300 



AHENGA 



ARGEMONE 



Loaves pinnate, the Ifts. rei;u!ar!y placed on the 

 rachis, siimetinies oonlluent at their hiuses, the jagged 

 or cut-ofT appearance of the Ifts. peculiar to this genus 

 and Caryota among the liortieuUural pahns.Jthe margin 

 irreguhu'ly toothi^ above the middle; the Iva. paler 

 beneath than above; petiole flattish 

 or convex: fls. monu'cious, numerous, 

 and with 2 or more bracts beneath 

 each sessile fl.; spadix 6-10 ft. long 

 in some species, usually smaller, 

 coming from among the Ivs. and de- 

 veloping downwards; when the last 

 fl. -cluster reaches maturity some at 

 least of the species die, notably A. sacchari- 

 fera: fr. the size of an apple and somewhat 

 resembling it, containing 2 or 3 oblong 

 and usually dark brown seeds. G.C. II. 

 22:522. 



-Vrengas are graceful pabns, all natives of 

 tropical Asia and Australia, and so far as 

 known are of only eight species. A. sac- 

 charifera is an important economic plant 

 in India, the black fiber at the leaf-bases 

 known as gomuta fiber being vridely used for 

 filters and in the caulking of ships. The 

 sap yields "arenga sugar" after the plant is 

 ten to twelve years old. For culture, see 

 Areca. 



Arenga saccharifera, in a young state, is 

 surpassed in beauty by most palms. Speci- 

 mens eight to ten years old, however, show 

 their characteristics well, and from that 

 period till they begin to flower (which they 

 do from the top of the stem downwards in 

 the axils of the leaves), they are among the 

 most striking subjects for high and roomy 

 conservatories. The temperature should not 

 be allowed to fall below 55° F. during the 

 coldest weather. (Oliver.) 



A. Trunks at least 20 Jt. or more. 



saccharifera, Labill. Trunk 20-40 ft. 



high: Ivs. very many, frequently 20-28; 



petioles smooth; Ifts. 115, on each side, 



fasciculate, in 4's or 5's, linear-ensiform, 3-5 



ft. long, 1- or 2-auricled at the base, the 



lower auricle the longer, 2-lobed or variously 



dentate at the apex, white or silvery 



beneath : branches of the spadix long, 



fastigiate, pendulous: male fJs. purple, 



1 in. long. Malaya. 



obtusifdlia, Mart. Trunk 20-30 ft. 

 high, 1-1}-^ ft. thick: fronds 9-13, 

 12-16 ft. long; petiole thickly spiny, 

 especially on the margins, scarcely 

 more than 1 ft. long; segms. IJ^ in. apart, 2-3 ft. long, 

 1}^2 in. wide, alternate, lanceolate-linear, unequally 

 acutely dentate, attenuate, 2-auricled at the base, the 

 lower auricle the larger, glaucous beneath: branches of 

 the spadix short, lax, nodding. Java. 



AA. Trunks not over 10 Jt. 

 £ngleri, Becc. About 5 ft. tall : Ivs. numerous, with a 

 great many Ifta. about 16 in. long and 1 in. wide, much 

 constricted at the base and irregularly toothed at the 

 apex: infl. much branched, borne among the Ivs., not 

 more than IJ^ ft. long: fr. about %m. diam. For- 

 mosa. — Not as yet common in this country, but inter- 

 esting among arengas for its small size. 



A. BoTTettii, Hort., reported from K. Indies, is a name frequently 

 appearing in bort. literature, not certainly referable. 



N. TAYLOB.t 



ARETHUSA ("the nymph Arethusa). OrchiMceas. 

 Hand.s/jffic terrfwtrial tuberous orchids. 



.Scapf« leaflr«.s or with a single If. 1- to few-fld.; fl. 

 gaping, the sepals and petals nearly alike, arching over 



370. Arethusa 

 bulbosa. ( X H) 



the column; lip erect, narrow, entire, adnate to the base 

 of the elongated erect column, and produced into a 

 short spur. — Three species, 2 in N. Amer. and 1 in 

 .lap an. 



bulbosa, Linn. Fig. 370. A very pretty hardy orchid, 

 8-10 in., with one linear, nerved If. and a bright rose- 

 pink fl. on an erect scape, the Up recurved and bearded. 

 Bogs, N. C, N. and W.; not common. May, June. 

 Mn. 5:141. — Requires a moist and shady, cool situa- 

 tion and open, porous soil. A shady nook on north 

 slope of rockery, where it can be watered in dry 

 weather, is an ideal place. Prop, is by the solid bulbs. 



A. sinensis. Rolfe. A terrestrial tuberous herb 4-9 in. high: fls. 

 white and red. W. China. B.M. 7935. 



.„-.„,, „ , . George V. Nash.I 



AKETIA: Douglasia. 



ARGEMONE (Greek name for an eye disease for 

 which a plant was reputed a remedy). Papaveracex. 

 Argemony. Prickly garden annuals, grown for the 

 showy yellow, white or purphsh poppy-like flowers. 



Coarse herbs with yellow juice and sometimes with 

 spotted Ivs.: fls. large, short-lived; sepals 2 or 3; petals 

 4-6; stigmas 6 or less, radiate, sessile or nearly so: pod 

 oblong or ellipsoid, prickly or bristly, opening at top by 

 3-6 valves. — About 10 species of N. and S. Amer., cult. 

 as annuals, although sometimes biennial oi even peren- 

 nial. Argemonies are easy to manage from seeds sown 

 where the plants are to stand, or transplanted from pots. 

 They need a light soil and full sunny exposure. Monogr. 

 by Fedde, Engler's Pflanzenreich, hft. 40 (1909). 



A. Fls. yellow or yellowish. 

 mexicana, Linn. {A. specidsa, Hort.). Prickly 

 Poppy. Fig. 371. A moderately prickly-stemmed herb, 

 1-2 ft. high, sprawling, glaucous: Ivs. coarsely sinuate- 

 pinnatifid: fls. sessile or nearly so, the petals obovate 

 and an inch or less long, orange or lemon-colored, to 



371. Argemone mexicana. (XJs) 



2]4 in- across when expanded. Trop. Amer., but 

 naturalized in eastern and southern states and in many 

 parts of the world. B.M. 243. — Not much used in 

 this country for medicinal purposes. The plant is said 

 to po.ssess emetic, cathartic, anodyne and narcotic- 

 properties; the oil from the seeds acts as a mild cathar- 

 tic. Var. ochroleilca, Lindl. Petals yellowish white, 

 and style longer. Texas. B.R. 1343. 



