1852.] THE PHILADELPHIA FLORIST. 173 



(^ oil is procured, is also found in this remarkable group, which is com- U\ 

 Ny posed of some of the most insignificant weeds of temperate climates, L/ 

 / and at the same time the most important and dangerous of tropical \? 

 trees. ) 



flight reference can only be made to the variety of uses to which j 

 the various products of Palms are applied in the human economy. 

 From the well known cocoa nut (cocos nucifera), the fruit of which 

 is generally diffused over the civilized world, to the cabbage palm, so 

 useful in some localities as an article of food. W e meet with the 

 vegetable ivory Phytelephas macrocarpa, whose nuts yield a sub- 

 stance almost equal in durability to the ivory procured from the ele- 

 phant, and with the advantage of being very abundant. These nuts 

 are now converted into all kinds of ornaments and devices not 

 easily distinguishable from the original article when manufactured. 

 The living plant forms a beautiful object for the conservatory, but 

 as yet is not generally distributed amongst cultivators. The date 

 palm is well known as the plant which yields in abundance the date 

 of our shops, and is of vast importance to the Arab of the deseit as 

 an article of food. Specimens of this palm are quite common in all 

 extensive collections, and are to be met with in those of this neigh- 

 borhood. The wax palm Ceroxy/on andicola, attains a height of 180 

 feet, and produces a kind of wax which forms a coating to the trunk, 

 it exudes from the point of insertion of the leaves. This palm is also 

 in many collections, at least in Europe. The doom palm of Egypt 

 is another remarkable individual of this order, (Hyphene thebaica), 

 used also as an article of food. It has been found very difficult to 

 procure living plants of this species — a valuable description of rope 

 is made from its fibres. The Betel nut is still another remarkable 

 natural production of the palm tribe, peculiar for its narcotic proper- 

 ties procured from the Areca catechu. But only a tithe of the curi- 

 osities of palms can be mentioned here. Even from one individual 

 species in its different stages of growth and development are produced 

 food, drink, clothing, cordage, covering for tents, oars, baskets, 

 buckets, cradles, material for torches, and a substitute for writing 

 paper, with oil for lamps, and many other less important articles of 

 domestic economy. The grandeur of their forms is not a matter to 

 be lost sight of — they elevate our ideas of the Creator when we sur- 

 vey these mighty offsprings of the soil on which we tread. 



And turning to the more familiar habitants of our own climate, 

 there are thousands of objects worthy much minute attention, but 

 which are too often overlooked. The great diversity of character in 

 the gourd tribe or CucuRBiTACEiE, must have often been a matter of 

 reflection to even casual observeis. The melon, cucumber, and 

 squash in all their numerous varieties are worthy of note. The 

 small gherkin, and balsam apple, and the curious squirting cucumber 

 (Momordica elaterium,) are but approximations to the mammoth 

 pompion, which astonishes us by its rapid growth, passing over the 

 various intermediate forms of crook necked, turban and bush squashes. 

 A species of Convolvulus closely allien 1 to the morning glory of our 

 arbors, gives us a useful root the sweet potato (Convolvulus Batatas.) 

 And the old and more generally cultivated potato is related to as cu- 

 rious a family, when we take into account the diversity of character 

 ^ observable in the solanum tribe ; which also contains our familiar 

 M friend the tomato, Solanum ly coper si cum-, and the egg plant, Solanum r 

 \^ m along ma. ^ 



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