<.)4 



PLANTS OF NEW ZEALAND 



tVom tliem an intoxicating drink was also obtained. Tlie leaves 

 are eaten lj>- cattle. They are also used in thatching, and a 

 rough kind of cloth is woven from the fibres. The genus is 

 found over the greater part of the tropical old world, but 

 chiefly in New Zealand, Australia, and the islands of the 

 I'acific. There are several interestnrg species found in New 

 Zealand — some tall and palm-like, — others stemless, sending 



Luzuriat^a marginata (-^i nat. size). 



up their long, narrow leaves straight from the crown of the 

 [)lant just alx)ve the soil. 



The cabl)age-tree forms one of the most striking olsjects of 

 the New Zealand bush scenery. Its ina,ppropriate nanre is 

 said to have been giA'en l)y the early settlers, who used the 

 young and tender heads m place of cal)bage. Palm Lily, 

 however, is a better term. The long bare stems, with 

 their bush\' heads of gi-ass-like leaves, cannot be confounded 

 with those of any other tree, and giA'e to the landscape a 



