68 FIELD AND FOREST. 



Of this natural order there are four or five species in Florida and 

 the Southern States, most of which belong to the genus Sabal, and are 

 popularly called Palmettoes. Of these, the Sabal serrulata or Saw 

 Palmetto and Sabal adansonii or Dwarf Palmetto do not present an 

 erect stem, but extend themselves along the ground by a procumbent 

 candex sometimes many feet in length. 



Sabal Palmetto, by pre-eminence the Palmetto, grows with a trunk, 

 from 20 to 40 feet high, the wood of which in mature specimens is 

 solid, and when placed under water is almost imperishable, and hence 

 is used in the building of wharfs and piers. I show you a transverse 

 section of a stem of this species in which you will see the structure 

 peculiar to this class ; the wood fibres are so tough that they feel like 

 bristles where they have been severed by the saw. 



I also exhibit a leaf of the same plant over 3 feet long in the blade, 

 and appearing like those leaves of which the common Chinese fans are 

 made. I also show a spadix or branching raceme of the fruits of this 

 species. The nuts are nearly of a black color, and of the size of 

 small marbles. The three species of Sabal mentioned are all that are 

 known to our books, but in a recent visit of Dr. Chapman to the 

 western coast of Florida, he discovered another palm probably be- 

 longing to this genus, which he calls the Silver Palmetto or Cabbage 

 Tree. " The berries are white, but in the absence of flowers the genus 

 is doubtful. Although only 4 or 5 inches in diameter, they attain a 

 heighth of 30 or 40 feet. It occurs first at Cape Romano, and is found 

 sparingly on the mainland southward. It is more common on the 

 Keys, but I never heard of it before. ' ' 



Intimately related to the genus Sabal is the Blue Palmetto, the 

 Chamaerops Hystrix, of the Southern States ; this forms a low stem, 

 sometime 5 to 6 feet in height. These are all the members of the 

 palm family which were known to occur in our country until a few 

 years ago, when a species of palm was found in the Colorado desert 

 near the Gulf of California. Of this Palm, seeds were obtained by 

 Dr. Edward Palmer, and from them plants were obtained by Mr. 

 Saunders of the Department of Agriculture, and also by Mr. Smith at 

 the Botanic Gardens. Specimens of this Palm were sent to England, 

 amd there it was decided that they belonged to the genus Brahea, and 

 this particular species was called Brahea filamentosa. (?) 



