THE PALMS OF BRITISH INDIA AND CEYLON. 361 



oblong-ovate, convex above the base fiat, depressed in the centre, 

 marked by the minute sublateral hilum and the broad conspicuous 

 raphe; micropyle lateral, minute; testa thin, light chestnut-brown, 

 ■closely investing the uniform hornjr albumen ; embryo minute, 

 lateral, the radicle turned towards the base of the fruit. 



Species. — 3 or 4. 



Distribution.— California ; ? Arizona. 



Botanists have been at variance for a long time as to the number 

 of species belonging to this genus. Some admitted o, others 2 

 and many considered it necessary to reduce all of them to one 

 species. Beccari is of opinion that two species, well characterized, 

 but both YQTj variable, can be distinguished. In order, to 

 facilitate the correct identification of the specimens grown in 

 Indian gardens we shall give a complete description of the species 

 and varieties as published by Beccari (i\\ Vol. II of the ' Webbia,' 

 p. 187-200^, adding W. gracilis, Parish, as a distinct species. 



Cultivation in Europe. — The species of Washingtonia are orna- 

 mental greenhouse plants. Thej^ are easily cultivated in a 

 compost of rich strong loam to which is added a small portion 

 of vegetable mould and sand. Good drainage and ample supply of 

 water throughout the summer are necessarj^. 



WASHINGTONIA FILIFERA, H. Wendl. in Bot. Zeitg. vol. 37, 

 '(1879), p. 68\— Sargent, Forest Trees N. Am. 10th Census U. S. IX, 217 



(^) It mis'ht not be out of place to consider the question why we adopt the 

 specific name " filifera " of H. Wendl. instead of '" filamentosa" of 0. Kuntze. 

 "Wendland's original species was published as W. filifera; but in his Revisio, Kuntze 

 (1891) proposed to chang-e it to W. filamentosa on the ground of priority, citing 

 in support Brahea filamentosa Wendl. in Cat- Haage & Schmidt (1875), Pritohardia 

 filamentosa Wendl. ex Fenzi in Bull. See. Tosc (April 187(5). To seek in a trades- 

 men's catalogue for a pretext for displacing- an established name, requires a lust 

 for change almost amounting to a mania • But if an appeal to trade-lists is to be 

 made, priority is against the change, for Haage and Schmidt offered Brahea fila- 

 mentosa in their autumn catalogue of 1875, but in the spring of the same year 

 Linden in his list had put the same plant on the market as PritcJiardia filifera 

 (Fenzi 1876). PritcJiardia filamentosa of Fenzi's paper is a nomen nudum, being 

 without a word of scientific descrij)tion or any reference to a published species- 

 As the proper specific wa^xae, filamentosa. has absolutely no standing'." Parish. 



