Marvels of the Universe 



109 



THE LACE-BARK TREE 



BY RICHARD KERR, F.G.S., F.R.A.S. 



The vegetable kingdom supplies many instances of the marvellous in Nature. Even with our 

 limited knowledge of the m3'Steries of plant life we have abundant evidence that many plants are 

 as wonderful in their way as members of the animal kingdom. 



We may take as an illustration the inner bark of certain trees, which seems to be valued by native 

 races more than by white people. This, however, may arise from necessity. 



Doubtless many people have seen and inspected the curious and beautiful Lace-Bark of Jamaica, 

 but few have anv special acquaintance with specimens of the leaves and flowers or with the living 

 plant as a whole. 



It was permanently introduced to Kew Gardens, and in fact to Emrope, in 1844. (A young Lace- 

 Bark tree was introduced to the Kew Gardens by Rear -Admiral William Bligh in 1793, but it was 

 soon lost.) 



Trees of this species seem to be hmited to the districts of Vere, EHzabeth and Clarendon in 

 Tamaica. llr. Wilson, a former curator of the Bath Botanic Gardens, Jamaica, procured seeds, and 

 young plants, four inches high, which he sent to Kew in 1844, and thus was the means of introducing 

 this rarity to our shores. In 1849 the plants were from eight to ten feet high, and one of them 

 produced for the first time 

 flowers and fruit copiously 

 in the summer and autumn of 

 that year. The authorities 

 at Kew Gardens looked upon 

 this as a v^ery satisfactory 

 event. 



The inner bark of this tree 

 consists of layers of reticu- 

 lated fibre, exactly resembling 

 well-prepared lace ; and its 

 nature is best exhibited by 

 ■ cutting a portion from a 

 branch, soaking it in water, 

 and tearing down the bark. 

 It is then separated by the 

 hand into as many layers as 

 that portion of the tree is 

 years old. This last statement 

 is interesting, as it answers 

 the usual question : " Do 

 these layers correspond with 

 the years of growth ? " The 

 layers may number twenty 

 or more. Dr. Lunan ob- 

 serves : — " The ladies of 

 Jamaica are extremely dex- 

 terous in making caps, ruffles, 



, -1 1 NATURAL LACE. 



nets, bonnets, veils, and com- Jhis U a photograph of a small piece of the inner bark of the Lace.Barlc Tree, 



plete suits of lace with it. '° '^°'^ 'he structure of the lace. This being slightly enlarged, its mesh appears some- 



what coarser than is actually the case. 



