Miscellaneous Products. 



510 



[June, 1910. 



friend J. Harrison, Esq., of the Seychelles, 

 to obtain the necessary specimens. 

 With the utmost promptitude and kind- 

 ness that gentleman devoted several 

 days to visiting, with a dozen of blacks, 

 the Isles of Praslin and Ourieuse ; and in 

 the midst of those little known islands, 

 he not only made drawings from the 

 living trees, but procured and forwarded 

 to us, through Mr. Telfair, the male and 

 female spadices and fruit, in different 

 states, preserved in spirits, with leaves, 

 a seedling plant and even a portion of 

 the trunk. All these, except the fully 

 ripened fruit, arrived in safety. A per- 

 fect representation, therefore, of the 

 mature nut, is still wanting." 



This want has been supplied, in the 

 meantime, by various botanists, and the 

 once so mysterious Sea Coconut tree is 

 as well known as any other plant. We 

 are not going to give a detailed des- 

 cription of the tree, as we are only con- 

 cerned with its history, but we must 

 mention a few points of interest regard- 

 ing its life-history and economic uses. 



This magnificent palm requires a great 

 length of time to arrive at maturity. 

 The shortest period before it puts forth 

 its flower-buds is 30 years, and 130 

 years elapse before it attains its full 

 growth. From the age of 15-25 years 

 it is in its greatest beauty, the leavej at 

 this period being much longer than 

 they are later on. The stem grows 

 quite upright, straight as an iron pillar, 

 and in the male trees frequently attains 

 a hundred feet in height, the females 

 being shorter. At the age of thirty it first 

 puts forth its blossoms, the males form- 

 ing enormous catkins about 3 ft. in 

 length, and 3 inches in diameter, while 

 the females are set on a strong zigzag 

 stalk, from which hang four or five, or 

 sometimes as many as eleven nuts, aver- 

 aging about 40 lbs. weight each. From 

 the time of flowering to the maturation 

 of the fruit, a period of nearly 10 years 

 elapse, the full size, however, being 

 attained in about 4 years, at which time 

 it is soft and full of semi-transparent 

 jelly-like substance. The arrangements 

 provided by nature for the roots of this 

 tree, are cf a most peculiar kind. The 

 base of the stem is rounded, and fits into 

 a natural bowl or socket about 2h feet 

 in diameter and 18 inches in depth. " This 

 bowl is pierced with hundreds of small 

 oval holes about the size of a thimble, 

 with hollow tubes corresponding on the 

 outside, through which the roots pene- 

 trate the ground on all sides, never, how- 

 ever becoming attached to the bowl, 

 their partial elasticity affording an al- 

 most imperceptible but very necessary 

 " play " to the parent stem when strugg- 



ling against the force of violent gales. 

 This bowl is of the same substance as 

 the shell of the nut, only much thicker ; 

 it rots very slowly, for it has been found 

 quite perfect and entire in every respect 

 60 years after the tree has been cut 

 down. 



The crown of the trunk, i.e., the heart 

 of the leaves is eaten like that of the 

 American cabbage palm (Oreodoxa regia), 

 and often preserved in vinegar ; but it 

 is less delicate and slightly bitter. The 

 trunk itself after being split and cleared 

 of its soft fibrous part within, serves to 

 make water troughs, as well as palisades 

 for surrounding houses and gardens. 

 The foliage is employed to thatch the 

 roofs of houses and sheds, and even for 

 the walls. With a hundred leaves a com- 

 modious dwelling may be constructed, 

 including even the partitions of the 

 apartments, the doors and windows. 

 The down which is attached to the 

 young leaves serves for filling matt- 

 resses and pillows. Of the ribs of the 

 leaves and fibres of the petiole they 

 make baskets and brooms. The young 

 foliage affords an excellent material for 

 huts : for this purpose, the unexpanded 

 leaves only are taken, dried in the sun, 

 and cut into longitudinal strips, 2 or 3 

 lines in breath, which are then plaited. 

 Of the nut are made vessels of different 

 forms and uses. When preserved whole 

 and perforated in one or two places the 

 shell serves to carry water. Plates, 

 dishes and drinking cups made of the 

 nuts are valuable from their great 

 strength and durability, so that this 

 kind of utensil in the Seychelles Islands 

 bears the name of " Vaiselle de I'lsle 

 Praslin." Amongst other articles, shav- 

 ing dishes, black, beautifully polished, 

 set in silver and carved, are made from 

 them. 



The marvellous medicinal properties 

 which were ascribed to the nuts by 

 ancient physicians, both European and 

 Asiatic, have been recognised as fanci- 

 ful nowadays and depends solely on 

 the rarity of the fruit. It is consequent- 

 ly no longer valued by Europeans but it 

 is (according to Dymock) still in great 

 repute among the Arabs and natives of 

 India as a tonic preservative and alexi- 

 pharmic. Ainslie relates that in his 

 time the Vytians occasionally prescribed 

 the kernel given in woman's milk in 

 cases of typhus fever, the dose being " a 

 quarter of a pagoda weight twice daily," 

 and adds "it is also reputed antiscor- 

 butic and anti venereal." Dymock men- 

 tions that in Bombay it is prescribed as 

 a tonic and febrifuge in combination 

 with Lignum colubrinum (the small 

 branches of Strychnos colubrina, L.) 



