American folksinger Pete Seeger fashioned the neck of his trademark banjo from lignum vitae. Hardwoods include big-leaf, little-leaf, and African mahoganies, ebony and lignum vitae. The national flower of Jamaica is the lignum vitae ("Guaiacum officinale"). The pit wheel is cast iron with 96 lignum vitae cogs. The historical material used for this was the tropical hardwood timber, lignum vitae. Bowling balls were made of lignum vitae (hardwood) until the 1905 introduction of rubber balls. Early versions are made of "lignum vitae" (Latin for "wood of life"), the densest hardwood. Pioneering calypsonian/vaudevillian Sam Manning recorded a song entitled "Lignum Vitae" in the 1920s. The problem was solved with a lignum vitae water-lubricated bearing, patented in 1858. Common species include River Red Gum, Yellow Box, Oldman Saltbush and Lignum. These were built just outside Oviedo, on Monte Lignum. Cups made from "lignum nephriticum" were given as gifts to royalty. "infelix lignum" (unfortunate wood) for the transom ("patibulum") or the whole cross.