AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



105 



Phoenix continued. 



k. about 50ft South-east Africa, 1792. A fine and large-growing: 

 species. See Fig. 119. 



a slender rachis and very short petiole, which is dilated at thr 

 base, and partially encircles the growing point : pinnae long, 

 narrow, about tin. in length, finely arched, the lower one- 

 reduced to spines, h. 15ft. to 20ft. India, 1871 Toe hand 

 somest species in the genus. See Fig. 120. 



P. spinosa (spiny), jl., male peduncles 4in. to Sin. long 

 fr. about iin. long, ovate-cylindrical, brownish. I., pinna- 

 linear-lanceolate, acuminate, pungent - pointed, uneqnidistant, 

 aggregated or scattered, ten to twelve lines wide at their broadest 

 part. Trunk 6ft to 10ft, or rarely 30ft in height, soboliferous 

 Western tropical Africa. SYN. P. leonerui*. 



P. sylvestris (sylvan).' East Indian Wine Palm ; Wild Date. 

 rf. similar to those of P. dactytifera. fr. green at first reddish- 

 yellow when ripe, Iin. long. i. greyish-green, 7ft to 12ft long ; 

 pinnae very numerous, 6in. to 18m. long, alternate and opposite, 

 not fascicled; petiole compressed in the leaf -bearing put, brown 

 at base. h. 40ft India, 1761 One of the hlrdiest 

 Fig. 12L 



FIG. 122. PH02.VIX TKXCIS. 



P. tennis (narrow), A recent bnt very elegant, addition to the 

 genus ; it resembles P. dactyUfera in general appearance, bnt is 

 more slender and finer in all its parts. Habitat unknown. See 

 Fig. 122. 



PHOLIDOCARPUS (from phoU*, pholido, a scale, 

 and learpos, fruit ; the fruit is covered with a scaly coat). 

 OED. PnlmcB. A genus, of doubtful affinity, of two 

 species of stove palms, natives of the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago. P. Ihur, the only species in cultivation, thrives 

 in a compost of turfy loam and leaf mould. 

 P. Dmr (Ihur). Spadix loosely branched. Drupe ovoid, three or 

 four-seeded, as large as a medium-sized hen's egg, with a rugose, 

 tesselated rind. 1. like those of Borattus JlabeUijormu ; petioles 

 armed with robust spines. 



PHOLIDOPHYLLUM. A synonym of Cryptanthus. 

 PHOL1DOTA (from pholis, a scale, and out, otis, an 

 ear; alluding to the scaly, ear-like bracts of the spike). 

 Rattlesnake Orchid. SYNS. Chelonanthera (in part), 

 Cn'nonia, Pttiocnema. OBD. Orchidece. A genus consist- 

 ing of about a score species of stove orchids, with creep- 

 ing, branched stems or rhizomes, or with one or two-leaved 

 pseudo-bulbs ; they are natives of India and the Malayan 

 Archipelago, extending as far as Southern China. Flowers 

 small, shortly pedicellate, in terminal racemes ; sepals 

 carinate- concave, erect or spreading ; petals usually smaller, 

 slender, fiat ; lip sessile at the base of the column, con- 

 cave and sub-baccate at base, three-lobed ; column some- 

 times very short; bracts ovate, imbricated, and per- 

 sistent, or narrower and deciduous. The species are of 

 no particular horticultural value. Those given below re- 

 quire culture similar to Coalogyne (which see). 

 P. Clypeata (shield-flowered). /. resembling those of P. imbriettia, 

 but arranged in a spike not more than Sin. long ; column re- 

 sembling a three-lobed petal, bordered with brown, imparting to 



vol. m. 



Pholidota continued. 



the flower the appearance of having two lips. Pseudo-bulbs about 

 2in. long, each with a dark green leaf. A. 6in. Borneo, 1847. 

 P. imbricate (imbricated). JL yellowish, with a dash of violet, 

 1 on pendulous spikes as long as the leaves ; lateral 



orate, carinate ; lip sub-globose, cncullate, with the inter- 

 lobe bilobed ; bracU concave, pointed. /. solitary, oblong- 

 acute. Pseudo-bulbs oblong, corrugate-silicate, 



obtuse. A. 1ft East Indies, 1824. (B. E. 1777 ; H. E. F. 138 ; 

 L. B. C. 1934.) 



P. p a11<< * a (pale). It. white, smaller than in P. imbrUot* ; bract* 

 very roundTblnnt 1. also smaller. A. 6tn. India, 1828. (B. B, 

 1213.) 



FHOMA. See Sphaeropsidea. 

 PHONIPHORA. A synonym of Phoenix (which 



**). 



PHOB.MITTM (from phormot, a basket; referring to 

 the uses made of the fibre). Flax Lily, or New Zealand 

 Flax. SYN. Chlamydia. OBD. Liliacece. A 

 small genus (two species) of nearly or quite 

 hardy, rigid herbs, with fleshy, fibrous roots, 

 natives of New Zealand. Flowers dull red or 

 yellow, large, panicled, erect, jointed on the 

 pedicel ; perianth tubular, curved, of six leaflets, 

 the inner with spreading tips ; stamens six, ex- 

 serted ; scapes leafless, variable in height, from 

 5ft. to 15ft., branched and bracteate. Leaves 

 radical, linear - ensiform, distichous, coriaceous, 

 very tough. The species and varieties are of 

 easy culture in rich, loamy soil. They are well 

 adapted for greenhouse decoration, for use as 

 sub-tropical plants in summer, and, in the 

 southern parts of the country, are sufficiently 

 hardy to grow, uninjured, outside ; they are 

 however, more safe, if protected, in frosty 

 weather, with some covering. In a greenhouse, 

 the long, erect, sword-like leaves of New Zea- 

 land Flax are very distinct, when the plants 

 are associated with others. Large specimens, 

 in pots or tubs, hare a very fine appearance in 

 conservatories, or when placed, during sum- 

 mer, in prominent positions in the flower 

 garden. Propagated, in spring, by division of 

 the crons before growth commences; also by seeds. 

 (Colenso's). A synonym of P. Cootianum. 



F:G 



PHORXIUM COOKIA.NUM, showing Habit and Portion 

 of detached Inflorescence. 



P. Cookianum (Cook's).' Small Flax LDy. Jt. yellow, or with 

 the outer segments greenish, Iin. to IJin. long ; inner segments 

 acuminate, r^exad;S5 3ft. to 6ft. highf Summer I. 2ft 

 to 3ft. long, more acuminate than in P. tenax (than which this 

 species is smaller in all its parts), rarely split at the top. 1868. 

 SY>S. P. Catentoi, P. FortUrianvm. See Fig. 123. 



P. a variegatnm (variegated).* 1. narrowish, erect, pointed, 

 lanceolate, coriaceous, dark green, elegantly banded at the 

 margin with one, or sometimes two, narrow stripes of cre&my- 



P 



