66 



easily propagated from small cuttings of the rooting stems, and 

 these have only to be inserted in ordinary light soil where they 

 are intended to grow permanently. This should be done in wet 

 weather, otherwise the cuttings must be kept shaded and watered 

 frequently until they strike root, which may be known by the ap- 

 pearance of fresh growth. In a short time it spreads over the 

 available surface, and it may be said to be seen at its best just 

 before it completely covers the wall. Afterward it should be 

 occasionally trimmed with a hedge shears, clipping off any strag- 

 gling ends of branches, etc. 



This plant is remarkable from the fact that although a perfect 

 creeper, it belongs to a genus which is usually characterized by 

 large trees or shrubs. Familiar examples of the family are the 

 fig {Ficiis carica), the Banyan, and the Rambong rubber trees — 

 Ficus bengalensis and Ficus clastico, respectively. 



Ficits repens occasionally bears an abundance of fig-like hard 

 green fruits, which are not edible. The plant is considered to be 

 a native of China and Japan, but is very similar to, if not identical 

 with, Ficits Thwaitcsii of Ceylon. 



H. F. MacMillan. 



NOTES ON SOME HONOLULU PALMS.— IL 



Vaughan MacCaughey — The College of Hawaii. 



The Palmettos — Sabal. 



There are seven groups of genera of palms indigenous to the 

 continental United States, comprising ten species. ( )f tliese 

 seven genera, the most widely known are, — the Silver I 'alms 

 (Thrinax), the California Palms {IVashing^tonia), the Rcn'al 

 Palms (Roystonca), and the Palmettos (Sabal). 



The name "palmetto" is of Spanish origin, being a modifica- 

 tion of the word paliuito, which is diminutive of pahua, and 

 means "a little palm." A number of the Sabals are (|uitc small. 

 with stems hidden below the soil, and to these the name may ap- 

 ])ropriately be ap])lied. Any name, however, which is indicative 

 of small stature, can scarcely be ap])lied to the whole genus, for 

 the best known species attain considerable size, having tnniks 

 several feet in diameter and thirty to sixty feet in height. Al- 

 though unsuitable, the name ])almctto is widely used, ;ini| will 

 doubtless persist. The origin ot' tlu- name .^abal is not fully 

 known; it may jwssibly be one of the native nanie> foi- the 

 palmettos in South y\merica. 



'i'lic ])almettos were originally confined slrietly to the Anieri- 



