April 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
683 
sentative, "Tacca pinnatifida, the "Gaiantli- 
kidaran" of the Sinhalese, of Avhich^ve read: — 
Dry region, rather rare, ia grassy open places. 
Bintenne (Gardner) ; Truicomalie (Glenie) ; Batti- 
caloii (Thwaites) ; Jaffna ; Nilgala, abundant. Fl. 
March ; green, tinged with purple. Also in India, 
Malaya, Pacitic, Is., Austr.ilia. The leaves are 
remarkably similar to those of an A-mo^'phojikalhis. 
The rootstock is intensely bitter wlien raw. It 
is full of starch, which, when prepared, is of 
excellent culinary properties. The plant is ex- 
tensively cultivated in some parts of India and 
in other tropical countries. 
Next come " DioscoreaceaB," the best-known 
of which, perhaps, is "Dioscorea Sativa" 
(Pann-kondol of Sinhalese) for which Sir 
Joaeph Hooker gives an interesting' note : — 
Low country to 2,000 ft. ; very comnion. Fl. 
Aug., Sept. ; yellowish white. Throughout India, 
wild and cultivated. 
Roots, according to Thwaites, emplo3'ed to 
atti'act fish to certain spots where they can be 
easily caught. For this purpose, pieces are daily, 
for some time, thrown into the water. I have 
cited Hermann, Burmann, and Linn. Fl. Zeyl. 
from JJ. sativa, but the fruit not being figured 
or described in these works renders their iden- 
tification doubtful. Thwaites, in a note, mentions 
I), safiin, L., as a cultivated plant in Coylon, 
with the name kattoo-kookoolala (katu-kukalala, 
Tr'nneii), stipposing it to be a different species 
from his D. bulbifcra. As Dr. Trimen, in a note 
upon his and Thwaites's bnlblfera, says that the 
roots are not eaten, it Avould appear that this 
may be the wild uneatable state of the culti- 
vated plant. The attention of Ceylon botanists 
should be given to this subject. — J. D. H. 
" Roxburghiaceai " with one genus is followed 
by "Liliacese" covering 13 pages and then 
follow " Pretederiacete, ' "Xyrideae," " Coin- 
melinacese" (fully represented), "Flagellari- 
acsfe" and "Juncacefe," when we come to 
the "Pahn.'!," which occupy some 19 pages. 
« Of tlie Ai'eca we are told that it is nowhere 
wild in Ceylon, and that though comnion 
throughout tropical Asia, it is not now 
possible to tell where it originated. Of the 
Kitul (Caryota nrens), on the other hand. 
Trimen reports : — 
Though encouraged and protected, I believe 
this to be a i-e:ii native here. Yields toddy 
copiously. The sago-like pith forms a \aluablc 
article of food, and a coarse sugar is made from 
the torldy. The ^^ ood, which is silicious, is useful 
for buiUling purposes. Leaves yield the kitul 
fibre of commerce. 
Of " Phoenix Zeylanica," common on our 
Southern Coast, we are told :— 
The stem of P. zeylanica sometimes attains 20 ft. 
in height, and is often characteristic of the 
.'icenery after burning off the scrubby surround- 
ing growth for cliena-uultivation. Mats and boxes 
are made of the leaves. The sweet jmlp of the 
fruit is eaten. 
A fine ])late is given of this palm. Then 
\Vehave the Talipot "Corypha umbracnlifera." 
the "Tala" of the Sinhalese, with a note 
a.s follows :— 
Moist region below 2,000 ft.; rather common. 
Fl. Aov. Jan. Also in Malabar. This must be a 
nati\e palm, but I li.ive never seen it in original 
jungle. Of the vast number of seeiUings which 
i-oine np near the i)arent tree, very fe>v arrive 
at niaturitv, the •. -.uig leaves l>eing continually 
cut. Beddome roiiiarks that he Ims never seen 
iti wild in S. India. ' ' ' 
The lurgesi and most imposing of .Eastern 
1> wlien about 10 vears old. The 
young fruit, pounded, is used for stupefying fish. 
The leaves form ruats, fans, and umbreliab, and 
are also used for A\Titing upon. A bread is made 
of the pounded soft interior of the trunk. The 
seed liavo the hardness of ivory, and are known 
as Bayarljatu nuts ; they are used as beads in 
Ceylon, and in the manufacture of buttons in 
Europe. 
Next we notice the Palmyra, ''Borassiis 
flabelliformis," also callei "Taf by the 
Sinhalese and "Panai" by the Tamils. 
[We recall the puzzled look of a veteran 
botanist to whom we sat next at a dinner of 
the Linnfean Society some years ago when 
■we mentioned the " Palm;\T.'a " : nor could he 
at all identify it in his mind's eye, until we 
mentioned "Borassus." when he recalled it 
perfectly — he had beoi in thii West, but not 
in the East, Indies,] The note is a^s foIlow.s : — 
Di y region, esiiocially 'u\ the desert sandy tracts 
near the coast : verv coumion. but always planted. 
Fl. March, April. 
Cultivated in India, Burma, Malaya, apparently 
wild in Trop. Afi'ica. Tliis is usually known as 
the Palmyra, the Portuguase ' Palmeira ' slightly 
altered in spelling. It is grown in vast groves, 
like the coconut, in the north of Ceylon, espe- 
cially in Jctttna district, as is noticed bv Eumph, 
(1. c. 48). 
For a very full account of the uses of this 
palm in Ceylon, reference may be made to ' The 
Palmyra Palm,' by W. Ferguson, printed at 
Colombo in 18.50 (reprinted 1888). 
Cocas'' nucifcra. universally cultivated through- 
out the low country, especially near or on the 
sea-coast, but not wild. 
We must also qtiote the note to the coconut, 
and express our satisfaction that foitr times 
over the name is spelt properly, A'sdiile, alas ! 
in the above note ttnder palmyra, it is given 
'cocoa-mtt,' 'cocoa' being unfortunately 
spoken of as the prodtict of cacao : — 
Cultivated throughout the Tropics, the origui 
not known. [Indigenous according to Kurz, in 
the Coeos and Andaman -z.—J. D. H.] 
Several varieties are recognised by growers. 
' Tembili ' has the endosperm pink in colour, 
and is called the ' King Coconut." A very sniall- 
fruited dwarf sort C. nana, Gritf.) goes by the 
name of the ' Maldive ' Coooi'.ut.t 
Next we come to a series of orders with a 
limited number of representatives, sirch as 
" Pandanacea?,'' '• Typhacepe," "Ai-acefe"— 
one genera of wliich has four species named 
after Ceylon botanists: — " Cryptocoiyne 
Thwaitesii," "C. Neviilii," " C. Walkerii" and 
"C. Beckettii."' — Then follow in a dozen 
pages, the orders "Lemnaceffi," " TriuridejB ' 
" Alismacete," and "Naiadea?." The Index 
which follows gives the Natural Orders and 
Generic Names in Parts ill and 1^'. 
Finally, we may mention that the publishers 
state that the iifth and last xolume of this 
valuable work, — alas th;;t Dr. Trimen should 
not have lived to see it ;ill through the press ! 
— will be re<vdy by ^lidsummer 18i)9, and as 
Sir .Joseph Hooker mentioned in the preface 
quoted above it will cont:iin, hesidfs the 
*From the Portuguese name Coco or Coquo, 
given to the fruit fiani a fancied resemblance 
to a monkey's face. 
t Xot to be confouiuled with the Cocos inaldl- 
rira of the old \^Titers, winch w:>s the frnit of 
Lodoirt'n Sii/rlul/arinii. the 'Double Coconut' 
or ' Coco-de-iner ■ (a pidiii peculiar lo tlie Sey- 
chellos ls.», carried by the oce.m i-inTeni>N and 
ofti-n cakt on '.1 be ^hori's nf llie .Ma ilives. 
