CONTENTS, 
titu(?e— Marriage of the ¥i'^ Tree aud the Palm— Epiphytes 
—Water Plants— Siiii,Tikrly-si)aj>ed Trcea— The lUrrigtido— 
The Bottle Tree— Tree-* witl* huttressea and fantnaticiil roots 
— The Mangroves— Tljcii' imi>ortance in fnrtlieriiig tlie growth 
o£ Land'Animal Life anion<i the Mangroves— " J iiniping 
Jolmny "— Insahibi-ity of the Mangrove Swamps— The Lum 
—Trees with formidahle spmea .24 
CHAPTER nr. 
PALMS AND FERNS. 
The Cocoa-nut Tree— Its hundred mes-Cocoa-nnt oil- Coir- 
Porcupine wood— Enemies of the Cocoa Palm— Tlie Sago 
Fahn— The Saguer— The Gimiatty—Tlie Areca Palm— The 
Palmyra Palm— The Talipot— The Cocoa de Mer— Ratlins— A 
Ratnn briilge in CcyJou— The Date Tree^Tho Oil I*alms of 
Africa— The Oil Traile at Bonny— Its vast and growing im- 
portance—American Paltns— The Carnanha— The Ceroxylon 
and i cola—The Cahl}n<^e Palm— The Guliclnm spedosa— The 
Piacava— Diflicultiesof thehotivnistin ascertaininf? the various 
species of Palms— Their wide geographical range— Different 
physiognomy of tixe Palms accordiug to tlieir heiglit— The 
position and fonn of their fronds— Their fmita— Their trunk 
—The Yriart€a ventricosa— Arboreacent Ferns . . ,58 
CHAPTER lY. 
THE CHIEF ESCULENT PLANTS OF THE TORRID ZONE. 
Rice — ^^^^ous aspect of the Rice-fields at difTcrent seasons —The 
Rice-Bird—Maize— First imported from America by Columhiis 
—Its enormous productiveness- Ita wide Kone of cultivation- 
Millet, Dhourra— The Bread-Frtsit Tree— The Bananas— 
Their ancient cultivation— A vaea or Manilla Hemp — Hum- 
boldt's remarks on the Banana— The Traveller's Tree of 
Madagascar— The Cassava Root— Tapioca — Yarns— Batatas 
—Arrowroot— Taro— Tropical Frnit Trees— The Chirimoya 
—The Litchi— The Maiigosteeu— The Mango .... 79 
