Synoptical and Specific Descriptions. 
iii 
often reduced to spines. Fertile spadix much branched, 60-100 c.m. long. Fruit 1-2 c.m. lone ellinticil red with n Wh>r,. e i»; n . , , 
The ^at i ves ^ere 6 make 3 n<T u s7of ^his ^)al m “ m ° iStUre “ ^ape Colony, Nat;., and ^"pi^ 
23 °- RAP T, J e r^::r 0 ; e ; h - r y LTa ;:r rC Mf; , u;:rtl;3 d ; v ' t, ; hard t? ^ Abou, 
th^'d 1 ^ t0 .^. r0 Pe ^ rom ^ere, for horticultural work, under the name “ Raffia grass .” 6 Th^'p^^ishe^descr^ptim^^the'^^c^a^e^exceedii^l^u^rtt^fMtory 3 
the *gu,sh,„g characters being mostly the number of stamens, the form of fruit and of its covering scales, and the number of rows of these scales Tl secms .o 
me likely that the number of species will be reduced on better acquaintance. I believe I am correct in referring the species which occurs fr.-.-lv nlnn. f 
t e forests of Magenja da Costa and Nhamacurra, and also occurs occasionally in M’Chopes and Gaza, and I understand at Mavotta, I.ouren/o MarqucT'to R 
vinifera, P Beauv. V'rn. mm ,s are- 5.6 Mali ; to-t t, Nyiad. I, forms a stem , 7 metres in height, 10-30 c.m. in diameter, and to lone' 
the midribs of which are in great demand for making rafts, light gates, doors, &c. For the latter purpose they are simply placed side by side cut foe gth and 
hoLTf fof f“ ed , ,hr0USh / ''° ,e ‘V aCh ’ ' at the HP “ d ' »' bottom, . outside upright being a foot longer a, each end than the others and lay^ ,"a 
hole in log at the base, and tied to the gate-post at the top, thus acting as hinge, and a very light and serviceable door is formed. The pinnules of the feaves 
are spiny on the margins, especially on seedling plants, which on the Mogugude River, between Mocubella and Mujcba, are produced in great ah, n da c I, 
most places, especially southward the trees have only 3 or 4 leaves each, the natives removing each leaf for its midrib u soon as it is ft nXuoHs used from 
thts species north of the Zambesi, but in the extra-tropical districts the crown is sometimes cut off for the sake of the sap which Hows from it and forms a palm wine 
AffunstUits praatceandalao cutting young leaves there should be legal restriction if it can be carried into effect. R. vinifera occurs on both East and West Africa' 
The Bamboo Palm , wine made from the sap of the trunk is called Bourdon by natives of Oware and Benin.” 
PLATE XCVIII. B. i, Tree, general aspect (much reduced) ; 2, Spadix ; 3, Fruit ; 4, Scale on same (inverted) ; 5, Seed. 
231. BORASSUS. Dioecious. Leaves fan-shaped. Male flowers many, in pits on the spadix. Male spadix smaller than the fertile. 
B. flabellifer, var. jethiopicum Warb. Vern. names-*, 2, Borassus; to, Morumbe. Stem ,2-20 metres in height, 25-30 c.m. diameter, often with a swollen part near 
the middle. Leaves clustered at the top of the stem, 2-3 metres long and rather wider, the petiole of equal length and armed with spines along its margin Spadix 
7 3 7 VTn S 'r P 7 77 that ° f 7 malC Phnt Sh ° rter than the fertile - A lofl >' and striki ”« Palm with straight unbranched stem, seen of large size in 
Zuvalla and at Quehmane and Magenja. Though not always assoc.ated with present habitations, I doubt if this species be indigenous, and think it may have been 
brought south long ago from one of its many habitats further north. In the “ Flora of Tropical Africa ” it is stated “ In Unyamwezi district (German East Africa) 
e young ones are called Meelalla and the leaves furnish thatch, rope, sieves, fences, firewood, and flageolet reeds, the roots are boiled and eaten in times of 
amine, and a sweet insipid toddy is extracted, whilst on the Nile the leaves are made into strong white baskets and mats for markets, according to Speke and Grant ” 
The name Meelalla given above for the young palms is suspiciously like the name Ilala used for Hyphtene crinita wherever that species grows, which is used for 
all the purposes mentioned above. Here Borassus is used for the production of surra (fermented liquor) but not for other purposes. 
232. HYPHiENE. Dicecious. Leaves fan-shaped. Male flowers solitary in pits on the spadix. Male and female spadices alike. 
H. crinita, Gaertn. Vent, name— 1-16, Ilala. Stem simple, or sometimes branched as a result of accident or tapping; up to 3 metres in height, 25-30 c m diameter- 
erect. Leaves fan-shaped, 1-2 metres in length and width ; petiole armed with spines. Spadix 60-100 c.m. long, branched. Fruit 5 c.m. long, 4 c.m. wide, oblong’ 
fibrous under the skin, and with a hard shell inside. Frequent in the sandy soils throughout the Province, also in Natal coast, extending to Pondolnnd and in 
German East Africa, British Central Africa, and Madagascar. The young leaves yield excellent fibre, in demand everywhere for native purposes such as tying mats 
&c., the split leaves are plaited into baskets close enough to hold Kafir beer and grain, and also made into hats, purses, tobacco pouches, &c., and the tapped crowns 
yie d sap from which a native “ wine,” highly intoxicating if old, is obtained. The seeds have a low value for the manufacture of trinkets from its “vegetable ivory.” 
H. coriacea, Gaertn., described as differing from H. crinita in having a dichotomously branched and sometimes much-branched stem is recorded from the mouth of the 
Zambesi and other localities as well as from Pondoland. Branched stems of II. crinita occur anywhere as the result of tapping, damage, fire, &c.,and though this 
matter did not come under my notice till after I left the Province I do not think the branched plants anywhere are specifically distinct. Rev. R. Baron (“ Kcw 
