BASKETS. 
9 
fan-shaped leaves which are quite silvery on the 
under side. Common in savannahs in the south- 
west of the island, also along the north coast near 
Oracabessa. 
Thatch Palm, Fan. 
Thrinax excelsa. Order Palmae. Native of 
Jamaica. An elegant palm with fan-shaped leaves, 
growing to a height of 30 or 40 feet. Plentiful in 
limestone districts. 
The above three “thatch” palms are used in the 
districts in which they grow for practically the same 
purposes as the palmetto palm. (p. 8.) 
Wire Grass, or Hay Grass. 
Sporobolus indicus. Order Gramineae. A 
grass i\ ft. high, round stems. Very common in 
St. Andrew. Nutritious feeding for stock. 
Yoke-Wood, Mast- Wood, or French Oak. 
Catalpa eongissima. Order Bignoniaceae. 
Native of Jamaica, Haiti, and St. Thomas. A 
large, handsome tree with simple leaves, flowers of 
delicate pinkish- white, and long pendulous pods. 
A common tree from the coast up to an altitude of 
1,000 feet. 
MATS. 
The materials commonly used for making 
mats are banana bark, coir, palmetto straw and 
wire grass. 
The Banana bark mats are usually oval- 
shaped, rough and serviceable, and are com- 
monly used on doorsteps. They are made by 
the peasantry who plait lengths of the bark 
and sew them together. 
Coir is the fibre of the husk, or pericarp, 
that encloses the shell of the coco-nut. It is 
prepared by tearing the husk off the shell and 
