botany: A genus of plants belonging to the first natural order, Palmae. The fruit is a dry plum with a bivalved kernel. There is but one species described by Linnaeus, viz. the circinalis, or sago-tree, which grows spontaneously in the East Indies, and particularly on the coast of Malabar. It runs up with a straight trunk to 40 feet or more, having many circles the whole length, occasioned by the old leaves falling off; for they standing in a circular order round the stem, and embracing it with their base, whenever they drop, they leave the marks of their adhesion behind. The leaves are pinnated, and grow to the length of seven or eight feet. The pinnae or lobes are long, narrow, entire, of a shining green, all the way of a breadth, lance-shaped at the point, are closely crowded together, and stand at right angles on each side the midrib, like the teeth of a comb. The flowers are produced in long bunches at the footstalks of the leaves, and are succeeded by oval fruit, about the size of large plums, of a red colour when ripe, and a sweet flavour. Each contains a hard brown nut, enclosing a white meat, which tastes like a chestnut.

This is a valuable tree to the inhabitants of India, as it not only furnishes a considerable part of their constant bread, but also supplies them with a large article of trade. The body contains a farinaceous substance, which they extract from it and make into bread in this manner: they saw the body into small pieces, and after beating them in a mortar, pour water upon the mass; this is left for some hours to settle. When fit, it is strained through a cloth, and the finer particles of the mealy substance running through with the water, the grofs ones are left behind and thrown away. After the farinaceous part is sufficiently subsided, the water is poured off, and the meal being properly dried, is occasionally made into cakes and baked. These cakes are said to eat nearly as well as wheaten bread, and are the support of the inhabitants for three or four months in the year.

The same meal more finely pulverized, and reduced into granules, is what is called Sago, which is sent into all parts of Europe, and sold in the shops for a great strengthener and restorative.

There is a sort of sago made in the West Indies, and is sent to Europe in the same manner as that from the East; but the West India sago is far inferior in quality to the other. It is supposed to be made from the pith of the areca oleracea. See Areca.

The brood boom (or bread-tree) of the Hottentots, a plant lately discovered by professor Thunberg, is described as a new species of this genus, by the name of cycas Caffra, in the Nova Acta Reg. Soc. Scient. Ups. vol. ii. p. 285, tab. V. The pith, or medulla, which abounds in the trunk of this little palm, Mr Sparman informs us, is collected and tied up in dressed calf or sheep-skins, and then buried in the earth for the space of several weeks, till it becomes sufficiently mellow. CYC

mellow and tender to be kneaded up with water into a paste, of which they afterwards make small loaves or cakes, and bake them under the ashes. Other Hotentots, not quite so nice, nor endured with patience enough to wait this tedious method of preparing it, are said to dry and roast the pith or marrow, and afterwards make a kind of brown frumenty of it.