THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



179 



Phoenix Pumila. 



a fine decorative size. They are often 

 planted three or four in a pot, but even 

 without that the plant has the habit of 

 sending outside shoots from base of stem 

 and large plants are soon thick masses of 

 foliage crowned with the most graceful 

 of curving fronds. It is not quite equal 

 as a house plant to the kentias. Other 

 species are A. alba, A. rubra, A. 

 sapida, A. Verschaffeltii. All fine, grace 

 ful palms. 



Latania Borbonica (Livistona Chinen- 

 sis) ; this palm has been in commerce 

 many years, before the kentia and areca 

 were known, and is familiar to all. Its 

 broad, bright shining leaves suggest the 

 use that is made of the leaf. It is the 

 Chinese fan palm. It withstands heat 

 or cold, even a few degrees of frost. 

 It has always been a standard decorative 

 plant as well as a favorite palm for the 

 living-room. Perfect specimens make 

 fine objects in decorating, especially 

 when placed in a vase or where the whole 

 outline and expanse of the plant can be 

 seen. 



There is a form of this with light yel 



low stems and leaves, a beautiful palm 

 known as L. Borbonica aurea. 



Phoenix; these are not considered as 

 fine decorative plants as the arecas and 

 kentias, although as small specimens they 

 are most beautiful. Yet they are the 

 hardiest of all palms. They will thrive 

 in a vase or jar or tropical bed in the 

 broad sun without losing a particle of 

 color, and as a house plant, among 

 palms, they are unequalled. They also 

 seem to bear the tying and untying and 

 the crowding and wear and tear of a 

 decoration better than any other palms 

 we have ever handled. For any unfavor 

 able situation that a palm can be ex 

 pected to thrive in at all, recommend a 

 phoenix. Some beautiful species are not 

 common among us, but they should be. 

 The principal species are: 



P. rupicola; wide spreading, weeping 

 leaf stems, with finely divided leaves. A 

 rapid grower, most graceful and most 

 durable. A pair of these we have in 

 mind have within the past six years been 

 500 times packed and unpacked and 

 withstood heat and cold, gas and dust, 



and still stand today in the broad sun 

 with their arching fronds perfect. 



P. leonensis, or spinosa; habit slightly 

 stiffer than rupicola, very handsome, 

 with dark, shining color of leaf. This 

 is a species we do not see often enough. 

 As a small plant it is most ornamental. 

 P. dactylifera, the date palm; not 

 quite so graceful but strong, robust, 

 dark shiny foliage; splendid for large 

 decorations or for summer ornament in 

 any position outside. 



Other species of useful phoenix are 

 P. pumila, P. Canariensis, P. tenuis, P. 

 farinifera. 



Cocos Weddelliana ; this little gem of a 

 palm, for such it is, is now raised in 

 immense quantities. It has when but six 

 or eight inches high all the grace and 

 beauty of a plant three feet high, and 

 for that reason it is held in the highest 

 esteem for the center of small ferneries. 

 When these dinner-table decorations are 

 returned with the ferns dried and dead 

 the cocos still looks perfect. Larger 

 specimens make fine decorative plants 

 and they thrive admirably in the dry air 

 of a living-room. 



Livistona rotundif olia ; this neat little 

 palm could be called a miniature La 

 tania Borbonica. It makes a dwarf, 

 rounded plant, most charming for its 

 neatness. Small plants but eight or 

 nine inches high have a great number 

 of short, rounded leaves. This little palm 

 makes a splendid table plant, and in 

 many other positions in decorations it 

 can be used with good effect. 



The above palms include the principal 

 species recommended to our patrons for 

 conservatory or house culture and used 

 in decorating. There may be other 

 palms equalling them in beauty and 

 grandeur (Pritchardia grandis is one of 

 the most striking and noblest of palms), 

 but these species have been selected and 

 grown in such enormous quantities be 

 cause they have the necessary qualities. 

 They are easily and quickly raised, have 

 a fine decorative appearance, are not 

 easily hurt by the vicissitudes of our 

 treatment, and are all good house plants. 



Other genera that are well known, 

 handsome palms and not scarce, are: 



Acanthophoenix crinita; tall, spread 

 ing, handsome fronds. The stems are 

 densely armed with black needle-shaped 

 spines. 



Astrocaryum; a genus from tropical 

 South America; there are several species. 

 The Muru-Muru palms are best known. 

 They attain a height of forty feet. The 

 leaves are dark green above and silvery 

 white below. A. argenteum is described 

 as one of the best silvery palms. 



Carludovica; this is a useful genus. 

 Several of the species are used for sub 

 tropical gardening. The fronds are erect 

 and stiff and the pla.n.t has the appear 

 ance of a small latania. Two fine spe 

 cies are C. palmata and C. atrovirens. 



Caryota; this is a fine, noble genus. 

 They would not add to our list of deco 

 rative palms, but should be in every 

 collection. They have large, much di 

 vided fronds, the leaves having their 

 ends resembling a fish s tail. Two fine 

 species easily procured are C. sobolifera 

 and C. urens. 



