PALM 



PALM 



2445 



Areca glandiformis is a superb, rapid-growing palm which grows 

 well in pine land; A. triandra is an elegant species, which should 

 probably be grown in the shade, and the same may be said of A. 

 Alictx. All are tropical. 



Arenga saccharifera is a noble palm and does well in pine land. 



AttaUa. Prefers rich soil and if well grown makes magnificent 

 specimens. A. Cohune succeeds well in southern Florida, and also A. 

 gomphococca. 



Badris. None of the species thrives in southern Florida. 



Caryota. Several species are cultivated in lower Florida. Some- 

 times the specimens do well; at other times they fail. When in 

 bloom they are among the most striking of palms. The ends of the 

 leaflets are subject to a blight which decidedly injures the growth 

 of many specimens. 



Chamsdorea. Lovely, often cespitose palms with reed-like stems. 

 They are probably all tender, and do well in southern Florida in 

 sheltered, more or less shaded places. 



Chanuerops. All of these do well in southern Florida and would 

 doubtless prove hardy throughout a large part of the state. They 

 are slow growers, especially until they attain to considerable size. 

 C. humilis thrives best on high dry soils. The flowers, resembling a 

 flat yellow fringe from a distance, appear in March, and exhale a 

 very strong, aromatic perfume. All produce numerous suckers 

 which should not be removed. Planted in small groups 10 to 15 

 feet apart, they soon form very beautiful specimens which look best 

 in the foreground of magnolias or other taller palms. Each plant 

 should receive a mulch of stable manure in M.arch or April, and 

 some good commercial fertilizers during the rainy season. 



Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is a well-known palm in the North, 

 and in southern Florida it forms large clumps 20 or 25 feet high. 



Coccothrinax jucunda and C. Garberi are elegant, low-growing 

 palms from the extreme southern part of Florida and are as easily 

 grown as the species of Thrinax. 



Cocos. All species of Cocos do well in southern Florida except C. 

 insignis and C. Weddeiliana. The common coconut, C. nudfera, 

 save that it sometimes is injured by frost, does as well as in many 

 parts of the tropics and it is grown more than all other palms put 

 together. It ripens nuts and is becoming naturalized in Dade and 

 Monroe counties. C. plumosa and the species of its section are beau- 

 tiful, rapid growers and all the australis section succeed admirably. 

 The various species are sometimes attacked by what is apparently a 

 fungous disease appearing as brown streaks in the young leaves. 

 The only remedy is to pull the leaves apart and cut out the injured 

 young leaf back as near the growing bud as possible. This may have 

 to be repeated once or twice. This same disease attacks the royal 

 palms, which may be treated in the same way. All the species do 

 well on high pine land, if well fertilized and watered during long dry 

 spells. The tall-growing, slender-stemmed species like C. plumosa, C. 

 flexuosa, C. Romanzoffiana and C. coronata are hardy as far north 

 as central Florida. The species and varieties of the australis group 

 C. australis, C. eriospatha, C. Datil, C. Gaertneri, C. Yatay are 

 better adapted to high pine land than most palms. They soon form 

 beautiful specimens, flower regularly when only a few years old, and 

 bear large bunches of edible fruit, sometimes as large as a big cherry 

 or small plum. The fertilizers to be used for these palms should be 

 equally rich in ammonia, phosphoric acid and potash. This should 

 be applied in the months of December, January, and February. All 

 the old dry leaves, spathes and fruit-stems should be removed at 

 the end of September. 



Copernieia. A fine group of fan-leaved palms which is abun- 

 dantly developed in Cuba. 



Corypha. None of the species seems to thrive in Florida. 



Dsemonorops. Tender, and easily killed during cold spells in 

 lower Florida. 



Dictyosperma. Two species are grown in southern Florida, D. 

 rubra and D. alba. Both are fine palms and when established are 

 strong growers and soon make bold and beautiful specimens. They 

 are hardier than some of the tropical species. 



.EZari's, the oil-palm of tropical Africa, is grown to some extent in 

 lower Florida and it has produced perfect seeds. It seems to be a 

 rank feeder and if planted in pine land should be well fertilized. 



Erythea edulis and E. armata should be hardy throughout the 

 southern half of Florida. 



Gaussia princeps grows abundantly on limestone cliffs in the 

 mountains of Cuba, and promises to do well also in southern 

 Florida. 



Geonoma. Species of this genus are doing moderately well in 

 southern Florida planted in a shaded situation in the edge of the 

 hammock. 



Hedysctpe Cantfrburyana is doing excellently in southern Florida 

 and should be hardy throughout the greater part of the state. 



Hoicea. These palms do not seem to do well in Florida, although 

 they should be hardy over the southern half of the state. 



Hydriastele Wendlandiana is a handsome, rapid-growing palm 

 which promises well when planted in partial shade in fairly good 

 pine land. As it is a native of Queensland it is, no doubt, tender. 



Hyophorbe amaritaulis and H. Vergchaffeliii are strikingly orna- 

 mental, richly colored palms which are doing fairly well in lower 

 Florida. Both have bottle-shaped caudices. 



Hyph&ne Schatan has been introduced into southern Florida 

 and does well in pine land, although very tender. It has massive 

 leaves with spiny-edged petioles. 



Jubsa. The species grow very slowly. J. spectabilis should be 

 hardy throughout Florida. 



Laiania. The latanias are among our noblest and most beautiful 

 palms; L. Loddigesii is very robust and L. Commersonii, although 



not so strong a grower, is very fine. They will grow in salty soil 

 and stand salt air well, but are tender. 



Licuala. Tropical palms from the Orient which do not do well 

 in southern Florida. L. grandis and one or two others have suc- 

 ceeded for a short time, but soon die. 



Licistona. Most of the species do well in southern Florida. L. 

 chinensis and L. australis will probably prove hardy as far north as 

 latitude 27. They require rich moist soiL L. roiundi folia, L. 

 aiiissima, L. Hoogendorpii, L. subglobosa and L. Jenkinsiana are 

 fine tropical species. 



Afartinezia caryotaefolia is cultivated in southern Florida and 

 seems to do best in a sheltered and partly shaded situation. 



fiipa. This grows successfully in brackish marshes in southern 

 Florida, although often destroyed by land crabs. 



Oreodoxa. The species of this genus are unsurpassed for majesty 

 and grace by anything in the vegetable kingdom. The common 

 royal palm, O. regia, grows in the greatest abundance almost every- 

 where throughout the island of Cuba and is universally respected 

 and loved by the natives. It is generally a rather slender tree, 

 rarely over 70 feet high and, as a rule, has a swelling somewhere 

 along the stem. O. F. Cook considers that the species growing in 

 the extreme lower end of this state is distinct and has named it 

 Roystonea floridana. It grows to a height of 100 feet or more, the 

 stem is not often swollen and the seeds are smaller than those of 

 Cuban trees. Both flourish on rich or moist soil over the lower 

 third of the state. O. Borinquena is a stouter species which will 

 probably do well where the Cuban species will, while O. oleracea is 

 a lofty growing species that is much tenderer. They generally do 

 not succeed well on pine land but will do fairly well if abundantly 

 mulched and treated with muck, especially if they are irrigated. 



Phoenix. All species and varieties of the date palm grow exceed- 

 ingly well in Florida, and all the smaller kinds growing in tufts fruit 

 abundantly, as do also the hybrids between P. dactylifera and P. 

 syltestris. They flourish equally well on pine, hammock or swamp 

 land, even in brackish marshes. P. dactylifera, P. canariensis and P. 

 sylvestris are hardy in northern Florida. Hybrids between these 

 three are numerous. The tufted kinds like P. reclinata, P. palu- 

 dosa, P. farinifera and their varieties form magnificent specimens of 

 medium size when well cared for. P. humilis and P. Roebelenii grow 

 best in rich moist somewhat shaded soiL For the large-growing 

 species like P. canariensis and P. syltestris, and for all the large- 

 growing palmettos (sabals) it is necessary to make special prepara- 

 tions before setting them out on high pine land. Dig a hole 6 feet 

 deep and 6 feet wide. Old tin cans, bones, rotten oak wood should 

 be placed at the bottom, then stable manure mixed with clay should 

 follow. The upper 2 feet of the hole should be filled in with sur- 

 face soil mixed with well-rotted manure. Three- or 4-foot speci- 

 mens should be set out in such places. They will grow very fast 

 and will form beautiful specimens within a few years. On low moist 

 soils and in hammock woods, such preparations are not so neces- 

 sary. But wherever planted, all palms need two good applications of 

 fertilizer each year. A good plan is to mulch the plants in April 

 and May with stable manure. This should be dug in around the 

 plants in October, and a good application of commercial fertilizer 

 rich in potash should follow immediately. Potash serves to harden 

 the plants and makes them more resistant to cold. 



Phytelephas macrocarpa succeeds well in southern Florida. 



Pritchardia. A few species of magnificent fan-leaved palms from 

 the South Seas, all of which are excessively tender in Florida. They 

 can be grown in the more tropical parts of the state in sheltered 

 places but are liable to have their leaves disfigured by frost. 



Pseudophamix Sargentii has been found rather abundantly on 

 Elliott's Key, one of the northernmost of the lower chain. It is 

 cultivated somewhat in southern Florida and when young is rather 

 attractive but when old it has exceedingly dark foliage and is rather 

 stiff and formal. 



Ptychosperma Macarthuri is an elegant tufted palm which suc- 

 ceeds finely in southern Florida. It should have partial shade and 

 shelter and if well fertilized it soon becomes a most attractive object. 



Rhapidophyllum. This beautiful little palm is a native of north- 

 em and central Florida where it grows on low shaded ground. The 

 low stems are covered with a very thick spongy mass of a peat-like 

 substance. It is easily removed and thrives in any soil, even on 

 ine land. It does not need much water or fertilizer. 



Rhapis. Slender, tufted, low-growing palms which are hardy 

 in Florida and require moist soil and a shady place. R. humilis ta 

 the most elegant species, growing in dense clumps about 7 feet high. 

 R. flabeUiformis is more inclined to spread. 



Roscheria. Young plants of R. melanochtetes do well in southern 

 Florida, in sheltered situations. 



Sabal. In good rich moist soil all the sabals grow well and soon 

 form fine specimens. Such soils need no special care before planting, 

 but good applications of fertilizers are necessary, if fine-looking and 

 thrifty specimens are desired. All do well, however, on high dry 

 pine hind soils if well watered and fertilized. If not well taken care 

 of they are exceedingly slow growers. S. Blackburnianum has 

 immense leaves, while those of the somewhat glaucous-colored 

 S. mauritis forme are scarcely of less size. S. mexicanum resembles 

 the native S. Palmetto. There are a number of distinct varieties, 

 such as S. hatanensis and S. princeps. The species which do not 

 form a trunk, like S. Adansonii, are only desirable for large palm 

 collections. 



Serenoa. Common on high pine lands as well as in rich ham- 

 mocks. It grows in dense clumps and when given an opportunity 

 to grow makes a very ornamental plant. 



Sterensonia grandifolia is a magnificent palm but seems to be 

 excessively tender in Florida. Perhaps it would succeed with pro- 

 tection until it attained considerable size. 



