306 BICTIONAHY OF POPULAR NAMES PALISSANDER 



The leaves smell like myrtle, but have an acid astringent 

 taste. 



Palissander, sometimes written Palixander-wood, a name 

 sometimes given to Eosewood as well as to Violet-wood. 

 ^ Palms, the family of Palms, termed Palmaceae, or as Hnm- 

 boldt calls them, " the princes of the vegetable kingdom," con- 

 sists of about a thousand known siDecies. Their chief home is in 

 the tropics, but few extending beyond ; their southern limit 

 being New Zealand, and their northern limit 40° ; represented 

 in Southern Europe by the Dwarf Fan Palm {Cliamccro^ps Immihs) 

 and the Date Palm {Fhmnix dactylifera.) With the exception of 

 grasses, no plants are of more importance to man than palms, 

 more especially with reference to the inhabitants of the torrid 

 zone and contiguous regions ; their fruits and the pith of their 

 stems affording abundance of wholesome food and drink, and 

 their leaves supplying material for all requirements of domestic 

 economy^ the particulars of which will be found under their 

 respective local and familiarly-known names. The aspect of 

 palm trees being very different from the trees of Europe, led to 

 their being early sought after as objects of cuiiosity, and in 1768 

 five species are recorded as growmg in the Eoyal Gaidens at 

 Kew six years after their establishment. Pilty years later their 

 number had increased to twenty-two, and, although not growing 

 under very favourable circumstances, several had attained a size 

 to merit their being spoken of as ''the great Palms at Kew." 

 In 1848 they really had the chance of becoming great, being 

 then placed in the noble Palm-house specially elected for their 

 reception. In 1864 the collection consisted of 144 species. 



Palm Honey. {See Coquito Nut.) 



Palm Oil is obtained from the fruit of several kinds of 

 Palms, the principal being Elmis guineensis, a wing-leaved, low- 

 growing palm, seldom exceeding 20 feet in height. Its fruits 

 are produced in dense bunches, each fruit is about the size and 

 appearance of a date, with an orange-red rind, which envelops 

 a pulpy matter surrounding a hard nut, from both of which 

 the Palm Oil of commerce is obtained, that from the nut bein^ 



