 Brasil. Ill, II, 443. 



Names. — Uauassu Palm (English) ; Uauassupalme (German), 

 The vernacular Uaiiassu means " large fruit." 



Description. — Stem 50-70 feet high, straight, cylindrical, and 

 nearly smooth. Leaves large, terminal, regularly pinnate, 15-20 

 forming a dense crown, the outer ones patent. Segments elongate, 

 rigid, closely set together, spreading out flat on each side of the 

 midrib, the uppermost deflexed. The sheathing bases of the 

 petioles are persistent for a greater or less distance down the stem, 

 and in young trees down to the ground. 



Spadices growing from among the leaves, large, simply branched. 



Drupe large, about 3-4 inches long, 2 inches in diameter, 

 supported by the persistent perianth, slowly conical-narrowed 

 towards the apex, fuscous, the epidermis clothed with a dense 

 ferruginous foment am. The foramina of the putamen -|tli inch from 

 the base, hidden in the fibres of the mesocarp ; fibres within the 

 putamen solitary, included, densely scattered, running longitudin- 

 all5^ Seeds very narrowly oblong, 2-^-3 inches long. 



Habitat. — Brazil, Guiana Cultivated in India. 



Uses. — The foliage is very extensively used for thatching. The 

 young plants produce very large leaves before the stem is formed 

 and it is in this state that they are generally used. The unopened 

 leaves from the centre are preferred as, though they require some 

 preparation, they produce a more uniform thatch. The leaf is 

 shaken till it falls partially open, and then each leaflet is torn at 

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