156 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
largely used in Paraguay in the decora¬ 
tion of churches, dwelling-houses on 
festive occasions, and that on Palm 
Sunday crowds may be met on the 
streets bearing the green fronds in 
their hands. He also asserts that it 
makes a beautiful shade tree, being a 
great ornament in the parks and gar¬ 
dens of Asuncion. 
Cocos Datil, Drudc , the Entre Rios 
Palm, the most masssive of all the spe¬ 
cies, rivalling in this respect almost the 
Canary Island Date, though the leaves 
are much shorter. In mature speci¬ 
mens the trunk is about 30 feet high. 
I have a few fine photographs of these 
palms, said to have been taken by Dr. 
G. Niederlein in the Missiones, Ar¬ 
gentine, which exhibits quite large 
dense forests of tall specimens grow¬ 
ing in rather rocky and stony soil. I 
have only one specimen now, about 15 
feet high with a very thick and massive 
trunk about seven feet high. Ferns 
(Phlebodium aureum) grow all around 
it in dense masses and form a beautiful 
decoration on the rough stem which is 
still provided with the old leaf-bases. 
The magnificent crown of stout, al¬ 
most upright leaves, overtopping the 
sturdy trunk, make the specimen an 
exceedingly stately one. Each year it 
matures about eight to nine fruit- 
bunches, weighing from 35 to 50 
pounds each. Each fruit, of a light or¬ 
ange color, is as large as a plum, very 
rich in sugar, juicy, intensely fragrant, 
like a combination of bananas and 
pineapples, and edible. The fruits are 
as closely set as a bunch of grapes, f 
have counted over 1,000 in one cluster. 
Idle large divided flower-scape is en¬ 
closed in a very massive spathe of the 
size and form of a baseball club, or, as 
a visitor expressed himself, of a “huge 
Hercules’ club.” An excellent wine, 
jam and jelly can be made of the 
fruits. It grows freely in rich, dry 
pine land soil and, like all the other 
species of this group, it does not seem 
to require much attention. To Mr. 
Theo. L. Mead belongs the credit of 
having introduced this palm into cul¬ 
tivation, but I think his specimens on 
rich, moist land all have perished. It 
is perfectly hardy and should be 
grown everywhere in the state and all 
along the gulf coast where the soil is 
suitable. 
Cocos eriospatha , Mart ., From South¬ 
ern Brazil where it attains a height of 
20 to 25 feet. A particular character¬ 
istic of this palm is the very recurved 
leaves—more recurved than in any 
other species. The trunk is short and 
thick and the flower-spathe is large and 
club-like. This usually bursts open 
with a loud crack, and reveals a verv 
large and much branched flower-truss 
of a deep violet-red color which soon 
becomes darker yellow. The flower- 
spathe, as well as the flower-stem, is 
thickly covered with a mealy powder. 
The fruit is almost as large as a good 
sized plum and of the form of a peen- 
to peach, i. e., flat on both sides, and 
when ripe, of a deep yellow color. It 
is very juicy and so full of sugar that 
it becomes very sticky when fully ripe. 
It is strongly aromatic and of a delic¬ 
ious flavor. The bunches weigh from 
25 t° 35 pounds and consist of about 
500 fruits. This is the best fruiting 
o 
kind and, next to Cocos Datil, the most 
