56 



AEECACEAE. 



nearly distinct sepals. Corolla of 3 partially united or distinct petals. 

 Stamens mostly 6, sometimes 9-12; filaments dilated at the base and par- 

 tially united; anthers introrse. Gynoecium of 3 more or less united or 

 distinct carpels. Ovules solitary in each carpel, erect, orthotropous or 

 anatropous. Fruit usually a drupe, sometimes a berry. Seeds often 

 hollow. Endosperm horny or cartilaginous, rarely channelled. 



Family 1. ARECACEAE Reichenb. 

 PALM FAMILY. 



Characters of the order. About 1200 species of palms are known; 

 they are grouped in about 150 genera. 



1. SABAL Adans. 



Unarmed palms. Leaves ample, fan-shaped, many-cleft, the segments 2- 

 cleft, filamentose; ligule partially united to the rachis; petioles concave above, 

 sharp-edged. Spadix decompound. Flowers perfect, sessile. Perianth white 

 or green, glabrous. Calyx cup-shaped. Sepals 3, unequal. Petals 3, nearly 

 distinct, imbricated. Stamens 6; filaments subulate or lanceolate, their dilated 

 bases united and adnate to the corolla. Ovary 3-celled; style 3-angled; stigma 

 truncate. Drupe usually developed from 1 carpel, with a membranous epicarp 

 and a fleshy pericarp. Seed solitary, spheroidal, erect with a dark brown, shin- 

 ing testa. Endosperm horny. [Name not explained.] About 20 species, 

 natives of warm-temperate and tropical America. Type species: S. glabra 



1. Sabal Blackburnianum Glaze- 

 brook. BERMUDA PALMETTO. (Fig. 86.) 

 Trunk cylindric, up to 35 high, averag- 

 ing 10' in diameter, often variously con- 

 stricted, that of young trees invested by 

 the overlapping petiole-bases, but old 

 trees mostly naked up to the crown of 

 leaves. Young leaves scurfy on the veins 

 beneath ; old leaves bright green on both 

 sides, averaging about 6 broad, but 

 those of young trees often 9 broad, 

 cleft at base and apex | to | and at the 

 middle 4 to toward the midrib which 

 is convex and marginally 2-winged below 

 and sharply 1-ridged above ; leaf-seg- 

 ments l'-2' broad, 2-cleft toward the 

 apex ; there is usually a fibril at each 

 primary and secondary cleft of the 

 leaves; ligule narrowly triangular, 2 '-4' 

 long, acute, with winged margins; 

 petioles as long as the blades or some- 

 what longer, convex beneath, channeled 

 above, much broader, and finally splitting 

 at the base, fibrous-reticulate, margined 

 below ; inflorescence branched, longer than the petiole ; flowers white ; drupe 

 black, obovoid, \'-\' long. [Sabal Palmetto of Eein, Jones, Lefroy and H. B. 

 Small; S. umbraculifera of Eeade and of H. B. Small; S. Adansonii of Lefroy, 

 of H. B. Small and of A. H. Moore; Chamaerops Palmetto of Michaux; C. 

 glabra of Jones; Inodes Blackburniana Cook; Sabal Mocini Eiccobono.] 



