860 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



Habitat. — Ooromandel Coast, not far from the sea ; in the 

 northern part of Ceylon in dry forests. 



Flowers from January to April ; fruit ripens in May. 



Uses. — The fruit contains a sweet pulp which is eaten by the 

 natives. " The leaflets are wrought into mats for sleeping upon, etc. 

 The common petioles are split into three or four and used to make 

 common baskets of various kinds, but they are not so good for this 

 purpose as the Bamboo, which is very elastic, much more durable, 

 and splits easily. The small trunk when divested of its leaves and 

 the strong brown fibrous web that surrounds it at their insertions, 

 is generally about 15 or 18 inches long, and 6 in diameter at the 

 thickest part ; the exterior or woody part consists of white fibres 

 matted together; these envelope a large quantity of farinaceous 

 substance, which the natives use for food in times of scarcity. To 

 procure this meal, the small trunk is split into 6 or 8 pieces, dried, 

 and beaten in wooden mortars till the farinaceous part is detached 

 from the fibres ; it is then sifted to separate them, after which the 

 meal is fit for use. The only further preparation it undergoes. 

 is the boiling it into a thick gruel, or as it is called in India, 

 Kanji ; it seems to possess less nourishment than the common 

 sago, and is less palatable, being considerably bitter when boiled." 

 (Roxb.) Whenever rice is too dear or not to be had, man} 7 of 

 the poor are forced to have recourse to this sort of food. 



( To bo continued.) 





