ASTRANTIA 



ASYSTASIA 



425 



interesting branching plants for the border, particu- 

 larly in moist places. Prop, by seeds, and easily by 

 divisions in autumn or spring. 



carniolica, Wulf. About 1 ft.: radical Ivs. 5-7-lobed, 

 the lobes oblong-acuminate, serrate: fls. white or blush: 

 involucel of about 12 entire whitish parts with green 

 red-tinged line. Eu. Attractive. June, July. 



major, Linn. The commonest species in cult.: 1-3 

 ft.: radical Ivs. 5-lobed, the lobes ovate-lanceolate and 

 more or less parted and toothed, acute: fls. pinkish, or 

 rose, or white: involucel of 20 or less linear-lanceolate 

 entire leafy parts; calyx-lobes lanceolate and spinulose, 

 exceeding the petals. Eu. Thrives by running water 

 and in partial shade. May, June. 



Biebersteinii, Traut. Small: radical Ivs. 3-parted, 

 the middle lobe oblong or obovate and more or less 

 3-lobed, sharp-serrate: involucel parts oblong, entire 

 or nearly so, equaling the umbel; calyx-lobes lanceo- 

 late-acute, equaling the petals. Caucasus. 



A. htllfborifblia, Salisb. {A. heterophylla, Willd., A. maxima, 

 Pall.). 2 ft. or less: radical Ivs. 3-!obed, serrate: fls. pink: involu- 

 cre of about 12 ovate^lanceolate bristly parts. Caucasus. A. minor, 

 Linn. 8-10 in.: radical Ivs. 7-9-lobed, toothed: fls. white: invo- 

 lucre white. Eu. L H B 



ASTRAP.EA: Dombeya. 



ASTROCARYUM (Greek, astron, star, and karyon, 

 nut; referring to star-like arrangement of the fruits). 

 Palmacese, tribe Bactridex. Spiny palms, stemless or 

 with a short, or tall, ringed caudex. 



Leaves terminal, pinnately parted; segms. approxi- 

 mate, equidistant or fasciculate, lanceolate-acuminate 

 or attenuate to the obliquely truncate apex, plicate, 

 whitish beneath, the terminal ones free or confluent, the 

 spiny margins recurved at the base; petiole very short; 

 sheath short, open, the spines of nearly all parts of the 

 plant, in some cases, nearly a foot long: spadices 

 short or long, the finely divided branches pendulous, 

 thickened at the base, thence very slender, long, naked, 

 the floriferous naked basal portion, as it were, pedun- 

 culate; spathes 2, the lower one membranous, decidu- 

 ous, the upper fusiform, coriaceous or woody, open on 

 the ventral side, persistent; bracts of the female fls. 

 broad, imbricated like the bractlets; pistillate fls. with 

 a stipitate male one on either side: fr. rather large, 

 ovoid or subglobose, beaked, smooth .or spiny, red or 

 orange. Species 30. Trop. Amer. 



431. Astragalus adsurgens. 



Astrocaryums are elegant palms of medium height, 

 very suitable for moderate-sized conservatories. A. 

 Murumuru, A. mexicanum and A. argenteum are the 

 kinds most commonly met with in collections. The 

 leaves are pinnate, spiny on both sides, even in very 

 young plants, and in small plants, at least in some of the 

 species, the segments are narrow, four or five pairs of 

 these alternating with two very broad ones. A. argen- 

 teum has the under surfaces of the leaves of a much 

 lighter color than the others. 



In a young state, the plants require the temperature 

 of the stove, and after attaining the height of a few 

 feet they may be best grown in a warmhouse, and 

 given plenty of water; also a humid atmosphere. Speci- 

 mens 8 to 10 feet high fruit freely. 



Propagation is by seeds, which are slow in germina- 

 ting. The soil in which they are sown should be 

 changed occasionally, to prevent it from becoming 

 sour. Be careful not to overpot, or the fleshy roots 

 will decay. G.C. II. 22:522. See Palms. 



A. Lvs. scurfy, at least beneath or on the petioles. 

 Minimum, Mart. Lvs. &-12 ft. long; segms. lanceo- 

 late, somewhat falcate, rich green above, silvery 

 beneath: sts. 12-15 ft. high, densely covered with stout, 

 black spines 6 in. long. Brazil. I.H. 22:213. 



argenteum, Hort. Petioles and under surface of the 

 Ivs. covered with silvery white scurf: Ivs. arching, 

 wedge-shaped, 2-lobed, distinctly plicate, bright green 

 above; petioles with numerous dark, spreading spines 

 1 in. long. Colombia. F.R. 3:569. Perhaps more 

 correctly named A. Malybo, Karsten. 



filulare, Hort. Small, slender: Ivs. erect, narrowly 

 cuneate, with 2 divergent lobes, inversely sagittate ', 

 petioles densely scurfy; rachis scurfy on both sides; 

 spines numerous on the petioles and rachis, and on the 

 principal nerves above; brown. Country unknown. 



AA. Lvs. not scurfy. . 



Ayri, Mart. Trunks 18-30 ft. high, 8-12 in. diam., 

 usually cespitose: Ivs. 15 ft. long, equally pinnatisect 

 to the apex; petiole piano-compressed, membranaceous 

 on the margins, densely scaly and with scattered spines; 

 lower segms. over 3 ft. long, 1 %-1 in. wide, 2 in. apart, 

 the upper ones 2-2 }/ ft. long, 1 in. wide, 1J^ in. apart, 

 conduplicate at the base, linear, long, attenuate, 

 pointed, minutely and remotely spiny along the margins, 

 white-tomentose below. Brazil. 



mexicanum, Liebm. St. 4-6 ft. high, cylindrical, 

 thickly covered with rings of black, straight, 2-edged 

 spines: petiole 2 ft. long, 4-sided, the 2 upper sides 

 concave, clothed (as is the rachis) with straight black 

 spines; blade 6 ft.; segms. 15-18 in. long, 1 in. wide, 

 alternate, broadly linear, acute, straight, white beneath, 

 with deciduous black spines along the margins. Mex. 



A. granathise, Hort., is an unidentified trade name. 



J. G. SMITH and G. W. OLIVER. 



N. TAYLOR.t 



ASYSTASIA (obscure name). Including Henfreya, 

 Dicentranthera and Mackaya. Acanthacess. Hothouse 

 or greenhouse evergreen herbs and shrubs. 



Plants erect or scandent: Ivs. membranaceous, 

 entire: corolla- tube straight or curved, the spreading 

 limb 5-lobed and nearly or quite regular; stamens 4, 

 unequal; stigma blunt or minutely 2-lobed; fls. white, 

 blue or purple, in axillary or terminal clusters, often 

 very showy. About 20 species in the Old World 

 tropics. Require the general treatment of Justicia, in 

 intermediate or warmhouses. 



bella, Benth. & Hook. (Mackaya bella, Harv.). 

 Glabrous, upright sub-shrub: Ivs. ovate-oblong, acumi- 

 nate, spreading, short-stalked, sinuate-toothed: fls. 

 lilac, 2 in. long, with a long tube below the flaring 

 throat, the spreading segms. ovate-obtuse, disposed 

 on one side of a raceme 5-8 in. long. S. Afr. B.M. 



