DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 311 



Fiber. — The bast yields a good fiber, samples of which are preserved in the Mu- 

 seum of the Department. J. H. Hart, of Trinidad, says, however, that the tree is 

 too valuable ever to be cut for its fiber. 



Theometl (Tuc). Agave vivipara. 



Thespesia populnea. 



Exogen. Malvaceae. A tree, 40 to 50 feet. 



The species is common on the sea shores of many tropical countries, as the West 

 Indies and South America, the Pacific Islands, western Africa, and India. In the lat- 

 ter country it is largely cultivated along roadsides. It yields in India a gum, a dye, 

 and an oil, and is valued in pharmacy. The leaves are employed in Hindoo religious 

 ceremonials. In Tahiti it is also a sacred tree, and its leaves used in ceremonials as 

 in India. The wood, which is almost indestructible under water, has been much 

 used in boat building; also used for cabinet work, and in Ceylon for gunstocks. 



Fiber. — There are many references to the use of its bark for fiber, but it does not 

 appear to have been specially valued as a fiber plant save in Demerara, where for- 

 merly its bast was employed in the manufacture of coffee bags. In India a strong 

 fiber is derived from its bark, which is used in the rough state for coarse cordage for 

 tying bundles of wood, etc. It is also used for cordage in Burma. The fiber, which 

 resembles the better mallow fibers, is very resistant. As the species is a large tree, 

 its cultivation for fiber could never become an industry. 



Thinban and Thengben (Burm.). Hibiscus tiliaceus. 

 Thinbawle (Burm.). Eriodendron anfractuosum. 

 Thrinax argentea. The Silver-Top Palmetto. 



Endogen. Palnuv. A low-growing fan palm, 20 to 40 feet. 



This is a well-known West Indian species, found in Cuba and Jamaica especially, 

 but also abundant in semitropical Florida. Found on the Florda keys as follows: 

 Elliotts, Largo, Piney, Gordon, Boca Chica, Key West, etc. The species of the 

 genus are known as thatch palms, and none of them exceeds 20 feet in height. A 

 common name of T. argentea, in Jamaica, is the Silver Thatch palm. Known in this 

 country also as the Brickley Thatch, and Brittle Thatch. T. parviflora is the Sil- 

 ver-top palmetto, found on Florida keys from Bahia Honda to Long Key. The trunk 

 is used in making sponge and turtle "crawls." (See fig. 99.) 



Structural Fiber. — Both in Cuba and Jamaica the leaves of this species are 

 employed in the manufacture of palm hats, baskets, and fancy articles in the same 

 manner as the leaves of Florida palmettos. It has been suggested, however, that 

 these articles are also made from other species which abound in the West Indies. 

 The tough leaf stalks are also employed in manufacture by weaving into baskets 

 and other objects. When employed as thatch material, the entire leaves are used. 

 In Panama, where the palm is known as Palma de escoba, its leaves are made into 

 brooms. 



A few years ago a correspondent of the Department in Cuba submitted samples of 

 palmetto fiber said to have been derived from Ckamwrops liumilis (which is the African 

 species yielding the Crin vegetal of commerce), but this is doubtless an error. From 

 the fact that the plant, known in Cuba as Guano yarey, grows wild, and its leaves 

 have long been employed for making fancy hats, hampers, etc., it is more than likely 

 a species of Thrinax. The stem of the leaf of the Guano yarey was experimented 

 with, and the fiber extracted was made into good cordage. It is doubtful, however, 

 if fiber from the tough leaf stalks can be extracted at sufficiently low cost to compete 

 with the commercial leaf fibers for which there is already adequate machinery and 

 a commercial demand. The leaf stems of the saw palmetto are now treated for their 

 fiber in Florida, but at best it is a coarse and imperfect cordage material. 



In the Kew Mus. mats are shown from T. morrisii made in Anguilla, together with 

 a series of baskets, fancy articles, etc., from T. argentea, Cuba and Jamaica. 



