The PI.ANT WORI.D 85 



of the stateliest among a family of stately members. Its trunk attains a 

 height sometimes of 100 feet and its leaves a length of 15 to 20 feet. 



Here also will be found a small plant of Calamus ciliaris, from Malaya. 

 This is one of the climbing palms, referred to earlier, and the long slender 

 spiny organs used by it in climbing will be noted ; by means of these the 

 plant pulls itself up by laying hold of surrounding objects, for these 

 organs are provided with downwardly turned spines, well adapting them 

 to this clinging process. 



Adjoining the cocoanuts are specimens of the royal palm, Roy stoma 

 regia, and the West Indian cabbage palm, JR. oleracea, both natives of the 

 West Indies, the former also occurring in the southern part of Florida 

 and in Panama. The plants are only about 15 feet tall and are just 

 beginning to show the trunks, which make these palms in their tropical 

 home such a striking feature of the landscape. The cabbage palm, some- 

 times attaining a height of over 100 feet, is of great economic importance. 

 The broad bases of the petioles of the old leaves are used for a number of 

 purposes, and the heart of tender young leaves is made into pickles or 

 used as a vegetable. The trunks are used for making troughs ; from the 

 interior tissues is manufactured a sort of sago ; and from the nuts is pro- 

 cured a kind of oil. 



On the opposite side are the Howeas, natives of Lord Howe's Island, 

 lying just east of Australia, Howea Belmoreana and H. Forsteriana, both 

 much in use for decorative purposes in this country, commonly under the 

 name of Kentia. 



These are followed by a large group of the genus Livisto?ia : L. 

 Chhiensis, the Bourbon palm, or, as it is frequently called, Latania 

 Borbonica, another of our decorative plants, in several specimens, one of 

 which is about 20 feet high ; L. australis, at home in Australia ; and L. 

 rohindifolia, from Java, a neat bright looking species, which is much in 

 favor as a house plant. Another palm much used in decorating is grouped 

 near the south door, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, the yellow-fruited palm, 

 known more commonly as Areca lutesceyis. The base of the trunk soon 

 surrounds itself with offshoots, and these, with the graceful leaves with 

 their bright colored petioles and midribs, make the plant peculiarly 

 attractive for decoration. It is a native of Madagascar, where it attains 

 a height of 30 feet ; the taller of our plants are about 20 feet, and one of 

 these fruited the past summer. 



Just back of these is Ptychosperma Macarthjirii, one of the Australian 

 feather-palms, with its tall, slender annulated trunk ; this is usually in 

 flower, as it is a free bloomer ; it is native to Australia. 



In the same house is also a small plant of Arenga saccharifera, of great 

 economic use in the East Indies, where it is widely distributed. It grows 

 to about forty feet in height and furnishes many articles necessary to the 



