varieties exist, and others with entire leaves and with smooth and
variously shaped and sized fru its ; others again ripening earlier,
others later so th a t ripe bread-fruit is obtainable more or less
abnndantly tlirougliout the year. The fruit is simply boiled or baked
or converted into more complicated kinds of food. Starch is obtainable
from tlie bread-fruit very copiously., The very fibrous bark can be
beaten into a sort of rongli cloth. The light wood serves for canoes.
I h e exudation, issuing from cuts, made into the stem, is in use for
closing the seams of canoes, and could be turned to technic account.
A r to c a r p u s in te g rifo lia , Linné fil.*
T “ Jack-tree,” ascending like the allied A.
Lakoocha (Roxburgh) to 4,000 feet ; only fit for places free of frost.
A large tree in full bearing is one of the grandest of objects in the
w i t L T s o " :®" The fruit attains exceptionally a
■neight of 80 lbs.; it is eaten raw or variously prepared ; the seeds
when roasted, are not inferior to chestnuts [Dr. Roxburgh]. In
East-Aiistraha ju s t outside the tropics this tree still produces fruits in
enormous quantity, up to a weight of 23 lbs. [E d g a r]; to a lesser
extent a t Moreton-Bay [P r. Turner]. Bears fruit as far south as
i t n sr l i M. Wood]. In Jamaica it is cultivated up to
3,000 feet [W. law o e tt]. The allied A. polyphema (Persoon) has
smaller fruits, very odorous and with sweet pulp. I t is a native of
Oochinchma ; its degree of hardiness is not well ascertained yet. An
illustration of it occurs in Madame van Nooten’s beautiful work on
Javanese culture-plants.
A ru n d in a r ia e leg a n s, Kurz.
Burma, ascending to 7,000 feet elevation
20 feet. Height of stems to-
A ru n d in a r ia fa lc a ta , Nees.
Middle Himalayan zone, ceasing at elevations over 7,000 feet,
ih e canes are thm and weak, seldom over 6 feet high This
bamboo does not necessarily require moisture. In reference to various
bamboos see the Gardeners’ Chronicle of December, 1876. also the
Bulletin de la Société d Acclimatation de Paris, 1888. The closely
a lied Jurboota-Bamboo of Nepal, which occurs only in the cold
altitudes of from 7,000 to 10,000 feet, differs in its Solitary stems,
not growing m clumps. The Thamor-Kaptur-Bamboo is from a still
colder zone, at from 8,500 to 11,500 feet, only 500 feet or less below
the lower limits of perpetual glaciers [Major Madden]. The wide and
easy cultural distribution of bamboos by means of seeds has been first
urged and to some extent initiated by the writer of the present work.
A ru n d in a r ia F a lc o n e ri, Munro. (Thamnoccdamus Falconeri, J. Hooker.)
Himalaya, a t about 8,000 feet elevation. A tail species witli a
panicle of several feet in length. Allied to the foregoing species.
A ru n d in a r ia H o o k e ria n a , Munro.
Himalay.a, up to nearly 7,000 feet. Grows to a height of about
15 feet. Vernacularly known as “ Yoksim ” and “ Praong.” The
seeds are edible, and also used for a kind of beer [Sir Jos. Hooker],
Grains of most kinds of bamboos are however only produced a t long
intervals, nor do they retain vitality for a long time.
A ru n d in a r ia J a p ó n ic a , Siebold and Zuccarini.*
The “ Metake ” of Japan. Attains a height of from 6 to 15 feet.
Uninjured by even severe winters at Edinburgh, with 0 °F . [Gorlie].
Tlie hardiest of all bamboos. Through cold and keen winds in E n g land
it may be seen unscathed, looking fresh and green when the
spring arrives. Underground shoots come up a t some distance from
the main root. Cut canes put into jars containing some water stand
particularly well as foliage for decorative purposes according to Dr.
M. T. Masters, who also bestows high praise on the frost-resisting
Japanese or Cliinese A. Simoiii (Rivière) of stately habit, on the A.
pygmaea (Masters) of almost tu rf like growth, on A. Fortunei
(Fenzi) with often variegated foliage, on A. Veitchii (N. E. Brown)
and on Bambiisa tessellata (Munro).
A ru n d in a r ia m a c ro sp e rm a , Michaux and Richard.
Southern States of North-America, particularly on the Mississippi.
This bamboo-like reed forms there the cane-brakes. F it for low
borders of water-courses and swamps. According to C. Mohr it
affords tliroiighoiit all seasons of the year an abundance of nutritious
fodder. I t requires to be replanted after flowering, in the course of
years. Height reaching 20 feet.
A ru n d in a r ia sp a th iflo ra , Trluius and Rupreoht.*
“ The Ringal.” Himalaya, a t elevations of 8,000 to 10,000 feet,
growing among firs and oaks in a climate almost as severe as th a t of
England, snow being on the ground from 2 to 3 months. Stems rise
to 30 feet ; more tlian a hundred may in the course of a year spring
from one root ; the canes of this species are quite celebrated for water-
tubes, fishing-rods and various implements, also as material for mats
and baskets [Sir D. Brandis, in proceed. R. Soc. of New South
Wales, 1885].
A ru n d in a r ia te c t a , Muehlenberg.
Southern States of North-America. A cane, growing 10 feet
high. Prefers good soil, not subject to inundations ; ripens its
large mealy seeds early in the season, throwing out subsequently
new branches with rich foliage. Fire destroys this plant readily
[C. Mohr].