DIPLARRHENA 



DIPLOTHEMIUM 



1019 



Moraea, Labill. Sts. 1M~2 ft. long,- with a single 

 terminal cluster, and several sheathing bracts: Ivs. 

 6-8 in a tuft, 1-\ 1 A ft. long, l /i~ l Am. wide: spathes 

 cylindrical, 2-3-fld., 2 in. long; fls. whitish: caps. 1 in. 

 long. New S. Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. This 

 species has been offered. The only other species is D. 

 latifblia, Benth. (D. Morsea var. latifolia, Baker), from 

 Tasmania, with longer and broader Ivs. (nearly 1 in. 

 wide), longer spathes which are5-6-fld., and fls. varie- 

 gated with lilac and yellow. L. jj. g. 



DIPLAZIUM (Greek, doubled) . Polypodiacese. Rather 

 large, coarse ferns, of greenhouse culture. 



Allied to Asplenium, but with the indusia often 

 double, extending along both sides of some of the free 

 veins. The dividing line between Diplazium and 

 Asplenium is technical. In general appearance and in 

 cultural requirements, the two genera are practically 

 identical. Eighty or more species are found, mostly in 

 the warmer portions of the world. 



A. Li's, simple. 



lanceum, Presl. Lvs. 6-9 in. long, %-l in. wide, 

 narrowed upward and downward, the margin mostly 

 entire; sori reaching nearer to the edge than the midrib. 

 India, China, Japan. 



AA. Lvs. pinnate, with the pinnae deeply lobed: rootstock 

 not rising to form a trunk. 



arbdreum, Presl (Asplenium arboreum, Linn.). Lvs. 

 12-18 in. long, 6-8 in. wide, with a distinct auricle or 

 lobe at the base. The habit is not arboreous, as ori- 

 ginally supposed, and as the name would indicate; 

 quite near the next, but less deeply cut. W. Indies and 

 Venezuela. 



Shepherdii, Link (Asplenium Shepherdii, Spreng. ). 

 Lvs. 12-18 in. long, 6-9 in. broad, deeply lobed, the 

 lobes at the base sometimes reaching down to the rachis, 

 somewhat toothed and often J^in. broad; sori long- 

 linear. Cuba and Mex. to Brazil. 



AAA. Lvs. bipinnate: trunk somewhat arborescent. 



maximum, C. Chr. (D. latifblium, Moore. Asplenium 

 latifolium, Don). St. erect, somewhat arborescent: 

 Ivs. 3-4 ft. long, 12-18 in. wide, with about 12 pinnae 

 on either side. India, China and the Philippines. 



L. M. UNDERWOOD. 



DIPLOGLOTTIS (double-tongued, referring to the 

 divided scale inside the petals). Sapindacese. Austra- 

 lian tree; one species: D. austrdlis, Radlk. (D. Cun- 

 ninghamii, Hook, f.), mentioned in recent horticultural 

 literature. Lvs. large (1-2 ft. or more), pinnate, more 

 or less villous; Ifts. 8-12, oblong-elliptic to ovate- 

 lanceolate, sometimes more than 1 ft. long: fls. greenish, 

 many, in a large panicle; calyx deeply 5-lobed, small; 

 petals about twice as long as calyx ()^in.), 4, thin, 

 orbicular, ciliate, about equaled by the 2 inner scales; 

 stamens 8, exserted or included; ovary 3-celled, the 

 style short and incurved, stigma entire or somewhat 

 3-lobed: fr. a nearly globular 3-valved caps., tomentose, 

 about Hin. diam. B.M. 4470 (as Cupania Cunning- 

 hamii). 



DIPLOLJENA (double cloak, in allusion to the double 

 involucre). Rutacese. W. Australian tomentose shrubs, 

 sometimes cult., but apparently not in American trade. 

 Lvs. simple and entire, stalked, alternate: fls. red from 

 the appearance of the many stamens in the terminal 

 heads which are flower-like and short-peduncled or 

 sessile and surrounded by an involucre of broad bracts 

 in 3 or 4 series of which the inner ones are large and 

 petal-like; calyx wanting; petals 5, small and narrow; 

 disk small; stamens 10, much exserted, the filaments 

 bearded; ovary 5-lobed, the styles united into 1: fr. 

 2-valved cocci, resulting from the division of the ovary. 

 About 4 species. D. grandifldra, Desf., 5-6 ft., with 

 rigid spreading branches, the ovate or broad-oblong 



65 



very obtuse Ivs. tomentose or hoary on both sides. D. 

 Dampieri, Desf., distinguished chiefly by the Ivs. 

 being green and smooth on the upper surface. B.M. 

 4059. B.R. 27:64. H.U. 5:42. L . H. B. 



DIPLOPAPPUS: Aster. 



DIPLOSTEPHIUM (double crown or pappus). 

 Composite. This genus as now defined comprises 

 upward of a dozen species in Venezuela, Colombia 

 and to Peru, probably not in cult. ; the D. amygddlinum, 

 Cass., of gardens is Aster umbelldtus, Mill., under 

 Gray's treatment, and Doellingeria umbeUata, Nees, 

 of some other authors. Dcellingeria differs from Aster 

 proper in its double pappus, the inner bristles long and 

 capillary and the outer short and rigid; involucre- 

 bracts short and lacking herbaceous tips; heads corym- 

 bose or solitary; rays rather few, white or rose-tinged: 

 Ivs. veiny, not stiff. (Named for Th. Dcellinger, botani- 

 cal explorer.) 



Aster umbellatus is a stout plant (2-7 ft.) of low 

 grounds from Newfoundland to Ga. and Ark., variable, 

 and lower forms occurring: very leafy, with numerous 

 crowded heads: Ivs. lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate 

 (to 6 in. long), tapering to both ends: involucre short; 

 rays white. A good plant for the wild garden. 



L. H. B. 



DIPLOTHEMIUM (Greek, double sheathed). Pal- 

 macese, tribe Cocoinese. Spineless pinnate palms, low or 

 stemless, or often with ringed, stout, solitary or fas- 

 cicled trunks. 



Leaves terminal, pinnatisect; segms. crowded, 

 lanceolate or ensiform, acuminate, glaucous or silvery 

 beneath, margins recurved at the base, midnerve 

 prominent; rachis 2-faced, strongly laterally com- 

 pressed; petiole concave above; sheath fibrous, open: 

 spadices erect, long or short-peduncled, strict, thickish; 

 spathes 2, the lower coriaceous, the upper cymbiform, 

 beaked, ventrally dehiscent; bracts short, coriaceous; 

 fls. rather large, cream-colored or yellow, more showy 

 than almost any other palm: fr. ovoid or obovoid, 

 small. Species 5. Brazil. 



Diplothemium is a group of very handsome palms. 

 In size the members of this genus seem to vary as 

 much as those included in the Cocos group. D. mariti- 

 mum, which is found along the coast of Brazil, is but 10 

 feet in height when fully developed. This genus is 

 without spines, the leaves being pinnate, very dark 

 green on the upper side and usually covered with white 

 tomentum on the under side, the pinnae being clus- 

 tered along the midrib in most instances. In a very 

 young plant of this genus the ultimate character is 

 not at all apparent from the fact that the seedling 

 plants have undivided or simple leaves, this character- 

 istic frequently obtaining in the case of D. caudescens 

 until the plant is strong enough to produce leaves 4 or 

 5 feet long or about one and one-half years from 

 germination. Frequently the plant bears both sorts 

 of leaves while young. A warm greenhouse, rich soil 

 and a plentiful supply of water are among the chief 

 requisites for the successful culture of diplothemiums. 

 D. caudescens is the best known of the genus, and when 

 space may be had for its free development it is one of 

 the handsomest palms in cultivation. See G.C. II. 

 24:394 for horticultural account of the group. 



caudescens, Mart. (Cerdxylon niveum, Hort.). WAX- 

 PALM. St. 12-20 ft. high, 10-12 in. thick, remotely 

 ringed, often swollen at the middle: Ivs. 9-12 ft., short- 

 petioled; segms. 70-90 on each side, ensiform, densely 

 waxy white below, the middle ones 24-28 in. long, 1% 

 in. wide, the upper and lower ones shorter and narrower, 

 all obtuse at the apex. Brazil. R.H. 1876, p. 235. 



D. littor&le. Mart. A small graceful palm with finely dissected 

 Ivs. and very bright yellow fl. -clusters making it attractive during 

 the spring months. B.M. 4861. Hardly in cult, in Amer. 



JARED G. SMITH. 



N. TAYLOR, f 



