28 



PALMACEiE. 



often ten, twelve, and even fifteen feet in length. The flowers are also produced 

 in large clusters around the top of the stem, succeeded by large nut-like fruits, ten 

 or twelve together. These nuts are too well known to require any description ; 

 they afford an abundance of food, and the milk contained within the hollow kernel 

 is considered a most refreshing beverage. The pericarp or husk which invests 

 the nut is also of immense value ; it is about an inch thick, of a fibrous texture, 

 the fibres of which, being tough and readily separable, are manufactured by the 

 natives into cords, cables, and various kinds of cloth. Of these fibres also, as 

 well as of those of the leaves, they fabricate mats and carpets of a beautiful and 

 costly quality. The shells are converted to various useful purposes by the natives, 

 who form them into cups, bottles, boxes, and other articles both of ornament and 

 utility. The kernel, when ripe, yields abundance of oil, which during the last 

 few years has become an important article of commerce. The mid-ribs of the 

 leaves are converted into oars ; the leaves themselves are used in thatching and 

 fencing ; they are burnt as fuel, and from the residue is obtained potash. The 

 unexpanded buds are esteemed as a delicacy : when these buds are removed a 

 quantity of sap exudes, which is carefully collected, and sold in the bazaars under 

 the name of toddy. This juice, when fresh and unfermented, is a grateful and 

 wholesome beverage ; but as it contains a large proportion of sugar, it readily 

 undergoes fermentation and produces an intoxicating liquor, from which is obtained 

 by distillation a spirit called Pariah arrack. Lastly, the stem is rendered useful 

 in various ways : when young it yields a nutritious, farinaceous food ; when old 

 it becomes exceedingly hard, and is converted into a variety of utensils, weapons, 

 &c. Swords and arrows made of this wood, will, it is said, pierce through iron 

 cuirasses. It is used as timber for building and other domestic purposes ; and 

 transverse sections of it are frequently employed for constructing drums. There 

 are other species of cocos, which are also converted to various useful purposes. 



The genus Areca contains several species, one of which, A. catechu, is exten- 

 sively cultivated in the East Indies. It ^ produces the betel-nut, so generally used 

 by the natives as a masticatory. A slice of betel-nut, wrapped in the aromatic 

 leaf of the betel-pepper, is very generally chewed like tobacco by the natives, 

 whose mouths and teeth are deeply tinged by the practice. It is said however to 

 preserve the teeth, to render the breath sweet, and to act as a tonic and stomachic. 

 From the fleshy part of the fruit an astringent extract is procured, and sold as a 

 kind of catechu. Areca oleracea, the cabbage-palm of the West Indies, has 

 acquired its specific name from the practice of cutting off the young buds and 

 cooking them like coleworts ; as such they are esteemed a great delicacy. It is 

 the loftiest of the American palms, rising occasionally to the height of 160 and 

 even 200 feet. 



The genus Elais, the oily-palm, derives its name from a Greek word, meaning 

 oil or olive. Elais Guineensis yields the well-known palm-oil, large quantities of 

 which are imported from Africa. This substance is expressed from the fleshy 



