THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



J73 



large and broad, fluted, and a deep 

 green. The leaves of P. grandis when 

 well grown are five feet across. They 

 make but a short stem or trunk, but 

 send out many of their remarkable 

 leaves. P. grandis (or Licuala gran- 

 dis) is the finest. P. pacifica. Dark 

 green leaves, covered with a white 

 down when young; a fine species. Sev- 

 eral other species are in commerce. 



Ptychosperma Alexandrae and P. 

 Cunninghamiana. These are known as 

 the Australian feather palms. Tall 

 palms of rapid growth, with fine arch- 

 ing fronds. In general appearance they 

 resemble the kentias, but they are 

 coarser in growth and much softer, 

 and will not endure the rough treat- 

 ment that the kentia will, which for all 

 commercial purposes is much superior. 

 But for tall palm houses the ptycho- 

 spermas soon make fine specimens. P. 

 Cunninghamiana was for years known 

 as Seaforthia elegans, and was twenty 

 years ago our main decorative palm, 

 but is entirely superseded by the ken- 

 tias. 



Rhapis. A useful genus of but a 

 very few species. The plants spread 

 and send up several straight, erect 

 stems, large plants forming clumps, 

 which can be divided, or the young 

 plants taken off as they appear. The 

 stems from near the ground are 

 clothed with leaves, giving the plant a 

 thick, bushy appearance. The rhapis 

 are very hardy and useful for decorat- 

 ing, and can be used on the lawn or in 



Areca Baueri. 



/ 



Verschaffeltia Splendida. 



the tropical garden in summer. Rhapis 

 flabelliformis is the most useful. R. 

 humilis is almost identical, but small- 

 er. 



Sabal. This is our native palmetto 

 palm, which grows so abundantly in 

 our southern states. When growing at 

 its best it has a trunk of thirty to 

 forty feet, and leaves six to eight feet 

 long. There are several species, na- 

 tives of Central and South America, 

 but they are not of any special value 

 to the commercial florist. 



I have never mentioned the flower 

 of the palm, that feature by which 

 botanists classify them into genera, 

 because we don't cultivate palms all 

 our lives, and grow them to be large 

 plants without ever seeing a palm in 

 flower. Most species attain a great 

 size and are many years old before 

 they flower, but true flowers they do 

 have, we know, for we eat the fruit of 

 the phoenix (the date) and the seed of 

 the cocos (the cocoanut), and the seed 

 or nut of many others are edible. 



In conclusion, let me give my opin- 

 ion that the use of palms, great as it is 

 at present, is yet to be largely in- 

 creased. The supply of the useful kinds 

 has barely kept up with the demand. 



The return to the greenhouse* of a 

 scrubby palm to be doctored or recu- 

 perated is one of the disagreeable feat- 

 ures of our business, and must be left 

 entirely to the discretion of yourself. 

 You don't like to offend, but you must 

 be firm in this case. If a plant is in 

 fair order and the customer wants you 

 to keep it while they are away, that 



