104 About Trees, Shrubs and Climbing Plants for S.A. 



PALMS. A very large variety of Palms are quite at home on 

 the Natal Coast and for some miles inland, and may there be 

 used with magnificent effect in landscape gardening. At higher 

 elevations, where frost has to be reckoned with, the number 

 which succeed is very limited, and the safest selection would be: 



Cocos plumosa 20 feet, very graceful. 



Livistona australis (Corypha) A fine fan Palm. 40 feet and 

 over. 



Phoenix dactytifera, P. tennuis, P. reclinata, P. rupicola, all suc- 

 ceed well outside, except in the extreme high veld. These 

 are commonly called date palms. 10 to 50 feet. 



Seaforthia elegans Is safe up to an elevation of 3,000 feet, ex- 

 cept on cold flat land. 30 feet. 



Latania bourbonica A very fine fan palm, is good on verandahs 

 and in warm Midlands situations. 8 feet. 



Chamerops excelsa and C. utilis are fairly hardy for the middle 

 veld, but should be given high ground and good wind break 

 shelter. 12 to 15 feet. 



Bamboos of any variety are extremely useful for tropical effect 

 and adapt themselves fairly well to a variety of situations. 

 Varieties may be chosen to grow almost any height, from 5 

 feet up to 60 and 100 feet. These are generally obtained 

 from Nurserymen as root divisions, and in the case of the 

 larger types, it is a good plan to plant fairly deeply, and 

 then keep the remnant of the cut stem filled with water 

 until rooting has safely taken place. 



Naturally the larger types are most at home on the Coast, 

 but these will stand 8 or 10 degrees of frost. For the colder 

 districts the Solid Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus) should 

 be planted. All Bamboos like moist situations edges of 

 streams are. ideal situations. They should be planted 

 wherever possible, both for ornamental effect and their ex- 

 treme usefulnss in garden and other work. B. fortunii and 

 also the variegated sub-variety make excellent hedge plants 

 as well as specimens. Of intermediate size there are B. 

 arundinacea, freely increased from suckers (20 feet) ; 

 arundinacea falcata (10 feet) ; and Bambusa nigra (20 

 feet) ; of the larger ones the so-called Giant Bamboos and 

 the tall one with green and gold stems. The botanic names 

 of these are doubtful. 



