254 



ALNUS 



ALOCASIA 



above, glabrous: male catkins very slender, to 6 in. long: cones 2-4, 

 peduncled. Himalayas. B.M. 7654. A. oblongifdlia, Torr. Tree, 

 20-30 ft.: Ivs. oblong-ovate, cuneate, doubly serrate, 2-3 in. long: 

 strobiles H-l in. long, peduncled. N. Mex. and Ariz. S.S. 9:457. 

 A. ocddentdlie, Dipp.=A. tenuifolia. A. orientalis, Decne. (A. 

 barbata, Hort., not C. A. Mey. A. tinna, Hort., not Sieb. & Zucc. A. 

 macrophylla, Hort.). Allied to A. cordata. Tree: Ivs. ovate-oblong, 

 obtusely or crenately serrate, 2-5 in. long, glabrous, with 8-10 pairs 

 of veins: cones ovoid, glutinous, H-l in. long; nutlets without wing. 

 Asia Minor. A. pubescens, Tsch. (A. glutinosa xincana). Lvs. 

 roundish-ovate or obovate, irregularly serrate, pubescent beneath. 

 Natural hybrid. A. rhombi/Alia, Nutt. Tree, 60-80 ft.: Ivs. cu- 

 Deate, oval or ovate, 2-3 >a in. long, finely serrate, yellowish green 

 and puberulous beneath: strobiles oblong, peduncled. W.N. Amer. 

 S.S. :456. A. Sieboldiana, Mats.=A. firma. A. sinudla, Rydb. 

 (A. sitchensis, Sarg.). Allied to A. viridis. Shrub, 3-16 ft.: Ivs. 

 slightly lobed, serrulate, glabrous, thin. W. N. Amer. 8.8.14:727. 

 A . Spxthii, Cull icr (A. japonica Xsubcordata) . Tree : Ivs. ovate-lance- 

 olate, sharply serrate, violet-purple when unfolding. Of garden origin. 

 A. subcvnlii/a, C. A. Mey. Tree, 30-50 ft.: Ivs. ovate or oblong- 

 ovate, rounded at the base, 2-6 in. long, crenately or doubly serrate, 

 glabrous or sometimes pubescent beneath: cones about 1 in. long: 

 nutlets with a narrow wing. Caucasus. A. tenuifMia, Nutt. (A. 

 incana var. virescens, Wats. A. pccidentalis, Dipp.). Small tree, 

 occasionally 30 ft.: Ivs. ovate, 2-4 in. long, slightly lobed and doubly 

 serrate, green and nearly glabrous beneath. W. N. Amer. S. 8. 



ALFRED REHDEB. 



ALOCASIA (name made from Colocasia). Aracese. 

 Warmhouse foliage plants, with green, veined and 

 mottled, large hanging leaves. 



Stem thick, short or assurgent, densely marked with 

 If .-scars: Ivs. with long sheathed petioles, the blade, 



when young peltate, 

 when old usually sagit- 

 tate-cordate, the basal 

 lobes commonly more 

 or less united: spathe 

 with the tube much 

 shorter than the blade, 

 ovoid or oblong, con- 

 volute, the blade ob- 

 long, usually boat- 

 shaped; spadix shorter 

 than spathe. Stove 

 ' foliage plants from E. 

 Asia, comprising about 

 40 species, in addition 

 to many hybrids. Re- 

 lated to Caladium and 

 Colocasia, from which 

 separated by technical 

 fr. characters. See Monogr. by Engler in De Candolle's 

 Monographic Phanerogamarum, Vol. II. 



The species of alocasia grown in greenhouses have 

 foliage of great beauty and coloring and rank high 

 amongst ornamental foliage plants. The leaves are 

 remarkable for their coloring, markings, size and shape, 

 some of them being of a rich metallic coloring while 

 others are green and green-and-white with prominent 

 veining. Alocasias are propagated by suckers or cut- 

 tings of the rhizomes, placed in small pots containing a 

 mixture of light fibrous peat and sand in equal pro- 

 portions, and plunged in a close frame or propagating- 

 box with bottom heat. They may also be grown from 

 seeds sown in 4-inch pots, in a light peaty soil in a tem- 

 perature of 75 F. The month of March is the best time 

 for propagating and potting. The evergreen species (as 

 A. cuprea, A. longiloba, A. Lowii, A. Regina) thrive best 

 in a compost of two parts fibrous peat and sphagnum 

 moss and one part lumps of fibrous loam, to which should 

 be added a sprinkling of silver sand and a few nodules 

 of charcoal to keep the whole sweet. The herbaceous 

 species (as A. macrorhiza) do best in good fibrous loam 

 to which one-third of well-rotted cow-manure or pul- 

 verized sheep-manure has been added. Perfect drain- 

 age of the pots is absolutely necessary, and, in potting, 

 the evergreen species should be coned up 2 or 3 inches 

 above the rim of the pot, and finished off with a sur- 

 facing of live sphagnum moss. The season of active 

 growth begins about the first of March, when plants 

 should be given a temperature of 70 at night, with 

 a rise of 15 by day, and the atmosphere must be 



167. Alocasia Sanderiana. 



kept in a humid condition. They should be given a 

 position free from drafts and direct sunlight. They 

 require an abundance of water at the roots as the leaves 

 develop, and are greatly benefited by an occasional 

 watering of clear liquid sheep- or cow-manure. To 

 secure the best development of the leaves, heavy 

 syringing should be avoided, but frequent spraying on 

 all fine days with an atomizer sprayer is very beneficial. 

 Towards winter the humidity of the atmosphere and 

 the supply of water to the roots should be reduced with 

 the evergreen species, and gradually withheld alto- 

 gether as the leaves mature, with the herbaceous 

 species. The temperature during winter should not 

 fall below 60. (E. J. Canning.) 



argyraea, 13. 

 batamensis, 13. 

 Chantrieri, 13. 

 Chelsmii, 13. 

 cuprea, 12. 

 gigantea, 6. 

 mxa, 13. 

 iUustris, 13. 

 intermedia, 13. 

 Jenningsii, 13. 

 Johnstonii, 13. 



A. Lvs. distinctly notched or undulate on the margin. 



1. princeps, Nichols. Lvs. sagittate, the basal lobes 

 narrow and spreading, the margins deep-sinuate; upper 

 surface olive-green, with darker veins, the under lighter 

 colored, with brown veins and margin; petioles brown- 

 spotted, slender. E. Indies. 



2. Sanderiana, Bull. Fig. 167. Lvs. long-sagittate, 

 with deeply notched margin, the basal lobes wide-spread- 

 ing, deep glossy green with metallic reflection, with 

 prominent white margins and veins; petioles brownisli 

 and striped. Philippines. Gng. 6:84. G.Z. 28, p. 267. 

 J.H. III. 45:173. -One of the best of recent intro- 

 ductions. Runs into various forms, and has entered 

 largely into cult, hybrids. 



AA. Lvs. plain and entire on the margin. 



B. Markings chiefly on the petioles, the blades green. 



3. zebrina, Koch &Veitch. Lvs. triangular-sagittate, 

 the margin somewhat repand, the front lobe oblong- 

 triangular, cuspidate, the basal lobes obtuse; petioles 

 beautifully marked with large zigzag bands of green. 

 Philippines. F.S. 15:1541-2. 



4. Villeneuvei, Lind. & Rod. Lvs. sagittate-ovate, the 

 veins of lighter green and prominent, basal lobes very 

 unequal; petioles spotted with chocolate-brown. Large. 

 Borneo. I.H. 34:21. Named for de Villeneuve, Brazil- 

 ian ambassador to Belgium. 



BB. Markings or coloration chiefly on the If. -blades. 

 c. Veins and midrib light yellow. 



5. Lindenii, Rod. Lvs. cordate-ovate, long-pointed, 

 8-12 in. long, bright green, with yellowish veins curving 

 off from the midrib and vanishing near the margin; 

 petioles nearly white. New Guinea. I.H. 33:603. 

 Bruised Ivs. emit a strong odor. 



cc. Veins and midrib white or silvery. 

 D. Midrib and primary nerves not bordered. 



6. longiloba, Miq. (^4. gigantea, Hort.). Petioles 2 ft., 

 greenish white, mottled purple; blade sagittate, 18 in. 

 long, the basal lobes very long and erect, the upper sur- 

 face green, with silvery or gray bands along veins and 

 midrib, the under surface light purple. Java. 



7. Ldwii, Hook. Petioles 2-3 ft., rose-color; blade nar- 

 row-ovate, 18 in. long and a third as wide, long-pointed, 

 the basal lobes long-acute, upper surface olive-green, 

 with very distinct silvery bands, under surface rich 

 purple. Borneo. H.F. III. 9: pi. 6. F.S. 21:2204. 

 B.M. 5376. A.F. 11 :559 (as var. grandis). 



