April T, 189a.] 
Supplment to the “ Tropical Agriculturist." 
793 
Tho liulittiis coHsiiler tliis iilant a very whole- 
some food, especiuDy for convalescents. 
(iH, Airm I.anatn, .liiss. Sin. Polkudiijialil, 
This i)lant is found growing in the wanner 
regions of the Island in open i)hice.s, where tho 
soil is fertile. It is a low herb, much branched, 
consi.sting of small green leaves which are 
covered with u imbescence. The spikes are 
crowded together and are found at the axils 
of the leaves, and the Howei-s are white. This 
gives a itecnliar appearance to the plant, 
as if it were sprinkled over with a white 
powdery substance, anil the Sinhalese name 
I’olkudiipala signilies its outward appearance 
—polkndu being the white refuse of scraped 
coconut kernel, and piiUi herb. The jdant 
is not verj- abundantly met with, and hence 
it is diflieult to collect it in snlllcient 
quantities to use it ns a food e.xcejit on 
rare occasions, when a dry curry is prepared 
which is uiucdl relished. Ai. Lanata is largely 
used in medicine, and is reputed to possess very 
beneficial projawties. The roots of this plant 
are said to be eni|iloyed by Indian medical 
liraetitioners as a demulcent. 
(ib. A IteriKvitlierii Triandra, Lam. Sin. 
Muknnuwenna. 
(Jrows abundantly in rich moist situations 
and is rarely found in a jawr soil. It is a 
small herb, much branched, and grows prosi rate 
on the ground. The stems are very' thin and 
of a pinkish colour, whilst the small leaves 
have well marked veins of a pinkish colour. 
The short spikes are borne at tho axils of the 
leaves. The plant, wherever collected, is relished 
ns a fond in the form of a dry curry, and is 
much sought for both on account of its pe- 
culiar pleasant taste and its reputed medicinal 
properties. Native medical practitioners pres- 
cribe it in cases of vertigo and complaints of 
the head as a cooling local application, while 
the curry is said be effective in cases of in- 
digestion. 
KITUL PAL.\1 {VAltYOTA UltESS). 
IJescription. 
The Kitnl palm is known ns the Jaggery 
palm or wine palm. It is also frequently’ termed 
bastard sagu palm, us it contains starch in its 
stem. The Kitul is scientifically termed Caryota 
Urens, and belongs to the order l‘almace<e. The 
trunk is erect and cylindrical, and attains a 
height varying from JiO to IK) feet, and the leaves 
are marked with sharp indentations. In des- 
crihing this ornamental palm, Kev. S. Langdon in 
his book entitled “ Jly Mission Ourden,” says, 
“ One of the most intere.«ting palms in the garden, 
and one of the most beautiful, is the Kitul 
((.'an/ota Tlrenr). As we stand under tho shade 
of these graceful trees, we Ix‘gin to realise what 
Tennyson means by the ‘Imbovver'd vaults of 
pillar’d palm.’ The stems are among the finest 
columns to be found in all nature's forest archi- 
tecture, while the feathery cajiitals have never 
been rivalled in the structures raised by man.” 
A characteristic feature in this useful palm is 
the bringing forth of llowers in a regressive form. 
The topmost Howers spring first and then tho 
tree ceases growth. Other llowers sprintrs out 
in the next season from the axil of the next 
leaf below the top. In this manner llowerini; is 
continued till the axil of the lowest leaf is reached. 
'Iho tree at this stage loses all reprodiictivo 
power, becomes totally barren and gradually dies 
a natural death. 
(/f). Orou'th. 
The Kitnl palm is found both wild and 
cultivated in most parts of the Island, but it 
thrives most luxuriantly and moat abundantly 
in the Southern and tk-ntral parts of Ceylon. 
1 have hud ample ojiport unities of observing 
that tho trees which grow on high elevations are 
generally less flourishing than those on low lands. 
There are male and female trees, but we akso 
find both the organs in the same flower. It is 
not an uncommon sight to see 10 or 12 Kitul 
trees in every garden of a Kandyan villager; 
but sometimes over 1(X) trees are found growing 
in each garden. The Sinhalese seldom or never 
cultivate this palm in the proper sense of the 
word. Kitul fruits when ripe a.ssume a reddish 
appearance, and tho epicarp contains saccharine 
matter which is much relished by the wild cat. 
The mesocarp contains a while pulpy substance. 
The wild cat eats this fruit and ‘the tree is 
commonly propagated by the animal dropping the 
seed with Its foeces. Owing to the fruits being 
propagated in close proximity to each other 
the fertility of the tree is impaired, and 
if tho villagers were to root up the germinated 
plants and replant them at prescribed distances, 
the fruitfulness of this palm would be remark- 
ably increased. 
(C). 
Ne.xt to tho Coconut ( ('ocoa niteifeva) and 
I'almyrah { /iorasmn Jtaheltifonnix), the Caryota 
Lrens enn be put to the greatest variety of 
uses. The tree yields a very durable tim- 
ber, which is largely utilized for making 
pestles, beams, rafters, laths, water pipes for 
native houses, walking sticks, door frames, 
wiiulow posts and railings. The price of a 
hundred laths of 10 feet each is about Bl, while 
of a hundred rafters of 10 feet each, about R7't30. 
The leaves po.ssess a fair precentage of water, 
and are much relished by the elephants. The 
tender leaves are characterised by certain medi- 
cinal properties, and are used in preparing a 
conjee which is given to invalids ns a febrifuge. 
The leaf buds are also boiled and given to patients 
us a preventative against giddiness. The roots 
and barks constitute an important medicinal in- 
gredient for snake bite, while the midribs 
are extensively utilized for fishing rods. Tho 
fibre, which is found at tho base of the leaf stalks 
is made into o.xcellent rope by tho Bodiyas or 
the lowest class of Sinhalese. These ropes are 
very’ strong and durable, and are used in tether- 
ing cattle and for other purposes. The fibre is, 
moreover, made into brushes and also used as 
stulfing material. According to Mr. Jack.son, 
who has published a lajok on “ Commercial 
Botany, the fibre has taken a prominent position 
in the brush trade in Mngland, where it has 
been known for the lust SM) or 40 years, but it 
is within the last 5 or C years that it has be- 
come a regular commercial article. It appears 
that this fibre is steeped in linseed oil to make 
it more pliable and for darkening it. It can 
