LICUALA, a genus of palms of the tribe Cory phinm of Martins, Coryphem of Lindley, and so named by Rumphius, from the Macassar name of the species, L. spinosa, figured by him in Herb. Amboin. i. t. 9, and which is found in the islands of Macassar and Celebes. L. peltata is described by Dr. Roxburgh as a native of the mountainous and woody parts near Chittagong, which separates that province from the Burma territories. Both species are small, with palmate, somewhat fan shaped leaves, but of little use. Rumphius de scribes the narrow leaves of this tree as being formed into pipes for smoking tobacco, while the broader are employed for wrapping up fruit, and for other domestic uses. This genus of palms is confined to the tropical parts of Asia, and com posed of about a dozen species.
The species of Licuala are shrubby, sometimes stemless, palms of the East Indies as well as the islands of the Eastern Archipelago. The stern in many is marked with rings, and sometimes rough with the persistent indurated petioles of fallen leaves. The leaves are pinnately fan shaped, with the petioles armed towards the margins with horny conical or often hooked prickles.
Licuala acutifida, Griffith., are the Plass tikoos, MALAY ; the walking sticks called Penang law yers are the stems of this small palm. It is a miniature palm, inhabiting Penang, and attaining generally only 3 or 5 feet, and in exceptional cases from 15 to 20 feet in height.
Licuala dentifida, Martius, grows in Penang ; its Malay name also is Plass tikoos. Its stems also afford the Penang lawyer walking stick. These are prepared by scraping with glass and polishing; each stein is well scraped, by which the epidermis is altogether removed ; care must be taken not to take away much mole, as the inside is like the substance of a rattan. It is on this account that the smaller thinner sticks are so much sought for, and are so rare. The sticks are then straightened by fire. No other process is used. The plant seems to be confined within narrow geographical limits; it is not known, as Griffiths believed, about Malacca, where its place seems to be supplied by several other closely-allied species. Martius, however, states it is to be found throughout the Malayan Peninsula. Griffiths had
an impression that under this species, as given by Martius, two distinct palms will be found ; for though the description by Martius agrees well with Griffiths' Penang specimens, yet the drawing of the spadix represents the parts nearly of the same size as in L. spinosa. L. pumila, Blume, appears only distinguished from this by the broader equal teeth of the pinnules (the inter mediate ones of which are the broadest), being described as 16 to 21 lines broad, and 6 to 8 toothed, while the two innermost ones are said to be only an inch broad.
Licuala. glabra, Griffith, is a miniature palm, the trunk being from 3 to 5 high, and rather more slender than that of the preceding. The petiole, the rete, and the ligula are much the same as those of the preceding. It grows solitary on Gunong Miring, an offset of Mount Ophir. Flowers in February. Its Malayan name is Plus gunong. Griffiths first met with this species on Mount Ophir ; he subsequently received specimens from the same locality. It is closely allied to the preceding Penang lawyer, from which, indeed, the leaves are scarcely distinguishable, except by the broad sinuses of the lobes, and their more obtuse points. The smooth inflorescence and flowers, however, at once distinguish it both from that species and L. pumila of Blume. Griffiths was not aware of its stem being used for walking sticks.
Licuala peltata, Ron. Chitta-pat or Chattah pat, Assam., is one of the finest of the genus. It inhabits all the woody mountains to the eastward of Bengal in Sikkim, as well as the base of the Himalaya, below Darjiling, Rangpur, Assam, and the Andamans; and its large peltato orbicular leaves, though coarser than Toka-pat of Assam, are used for making chattas or umbrellas, pun kahs or hats. Nevertheless the demand for them is very great, scarcely a single ploughman, cow keeper, or coolie being without his jhapi or chatta, umbrella-hat, made of chatta-pat. Other species are L. longipes, paludosa, Cr., L. spinosa, Cr., and L. triphyila, Gr., but are of no economic importance.—Roxb. u. p. 179 ; See man • Hooker; Griffith.