ARDISIA 



ARECA 



387 



and table plant, and a half-dozen others of which are 

 sometimes seen in collections. 



Ardisia crenulata is in great demand as a Christmas 

 plant. The other species are seldom seen in this coun- 

 try. They are nearly always propagated from seed, but 

 a plant can be secured more quickly, and better, from 

 a cutting. When plants are over three years old, they 

 often lose their foliage and become "leggy." Good 

 plants can be obtained from the bushy tops by girdling 

 them near the branches, and covering the pieces from 

 which the bark has been removed with wet moss; the 

 moss will be well filled with root in about six weeks, 

 when the tops may be taken off and potted, keeping 

 them in a tight case until they grip the soil. These 

 plants, from which the tops have been removed, are 

 excellent material from which to obtain cuttings, and 

 they will break quite readily if placed in a close, warm 

 atmosphere, about 65°. Cuttings should be taken from 

 young shoots of half-matured wood, and placed in a 

 cutting-bed with a top and bottom temperature of 70° 

 If these conditions are followed they will root m a 

 month, after which they may be transferred 

 to small pots. Loam, peat and sand in equal 

 parts is the best potting material. As the 

 plant increases in size and vigor, decomposed , 

 manure should be added to the mixture, 

 about a fourth part of manure being sufficient. 

 A night temperature of 6!^° should be main- &■ '' 

 tained for securing the best results. — The 

 advantage of the cutting over the seedUng will be 

 apparent, the cutting branching near the pot, whereas 

 the seedling will grow a few inches of stem first. Care 

 should be exercised in selecting the plants from which 

 to propagate, since those grown from seed will vary 

 somewhat in the size and number of berries they pro- 

 duce, and only the best should be selected as stock 

 plants. As soon as the plants show signs of flowering, 

 they should be given more air, and wetting overhead 

 should be avoided until the berries are set. They should 

 at all times be kept in a light position near the glass; 

 during the summer months, however, they should be 

 shaded with cheese-cloth on bright sunny days. About 

 the 1st of October, the berries will be well developed 

 and should be given plenty of sunshine to color them 

 well. The te.mperature may be lowered to 50° or 55°, 

 as growth is not wanted at this season. Waterings with 

 Boot-watcr will be beneficial, a handful to an ordinary 

 watering-pot. This produces a fine color on the leaves 

 and berries. — The large brown scale is the greatest 

 enemy of this plant; and the best means to keep this 

 in check is to fumigate with cyanide of potassium. 

 Several fumigations will effect a cure. The temperature 

 of the house should never be over 60° when fumigated. 

 (Geo. F. Stewart.) 



A. Fls. red or rose-colored. 



crenulata, Lodd. (A. crenala, Sims. A. crispa, Hort.). 

 Fig. 366. As cult., a compact and neat shrub, with 

 lance-oblong, wavy-margined, alternate Ivs. and droop- 

 ing clusters of small coral-red, long-lasting, handsome 

 frs; fls. in terminal panicles, sweet-scented. Probably 

 native to E. Indies or China. B.M. 1950. L.B.C. 1:2. 

 Mn. 1:58. A.F. 13:558. Var. variegita, Hort., has 

 variegated Ivs. 



hfimilis, Vahl. Lvs. lance-oblong, shining: frs. shin- 

 ing black. India. 



Oliveri, Mast. Lvs. nearly sessile, recurved, oblanceo- 

 late and acuminate, 6-8 in. long, entire: fls. pink, in 

 large, dense heads, like an ixora, the limb rotate, 3^2in. 

 across. Co.staRica. G.C. 11.8:681. — Elegant .stove plant. 



AA. Fls. white. 

 japonica, Blunie. Lvs. short-oblong or somewhat 

 cuneate, whorlerl, serrate: fis. on red pedicels in droop- 

 ing racemes: berries white. Dwarf. Japan. — Probably 

 hardy in the N. 



polycephala. Wall. Lvs. bright green, red or wine- 

 colored when young, opposite: fr. black. E. Indies. 



AAA. Fls. purple or black-doUed. 

 Pickeringia, Torr. & Gray (Icacbrea paniculata, 

 Sudw.). Marbleberry. Glabrous, to 24 ft.: lvs. 

 oblanceolate to lance-oblong, entire, narrowed to a 

 petiole: panicle many-fld.; corolla-lobes oval and be- 

 coming reflexed: fr. as large as peas, black and shining. 

 E. Fla. Intro. 1891. 



A. umbellMa is offered in this country as coming from India. 

 The A. utnbellJta, Baker (of the botanists), is a Madagascar plant, 

 and it is doubtful whether it is cult, in this country. Species with 

 white fis. are .4. acuminata. Willd., B.M. 1678; A. cupilaia. Gray; 

 A. mamilUia, Hance; .-1. punctata, Roxbg. ; A. villdsa. Wall. Spe- 

 cies with red or reddish fls. are A. macrocdrpa. Wall.; A. panicw- 

 lala, Roxbg., B.M. 2364; A. serruldta, Swartz; A. Wdllichii, DC. 

 Recently described ardisias are: A. gigantifdlia, Stapf., with 

 elliptic lvs. 12-14 in. long and 8 in. broad; fls. small, rose-colored, 

 in iong-stalked loose panicle. S. China. A. Brandneridna, Linden, 

 dwarf, with green-shaded crenulate lvs. Congo. L H R 



366. Ardisia crenulata. ( X Vi) 



ARECA (said to be latinized form of Malayan name). 

 Palmacex, tribe Arecese. A graceful and well-known 

 group of spineless palms, the trunks soUtary or forming 

 a ring-like clump. 



Leaves at first bipartite, and only after several years 

 forming the beautiful and gracefully pinnate adult lvs., 

 which form large terminal clusters; Ifts. slender, lanceo- 

 late or linear, acuminate; rachis 3-angled, convex on 

 the back, the upper face and the petiole concave: 

 spadix very much branched, appearing from the lowest 

 If.-base, and by the falhng of this ultimately being 

 separated from the If.-cluster; spathes 3, 1 inclosing the 

 fls., the other 2 usually bract-like: fls. monoecious, the 

 female solitary, surrounded by numerous slender spikes 

 of male fls. which are fragrant and white, and much 

 smaller than the female: fr. ovoid, orange-colored, sur- 

 rounded by the persistent, coriaceous perianth. — There 

 are only about 14 species, confined to the Asiatic and 

 Australian tropics, all the 30 or more species usually 

 credited to the genus belonging in Acanthophocnix, 

 Chrysalidocarpus (A. lutescens), Dictyosperma, Eu- 

 torpe, Hyophorbe, Kentia (Howea), Oncosperma, 

 Phoenicophorum and others. From Pinanga, the most 

 closely related genus, Areca is distinguished by having 

 not more than 6 stamens and by the female fls. being 

 much larger than the male. 



Areca is commercially a very important genus on 

 account of the betel nut {A. Catechu). The fibrous 

 spathes and the covering of the fruit are used in packing; 

 the seeds contain a dye, and, most important of all, are 

 the source of the masticatory "betel nut" of the East 

 Medicinally, their principal use is for expelling tape- 



