282 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



existed in the forest, would have attracted the attention of the 

 explorer. 



Ferdinand Columbus states that his father found "palm trees of 

 several sorts/' and mentions on a previous occasion that some had 

 "the trunk green and smooth," which may refer to the Cuban royal 

 palm (Roystonea regia). a This could have no connection with the 

 large nuts, for the mature fruits are only about the size of a small 

 cherry. 



One of Peter Martyr's passages relating to " dates" evidently has 

 reference to the same incident of exploration of the north coast of 

 Cuba by Columbus: 



And when they had at the lengthe escaped these strayghtes, and were nowe coome 

 into a mayne and large sea, and had sayled theron for the space of foure score myles, 

 they espyed an other excedinge hygh mountayne, whyther the Admirall resorted 

 to store his shyppes with fresshe water and fuel. Heare amonge certeyne wooddes 

 of date trees, and pyneable trees of excedyng height he fownd two natiue sprynges 

 of fresshe water. & 



The fantastic idea of tall " pyneable trees" arose from the failure 

 of Europeans not familiar with America to distinguish between pine 

 trees and pineapples. True pine trees were found in abundance in 

 Cuba and Santo Domingo, as well as in Central America. European 

 readers who progressed far enough to learn that pineapples had no 

 relation to pine trees often went to the other extreme of supposing 

 that all the early references to pines related to pineapples. Pine 

 trees are mentioned in the Journal of Columbus in the same district 

 with the "very tall palms" and the large "nuts of India. 



If the statement of the Journal of Columbus stood alone we might 

 well hesitate to base any general conclusion upon it, but there is 

 certainly no reason to deny it a place among the many other statements 

 that can be reasonably interpreted only by recognizing their relation 

 to the coconut. As soon as we appreciate the fact that the Spaniards 

 were not acquainted with the coconut, either in nature or in name, 

 before their arrival in America, it becomes apparent that the state- 

 ment of Columbus is as direct a piece of evidence as we could hope 

 to get, under the existing circumstances. It is not unreasonable to 

 believe that he knew something of the Indian nut, and of the palms 

 that produced it, considering that he spent many years of his life in 

 the active quest of geographical knowledge, with especial reference 

 to the Indies, which he hoped to reach by sailing west. The most 

 remarkable thing about this statement of Columbus is that it should 

 have been so completely overlooked by De Candolle and other 

 writers interested in the history of the coconut palm. Even Picker- 

 ing failed to include it in his immense collection of similar facts, 



^Churchill's Collection of Voyages and Travels, vol, 2, pp. 534, 535. (London, 

 .1732.) 



&Martire, in Arber, op. cit., p. 77. (See footnote c, p. 276.) 



