148 PRINCIPES [Vor-.4l

Principes,4f(3),1997, pp. 14&157 Rattansand Rheophytes-Palmsof the MubiRiver

Wnlm*r J. Bernn Departmentof Botany, Plant ScienceInboratories, Uniuersityof Re.ading,Whiteknights, P.O. Bot 221. Reuding, Berkshire,RG6 6A5, United Kingdom

The island of New Guinea holds some of the where I would collect around the Mubi river. Hav- greatest botanical mysteries left on earth. It is a ing already spent a week being flou.n around olace where vast tracts of rain forest still stand in Mount Bosavi by helicopter, courtesl' ,,f \\'S-F, I an unexploredand impenetrablelandscape, where didn't think things could get any better. but I rvas Asia meets Australia in a melting pot of fantastic wrong. biological diversity. Although this uncharted par- Accompanied by my field assistant. l-artrence adise seemssomewhat distant now, with the help Kage, I was driven by car from the S S F base at of my field notes and, no doubt, a little imagina- the Chevron oil camp at Moro along the r,,ad that tion, I shall attempt to tell a few tales of my {irst follows the main pipeline from the oil trell. around field trip to collect palms in New Guinea. Lake Kutubu in the Southem Highlan,ls to the As is the case for many plant groups in New coast in Gulf Province where the pipeline r'ontin- Guinea, the palms of the island are very poorly ues to a marine terminal outside the m,,uth of the known.This is a result of the severelack ofbotan- Kikori river. Only an hour out of \lor,r. \\e \\ere ical collections from the region, principally due to halted by a flood on the road and lere ju.t on the the inaccessibilityof mostparts of the island,cou- point of turning back when we made ratii, contact pled with the old bugbear that general collectors with our hosts in Kantobo who agreed tr) nleet us do not like makingspecimens of bulky plantssuch on the other side of the flood. Haling lerried our as palms.Enough said! Althoughthere havebeen gear across the rather unappealing. tepitl rtater, several specialistpalm collectorsactive in New we were met by Pamero, a wizened oid nran rrith Guinea, there is still a dearth of material in her- dreadlocks and a serious lust for life. * ho drove baria. Thankfully, a number of palm botanistsare like a lunatic, although he could onlv just reach taking a strong interest in the palms of New the steering wheel, along the limestone road to a Guineaand the situationshould change. Recently, point where a path led into the forest. There we I was fortunate enough to be asked to spend two met porters who helped us carry our gear dortn to months studying rattan diversity in Papua New a launch on the Mubi river. Pamero. being -.611s- Guinea (PNG), the eastem half of the island, as what multitalented, took control of the boat and, part of a larger rattan project at the Royal Botanic having introduced us to the villagers at Kantobo, Gardens, Kew funded by the European Union. set off to take us some 15 minutes do'trnstreamto Naturally, I was more than happy to oblige and the lodge where accommodation had been consequently spent January and February 1996 arranged. indulgingin someof the mostexciting plant explo- As I relaxed in the knowledge that rre were ration that I have experiencedso far. actually going to reach our destination. I took I do not intend to give every detail of the trip, more notice of my surroundings. Either side of the but rather an account of some particularly excel- broad river, whose turbid waters flowed calmly, lent collecting that I enjoyed while I was a guest but swiftly, magnificent forest rose from the allu- of the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) project vial flats along the banks clothing the limestone in the Kikori basin. As part of the packed program hills behind. Along the river margins, some ubiq- very kindly organized for me by Tanya Leary of uitous New Guinea tree palms, or limbuns, to luse WWF, it was arrangedthat I should spend three the PNG pidgin term, could be seen. Metroxylon days based at Kantobo in the SouthernHighlands sagu, the sago palm, grew gregariously in large reeTl BAKER:PALMS OF THE MUBIRIVER t49

quantities, which is fortunate, as the local people few days of fieldwork. Lawrence visited Kantobo are dedicated and enthusiastic saso eaters. Here village to gain permission from the landownersto and there, flowering specimenscould be seen, collect in the area. Unlike most other countries, spreading their massive candelabrasof inflores- PNG has retained traditional land rights and it is cenceshigh abovethe foliage.These individuals vital to talk to the local landownersbefore doing are quite uselessto the local people as the energy anything on their property. The following day, two required for this reproductive effort exhauststhe guides from the village joined us for our first day edible starch, which is stored in the trunk of the collecting around the falls and this proved to be palm before flowering. It is neverthelessan extremely productive. I found six speciesof Qal- impressive sight. Groups of Gulubia costata, the amus, inchding three that I had not come across most common of all the robust tree palms in New before. Although this number may not be as high Guinea, were frequent. It is readily distinguished as that which one might find in, say, most sites in by its spherical crown of straight leaves with Borneo, it was certainly a good score for PNG. drooping leaflets, although this character is not Unsurprisingly, the widespread Calamtn hollrun- reliable as it is shared by some species of Cro- gii was present. I encounteredthis species in nophyllurn, Rhopaloblaste, and, Cyrtostachys. The every locality that I visited and was very much presenceof a brush-like inflorescencenarrows the bewildered by the variation that it displayed. For options down to Gulubia and Gronophyllum and, example,some individuals bristled with numerous although probability suggests that the palm in black, triangular spines, which would penetrate question is Gulubia costata, a closer look at the my thick leathergloves as I tried to make a spec- flowers is needed to be certain. Among the gulu- imen, but others were totally unarmed on the bias, a few individuals were spotted with large, sheath. An extensive study is needed before any spreadinginflorescences which I tentatively iden- meaningful taxonomic entities can be identified tified as Cyrtostachyspeelteliana. Striking among within this complex.Another particularly interest- these typical pinnate palms was the bipinnate ing rattan found in the area was Calamus hum- Ca,ryotarurnphiana, a robust member of the fish- boldtianus.It had an altogetherpeculiar feel about tail palm genus,which is commonthroughout the it with its large leaflets, leathery and somewhat island. hooded, crowded on a disproportionately short Disembarking at a bend in the river, we were rachis with a long petiole. The most remarkable led along a board walk through the bush to the feature was a structure known as an ocrea, which lodge. As we approached,I was distractedfrom is an extensionof the leaf sheathabove the inser- rattan spotting when a hitherto distant rumbling tion of the petiole. Although ocreasoccur in many noise became gradually louder, up to the point rattan genera, they are a great speciality of New where it was difficult to communicatewith anyone Guinea Calamus species. The ocrea of C. hum- unless they were standingclose by. Arriving at the boldtianusis one of the most spectacular,reaching lodge, I walked to the edge of the river bank to a length of 80 cm or more. It is blackish purple find myself on a cliff a hundred feet above the in color with numerouscollars of soft, fine spines. river, which was now hurling itself over a great Several small palms grew in the undergrowth. precipice into a deep limestone gorge. Equally A slender Areca related,to A. nouo-hibernicawas awe-inspiringwas the forest, which toweredabove common,as was a specieso{ Calyptrrocalyx,which the gorge on the opposite side, presenting a fan- I had already found in abundance around Mt. tasticview ofthe differentlayers ofvegetation that Bosavi. The latter was a particularly ornamental appearedto be sewntogether by rattans and lianas palm. Its regularly pinnate leaf was an exquisite of various kinds. This was the dramatic beginnirrg copper shadeon emergenceand bore elliptic leaf- of Wassi Falls, possibly the most spectacular lets whose apices were drawn into fine pendent chain of waterfalls to be seen in New Guinea. drip tips. A very dwarf Gronophyllumof the type During that evening,we made plans for the next previously known as Nengella was also present,

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I' An unidentified Gulubia species growing in abundanceon karst limestone along the Mubi river. 2. An as yet unidentified spectesof Orania. 3. Caryota rumphiana, the black palm, one of the most abundant palms in New Guinea. 4. Heterospathe macgregorii growing as a rheophyte on the banks of the Mubi river. t'RINCTPI.]S lVot..4l 19971 BAKER:PALMS OF THE MUBIRIVEH

5. Heterospathe macgregorii: infructescence with ripe fruit. 6. The village of Kantobo. PRINCIPES [Vou 4I

7. Calamu reticulatus: habir. B. Close-un view of the stem oI Calamu reticulatus showins the netlike ocrea

but scarce.It has been identified tentatively as G. beautiful arching leavesclinging to a ledge on the f,abellatum on accountof its entire leaf, but a thor- side of the chasmobut there was no hope of mak- ough revision of the group is required before we ing out enough detail to identify even the genus. can be certain of the standing of this species. Having recovered from the exertions of the After an unpleasantly close encounter with a waterfall trail, I decided that the following day death adder, we came to a point where the trail would be conducted in a more leisurely fashion. dropped over the edge of the gorge. I was told it A local man named Benedict brought his dugout led to a viewpoint from which the biggest of the canoeto the lodge early in the moming and so we falls could be seen.Reluctantly easingmyselfover started a wonderful day of collecting along the the edge of the cliff, I staggeredand slipped down banks of the Mubi river. We made our first stop the mudslide that called itself a path. A heavy only a few minutes after setting off as I had mist thrown up by the furious water swirled noticed clumps of a rattan that grew almost in the around, providing ideal conditions for mossesand river itself. When I managedto get close to the liverworts, which thrived in the sodden atmo- rattan, I could see that it possessedan ocrea quite sphere. Eventually we reached a ledge where the unlike anything I had come acrossin any Calamus vegetationcleared to reveal a waterfall of epic pro- species, and yet the presence of a flagellum, a portions, apparently known as Beaver Falls, an climbing whip attached to the leaf sheath, indi- ample reward for the effort required to reach the cated that it had to be a Calamus.Above the pet- spot. Although the river constantly belched up iole, the sheath extended to form a loose fibrous great clouds of mist that obscured the view, I tube around the next leaf sheath.As this vegetable could make out a large, but willowy tree palm with stocking reached the top of the next leaf sheath, 19971 BAKER:PALMS OF THE MUBIRIVER

it was stretched by the petiole and the flagellum tion between the two is so unclear that we have to form a net funnel. This feature would have been beenunable to identify with confidenceany ofthe remarkableon its own, but even more amazingwas specimens that have come to Kew from New its similarity to the ocrea of the Bomean rattan, Guinea. Korthalsia jala, Io which Calamus is quite unre- Having collected around the black palm, it was lated. This curious palm was readily identified impossible to ignore the inevitable any longer. from the literature as C. reticulattrs,on accountof Although the gratuitousfelling of a palm is deplor- this distinctive feature. able, it was obviousthat, in this case,it would be Benedict was extraordinarilyproud of the palms impossibleto make good specimensof this very that grew on his land and he was quite adamant poorly known specieswithout being destruttive. that I should collect black palm, Caryota rumphi- Thankfully, Caryota rumphiana is so commonthat ana. ln his guide to palm-collectingtechniques, the loss of one individual would not affect the local Dransfield (1986) notes that "the unhurried care- population.Benedict brought out his axe, which, ful collection of a majestic palm can be immensely ironically, had a beautiful shiny handle made of satisfying."I take his point, but, frankly, I draw black wood from the very palm that we were about the line at the genus Caryota, a genus that not to cut down. As he chopped through the trunk, I only createsdifficulties by possessingmassive and noticed that the black outer wood gave way to a particularly complex leaves, but adds insult to white pith, which apparently can serve as an infe- injury by producing a vile irritant juice in its fruits rior source of sago. Eventually, the palm yielded in particular. Evidently, these sentimentshave and crashed to the forest floor. Once on the echoed down the decades of palm collecting in ground, the massivebipinnate leavesseemed even New Guineaas, despitebeing one of the common- more enormousthan they had when held high. We est tree palms on the island, very few complete set to work, trying to generatea compact,yet infor- herbariumspecimens have ever been madeof the mative specimen.Even with the help of four men, species.As I wasplucking up courageto tell Ben- and a dose of their excellent senseof humor, the edict that I did not want to make a soecimen of job took nearly two hours. Having completed the black palm, a fine fruiting specimencame into specimen,I must con-fessto feeling extraordinarily view from the boat.Feeling a suddenpang ofguilt, self-righteousand, yes, I admit that there was a I knew that I had to face up to my taxonomic tinge of the satisfactionthat Dransfield mentioned. responsibilities. However, there were bonusesfor However, the palm got its own back later on as I being so conscientious.A massivemale specimen extractedseed from someof the rioer fruit. I man- of Calamus humbold,tianuswas growrng on a tree agedquite successfullyto eovermyself with irri- next to the fated Caryota and we made somemar- tant juice, not realizing until it was far too late velous specimensfrom it, complete with inflores- when the most intense and excruciating buming cences.This rattan proved to be just as bizarre in itch sweptfrom my finger tips, over my hands,and reproductiveform as it was in vegetativestructure. onto my arms. Revengewas sweet for the black The inflorescenceswere not ouite mature. but palm that day. were unusual in that the rather papery primary Returning to the canoe, we headed for one of bracts were not tubular, but had split longitudi- the minor creeks that flowed into the Mubi river. nally, not unlike the genrs Daemonorops,to reveal Near the confluence,we stopped so that I could highly congested rachillae with the flowers watch a villager making sago.Stepping ashore, we arranged in a very disorderly fashion, not disti- found a young teenagerfrom Kantobo who turned chously as is more usual in male rachillae of Cal- out to be one of Benedict'scousins. The poor girl anzru. Nearby there was also a very accessible became intensely embarrassedas her heavy task specimen of Korthalsia in bloom. One should tumed into a spectatorsport. I was led to the spot never pass up the opportunity to make an easy in the sagoswamp where the girl had single-hand- collection ol Korthalsia. In general, members of edly felled a massive sago palm and split off the the genus flower high in the canopy where the outer wood to reveal the starch-loadedpith inside. stem may be branched. More often than not, the She demonstratedhow she extractedthe pith using great effort required to disentanglethe rattan and a short axe with a relatively long cylindrical bring it to the forest floor results in the snapping wooden head tipped with iron. She chopped furi- of the stem. Two species are described from New ously but accurately, shaving strips of pith from Guinea, K. brassii and K. zippelji, but the distinc- the trunk, reducing it to fine particles. Having PRINCIPES l\ior..4l

b reeTl B{KER: PALMSOF THE MUBIRIVER 155 placed the chippings into a large, wovenfiber bag, certainly poison any man who ate it. It would be the girl returned to the river bank where she had far better for her to squeezethe sagopith with her set up a contraption, which consistedprimarily of hands, I was told. a palm crownshaft,probably from Culubia costata, Leaving the now red-faced young woman to her and which had been cured over a fire and formed arduous tasko we paddled into a narrow creek, into a large basin shape.The basin was restrained which led to a small patch of swamp forest. The by bamboo pegs so that it would keep its shape mud was thick, but this did not deter the growth when filled with water and a small platform made of a particularly aggressive,yet handsomespecies from Metroxylon petioles was set up over it. She o{ Calamus.Its sheathswere a rusty orangeshade placed the bag on the platform and, using another and were armed with a densemass of hairy spines. crownshaft basin, poured a large volume of river Most Calamus speciespossess a peculiar swelling water into the bag. As it drained out, she folded below the petiole, the geniculus or knee, the func- over the top of the bag and firmly squeezedout tion of which is unknown, but it has been sug- the remaining water with her feet, repeating the gested that it might contribute to the climbing process a number of times, fetching more water habit. In this case, the knee was absurdly swollen from the river, then pouring and squeezing it and was fringed with more offensive spines. Dur- through the sago pith. I could still see no sign of ing the preparation of specimens,casualties were the sagoitself, but before I had a chance to doubt sustainedand the forest echoedwith the blue lan- the method, Benedict barked an order at the rather guageof indignant palm collectors at work. submissive young woman who crouched by the Near the baseof a soaringlimestone cliff, which side of the crownshaft basin. She plunged her inhibited any further progress,a slender Callptro- hands through the water, which had turned a curi- calyx grew. Although it was no horticultural ous orange color, and, lifting them, brought up a beauty, it was interesting to me as it possessed huge clod of congealed starch that had been two spikes within a single prophyll, whereas all washed out of the pith. This was raw sago, the other speciesthat I had encounteredbore solitary staple diet of the vast majority of New Guinea's spikes only. We have not attempted to name any lowlanders. I was extremely impressed, but was of the Callptrocalyx species that were collected. sharply reminded by Benedict that this was wom- Although namesundoubtedly exist for someof the an's work and it in no way could compareto, say, species, as yet we understand little or nothing house building, which was a distinctly male task about the species boundaries and it seems that and one which was considerably more strenuous, there are many taxa yet to be described.This won- at least in Benedict's eyes. Although I beggedto derful genus is crying out for taxonomicattention. differ, I did not dare to voice an opinion as it was As we returned to the forest, Benedict started not my position to comment on the rights and to explain that when the river is high, especially wrongs of the social hierarchy in New Guinea. in July, it is possible to canoethrough the swamp However,it is true that the rural communitiesthat forest. Suddenly, I realized that several of the I experiencedin PNG were very much male-dom- palms that we had collected must be adapted to, inated. Kantobowas particularly conservative,still and perhaps even are dependent on, seasonal maintaining the traditional village layout of a cen- flooding. Certainly the Calamtu and the Calyptro- tral long housefor men onl!'. which is surrounded calyx that we had just collected must enjoy wal- by smaller housesfor the somen and children. It lowing in mud, but whether or not they qualify as is consideredto be very unrise for a man to have true rheophytesis questionableas they appearnot too much to do with women or voung children as to be adapted to tolerating flowing water. Calamu,s they are likely to cast a spell on him or causehim retituJatw, on the other hand, may be considered to fall ill. I was advisedby someof my companions to be a true rheophyte. It grows only on the very that the method of sago-making that had been margins of the river, according to my local infor- demonstratedto me was a very bad one as the girl mants. where it often forms thickets. The leaflets had stepped over the sago, which would almost are narrow and are very flexible so would offer

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9. Metroxylon sagzrgrows abundantlv in the valley of the Mubi river. 10. Chopping up the pith of a felled sagopalm to make sago. ll. Washing oul starch from the pith with water. 12. Removing sago from water. 156 PRINCIPES lVoL.41

Iittle resistanceto {ast-flowingwater, which might died later. However,the third skull was that of the uproot a more resistant rattan. pig that had been part of the funeral feast that had On our third day of collecting on the Mubi river, taken place at Gobe to honor the chief. By placing we were to be picked up at the pipeline road after the leftoverswith the chiefs body, his spirit would lunch, but there was enough time for Pamero to not feel excluded from the celebrations. I take us upstreamtowards Gobe village. I was told approved thoroughly of this tradition, although I there would be places wherc Calamus reticulatus doubted it would go down well at home. Among could be collected in flower, so that was our mis- the bones were a variety of artifacts that the chief sion for the day. We headed straight for Gobe as had cherished: kina, or shell money, and shell we were venturing off Kantobo territory and would bangles, both highly prized commoditiesfrom thd need permission from the local landowners. coast, wooden arrows, now rotting, but with wal- Beyond Kantobo, the landscape changed as the laby bone heads persisting, and an iron axe head river narrowed and the limestone cliffs began to and a safety tazor that had been gifts from mis- rise very close to the river bank. We often came sionaries. across islands in the middle of the river whose Returning to the boat, our final task was to margins were dense with Calamus reticulatus visit a nearby island where a slender tree palm thickets. There were small groups of Gulubia cos- had been spotted from the boat. Although the tata growing in the increasingly narrow alluvial water flowed swiftly, we managedto land on the I strip. Behind these, growing gregariouslyhigh on tiny island, which was barely big enough to top of the limestone hills was another species of accommodateus. The margin of the island was Gulubia (or possibly Gronophyllum),which I rec- dominatedby the elegantpalm that grew to only ognized as being the same as the tree palm that I two meters and bore somewhatrecurving pale had seen clinging on to the side of Beaver Falls. green leaves. Its moderate spreading inflores- With its very long, wiry trunk and its arching cenceswere weighed down with bright red fruit. palm. leaves, it was an outstandingly elegant Although this was a pretty enough palm, the grew a fabulous Orania Nearby, close to the river, really remarkablething about it was that it grew somewhatglaucous leaves. with almost distichous, on an island, which, even at this time of rela- tantalizing to see how much It was immensely tively low water, barely rose above the surface be done if I had more time, although more could of the Mubi river. I was told that the water is I suspectthat attempting an assault on the jagged often high enough to submergethe island and karst to collect the Gulubia would have been an can be considerablyhigher at times of flood and unpleasant and dangerous if not an impossible yet here were mature, fruiting palms growing on task. apparently dry land. The only possible conclu- We reached Gobe village and received permis- sion was that this palm was genuinely rheophy- sion from the residents who were typically tic and with its resilient trunks and its flexible bemused by -y work. We headed back down- leaveswith narrow leaflets it was obviouslywell stream and stopped at Mabogo island where C. adaptedto this niche. This palm has been iden- reticulakrsgrew abundantly and a fertile collection tifred as Heterospathemacgregorii. It is also was easily made. Before we left, I was told that I known from collections further downstreamon could see a local burial site on the island if I was the Kikori river. interested. It all seemed a little macabre, but it Sadly, our collecting trif on the Mubi river was also the kind of cultural experiencethat one endo albeit on an exciting note' It should not miss. The Gobe villagers took me to a came to an have been unable to collect nearby spot where the limestone rose vertically was frustrating to palms that we saw,but perhaps once again and there they showed me a row of all the wonderful visit. The skulls perched on a ledge under a cliff. These, I this provides an excuse for a return was told, were village commonersfrom Gobe, but difficulties we have experienced in identifying on top of a higher ledge, a chiefs burial could be and understandingmany of the specimensthat seen. We scrambled up on top of a large boulder I collected further emphasizesthe need for crit- and there in the gloom was a pile of bones,which ical evaluation of all aspects of New Guinea obviously included the remains of more than one palms, including their taxonomy, ecology, con- person as there were three skulls. One belonged servation, and ethnobotany. An enticing pros- to the chief and the second to his wife who had pect indeed! reeTl BAKER:PALMS OF THE MUBIRIVER

Acknowledgments companions from Kantobo and Gobe. I am also very grateful to Tim Utteridge who made the early I am grateful to the EuropeanUnion for funding stagesof the project so enjoyable; sadly, he was this fieldwork and to John Dransfield and the unableto join me on the Mubi river. Finally, many Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for generousadvice thanks to Max Kuduk, Geoff Stocker,and the staff and support. Tanya Leary and the WWF Inte- of PNG Forest ResearchInstitute at Lae. grated Conservationand Development Project in the Kikori basin providedfantastic logistical sup- LrruReruRnCnrn port without which the entire exercisewould have been unthinkable. Lawrence Kage was a stalwart Dnatlsrttll, J. 1986. A guide to collectingpalms. Ann. Mis- and entertaining field assistant as were my other souri Bot. Gard. 73: 166-176.

Principes,4f(3),f997, p. f57

LETTER

Dear John and Natalie, ground at a 45" angle for several weeks after the hurricane before I got around to removing it. Much When we last meto I told you that my Pigafetta to my surprise, it was pushing "old out several new (!?) had bloomed. Talking to the timers" from leaves! With the assistance of the neighbors, we the Palm Society, it seems that this blooming was wrapped the still-spiny crown in some blankets the first time recorded in South Florida. and propped it up with a tripod of boards. The Five separate male inflorescences emerged in roots had reanchored the palm at a bit of an angle, late -{ugust 1995 and within two weeks, two com- so we were hesitant to damage them by propping pletell opened and florr-ered.The other three never the tree completely vertical. Since that time the fully developed. [arn' \oblick came over to our trunk has grown vertically above the curve. I sus- garden one stonnv afternoon and in the middle of pect that the weight of the crown, Iike a coconut, a lightning storm. \re took a conrplete voucher for has had something to do with this less-than-desir- the Herbarium at FTC t\oblitk &' \ligliaccro able cuwing growth habit. #s074). Manv local growers have told me to be ready to "Pig" The plant floweredthis surnnrert1996t. again lose the in the next freeze and this past holding two inflorescencesnhiie seleral others n'inter le had numerous cold and wet days with never fully developed. temperatures in the low 40's and one night of 33' The palm was originally given to me in .\pril in mv shadehouse.However, the Pigafetrta showed 1989 by HowardWaddell of Miami, a fellol palnr onlv tattered leaves. As a result of last winter, I collector.The seedshad comefrom the IPS Seed lost a Coccothrinax ekrnanjl and my 15 foot tall Bank the previous year. I planted the palm that Culubia costata has only barely recovered. There- "Pig" Septemberin a deep pocket of marl on the \E fore. I'm optimistic that will be around long side of my yard-the only available sunny and enough to contribute pollen to a flowering female "artificial wind protectedspace at the time. It was three-feet somer-here in South Florida (albeit via tall overall when the December1989 freezehir. insemination"). but protected by the sunny wall of the house and Csnis Mrcr-lq.ccro, AssocrArE PRoFESSoR an eight-foot tall Surinam Cherry hedge.It showed Department of Natural Sciences little damageother than some minor leaf spotting. Miami-Dade Community College/Wolfson Campus In August 1992, that part of our house took the 300 NE Second Avenue "Pis" brunt of Hur:ricane Andrew and the was Miami, FL 33132 blown over and blastedby 175 mph flyingfgravel Phone: 1305\ 237-3269 from my neighbor's roof. The palm lay on the email: [email protected]