THE CYCAD FAMILY. 2/9 



the parent species. For further details see the ' Gardeners' 

 Chronicle,' 1868, p. 68 1. M. Naudin has raised some interest- 

 ing hybrid Luffas and Cucumises, and after him M. Segeret has 

 been successful in fertilising the Melon (Cucumis melo) with 

 pollen from Cucumis chate. 



THE CYCAD FAMILY (Cycadacecz}. 



A curious and beautiful group of decorative plants, which 

 have risen in popular favour since the introduction of Palms, 

 which they resemble in having hard evergreen leaves borne 

 in graceful tufts or masses from a globose or cylindrical Tree- 

 fern-like ' stem. The principal genera are Cycas (example, 

 C. revoluta\ Zamia (Z, Roezlii), Dion (D. edule), Encephalanos 

 (E. horrida, E. coffer], Macrozamia (M. spiralis), and one or 

 two others of minor importance. A single-stemmed character 

 prevails in this -group, although if the stem is cut to pieces or 

 the top removed, lateral buds are developed under favourable 

 circumstances. Cycas revoluta often forms fibrous-coated buds 

 near the base of the stem, and these, if removed and placed 

 in heat, root freely and form plants. C. circinalis, another 

 elegant-habited species, also fruits occasionally in our gardens 

 (see ' Bot. Mag.,' t. 2826-27, for figures of fruit, &c.) Whenever 

 fertile seeds can be procured, they germinate readily, treated 

 as recommended for Palms. Dion edule furnishes very large 

 seeds in its native habitat (Mexico), and from these a kind of 

 Arrowroot is prepared. The seeds of nearly all kinds of 

 Cycads are as readily imported as those of Palms, while their 

 great trunks are also as easily imported as those of Tree-ferns. 

 Some species may be propagated by inserting the fleshy scales 

 of the stem in a genial bottom-heat (see Lind., ' Theory of 

 Horticulture '). We have elsewhere alluded to the great length 

 of time during which the pollen of certain Cycads is supposed 

 to have retained its fecundating powers, but one can never be 

 certain of fecundation having actually taken place in Cycada- 

 ceous plants, unless this is proved by the germination of the 

 seed. Mere production of apparently fertile seeds is delusive, 

 since female Cycads freely form seeds without any apparent 

 means of fecundation ; and although these are to all appearance 

 perfect, there is no trace of an embryo to be found (see ' Bot. 

 Mag.,' t. 5943). Here again we must pause, for the late R. 

 Brown long ago pointed out that in the large seeds of Hymeno- 

 callis no embryo is discoverable when the seeds are first 



