DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



65 



This plant could certainly be utilized industrially, having an excellent fiber 

 beneath the bark which often attains a length of 1 meter without a break. It grows 

 in the suburbs of towns, and flowers in the summer months. (Alberto Lbfgren.) 



Areca catechu. Betel-nut Palm. 



Endogen. Palmw. Palm, 80 feet. 

 Native of Cochin China, Malayan Peninsula, etc. Cultivated throughout trop- 

 ical India, growing near the seashore and not above 3,000 feet elevation. 

 Fiber — While grown chiefly for its nuts, " the flower sheath is made into skull 



Fig. 21.— Young Betel-nut palm, Areca catechu. 



caps, small umbrellas, and dishes ; and the coarser leaf sheath is made into cups, 

 plates, and bags for holding plantains, sweetmeats-, and fish" (Bombay Gazetteer). 

 The flower spathe and the fibrous pericarp from the nut is adapted to paper making. 

 In some parts of Ceylon the chief vessels used for carrying water are made from 

 the leaves of this graceful palm, which, being of leather-like consistency, are easily 

 converted into strong and durable water buckets, in the making of which the 

 natives show great ingenuity. Fig. 21 is a greenhouse plant of this species. 

 12247— No. 9 5 



