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Art. IV. — On the Geographical Distribution of Palms (Palm®). 
By Prof. Schouw. (Continued from Vol. XII. p. 137.) 
We now come to consider the lofty Palms, according to Lin- 
naeus, the Chiefs of the vegetable kingdom. The palms belong 
partly to the giants among plants. The wax palm (Ceroxylon 
nudicola) attains the height of from 160 to 180 feet. Some of 
the species of Calamus have stems 500 feet high ; and most of 
the palms, in tropical countries, tower like pillars above the other 
trees of the forest. The palms display great variety in flowers 
and fruit. Kaempfer calculated that a spatha of the date palm 
( Phoenix dactylifera ) contains 12,000 male flowers; and, ac- 
cording to Humboldt, one specimen of the Alfonsia amygdcdina 
had 60,000 flowers. Since, however, neither the greatness nor 
the number of parts similarly formed, but the number of diffe- 
rent organs, variety of opposite parts, in short the complication 
of structure, determines the higher degree of development, the 
Palms can by no means be placed at the top of the scale. This 
family must yield to many of the Dicotyledones ; and, in certain 
respects, even to some of the Monocotyledones. The stem of 
the palm is indeed woody, but the internal structure is altogether 
different, there being no separation into pith, wood, inner and 
outer bark, and no yearly growth to be perceived, since the 
transverse section only presents a uniform mass. The outer co- 
vering of the stem consists only of the remains of the peduncles 
of the leaves which from time to time have fallen off. The stem 
itself is almost throughout without any division, and bears, at the 
extremity, both leaves and flowers. The leaves are of consider- 
able size, generally elongated, with the fibres running parallel to 
the edges. They may all be referred to two grand forms, being 
either pinnated (folia pinnata ), as in the coco and date palm 
( Cocos , Phoenix ), or fan-shaped (f. flabelliformia ), as in the fan 
and dwarf palm ( Borassus , Chamarops ). In the last instance, 
indeed, the breadth of the leaves appears considerable ; but such 
a fan, both on account of the direction of the fibres, and of the 
manner in which they are folded, previous to their development 
( vernatio plicata ) may be regarded as composed of several 
