488 



DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



a gourd, covered with velvety down, and containing nume- 

 rous seeds the size of large peas, imbedded in pulp which 

 ultimately becomes dry and of a corky nature. It forms a 

 great part of the food of the natives, and was the chief sup- 

 port to Major Pedley's expedition, for 10 or 12 days, when in 

 search of Mungo Park. Excellent ropes are made of the 

 bark. As an example of the slow growth of this plant, one at 

 Kew, though more than eighty years of age, was only 4| feet 

 high, but with the characteristic swollen gouty base 6 to 7 

 inches in diameter. 



Adansonia Gi^egorii. A native of North Australia, and 

 first observed by Allan Cunningham during Captain King's 

 voyage of survey in 1818, who called it the gouty tree, on 

 account of its remarkable obesity. When seen at a distance 

 it has the appearance of an oblong pear set on end. Since 

 that time they have been seen and described, and drawings 

 made of them, by several travellers. They grow either 

 singly, or several apparently from the same root, the largest 

 one measured being 85 feet in girth and not exceeding 25 to 

 30 feet high. The leaves and fruit are produced from a 

 small tree-like stem, growing out of the top. The wood is 

 exceedingly soft and full of moisture, which it readily yields 

 on pressure, affording a grateful beverage to travellers in the 

 arid places where they grow. The fruit is smaller than that 

 of the preceding. 



Bottle Tree of Australia (Delabechea rupestns). A tree, 

 native of North-eastern Australia. It is allied to the pre- 

 ceding, but more erect, and not so large, sometimes bulged 

 out in the middle, having the appearance of a barrel or 

 bottle, with what would appear to be a small tree growing 

 out at the top, answering to the neck of the bottle. Its 

 stem is very open, soft and porous, and contains a mucilagi- 

 nous gum. It has narrow digitate leaves. Plants of it, with 

 the gouty foot, may be seen at Kew. 



Hand Flower Tree {Cheirostemon platanoides). A native 

 of Guatemala, but first known by a single tree of great age 

 growing near the city of Mexico. It is a large soft-wooded 



