424 



CYATHEA 



CYCLAMEN 



AAA. Rachldes 



Ivs. green beneath. 



medullaris, Swz. Lvs. 

 bi-tripinnate, densely scaly 

 when young, with soft, de- 

 ciduous hair-like scales ; 

 segments coarsely serrate 

 or pinnatifld, on spore- 

 bearing Ivs. N. Zealand. 

 L. M. UNDERWOOD. 



CYCAS (classical Greek 

 name). Cycadacece. 



Twenty or fewer species of widely distributed tropi- 

 cal or warm-temperate palm-like plants. Plants dioe- 

 ceous. The fls. appear in a mass in the bosom of 

 the great crown of Ivs. Staminate tts. are anthers 

 borne beneath a scale ; the pistillate fls. are naked 

 ovules borne in the angles of rusty-fuzzy, pinnatifld 

 Ivs. They have striking analogies with the gym- 

 nosperms and ferns. Cycads are popular conserva- 

 tory plants, for they are of easy culture, and the 

 crowns of Ivs. withstand much neglect, or even 

 abuse. Cycas stems and leaves are imported in 

 vast quantities directly from Japan. Staminate 

 plants are rare in cultivation. For a horticultural 

 synopsis of the genus, see I.H. 11, under tab. 405. 

 A running sketch, by W. Watson, is in G.F. 4 : 113. 



Cycads in the various species are among the most 

 popular decorative plants for both house and garden. 

 Their culture is comparatively simple, as they suc- 

 ceed in varying temperature and any well drained 

 soil. C. revoluta is probably the most hardy spe- 

 cies, withstanding the trying climate of the upper 

 coast of the Gulf of Mexico, where it occasionally 

 loses its entire crown of leaves during severe 

 freezes, but is seldom killed outright. It usually 

 stands well at Savannah. Plants are propagated by 

 seeds, which keep well for a month or more after 

 ripening. They should be sown in shallow boxes or 

 the greenhouse bench, lightly covered with sand, 

 and, after germination, potted off in small pots of 

 moderately rich, light soil. The growing plants do 

 their best in partial shade, where they should have 

 proper attention in watering and weeding. The old 

 plants frequently send up suckers around the base of 

 the trunk, which may be cut off and rooted, if taken 

 in a dormant state. The leaves, if any have formed, 

 should be cut off at the time of its removal, as other- 

 wise they would dry up the sucker before it was es- 

 tablished. The large stems, or trunks, are safely 

 shipped from their native home to most distant 

 countries, after cutting off leaves and roots and pack- 

 ing in cases in a dry condition. Upon arrival at their 

 destination, the stems are planted in as small pots 

 as possible and kept close and moist until new 

 leaves form, when a cooler and drier air will answer 

 for them. Their use as decorative specimens for the 

 home is increasing, although many failures result 

 from lack of moisture and sunshine. The soil which 

 suits them best is a sandy or gravelly loam, and 

 should never be allowed to get quite dry, but be kept 

 in a moderately moist condition at all seasons. When 

 dormant, they may be placed in the most shaded 

 positions occasionally, but ought to have sunshine 

 daily, when possible, for at least an hour. During 

 their periodical growth, they should have a great deal 

 of sunshine to insure a 

 stocky and vigorous growth ; 

 otherwise the leaves will be 

 drawn to an unnatural 

 length, with few pinnae, 

 ruining their symmetrical 

 form. 



Cult, by E. N. REASONER. 



revoluta, Thunb. SAGO 

 PALM. Figs. 633, 634. Be- 

 coming 6-10 ft. high, and 

 then branching : Ivs. long 

 and recurved at the end 

 (2-7 ft.), the many pinnae 

 curved downward, narrow, 



sharp -pointed and stiff , 

 dark, shining green. 

 Japan. B. M. 2963-4. 

 J.H. III. 29:379. R.B. 

 21: 163. R. H. 1896, p. 

 369. A.G. 13:141 ; 18:1; 

 19: 436. Mn. 2: 88 ; 

 6:134. The common- 

 est species in cult. 

 Produces a handsome 

 crest or crown of out- 

 ward-flowing Ivs., which remains in per- 

 fection for months and years. The fruit 

 is densely tomentose, but is not often 

 seen in cultivated plants. Much use<? at 

 funerals. 



~ circinalis, Linn. ( C. Thoudrsii, R. Br. ) . 

 Taller, rarely branching : Ivs. twice 

 longer than those of C. revoluta, gracefully arching, 

 the pinnae afoot or less long, falcate, dark green above 

 and pale beneath. Moluccas. B. M. 2826-7. F. S. 

 20: 2118-19. Fruit glabrous at maturity. Not un- 

 common in good collections. Rapid grower as com- 

 pared with some other species. 



Rumphii, Miq. Usually low, but said to be tall in 

 the wild : crown large and full : the Ivs. 3-6 ft. 

 long and 12-18 in. wide ; pinnae pale, thin, lanceo- 

 late, 12-14 in. long and % in. wide ; petiole spiny. 

 E. Ind. 



Bellef6nti, Lintl. & Rod. Stem short, cylindrical 

 and erect : Ivs. long and graceful, recurved, the 

 linear-lanceolate slightly falcate, sessile pinnae en- 

 tire and plane on the border, somewhat glaucous ; 

 petioles spinulose at the base. China. I.H. 33 : 586. 



mdia, R. Br. Tall ( 10-15 ft. ) , the trunk cylindrical, 

 bearing a large crown : Ivs. curved downwards, 

 4 ft. or more long, elliptic or lanceolate ; pinnae 

 numerous, linear and pointed ; petiole convex below, 

 flat or nearly so on top. Australia. I.H. 26:368. 



Names which have appeared in the Araer. trade are : 

 C. Comoriensis^t C. Lehmanni = Encephalartos Leh- 

 manni. C. Neo-Caledonica, Lind. Much like C. circinalis, 

 but the fronds narrower and the pinnae closer, C. San- 

 deriana = ? 



Other cultivated Cycads are : C. Beddo'mei, Dyer. Per- 

 haps a small form of C. circinalis. E. Ind. C. Norman- 

 byana, Muell. Lvs. oblong-ovate, with numerous linear 

 pinnae 6 in. long. Australia. C. pectindta, Griff. Stem 

 short, sending up very long, rich green, plume-like, semi- 

 erect Ivs., with long, thin, blunt-tipped pinnaa. Ind. G.F. 

 4:114. Said to be the finest species. C. Riuminiana, 

 Regel. Stem rather stout : Ivs. bright green, erect, spread- 

 ing in a vase-form crown, the pinnae fine-pointed. Philip- 

 pines. I. H. 11: 405. C. Siamensis, Miq. Much like C. cir- 

 cinalis: Ivs. 2-4 ft. long, bright green, graceful : trunk much 

 swollen at the base. Siam and Cochin China. I.H. 



28:433. R.H. 1881, p. 397. 



L. H. B. 



632. Fruiting pinnule of 

 Cyathea meridensis. 



631. Cyathea meridensis. 



CYCLAMEN (classical 

 name, probably from the 

 Greek word for circle, in 

 allusion to the spirally 

 twisted peduncles). 

 Primiilacece . A dozen or 

 more species, mostly of 

 the Mediterranean re- 

 gion and the Caucasus. 

 Herbaceous and low, 

 from a flattish tuber or 

 corm : fl. single, on a scape, 

 with usually 5-parted calyx and 

 corolla (the parts strongly re- 

 flexed), 5 connivent stamens, 

 with pointed, sessile anthers, 

 1 style and stigma, and a 5-split- 

 ting capsule. C. latifolium is 

 the source of the standard flo- 

 rists' Cyclamens. Most of the 

 other species are grown only 

 as curiosities in this country; 

 and they are essentially out- 

 door plants. Old English name 

 Sowbread, from the tubers be- 

 ing sought by swine. Con- 



