Palmae. 33 
this species exist. Its variability in the States is similar to that of 
Phoenix spinosa in Africa and Chamaerops humilis in Europe. The 
polymorphism of this palm may principally be observed in the vegeta- 
tive organs. It adapts itself to almost any climate and thrives in 
the hottest regions in India as well as in regions with frost. 
Latania Loddigesii Mart. 
(Syn. Latania glaucophylla Hort.) 
Plate XIII. 
Latania Loddigesii is a dioecious palm reaching a height of fifty 
feet. The tomentose leafstalk of this species is three to four and a 
half feet long, the margins of the leaf segments are entire in the ma- 
ture plant but spiny in the young plant, which is reddish. The old 
specimens are very glaucous or bluish green. The blade is three to 
five feet long, slightly tomentose on the veins beneath and tinged with 
red. The male spadix is five and a half feet long with eight to twelve 
branches. The female spadix is three and a half to four feet long with 
five to six branches. The drupe is obovate pear-shaped, trigonous, two 
and a half inches long by one and three-fourths broad, and contains 
usually three seeds. The seed is elongate obovoid with a central ridge 
with tree-like branching in the upper third. 
This very robust and hardy species is a native of Mauritius but 
like many of the ornamental species has been cultivated throughout 
the tropics. When young it makes a very decorative pot-plant and 
resembles Latania commersonii J. F. Gmel. greatly. 
In Honolulu numerous specimens occur; it is easily distinguished 
by its large glaucous-whitish fan leaves and large pear-shaped fruits. 
Borassus flabelliformis L. 
Palmyra Palm. 
Plate XIV. 
The Palmyra Palm is one of the species of the genus Borassus 
which enjoys the widest geographical distribution. It ranges from 
the northeastern part of Arabia through India to Ceylon and Burmah 
where immense groves of this remarkable plant may be found on 
the banks of the Irrawaddy below the capital of Burmah. From 
Burmah it extends through Netherlandish India to New Guinea. 
A mature specimen is from, sixty to seventy feet high with a trunk 
about five and a half feet in circumference at the base. The stiff 
