428 



ATRIPLEX 



ATTALEA 



BB. Shrubs 4-10 feet. 



Breweri, S. Wats. Fig. 435. Stout woody shrub, 4^6 

 ft. : Ivs. ovate-oblong, silvery gray, somewhat rhombic- 

 cuneate at the base, obtuse and acute at apex, 1-3 in. 

 long: fls. dioecious, the calyx deeply 4-cleft. At home 

 in sandy, wind-swept places. S. Calif. 



lentiformis, S. Wats. (Obidne lentifdrmis, Torr.). 

 Diffusely branched, 410 ft., the branches terete, with 

 rigid often spinescent branchlets: Ivs. oblong-rhombic, 

 5-^-1 J^ in. long: fl. -clusters small, golden or silvery, 

 the calyx 5-parted. S.W.U.S. Silvery and tall, grow- 

 ing as the preceding but standing more cold. 



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436. Atropa Belladonna 

 or Deadly Nightshade. 



(XH) 



ATROPA (after Atropos, that one of the three Fates 

 who cut the thread of life). Solan&cex. BELLADONNA. 

 A genus of 2 species of Old World herbs of great eco- 

 nomic importance. Calyx with 5 ovate leafy divisions, 

 enlarging in fr.; corolla bell-shaped or funnelform. The 

 purple berries are poisonous. The plant is used in medi- 

 cine and is the source of atropine and other drugs. Not 

 in cult, in U. S. except in botanic gardens. 



Belladonna, Linn. Fig. 436. Plant erect, branching, 

 leafy: Ivs. ovate, entire, pointed: fls. single or in pairs, 

 nodding on lateral peduncles; corolla blue-purple or 

 often greenish purple. Eu. to India. 



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ATTALfiA (attains, magnificent). Palm&cex, tribe 

 Cocoinex. A large genus of horticulturally little-known 

 palms, well worth more attention. 



Stems spineless, single, usually ringed, sometimes 

 lacking: Ivs. usually many in a large erect tuft, pinnate, 

 the numerous Ifts. rather regularly placed, but at right 



angles to the rachis, those above standing erect, those 

 beneath falling below the rachis; young Ivs. very attrac- 

 tive but rather stiff in their perfect erectness; petiole 

 concave above, often very fibrous at the base: fls. 

 monoecious or polygamo-dioecious, on a branched spadix 

 inclosed in a rather woody spathe, at least at first, 

 which appears among the lowest Ivs. ; spadix ultimately 

 recurving, sessile, bracted, usually yellow : fr. a drupe, 

 sometimes quite large, frequently fibrous-coated. He- 

 cause of their slow growth the 20-25 species are not 

 very favorably known to the dealers. All are natives of 

 Trop. Amer. See G.C. II. 22:523. 



At least two of the species are of economic impor- 

 tance. A. Cohune is the source of a finer oil than that of 

 the coconut, and is also used in making an intoxicating 

 beverage. A . funifera is the source of a fine fiber much 

 used in the making of brooms, and in rope-making. 



Attaleas must be grown in a tropical greenhouse, with 

 a night temperature not less than 60. They will do best 

 in a mixture of loam three parts, cow- or horse-manure, 

 one part, and one part of sand. 



Propagation is by seeds, which may be placed 2 inches 

 deep in a box to be plunged out-of-doors in summer, 

 covered with moss and watered freely. 



A. Trunks becoming tall, or at least not stemless. 



B. Bases of the petiole prominently fibrous: old Ivs. persist- 

 ent in A. funifera: trunks 18-30 ft. 



funifera, Mart. PISSABA PALM. COQTJILLA. St. 

 18-30 ft., 8-13 in. diam., smooth: Ivs. as long as the 

 caudex, green both sides; petioles with very long hang- 

 ing fibers; segms. broadly linear-acuminate, in clusters 

 of 3-5, divaricate, very numerous: drupe 4 in. long. 

 Brazil. 



gomphococca, Mart. St. 20-30 ft. crowned by a 

 magnificent cluster of large (6-9 ft.) Ivs. : Ifts. very nu- 

 merous, linear or linear-lanceolate, bright green above, 

 paler beneath; petiole relatively short, very fibrous at 

 the base: spathe slender and woody, the spadix reflexed, 

 but short-stalked and half hidden by the Ivs.: fr. 

 fibrous-coated. Costa Rica. Intro, by Reasoner Bros, 

 in 1911. 



BB. Bases of the petiole not prominently fibrous: 

 trunks 50-100 ft. 



excelsa, Mart. St. 90-100 ft. high in the wild, 16-20 in. 

 diam.: Ivs. erect-spreading: pistillate fls. solitary on 

 the branches of the spadix: drupe oblong-eylindric, 

 acute at both ends. Brazil. A little-known palm 

 among the dealers, but not uncommon in fanciers' 

 collections. Stately in habit and with splendid large Ivs. 



Conine, Mart. COHUNE PALM. Fig. 437. St. 50-60 

 ft. : Ivs. erect, pinnate, the dark green pinnae 30-50 and 

 18 in. or less long; petiole flat above and rounded below: 

 drupe broadly ovate, nearly 3 in. long, with a very short 

 beak. Honduras. Fruit used for soap-making, and 

 exported from Cent. Amer. for that purpose. Used for 

 thatching. 



AA. Without trunks. 



spectabilis, Mart. Stemless, or with a very short cau- 

 dex: Ivs. 18-21 ft. long, erect or spreading, the lower 

 segms. 3-4 ft., the upper 12-16 in., y 2 \n. wide, linear- 

 acuminate: spathe erect: fr. about as large as a hen's 

 egg. Brazil. Requires plenty of water, as its home is 

 on the banks of the Amazon. 



amygdaUna, HBK. (A. nudfera, Karsten). Stemless: 

 Ivs. 15-18 ft. long, crowded, pinnatisect ; segms. 90-100 

 on each side, ensiform, glabrous above, with hairs along 

 the outer margins beneath, 2^-2% ft- l n K- about 

 1^4 in. wide; petiole with rusty scales beneath: spadix 

 of male fls. about 18 in. long, with a flattened stalk, 

 inclosed by a thick woody spathe. Brazil. 



A. Guichlre is a trade name; "extremely long-leaved." A. 

 Mdripa, Mart. (A. Mariposa, Hort.). See Maximilians. 



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