AN ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HORTICULTURE. 



157 



PLATYCARPUM (from platys, broad, and karpos, 

 a fruit ; alluding to the shape of the capsule). ORD. 

 Rubiacece. A monotypic genus. The species is a tall, 

 stove tree, with robust, opposite, terete branches. A 

 compost of loam and leaf mould will suit it. Propaga- 

 tion may be effected by half-ripened cuttings, inserted in 

 sand, under a g'ass. Keeping the plants 

 rather dry during the winter, has a tendency 

 to bring them into flower. 

 P. orenocense (Orinoco), fl. pale rose-colour, 

 mediocre, disposed in terminal, trichotomously- 

 branched panicles, pedicellate, ebracteate, and 

 ebracteolate ; calyx five-lobed, rather large, 

 deciduous ; corolla hypocrateriinorphous, silky, 

 with a short tube, and a limb of five equal, 

 broadly oblong, imbricated lobes. Capsule some- 

 what woody, lin. in diameter. I. oblong, 5in. to 

 6in. long, 2in. to 2Un. broad, opposite, petiolate, 

 coriaceous, tomenfose ; petioles about Jin. long. 

 h. 20ft. Orinoco, 1813. 



FLATYCARYA (from platys, broad, 

 and karyon, a nut ; alluding to the shape 

 of the fruit). STN. Fortunea. ORD. Ju- 

 glandece. A monotypic genus. The species 

 is an elegant, branching shrub or small 

 tree, hardy only in favoured situations in 

 the South of England. It thrives, however, 

 in a cool conservatory, and, when planted 

 out, will do well in almost any soil, requir- 

 ing culture similar to Juglans (which see). 

 P. strobilacea (cone-fruited), fl. yellow ; spikes 

 all cylindrical, many - flowered, erect, many- 

 bracted. August. I. five to eight-jugate, aro- 

 matic ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, ses- 

 sile, opposite, with serrulated margins. Japan 

 and North China, 1844. (S. Z. F. J. 149.) SYN. 

 Fortuncea chinensis. 



PLATYCERIUM (from platys, broad, 

 and keras, a horn; the fronds are divided 

 into broad segments like -stags' horns). 

 Elk's-horn or Stag's-horn Fern. OBD. 

 Filices. A small genus (about half-a-dozen 

 species) of mostly stove ferns, widely dif- 

 fused ; they are readily distinguishable by 

 their dichotomously-forked fertile fronds, 

 with stag's - horn - like divisions. Sori forming large 

 patches on the upper part of the lower surface of the 

 fertile fronds. The Platyceriums may be considered at 

 once amongst the grandest, most beautiful, and most 



Flatycerinxn continued. 



extraordinary, of the whole order. They are distinct, 

 epiphytal ferns, and thrive well in baskets or shallow 

 pans. They also succeed when fastened to a large 

 block of wood, with a little peat and sphagnum round 

 their roots, and suspended in the stove. Rough peat 



FIG. 197. PLATYCERIUM AI.CICORNE. 



and sphagnum form a suitable compost in which to pot 

 them. The species described below require stove treat- 

 ment, except where otherwise stated. See also Ferns. 

 P. sethiopicum (African), barren fronds rounded, convex, downy 

 when young, the edge more or less lobed, the 

 lobes spreading, fertile fronds 2ft. to 3ft. long, 

 clustered, pendent, twice trichotomous, the disk 

 and first division broader than in P. alcicorne, 

 the patch of fruit surrounding the sinus, and 

 passing into the fork so as to be shaped like the 

 letter v ' under surface covered with thin, white, 

 cottony down. Guinea Coast and Angola, 1822. 

 See Fig. 196. (H. G. F. 9.) SYN. P. Stemmaria. 

 P. so. angolense (Angolan). A form having a 

 broad-cuneate fertile frond, 9in. broad at the top, 

 without either forks or horns, and with a patch 

 of fruit nearly as broad as the lamina. 



P. alcicorne (elk's-horn). barren fronds rounded, 

 convex, downy when young, the edge sinu 

 lobes spreading, fertile fronds 2ft. to 3ft. long, 



ssinuated.the 



FIG. 196. UPPER PORTION OF FERTILE FROND OF PLATYCERIUM ^THIOPICUM. 



clustered, erect, two or three times dichotomous ; 

 ultimate divisions ligulale, bluntish, the fruit in 

 the last forks, and at their base, in very irregular 

 patches ; under surface covered with thin, cottony 

 down. Temperate Australia, &c., 1808. Green- 

 house. See Fig. 197. The large form, majus, 

 comes from Polynesia. 



P. biforme (two-formed), barren fronds very 

 thick, especially towards the base, imbricated, 

 the edge sinuate-lobed. fertile fronds 6ft. to 15ft. 

 long, repeatedly dichotomous from a sub-cuneate 

 disk ; barren divisions narrow-ligulate ; fertile 

 ones reniform, stalked, 6in. to 8m. broad, the 

 outer edge rounded, entire. East Indies, 1842. 



P. grande (grand).* barren fronds very large, 

 sub-orbicular, convex, or the upper ones erect, 

 deeply laciniated with spreading or inflexed 

 divisions, fertile fronds 4ft. to 6ft. long, pen- 

 dent, in pairs, the disk broad-cnneate, with 

 the sorus against the upper edge, occupying the 



