TRACHELOSPERMUM 



mer the pots may be plunged outdoors in a partially 

 shaded position. The species is propagated by cuttings 

 of half-ripened wood taken with a heel in spring. The 

 Star Jasmine is one of the many good old standard 

 greenhouse plants that are too little seen nowadays. 

 The writer knows of two large specimens trained to a 

 bush form that are the chief shrubby ornaments of a 

 cool greenhouse from late April to early June. Every 

 year they are loaded with flowers throughout the month 

 of May. The specimens require considerable room, 

 and the gardener is sometimes compelled to keep them 

 in a cold pit until the chrysanthemum season is over, 

 although this treatment is not to be advised. 



jasminoides, Lem. (ffliynehosptrmum jasminoides 

 Lindl.) Star Jasmine. Also called "Confederate." 

 "Malayan " or "African Jessamine." Fig. 2537. Tender, 

 evergreen, climbing shrub described above: lvs. short- 

 stalked, ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous : peduncles 

 much longer than lvs.: calyx-lobes reflexed: corolla-tube 

 contracted below the middle: several jagged scales at 

 base of corolla: 5 large glands at base of ovarv,2 united, 

 3 free. Southern China. B.M. 4737. Gng. 5:132. Gn. 

 41, p. 507. — Var. variegatum, Hort., has lvs. of green 

 and white, tinged red. Robert Shore and W. M. 



Star Jasmine {Trachelospermum jasminoides) is a 

 very choice and beautiful woody climber for the South. 

 Being a native of the southern part of China, it is well 

 adapted to the climate of the extreme South. It com- 

 mences to bloom early in April and the last flowers can 

 be enjoyed late in May. Even in October and Novem- 

 ber one may find numerous scattered flower-clusters. 

 When in full bloom the plant seems to be covered with 

 a white sheet, the flowers almost hiding the dark green 

 foliage and filling the air for many yards away with a 

 peculiar and most delicious fragrance. The Star Jas- 

 mine is beautiful even without flowers. It is not easily 

 propagated and therefore it is not a common plant in 

 gardens. Even plants with good roots require a great 

 deal of intelligent care, and it is no easy matter to bring 

 transplanted specimens into a flourishing condition. It 

 should be transplanted into the garden in November or 

 December, pot-plants always being preferable for this 

 purpose. The soil should be kept moist all the time, 

 and especially during the dry spells in April and May. 

 If the soil is not naturally rich a moderate amount of 

 fertilizer should be applied. When once established, the 

 plant does not need any more care than the Carolina jas- 

 mine (see Gelsemium), In summer, during the rainy 

 season, a mulch of grass and fresh cow manure is exceed- 

 ingly beneficial. It is best grown on a trellis of two, three 

 or even four posts about ten feet high, with strong galva- 

 nized wire all around; or strong laths can be used in- 



TRACHYCARPUS 



1825 



2537. Trachelospermum jasminoides (X%). 



stead of wire. If the specimen is a strong and healthy 

 one it will soon cover the trellis in a dense tangled mass 

 and the new shoots will gracefully protrude to all sides. 

 The propagation is best affected in Florida by layering, 

 and strong plants can be raised in this way in about 

 two years. H _ Nehrl , n(; . 



TRACHYCARPUS (Greek, rough or harsh fruit). 

 Palm&cece. Fortune's Palm, known under many tech- 

 nical names, is of unique interest to the horticulturist, 

 as it is the hardiest of all palms. It is a spineless fan- 

 palm which grows 30 ft. high. It is slightly hardier 

 than Chamarops humilis, the only palm native to Eu- 

 rope. Fortune's Palm is the only trunk-producing palm 

 which grows outdoors the year round in the southern 



2538. Fortune's Palm— Trachycarpus excelsus (or T. Fortunei). 

 The leaves finally become 4-5 feet across. 



and western parts of England. In some sheltered spots 

 in these favored regions it has flowered regularly year 

 after year. It is also called the Chusan Palm. 



For practical purposes Trachycarpus is best consid- 

 ered a genus of four species, two of which are natives 

 of the Himalayan region and two native respectively to 

 China and Japan. The Himalayan species have their 

 trunks clothed with the old leaf-sheaths, while the far- 

 eastern species have beautiful, smooth, polished trunks. 

 In each group one species has the tips of the leaf-seg- 

 ments pendulous and the other has them straight. These 

 are the most obvious and important differences to the 

 horticulturist, except that T. Fortunei is the hardiest 

 of the whole genus. The differences above cited mark 

 extreme types only. Intermediates occur. Much study 

 has been given to this genus of palms and many char- 

 acters to separate four species have been proposed at 

 various times and subsequently abandoned. The latest 

 botanical conception of the group (Beccari and Hooker 

 in the Flora of British India, 6:436 [1894]) unites the 

 Himalayan species into one and the far-eastern forms 

 into another. In support of this view may be urged the 

 important facts that srnooth-trunked forms have lately 

 been discovered as far west as Upper Burma, and also 

 that the straight-tipped Japanese form may be merely 

 cultivated or run wild in Japan. Its origin and nativity 

 are not yet certain. Both points of view are given on 

 the next page, each being correct for its own point of 

 view. The horticultural account is based upon Hooker's 

 notes in B.M. 7128, and the botanical is taken from the 

 Flora of British India. Some botanists prefer the mas- 

 culine case endings, others the feminine. 



Fortune's Palm is grown indoors and outdoors in 

 America wherever palms are grown, but it is not one 

 of the most popular species with northern florists. It 

 seems to reach perfection in California, where it is one 

 of the most popular of all palms. Ernest Braunton 

 writes that it is hardy throughout the southern half of 

 the state, where it is commonly known by the appropri- 

 ate name of Chinese Windmill Palm. It attains a height 

 of 30 ft. Braunton adds that it is hardier than the native 

 Washingtonia and will stand more abuse. It grows well 

 near San Francisco. A new palm has recently come into 

 Califonra under the name of Chamarops or Trachy- 

 carpus Phcedomia , a name unknown to botany. All the 

 specific names cited in the synonymy below have also 

 been combined with Chama>rops. 



Generic characters: spadices many, interfoliar, stout, 

 branched: spathes embracing the peduncle and branches 

 of spadix, coriaceous, compressed, tomentose: bracts 

 and braeteoles minute: fls. small, polygamo-moncecious; 

 sepals 3, ovate; petals 3, broadly ovate, valvate; sta- 

 mens 6; carpels 3; stigmas 3, recurved: ovules basilar; 

 drupes 1-3, globose or oblong : seed erect, ventrally 

 grooved ; albumen equable. 



