SEQUOIA 



stroyoil. The faiimu-: Calavecns -!-nve, whidi i^ his- 

 torically ami scifiitith-aily of \\\r iim.sr inrerc-t oT ;iiiy 

 Big Tree .^Tcup. was in 1>W hnUii-hl t>y ;t luni lirnnaii 

 who expt-rts to L-oiivort The trees into tirabt-r unless h..' 

 "gets his priee" from t!ie state of California. The gen- 

 eral government or sume pul'Iif-sj.irited a^snciation. 

 Some tine :Se(|noias arc in tlic Sr^inna and linuTal 

 Grant national \>arks, l)ar priviit^' timl.er claims hold 

 many of the best trees hero, and sawmills ;ii-e now at 

 work in this region. 



The resistance "tt'ere-d liy t]\\- wnnderful sprrios to 

 fire, old age and drcay i- uniipu-, but it rt-prMdui'rs 

 itself with extr^nn' diiliculry. Tin- sri-ds. i^vrn under 

 favorable circum.siunrr,-. havi/ a very h>w Yitalit\. and 

 one seldom finds a single ynin^^ In-i' in tin.- S<ujuoi<i 

 i//s/inih-<( groves, excepting on the si>nlli fm-k uf the 

 Kaweah and on the branches of Tide river. The pres- 

 ervation of these num-nihcent rree^ Is a nnitti'r nf the 

 utmost interest, especially to Anierienns, Sume id' them 

 appear, from an examination of rlie ;-tumps. ti. have 

 lived not less than 4.imi0 years. ?ilnir estinuUes (he age 

 of some living trees at ."i.OOO vear^ ; one observed by 

 Asa Gray. 24 feet in diaim^t'T. w;is ab.mt l.l'<(n\ years old". 

 There is an exten-ive and ra|udly inereasiiig literature 

 of the Sequoias n>d only in Eni:lish, but in other 

 languages. 



The present condition 1 1901 1 of the nomenclature of 

 the famous California "Big Tree" is unfortunate. Ac- 

 cording to a strict interpretation of the Rochester Code. 

 Decaisne's name, ^'. (ihjanti'a , must be discarded, be- 

 cause in 1847 Endlicher named the Coast Redwood 

 Sequoia gi>t>tnfea, thus preventing that term from use 

 again in the same genus. This being admittetl, botan- 

 ists would certainly have to take Seemaun's *>'. ]Vrlh')n/- 

 toiiia (1S55), were it not for Dr. Winslow's stiggestion 

 in 1854 that "if the tree is a Taxodium let it be T'lxodinm 

 Washi>igto)tia)iu))i ; if a new genus, Washhii/tmiiana 

 CaJifoDiica." This appeared in the "(.'alifornia Farmer," 

 and is open to the criticism that it lacked technical pro- 

 cedure in description. It is r.nh' ujion Dr. "Winslow's 

 letter to the "California Farmer" that Sudworth and 

 others base their .'<t'/n"h' ]Vi/sJi i in/foii irnta . Rejecting 

 this, Sargent and most continental authorities prefer S. 

 WeUingtonia. The retention of .s'. giganten, however, 

 by an exception to the Rochester rules, would seeni to 

 involve fewer difficulties than the acceptance of either 

 of the newer names. Chakles Howard Shinx. 



SEREX.KA 



IGGI 



SEEADELLA. See 5./ 



■-/, n>,. 



SERAPIAS (aneient name of an orchid derived from 

 Serapib. an ELryptian divinity). < h-clnddcrii> . Terres- 

 trial herbs with the habit of Orchis. Four or o species 

 are known from the 31etliterranean region. Sf-pals crm- 

 nivent in the form of a helmet; ]>etals included, small; 

 labellum not spurred, with erect lateral lobes an<l a 

 larger undivided middle lobe; poUinia with a common 

 viscid disk; rostellum laterally compressed. The fol- 

 lowing species are among the best known. 



Keep the plants partially dry during winter months. 

 *Tive ydenty of water when in viLT'.'rous ^■ro\\'th. Pot 

 them in leaf-mold, loam and sand. 



Lingua, Liun. Stem erect, up to 1 ft. high, bearing 

 several narrow, acute Ivs.: sepals lanceolate, green- 

 ish or pjurplish; laijelhim much longer; lateral lobes 

 rounded, erect, middle lobe oblong-lanceolate, acumi- 

 nate, smooth, red. Mediterranean region. B.M. 5S6S,B. 



cordigera, Linn. Resembles the preceding specie^ in 



habit; labellum brownish red, middle lobe ovate, acnmi- 



nate, subcordate at the base, pilose. Mediterranean 



region. B.M. ^mS, A. R.H. lS92:;:i90. G.C. II. 20::;41. 



S.eIorifiata,'HoYt. Bro'wn; liplarge; littleknown tobotanists, 



Heinrici-i Hasselbkix"; anil Wm. Mathews. 



SEREN^^A (after Sereno Watson, distinguished 

 American b'^tanist). Also written b'erenoa. Pa hin)c< ,i . 

 Low. spineless, cespitose palm with creeping bram.-hed 

 caudex clothed with the fibrous bases of the leaf-sheaths : 

 Ivs, terminal, orbicular, coriaceous, deeply plicate-multi- 

 fid, glaucous beneath, with narrow bifid infolded seg- 

 ments; rachisnone; ligule short; petiole plano-convex, 

 dentate on the margins: spadix long, tomeutose, the 



tlexuous rachis coven'd with dee)ilv obliiiuelv fissured, 

 tubular sheaths, ihe spn^adin-- braiirliM.s liranched, the 

 alternate braneldei^. ver\- sh^nd^^r: ^pathos man v. sheath- 

 iii- rlie jieduneb-: bractlets minute: \\^. white: 'fr. ovihd, 

 black, an inch long. Species '1. Florida to S. Candina. 

 serrulata, Ho.,];, f. Saw Palmetto. Fig. 2:";20. Stem 

 ereepinir, bran-'hiu';-. 4-S ft. long: Ivs. 2-4 ft., circular in 

 outline, fan-shape.l. shorter than the slender, spinv- 

 eiU^ed iM'tiole; se-'nients sli-btlv ebd't at the apex, with- 

 out thread-like liiameiits: spa^lix denselv lonientose. 

 shorter than the h's. : drupe black. -;;-'4 iii. \i)ivi. 



2320- A Florida scene, with Serenafra serrulata in fore- 

 eround and Palmettoes in the background. 



arborescens, Sari.^ Tree. r;0-40 ft. high, wiih 1 or 

 several stems ; Ivs. semiorbicular. truncate at base, 

 yellowish green above, bluish green below. 2x2 ft., 

 divided nearly to the base into narrow lineardanceo- 

 late lobi-s. — Discovered by P. W. Reasoner in 1887. 

 First described 18I>9. Differs from above in arborescent 

 habit, more ehjimatcd spadix. much smaller fis. ami 

 smaHer, globose fruit and seeds. Southwestern Fla. 



Jared G. Smith. 



The Saw Palmetto is the native creepina: fandea^'ed 

 palm. Those win, are clearin- land in Flori(hi con- 

 sider it a nuisance. It is, however, of o'reat interest to 

 northern tourisls. many of whom like to take lionie a 

 small Florida pahn in a pot or tub. This speides does 

 very well in pots. thoui,di it is of slow growth. Relativelv 

 speaking, it is verv luirdv. as it will stand a tempera- 

 ture of 10° F. The leaves of tln^ Saw Palmetto, both 

 fn-'>.li ami drieil. ;ii-e sent nortli in great quantities for 

 Christmas dectjratn.m. The "crowns'' are also largeh' 

 used for the same pur]iose arid desi.-rve ;i greater i)opu- 

 hirity. Crowns are whole tops cut oft'; they h.a\-e no 

 roots, and only a ]>art of the stem. They give the eff'ect 

 of the whole plant and are therefore much more desir- 

 alile for some puri^oses than sini,de leaves. Tliey will 

 last for weeks, if kept nnh^t. in the sliade and free from 

 drafts, (^'j'owns ;;-."■! ft. high are consiilerably u^ed for 

 largt: decorations at Christmas. Pahn Sunday and Faster. 



E. X. Reasoxek. 



In clearing the laTid fi>r the writer's garden one large 

 clump of the Saw Pahnetto was purposely retained. At 

 present it makes a striking appearance, somewhat weird 

 and grotesque. The fertilizer wliieli the plant received 

 has improved it wonderfully. Gooil specimens attain a 

 hei.i;iit of about 8 feet. There is a variety showing a 

 glaucmis tone which grows near the coast and which is 

 very beautiful. It seems to be difficult to transplant. 



