84 Elementary Species 



yields the best and most supple fibres, while 

 those of the stupposa are stiff and almost un- 

 bending. 



The varieties also differ greatly in size, color, 

 shape and quality, and the trees have also pe- 

 culiar characteristics. One variety exhibits 

 leaves which are nearly entire, the divisions be- 

 ing only imperfectly separated, as often occurs 

 in the very first leaves of the seedlings of other 

 varieties. The flavor of the flesh, oil and milk 

 likewise yield many good varietal marks. 



In short, the coconut-palm comes under the 

 general rule, that botanical species are built up 

 of a number of sharply distinguishable types, 

 which prove their constancy and relative inde- 

 pendence by their wide distribution in culture. 

 In systematic works all these forms are called 

 varieties, and a closer investigation of their 

 real systematic value has not yet been made. 

 But the question as to the origin of the varieties 

 and of the coconut itself has engrossed the at- 

 tention of many botanists, among whom are De 

 CandoUe in the middle of the last century, and 

 Cook at its close. 



Both questions are closely connected. De 

 Candolle claimed an Asiatic origin for the whole 

 species, while Cook's studies go to prove that 

 its original habitat is to be sought in the north- 

 ern countries of South America. Numerous 



