RHAMNUS 



RHAPIS 



1511 



dulate; an interesting form of very distinct appearance 

 with its feathery foliage. R. Frangula is a handsome 

 lawn shrub with shining foliage and attractive berries. 



R. arguta, Maxim. Unarmed gl.abrous shrub, allied to R. 

 cathartica : Ivs. orbicular-ovate, acuminate, sharply serrate, 

 with bristly pointed teeth. Amurland. Probably harily.— ii;. 

 Billdrdi, Hort. = R. hybrida, var. — R. chlorvphora, Deene. 

 Closely allied to R. tinctoria and probably only a var.: Ivs. 

 larger, becoming 3 in. long: pedicels slenderer. China. Gn. 14, 

 p. 29. Not quite hardy.— Jv. crenata, Sieb. & Zuec. Unarmed 

 shrub, 4-10 ft., allied to R. Caroliniana: Ivs. ovate to ovate-ob- 

 long, acute, rusty pubescent beneath when young. Japan. Has 

 been confounded with R. Dahurica, which is easily distin- 

 guished even without Ivs. by its scaly winter-buds. Seems not 

 quite hardy.— J?. Erythrdxjilnn, Pall. Unarmed shrub, allied to 

 R. cathartica: Ivs. alternate, oblong-lanceolate to linear. Cau- 

 casus to Mongolia and Siberia. Hardy. — R. hybrida, L'Herit. 

 (R. AlaternusXalpiuus). Half-evergreen shrub, with alternate, 

 oval-oblong, glossy Ivs. Var. Billardi, Lav. Lvs. narrower, 

 more remotely serrate. Half-hai'dy shrub, with handsome 

 glossy foliage.— ii. Japonica, Maxim. Spiny shrub, attaining 

 10 ft., allied to R. Dahurica: lvs. obovate or elliptic-obovate: 

 fls. with the style almost divided to the base. Japan. Hardy. 

 Very similar in habit to R. Dahurica, which may be distin- 

 guished in winter by its dull gray branchlets and its ovate, 

 obtuse, slightly spreading winter-buds, while R. Dahurica has 

 glossy light yellowish brown branchlets and slender acute 

 winter -buds closely appressed to the branch.—/?, latifolia, 

 L'Herit. Allied to R. Frangula : lvs. larger, elliptic-oblong, 

 with 12-15 pairs of veins, becoming 5 in. long. Azores. B.M. 

 2663. Not hardy. — i?. pwrm7a, Linn. Low, sometimes procum- 

 bent shrub, allied to R. alpinus, with smaller and shorter lvs., 

 usually narrowed at the base. Europe, Alps. Hardy.— i?. ru- 

 pestris, Scop. Low, often procumbent shrub, about 3 ft. high, 

 allied to R. Caroliniana: lvs. ovate to oblong-obovate, thin, 

 1-3 in. long: umbels 1-3-fld. Alps of eastern En.—R. saxdtilis, 

 Linn. Low and dense, very spiny shrub, about 3 ft. high, allied 

 to R. cathartica: lvs. opposite or alternate, oval or obovate, 

 glabrous, about 1 in. long. Mts. of M. and S. Eu., W. Asia. 

 Hardy.— 2?. tinctbria, Waldst. & Kit. Closely allied to the pre- 

 ceding, but lvs. pubescent. Mts. of M. and S. Eu., W. Asia. 



Alfred Rehder. 



RHAPHIDOPHORA (Greek for needle-hearing; allud-^ 

 ing to needle-like hairs). Ardcece. About 20 species of 

 the East Indies, allied to Pothos, but distinguished fi'oiu 

 the Pothos tribe by the presence of odd hairs in the in- 

 tercellular spaces and by the 2-Ioculed rather than 3- 

 loculed ovary. See Pothos. It is probable that the gar- 

 den plant Pothos aureus is of this genus. Rhaphido- 

 phoras are climbing aroids, to be treated like Philoden- 

 dron and Pothos. 



It is not known that any species of Rhaphidophora 

 are in the American trade. Jf. pertusn, Schott {H. pin- 

 ndta, Schott. Scinddpsns pertustis, Schott), has large 

 monstera-like lvs., with long and narrow side lobes and 

 numerous holes in the blade. R.H. 1883, p. 561. H. de- 

 cur si va, Schott, is a gigantic climber, with large pin- 

 nate lvs., the segments or Ifts. oblong-lanceolate-acu- 

 minate and strongly nerved; spathe yellowish. B.M. 

 7282. a. Peepla, Schott, has entire oblong or elliptic- 

 oblong lvs., with roundish or subcordate base; spathe 

 yellowish. 



RHAPIDOPHfLLUM (Greek, probably means J?7ia/)is- 

 leaved). Palmdcece. Blue Palmetto. A genus of one 

 species ranging from South Carolina to Florida. It is 

 a dwarf fan-palm with erect or creeping trunk 2-3 ft. 

 long, and long-stalked lvs. with about 15 segments. 

 The genus is closely allied to Chamserops and is distin- 

 guished by having the albumen not ruminate and by the 

 bracts at the base of the branches of the spadix being 

 few or none. 



Other generic characters: spadices short-peduncled: 

 spathes 2-5, entire, tubular, compressed, bifid, woolly: 

 fls. minute, orange: fr. small, ovoid or obovate, woolly. 

 The plant is said to produce suckers freely, like Rhapis, 

 an unusual circumstance among palms. 



H^strix, H. Wendl. & Drude {Chamcerops Hystrix, 

 Fras.). Pig. 209G. Stem 2-3 ft., erect or creeping, pro- 

 liferous, clothed with the fibrous remains of leaf-sheaths 

 intermingled with long, erect spines: lvs. .3-4 ft., some- 

 what glaucous, circular in outline, with numerous 2-4- 

 toothed segments ; petiole triangular, rough on the mar- 

 gins: sheaths of oblique fibers interwoven with numer- 

 ous strong, erect spines; spadix 6-12 in. long, short- 

 peduncled: drupe %-l in. long. S.C.toPla. I. H. 30:486. 



Jared G. Smith. 



Rhapidophyllum Hystrix, the Blue Palmetto or Needle 

 Palmetto, is the most beautiful and elegant of our 

 native dwarf palms. It is very local in its distribution, 

 being found in rich, low soil both in Georgia and Florida, 

 but it is everywhere rather rare. Its most striking char- 

 acteristics are the long, sharp, black 

 spines projecting in every direction from 

 the dark fibers which cover the trunk. 

 These spines, which are often a foot 

 long, seem to protect the inflorescence, 

 which before opening resembles a large 

 white egg and which is imbedded among 

 the spines. This palm bears staminate 

 and pistillate flowers on separate plants. 

 The woolly clusters of fruit or seeds are 

 borne on short stems also surrounded 

 by the sharp spines. This palmetto is 

 easily transplanted. The lvs. are dark 

 shiny green, relieved by a pale silvery 

 gray on the under surface. It is a very 

 beautiful plant, and groups of it are 

 striking. The stem is 2 to 3 feet high 

 and the leaves rise to a height of 3 to 4 

 feet. H. Nehrling. 



RHAPIOLEPIS. See RapMolepis. 



RHAPIS (Greek, needle; alluding to 

 the shape of the lvs. or perhaps the awns 

 of the corolla). Palmdcece. A genus of 

 5 species of fan-palms of very distinct 

 habit, natives of China and Japan. They 

 are among the few palms that produce 

 suckers at the base, thereby forming 

 bushy clumps. Low palms, with leafy, 

 densely cespitose reedy stems clothed 

 with remains of the reticulate leaf- 

 sheaths : lvs. alternate and terminal, 

 sub-membranaceous, connate or semi- 

 orbicular, irregularly and digitately 3- to 

 many-parted; segments linear, cuneate, 

 or elliptical truncate, entire, dentate or 

 lobed: nerves 3 to many; transverse 

 veins conspicuous; rachis none; ligule 

 very short, semi-circular; petiole slen 

 der, biconvex, smooth or serrulate on 

 the margins ; sheath long, loosely fringed 

 on the margin; spadices shorter than the 

 lvs., slender-peduncled: rachis sheathed 

 by deciduous bracts: branches spread- 

 ing: spathes 2-3, incomplete, membra- 

 nous: fls. yellow. This genus is distin- 

 guished from its near allies (for a list 

 of which see Licuala) by the fls. being 

 dioecious; corolla 3-toothed ; anthers de- 

 hiscing extrorsely. The name Rhapis is 

 commonly spelled and pronounced Ra- 

 phis, but this is incorrect. 



A. Stems l'%-4 ft. high. 



B. Lvs. with 5-7 segments. 



flabellif6rmis, L'Herit. [R. Kwaniwor- 



tsik, H. Wendl.). Fig. 1623, Vol. III. 



Stems l>2-4 ft. high: lvs. 5-7-parted; 



segments linear, subplicate, ciliate-spin- 2096. Young leaf 



ulose along the margins and midveins, °' Z. 1*1 

 . . " i ii i- , metto, not yet 



truncate, erose at the apex: petioles ser- unfolded (XJi). 

 rulate along the margins. China, Japan. 

 B.M. 1371. R.H. 1872, p. 230. A.G. 13:261. I.H. 34:13. 

 — Var. intermedia, Hort., according to Siebrecht, has 

 lvs. horizontal instead of somewhat erect. Var. var- 

 iegita, Hort., has been offered. 



BB. Lvs. with 7-10 or more segments. 

 htimilis, Blume. Fig. 2097. Lvs. semi-circular; basal 

 lobes directed backward; segments rarely more than 10, 

 spreading; petioles unarmed. China. A.F. 7:405. 



A A. Stems becoming 8 ft. high. 

 Cochinchin^nsis, Mart. (Chamcerops Cochinchinhisis, 

 Lour.). Leaf -segments much plaited; petioles short, 

 straight and prickly. Cochin China. Int. by Franceschi, 

 1900. Jared G. Smith and W. M. 



