Z AM 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



Z A M 



831 



ated; scales peltate. Drupes: two, at the under side of 

 each scale. These plants may be raised from seeds, and by 

 other means, in pots plunged in the bark-beds of hot-houses 

 and stoves, where they must constantly be kept in light rich 

 earth or mould, having the management of similar exotics. 

 They form a pleasing variety in collections of tender plants. 

 The species are, 



1. Zamia Cycadifolia ; Sago-Palm-leaved Zamia. Leaflets 

 very numerous, two-ranked, linear, entire, with simple spinous 

 points; common stalk semicylindrical, channelled, downy; 

 leaflets, when full grown, from fifty to eighty in number, 

 rigid, parallel, acute, pungent, each about three inches long, 

 the lowermost gradually shortest, and rather more distant ; 

 catkin of the fruit elongated, somewhat cylindrical. The 

 thick globular scaly head of the root, which is nearly a foot 

 in diameter, bears numerous spreading pectinate leaves ; the 

 stalk of each is in "its naked part two feet long, as thick as 

 a swan's quill, all over downy, as is also its leafy portion, 

 and the young leaflets themselves. The ripe fruit is ovate- 

 oblong:, about fifteen inches in length, and five in diameter, 

 brown, each scale bearing two ovate, angular, orange-coloured 

 drupes, about an inch long, their points directed towards the 

 base of the scale ; nut not much smaller, ovate, angular. 

 Native of the Cape of Good Hope. 



2. Zamia Pungens ; Needle Zamia. Leaflets awl-shaped, 

 spreading, straight, rigid, pointed, entire, their outer margin 

 rounded at the base; common stalk nearly cylindrical, un- 

 armed. Leaflets very thick and coriaceous, much fewer than 

 in. the preceding species, mostly opposite, four or five inches 

 long, and one broad, their under surface somewhat striated, 

 their upper smooth and shining ; margin quite entire ; point 

 simple, spinous, stout, and rigid. Native of the Cape. 



3. Zamia Tridentata ; Three-toothed Zamia. Leaflets 

 linear, obscurely furrowed, smooth, with three spinous teeth 

 at the end ; common stalk semicylindrical, channelled. Leaf- 

 lets fourteen to sixteen pair, linear, tapering at the ends, with 

 two lanceolate, pointed, terminal teeth, and a third situated a 

 little lower at the outer edge ; each leaflet two to two and a 

 half inches long. Native of the Cape. 



4. Zamia Angustifolia; Narrow-leaved Zamia. Leaves 

 linear, elongated, entire, obtuse, with two terminal callous 

 points; common stalk semicylindrical. The root is hardly 

 bigger than a large radish ; 'its ovate crown enveloped in a 

 few pointed very broad scales ; leaves about a yard high, 

 with slender stalks and leaflets, the latter drooping, a span 

 long, and two lines broad; catkins three inches long, on 

 stalks about the same length ; the male ones most slender, 

 and nearly cylindrical ; fruit ovate, three inches long, of a 

 thick, ovate, or elliptical figure, with a blunt point; drupes 

 concealed, red. Native of the Bahamas. 



5. Zamia Tenuis; Slender Zamia. Leaflets linear, obtuse, 

 somewhat revolute, tapering at the base, with one or two 

 obsolete teeth near the extremity ; common stalk triangular, 

 smooth. This is an intermediate species between the pre- 

 csding and following, agreeing with the fourth species in the 

 form of its leaflets, but are broader, and their stalk triangular; 

 and with the sixth, in its stalks, though the leaflets are nar- 

 rower, and are not minutely serrated towards the point. 

 Native of the Bahama Islands. 



6. Zamia Media; Intermediate Zamia. Leaflets linear- 

 lanceolate, obtuse, flat, obscurely serrated towards the point; 

 common stalk triangular, smooth. Leaflets from fourteen to 

 twenty pair, five inches long, and one third or half an inch 

 broad, flat, for the most part entire, except a few shallow 

 distant serratures towards the extremity, bluntish, and without 

 any spinous termination ; female catkios on short thick stalks, 



VOL. n. 135. 



ovate, with a blunt point; fruit oval, brown, rough, three 

 inches long. Crown of the root as large as the fist; leaves 

 two feet long, besides their naked stalk, which is half as 

 much. Native of the West Indies. 



7. Zamia Debilis ; Lax-leaved Zamia. Leaflets lanceolate, 

 acute, pointless, serrated towards the point; common static 

 triangular, smooth. The leaflets are five or six pair, half an 

 inch broad, though only two and a half or three inches long, 

 and are distinguished from all the foregoing by their con- 

 spicuous serratures, all, however, near the end, the greater 

 part of the leaflet being entire ; the upper side is smooth and 

 shining, the under furrowed and striated. It flowers in the 

 stove in July and August. Native of the East Indies. 



b. Zamia Integrifolia ; Dwarf Zamia, Leaflets smooth, 

 striated, lanceolate, rounded, obtuse, and finely serrated at 

 the end, tapering at the base; common stalk smooth, some- 

 what quadrangular. The crown of the root is sometimes as 

 thick as a man's arm, dividing below into several stout 

 branches and fibres; leaves usually about eighteen inches, 

 sometimes three feet long. The leaflets are'- from ten to 

 twenty pair, opposite or alternate, each two and a half or three 

 inches long, varying in breadth, from one quarter to three- 

 fourths of an inch, entire, rather shiaing, strongly striated 

 on both sides, with many parallel ribs, the extremity rounded 

 and pointless, with a greater or less number of slight tooth- 

 like serratures in proportion to its width ; catkins on short 

 stalks, ovate, clothed with dark brown pubescence; the 

 males about two inches long; fruit three inches long, ellip- 

 tical, pointed, downy; its scales finally widely separating, 

 each of them peltate and angular, supported by a rather 

 slender angular stalk, above an inch in length, and remaining 

 long after the fruit has fallen. Each drupe is elliptical, about 

 halt an inch or more in length, with a small quantity of sweet 

 orange-coloured pulp, and a large slightly-pointed nut. 

 Native of East Florida, and also of Hispaniola. 



9. Zamia Muricata ; Prickly-stalked Zamia. Leaflets ob- 

 long, pointed, smooth, striated, serrated from the middle to 

 the extremity ; common stalk spinous. The leaflets are about 

 four pair in number, six inches long, tapering at the base, 

 striated, and ribbed on both sides, sharply serrated in their 

 upper half; footstalk channelled, armed with very short 

 scattered blunt spines. Found near Porto Cabello in South 

 America. 



10. Zamia Furfuracea; Broad Rusty-leaved Zamia. Leaf- 

 lets elliptic-oblong, pointless, copiously serrated from the 

 middle to the extremity, striated and hairy beneath ; common 

 stalk spinous. The crown of the root is often a foot in dia- 

 meter, and the leaves are from one to two feet long, exclusive 

 of their prickly stalks. The number of the leaflets is usually 

 eight or nine pair, three of four inches long, and one or one 

 and a quarter broad, very rigid and coriaceous, shining, and 

 roughish to the touch on the upper side, more furrowed, and 

 clothed with shaggy chaffy pubescence, which gives them a 

 rusty or tawny hue, underneath. Their serratures or teeth 

 are numerous, obtuse, very irregular ; catkins ovate, hoary, 

 and downy, about three inches long, on stalks about the 

 same length. Native of the West Indies. 



11. Zamia Spiralis; Spiral Zamia. Leaflets numerous, 

 linear, very smooth, somewhat curved, with a few spinous 

 teeth at the extremity; catkins smooth, with pointed scales, 

 those of the males wedge-shaped. The leaves are very 

 smooth, of a fine green, a yard or more long, spreading, 

 each composed of from thirty to forty pair of long narrow 

 leaflets, tipped with from three to five spinous teeth ; foot- 

 stalks said to be sonu-what spiral. The catkins are stalked, 

 cylindrical, about five inches long, and two in diameter. 



10 B 



