Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/30

 20 PALM the Asiatic species, but it is said that the na- tives are not acquainted with the process of extracting toddy. The doum palm of Egypt, which also grows in Arabia and Abyssinia, is Doum Palin (Hyphsene Thebaica). hyphc&m Thebaica (or cucifera) ; the genus is remarkable among palms in having branching stems ; in the doum palm the trunk is seldom over 30 ft. high ; it is simple when young, but in old trees forked three or four times, each branch being terminated by a tuft of large, fan-shaped leaves. The fruit is produced in large clusters of over 100, each the size of an orange, irregular in shape, with a highly pol- ished yellowish brown rind, enclosing a single horny seed; the rind, which is dry, fibrous, and mealy, is said to taste exactly like ginger- bread, and, though unpalatable from its dry- ness, forms a common article of food among the Arabs. The double or sea cocoanut was long a great puzzle to naturalists; its large deeply lobed nuts, appearing like two cocoanuts joined for about half of their length, were oc- casionally picked up at sea ; their origin being unknown, they were in olden times invested with remarkable virtues ; the albumen or meat of the nut was regarded as a preventive of various diseases, and the shell, used as a drink- ing cup, imparted similar power to the liquid it contained; enormous prices were paid for single specimens, and they were regarded as among the most costly of regal gifts. With the exploration of the Seychelles islands in 1743, the source of this "wonderful miracle of nature, the most rare of marine productions," was ascertained ; it is the fruit of a palm, grow- ing only on the two small islands Praslin and Curieuse, which was named by La Billardiere Lodoicea Sechellarum. The tree is dioecious, of slow growth, the males attaining 100 ft. in height ; it does not blossom until 30 years old, and the fruit is 10 years from that time in maturing ; the fruits are borne in clusters of 5 to 11 upon a strong zigzag stalk, and average about 40 Ibs. each ; they have a tough fibrous husk, which encloses usually one, but some- times two or three nuts; the nuts serve to make various domestic utensils, and the leaves afford material for the most delicate baskets, bonnets, and articles of fancy work ; the wood is valuable, and houses are made of the large leaves. It is feared that the felling of the trees to obtain the nuts, as well as the bud or " cabbage," will before long cause this remark- able species to become extinct. The bossu of the natives of the southern Amazon is mani- caria saccharifera, the only species of the genus, and grows in the tidal swamps; this is distinguished from other palms by its entire leaves, only occasionally divided when old by splitting ; they are frequently 30 ft. long, 4 or 5 ft. wide, and strongly furrowed from the midrib to the margin; these leaves are used for roofing huts. The spathes of this palm are fibrous, and when cut around at the base of the flower cluster, they may be pulled off entire. The spathe is dark brown, and its very strong Hardy Palm (Chamaerops excelsa). fibres are so interwoven that it may be stretched to several times its proper diameter without tearing, and forms a very serviceable seamless bag ; or if cut, it may be used as a coarse cloth. 4. The tribe coryphinece consists of trees or stemless plants with fan-shaped, rarely pin- nate leaves, the pinnules with erect margins ; spathes rarely perfect ; flowers usually perfect, sometimes polygamous; fruit a berry. The genus corypha includes several stately species, one of the best known being the talipot palm (C. umbraculifera) of Ceylon and other parts of the East ; its magnificent leaves are remark- able for their regular plaiting, and form a fan which is nearly a complete circle 4 ft. or more in diameter ; the numerous segments are split, and form a double fringe to the margin. These leaves require little preparation to make the