Page:Transactions of the Linnean Society of London, Volume 6 (1802).djvu/388

314 distilled a great quantity of thick clear insipid mucilage, which soon hardened into a substance resembling gum tragacanth, in which probably resides the nutritive quality for which this Palm is so celebrated in the Flora Japonica. We are there told that a very small morsel of the pith of its stem is sufficient to sustain life a long time, and on that account the plant is jealously preferved for the use of the Japanese army. The drupae are also said to be used as food. We roasted some, and found in their kernels the flavour of chefnuts, with lefs fweetnefs and a more watery confiftence. Each dnipa is elliptical or somewhat obovate, a little compreflTed, tipped with a minute rigid point formed of the permanent ftigma, which is umbilicated at its fummit. The outer coat is coriaceous, bright orange led, clothed with woolly down which eafily rubs off. This coat is not eatable. Nut folitary, elliptical, even, hard, whitifli, tipped with a point connefted with the ftigma, and internally lined with a locfe brown membranous integument clofely enfolding the kernel, whic-h is alfo elliptical, white, firm, uniform, completely occupying the fhell, and confifting entirely of albumen. In its tipper part, immediately under the stigma, we discovered a small round cavity where the embryo should have been, but no traces of it were to be found, for want of impregnation by the male pollen, which is produced on a separate tree. Probably the flavour of the nuts might have been improved had they been impregnated.

Enough has been said to show the near affinity of this genus to Zamia, (see Gaertner, tab. 3.) from which it is chiefly, and indeed sufficiently, distinguished by its drupae. growing on a true frond, contrasted with, the amentaceous fruit of Zamia. The two genera perhaps, constitute an intermediate order between Palmae and Filices, but are surely most akin to the former.