168 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS. 



PH(E 



This genns, thongh not extensive, is one of 

 the most interesting of the order. The species 

 are chiefly confined to Northern Africa and 

 tropical Asia. Some of the species are dwarf- 

 growing, but they mostly attain the height of 

 from fifty to sixty feet. "The Date Palm. P. 

 dadylifera, is cultivated in immense quantities 

 all over the northern parts of Africa, and more 

 sparingly in Western Asia and Southern Eu- 

 rope; and in some of these countries its fruit, 

 though only known by us as a preserved fruit, 

 affords the principal food of a large proportion 

 of the inhabitants, and likewise of the various 

 domestic animals, dogs, horses, and camels be- 

 ing alike partial to it. The tree usually grows 

 about sixty or eighty feet high, and lives to a 

 great age, trees of from one to two hundred 

 years old continuing to produce their anmial 

 crop of Dates. The fruit, however, is not the 

 only valuable part of this widely dispersed tree; 

 for, as with the Cocoanut tree, nearly every part 

 is applied to some useful purpose. The huts of 

 the poorer classes are entirely constructed of its 

 leaves; the fiber surrounding the bases of their 

 stalks is used for making ropes and coarse cloth, 

 the stalks themselves for crates, baskets, brooms, 

 walking sticks, etc., and the wood for building 

 substantial houses ; the heart of the young 

 leaves is eaten as a vegetable; the sap affords an 

 intoxicating beverage, though to obtain it the 

 tree is destroyed ; and even the hard and appar- 

 ently useless pits or seeds are ground into food 

 for camels." This tree is very interesting to 

 botanists, because it was the first that drew 

 their attention to the sexes of plants. It is a 

 dioecious tree, that is, the male flowers are on one 

 plant and the female, or fruiting ones, on an- 

 other. The male flowers are considerably larger 

 than the female ; and the latter, instead of sta- 

 mens, have in the center the rudiments of the 

 Dates, about the size of small Pease. The two 

 distinct sexes of the Date tree appear to have 

 been known from the remotest antiquity, as 

 they are noticed by all the ancients who de- 

 scribe the tree. It is not a little remarkable 

 that there is a difference in the fructification of 

 the wild Date and the cultivated, though both 

 are precisely the same species. Wild Dates im- 

 pregnate themselves, but the cultivated ones do 

 not without the assistance of art. Theophrastus 

 and Pliny mention this fact; and in every plan- 

 tation of Dates one part of the labor of the cul- 

 tivator consists in collecting the flowers of the 

 male Date, climbing to the top of the female 

 with them, and dispersing the pollen on the 

 germs of the Dates. So essential is this opera- 

 tion, that though the male and female trees are 

 grown in the same plantation, the crop fails if 

 it be not performed. These trees do not suc- 

 ceed well where the mean temperature falls be- 

 low 80 ; hence, they require the warmest of our 

 hot-houses. Young plants may be grown from 

 the seeds taken from the Dates sold in the fruit 

 stores. 



Phcenicophorum. Prom Phoenix, date, and 

 phoreo, to bear. Linn. Dicecia-Triandria. Nat. 

 Ord. PcdmacecK. 



A genus of rare and beautiful Palms, natives 

 of the Seychelles Islands. P. Seychellarum, the 

 only representative of the genus, was formerly 

 called titevensonia grandiflara. It is a stemless 

 species, from whose base spring numerous 

 leaves with copper-colored stalks studded with 

 black spines. The blade of the leaf is wedge- 

 shaped, and of a bronzy hue. The young leaves 



PHY 



are of a rich cinnamon-brown color. This Palm 

 is beginning to be cultivated for decorative pur- 

 poses, and is one of the handsomest known 

 Palms. Young plants arc obtained from seed. 



Phoenocoma. From phoinos, bloody, and kome, 

 hair; involucrum. Linn. Syngenesia-Supeiflua. 

 Nat. Ord. Asteraceaj. 



P.prolifera, the only known species,was former- 

 ly called Hdichrysum proliferum, but formed into a 

 separate genus from some slight difference in 

 the central florets. It is a rather showy ever- 

 lasting, with crimson flower heads, a native of 

 the Cape of Good Hope. It is a green-house 

 shrub, and may be grown from cuttings or seeds. 

 Introduced in 1 1789. 



Pholidota. Rattlesnake Orchid. From pholis, a 

 scale, and ous, (otos,) an ear; flowers arranged 

 like an ear of wheat, with scaly bracts, as the 

 tail of the rattlesnake. Linn. Gijnandria-Monan- 

 dria. Nat. Ord. OrchidacecK. 



A small genus of East Indian epiphytal Or- 

 chids, of easy culture, mainly requiring to be 

 grown on blocks or cork in a warm, moist 

 house. They must have frequent waterings 

 when growing. Flowers white, or white and 

 brown, produced in imbricated and two-ranked 

 drooping flower spikes. Propagated by divis- 

 ion. 



Phoradendron. See Vlscum. 



Ph,oriniurn. Flax Lily, or New Zealand Flax. 

 From phormos, a basket; use made of the plant 

 in its native country. Linn. Hexandria-Monogy- 

 nia. Nat. Ord. Liliacece. 



P. tenax, the only known species, is a native of 

 New Zealand, where it is extensively used by 

 the natives instead of Flax. The plant is hand- 

 some. It has stiff, sword-shaped leaves, and 

 the flowers are orange colored, produced on 

 strong spikes, alternately branched, and grow- 

 ing from ten to fifteen feet above the leaves, 

 making it an exceedingly handsome and curious 

 plant for green-house culture. P. tenax, variega- 

 ta, more recently introduced, is a very beautiful 

 variegated leaved variety, which makes a magnifi- 

 cent plant for lawn decoration, or for the green- 

 house and conservatory. It requires a light 

 rich soil. Propagated by division. Introduced 

 in 1798. 



Photinia. From photeiiws, shining; in reference 

 to the leaves. Linn. Icosandria-Dipsntagynia. 

 Nat. Ord. PomaeecK. 



A very beautiful evergreen shrub or low tree, 

 formerly called Oratcsgus glabra, which is nearly 

 hardy, but thrives best when trained against a 

 wall in a sheltered situation. The plants are 

 propagated sometimes by cuttings of the ri- 

 pened wood, but more frequently by grafting or 

 inarching on some of the hardy kinds of Crata> 

 gus. The few species that constitute this genus 

 are natives of Northern India, China, and Ja- 

 pan, with one species from California. 



Phragmites. Reed. From phraymos, a hedge; 

 forming hedges. Linn. I\riandria*Digynia, Nat. 

 Ord. OraminacecK. 



P. communis, the only species, is a tall-grow- 

 ing, reed-like plant, common in the swamps and 

 marshes on the South Side of Long Island and 

 in New Jersey, and extending to Florida. The 

 plumes are gathered in great quantities in the 

 fall, and used with ornamental grasses for dried 

 bouquets and decorations. 



Phycella. A diminutive of phykos, Red Alkanet; 

 alluding to the color of the flowers. Linn. Hex- 

 andria-Monoyynia. Nat. Ord. AmnryUldacecK. 

 A small genus of half-hardy bulbous plants 



