364 THE PRINCIPLES OF FLORICULTURE 



568. Culture. Dicksonias make their most rapid 

 growth during the summer, and a new whorl of from thirty 

 to forty fronds is produced each year. They must be 

 carefully watched and watered freely, for neglect in this 

 respect will quickly ruin a plant. Watering is more im- 

 portant than any other detail. In summer, the stems 

 must be syringed at least twice a day. In winter, the 

 waterings should be less frequent. If grown in pots, 

 these should not be large in proportion to the size of the 

 trunks, for they like a confined root area. 



569. Cibotium, botanical classification. Order, Cyath- 

 eacese ; genus, Cibotium (Greek, meaning a little seed 

 vessel) ; species : glaucum ; Barometz ; Schiedei ; regale. 



570. Cibotium, botanical characters. Cibotium have, 

 heavier, more unusual trunks than other tree ferns, and 

 the foliage is light yellow-green. 



Habitat. Hawaii, China and Mexico. 



The culture is the same as for cyathea and dicksonia. 



571. Alsophila, botanical classification. Order, 

 Cyatheacese; genus, Alsophila (Greek, meaning grove- 

 loving) ; species, australis. 



Habitat. Australia. 



The botanical characters and culture are similar to 

 Cyathea. 



572. Stag-horn ferns, botanical classification. 

 Ordei, Polypodiacese ; genus, Platycerium (Greek, broad 

 horn, alluding to the shape of the leaves) ; species : Ango- 

 lense ; biforme ; Wallichii ; grande ; Willinckii; alcicorne ; 

 athiopicum; Hillii. 



573. Botanical characters. The stag-horn ferns are 

 a peculiar class which have two types of fronds, the barren 

 and the fertile. The barren are disk-shaped and clasp tjie 

 tree trunks on which they are growing, or cover the soil of 



