Plate 428. 

 GEONEMA SEEMANNI. 



The appearance of a Plate of this very beautiful Palm indi- 

 cates that there is a change coming over the tastes of people 

 in this country, and that we are desirous of aiding this by 

 presenting from time to time examples of the many additions 

 made by recent explorers to our stock of rare and beautiful 

 species. 



For a long time, both in Belgium and France, the various 

 species of palms have been iised for the decorations of rooms, 

 and on the occasion of the grand fetes given by the various 

 public bodies, the halls, the staircases, and rooms are largely 

 supplied with their beautifully graceful forms, adding quite as 

 much to the ajjpearance of the rooms as the more brilliant 

 flowering plants, such kinds as C'ham<srops excelsa, Cocos coro- 

 nata, Cori/phcBiis Australis, Phcenix dactylifera, Latania borbonica, 

 Areca sapida, Mhapis fabelliformis, and others, are very generally 

 used, and, moreover, as what is called subtropical gardening is 

 now coming so much into vogue, many of these will also be 

 found suitable for it, and are, indeed, used both in Paris and at 

 Battersea for this purpose. 



Geonema Seemanni is a very distinct and beautiful species of 

 Palm, introduced from Central America by Dr. Seemann, after 

 whom it is named : it is in the possession of Mr. Wm. Bull, 

 of Iving's-road, Chelsea, by whom it is now being distributed, 

 and we subjoin his description of it : — " The leaves are iden- 

 tical in character, though much varied in size, those first 

 formed being about 2 inches, while the later ones (or young 

 plants) are 10 inches in length, the angular petiole becomes 



