The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-07-16
RARE FLORIDA PALMS.
They Grow on the Keys and Are of Great
Interest to BOtanIsts.

Interest to BOtanlsts.
Prof. A. H. Curtiss returned recently
from his seventh cruise among the
interesting botanical discoveries, in
Guiding two additions to his list of
Florida trees. 1t was his special OBJ
ject to study the palms peculiar to
these coral islands, and in this he sue
ceeded beyond his expectation, deter
mining the range of each and securing
the material that had been needed Tor
their accurate identification and de-
scription.
There are three kinds of palms on
the keys that can hardly be dis
tinguished from one another at a little
distance. They have fan-shaped leaves
and stems seldom exceeding three
inches in diameter, though sometimes
attaining a height of nearly 40 fet. They
furnish, the inhabitants with crawl
poles" and materials for hats and
baskets.
For the first time Prof. Curtiss sue
ceeded in finding the grove of pseudo
Phoenix Sargentii, on Long Key. \
few young trees of the remarkable
palm were found by him on Elliott's
Key in 1881, but were mistaken Tor
young royal palms. Five Years later he
accompanied Prof. Sargent on a cruise
in the steamer Laurel, and in exploring
the same key Prof. Sargent was first
to catch sight of a mature and we'll
fruited tree of the same palm, and the
fruit was found to be wholly different
from that of the royal or any other
known palm. Drawings were made for
Prof. Sargent's Trees of North Ameri-
ca" and material for study was sent
TO Wendlandt, the leading authority on
palms, who found it to be both specific
ally and generically distinct from other
known species.
This discovery led TO the detection of
quite grove of the same palm on Long
key, which was then being converted
into cOcoanut plantations, and the
owner ordered its preservation, which
was most fortunate, as otherwise this
remarkable tree might have been eX-
terminated before being brought into
cultivation.
Long Key is situated about 60 miles
northwestward from Key West, and is
of very irregular form, consisting of
three arms or prongs. each about two
miles long, Last summer Prof. Curtiss
landed on the key with a diagram fur
nished him by Commodore Monroe,
who had succeeded in finding the palms
and also i'll successfully transplanting
one of them to Cocoanut grove; but,
varying a little from the right course,
he failed to find anything besides CO.
coanuts and mangroves. Now that he
has succeeded in reaching the palms,
he finds that Copmodore Monroe's in
structions were pretty nearly correct,
but not as simple as they might have
been.
If one will land a few hundred yards
east of the south point of Long Key, at
a large black mangroYe standing alone
at the waters edge, and will then pro-
coed directly inland across a narrow
skirt of sws..lt@. he will see, on emeEg-
ing from the mangroves, the pseudo
Fh5eniX directly in front of him, and he
will behold the rarest and most unique
of North American trees, and one
which as to beauty of fruitage is per-
haps not eXcelled by any tree in the
world. The trunk is short and thick,
smooth and curiOusly variegated with
alternate bands of brown and greenish
GRAY. The crown of leaves resembles
that of the date palm, and at its base
are borne gorgeous clusters of red Der
ries, many of them so large that a man
could hardly encircle one with his
arms. The berries are about as large as
average grapes, and large proportion
of them are united in tows and threes
The heshy covering of the nut is very
bitter, the kernel almost as hard as
ivory.
Prof. Curtiss secured enough of the
fruit to fill two barrels. which he
shipped from Planter, on Key Largo. to
Prof. Sargent, who will doubtless dis
tribute them to all botanical gG.'dens
and palm nurseries in the world. Thus
the existence of the pseudo-PhoeniX is
likely to be prolonged indefinitely, in
dependent of its existence in a wild
state, which is evidently precarious.-
Jacksonville Union.