CHAPTER XIX 



PALMS 



LiNNEUs, the great botanist, aptly described 

 Palms as the "Princes of the Vegetable King- 

 dom." Their stately habit, the splendid prop- 

 erties of the stems, the grace and beauty of the 

 leaves, and their great variety mark them as one 

 of the most valuable and distinguished groups of 

 plants. 



They are chiefly natives of tropical countries, 

 extending to 30 degrees N. latitude in America, 

 34 degrees N. latitude in Asia, and in Europe, 

 the one indigenous variety, Chamaerops humilis, 

 extends to 44 degrees N^. latitude. No species 

 are found beyond 38 degrees S. latitude. 



In the United States, while a number of species 

 are to be found growing outdoors in Elorida, 

 California, and other more or less frost-free 

 states, their culture is usually under glass, and 

 Palm culture is now a very important branch of 

 commercial horticulture, the number sold of the 

 more popular decorative varieties totalling many 

 thousands per annum. 



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