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666 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCLETY, Vol. XXLI. 



Key to the genera described below : 



stem cane-like ... Ghamcedorea. 



stem not cane-like ... Chryscdidj0ca'/']:)us. 

 Flowers monoecions ... ... ... Hyophorhe. 



Flowers dioecious | 



GHAMAEDORl^A, Willd. Spec. PI. IV. 638. 



(From the Greek " chamai," on the ground, and "dorea," a 

 gift ; alluding to the fruits of the palm being easily reached.) 



R. & Pav. Prodr. Fl. Peruv. & Chil. 144, t. 31 

 (Nunnezharia). — Otto, Gartenz, 1834, 145, 153, t. 6. — Mart. Hist. 

 Nat. Palm. 11, 3, t. 3 ; III, 157, 307, t. 126-138.— Kunth. Enum. 

 PL III, 170.— Wendl., Bot. Zeitg. 1859, 29, 102.— Crude Fl. 

 Erasil. Ill, 11,527, t. 125.— Egl. Grtfl. 1880, 101.- Benth. & 

 Hook. Gen. PI. Ill, II, 910, 59. 



Stem unarmed, slender, cane-like, annulate, rarely climbing, 

 often soboliferous and forming small tufts. Leaves terminal, 

 mostly pinnate with broad-lanceolate pinnee, in some species only a 

 bifid apex. 



Spadix, when in flower, mostly below the crown of leaves, long 

 peduncled, with from 3-7 tubular spathes ; male spadix with 

 mostly yellow flowers ; female spadix with smaller, greenish flowers. 

 Flowers dioecious, scattered or dense on the simple or oftener on 

 the simple-branched spadix. Male flowers with short, cupular 

 trilobed calyx ; corolla of 3 petals, valvate ; stamens 6 ; pistillode 

 columnar. Female flowers : calyx tripartite, cupular ; corolla 

 tripetalous, tripartite or tridentate, valvate ; no staminodes ; ovarj^ 

 trilocular, 3-ovuled ; style short, stout or elongate. 



Berry 1 (-3) consisting of 1 (-3) carpels with the remains of the 

 style at the base, the size of a pea, often brightly coloured. Seed 

 round or elliptic ; albumen equable. 



Species aboiit 60. — Tropical America. 



Cultivation in Europe. — The species of Chamaedorea are stove 

 palms. In their natural habitats they are invariably growing 

 under the shade or tall forest trees, and never in exposed situations. 

 In the stove, therefore, shade and moisture are essential. They 

 thrive best in a compost of two parts spongy peat, one part loam, 

 and one of sand, the whole well mixed together. 



Dammer observes that most species do well in the drawing-room 

 and that some stand a pretty low temperature in winter as v. g. C. 

 concolor and G. desmoncoides. Others are more delicate (as v. g. 

 G. geo7iomiformisy 



Hybrids are easily produced. 



CHAMAEDOREA AREMBERGIANA., H. Wendl. Ind. Palm. 66 ; 

 Kerch, de Denterg. Les Palmiers 75, f. 33. — C. latifrons and latifolia, 



