File:The ornamental trees of Hawaii (1917) (14742941366).jpg

Identifier: ornamentaltreeso00rock (find matches)
Title: The ornamental trees of Hawaii
Year: 1917 (1910s)
Authors: Rock, Joseph Francis Charles, 1884-1962
Subjects: Trees--Hawaii.
Publisher: Honolulu: (s.n.)
Contributing Library: Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, McLean Library
Digitizing Sponsor: LYRASIS Members and Sloan Foundation

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eter. The leaves are very large, oftenmeasuring eighteen to twenty feet in length and from ten to twelveacross. It is one of the few palms with twice pinnate leaves; theleaflets terminate abruptly somewhat resembling the dorsal fin ofa fish, whence the name Fish-tail Palm. When it has attained itsfull height it begins to flower near the apex of the trunk, the flowersbeing arranged on long hanging racemes, which are produced indownward succession till the palm dies. The reddish fruits areglobose and fleshy, the seeds are reniform and the sour juice containedin the fruit produces an irritation of the skin whence the specificname urens meaning stinging. It is a native of Malabar, Bengal, Assam and various otherparts of India where it grows in moist forests. To the natives ofIndia this palm is highly valuable on account of the large quantityof toddy or palm wine which it yields, and Dr. Roxburgh states thatthe best trees will yield at the rate of a hundred pints in twenty-four Plate XVII.
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Arenga saccharifera (Wurmb.) Labill.Sugar Palm. Palmae. 39 hours, and the sap continues to How for about a month. Whenfresh the toddy is pleasant, but it soon ferments, and when distilledbecomes the arrack or gin of India. Sugar is also obtained by boil-ing the toddy. The trees are tapped when they are twenty yearsold; the portion tapped is the Mower stalk. Tapping is continuedfor eight months in the year, till the rainy season commences, thetrees then become too slippery to be climbed. The trees are how-ever not allowed to rest but are tapped till exhausted. The pithor farinaceous part of the trunk is valued as sago which is said toequal that of the true Sago palm (Metroxylon sagus). It is madeinto bread and boiled into thick gruel. From the leaves a fibre isproduced called Kittul, which is very strong and is made into ropesand other articles. The limine Palm was once extensively cultivated in Honolulubut the old trees have begun to flower and the majority of them havedied ; still a

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