195 



fastened together with pegs and slender creepers. The hand may 

 be easily pushed through one of these walls, but as the inhabi- 

 tants do not trouble themselves with the possession of any article 

 worth stealing, they sleep as composedly as if stone walls and iron 

 bolts shut them in with all the security of a more advanced 

 civilisation. The same material is also used for stoppers for 

 bottles. ( Palmce.) 



96. Bavenala madagascarlexsis, Sonner. — The Traveller's Tree of Ma- 

 dagascar is one of the most beautiful and striking members of the 

 Banana family. Its trunk is made up of the sheaths of the leaf 

 stalks. At the top of the trunk the upper leaves are in two rows 

 with long stalks, arrau ged like an enormous fan. As the wild pines 

 of Jamaica hold water, which is sometimes of service to hunters 

 in the woods, so the sheaths of the leaf-stalks of the Traveller's 

 Tree store up water for the plants' own needs, and each one 

 pierced from below, will yield the thirsty traveller half - a-pint of 

 refreshing water. The blades of the leaves are used for thatch. 

 The flowers are individually much like those of the Banana, but 

 they are supported by large bracts arranged in two rows along 

 the stalk. The seeds are edible, and are covered with a blue 

 pulpy matter, which yields an essential oil. (Musacece.) 



9^. Rhapis flabelliformis, Ait. — The Ground Rattan is a low-grow- 

 ing palm with a number of reed-like stems growing several to- 

 gether in dense tufts. It is a native of China and Japan. 



The stems are very slender, and are made use of for various 

 purposes. They are however quite distinct from the Rattan 

 Cane. It is an excellent plant for table decorations and will stand 

 the climate of the hills. ( Palmce ). 



98. Sabal Palmetto, Lodd. — The Palmetto of the southern United 



States has gained renown in two wars. The stems are extremely 

 tough, and during the "War of Independence, they were used with 

 great success for making stockades. Hence the Palmetto was 

 introduced into the arms of South Carolina ; and on the breaking 

 out of the Civil War, the Palmetto flag became a party emblem. 



The stems attain a height of 40 feet ; they are almost im- 

 perishable under water, not being attacked by the teredo, and 

 are therefore of the greatest utility for making wharves. 



The leaves of the Palmetto and also those of the Dwarf Pal- 

 metto ( Sabal Adansoni) of the same region, are used for platt- 

 ing into light and durable hats. ( Palmce.) 



99. Sarcocephalus esculentus, Afzel. — This small tree is a native of 



Upper Guinea. Its fruit, known as the Sierra Leone Peach, is 

 really a union of small fruits as the Pine Apple is. The fragant 

 flowers are small, half an inch long, of a white pale pink or yel- 

 lowish colour, and are crowded together into heads of about two 

 inches in diameter. The edible fruit is thought by some to re- 

 semble the apple in flavour. (Rubiacece), 



