530 



ENCEPHALARTOS 



ing an article from William Watson, of Kew, whose re- 

 marks are here condensed. These plants are specially 

 suited for large conservatories, the fronds being not 

 easily injured. They should succeed outdoors South. 

 Some of the Kew specimens must be nearly a century 

 old. The trunks of some kinds grow only a few inches 

 in many years. The specimen illustrated had a stem 5 

 ft. in circumference, nearly 3 ft. high, and crowned by 

 107 leaves, each 3 ft. long, and rigid. A whorl of new 

 leaves is produced each year, the latest one having 34 

 full sized leaves. The whole head was about 7% feet in 

 diameter. Most kinds prefer a sunny, tropical house, 

 but S. hracltijphijUus and perhaps others may be grown 

 in a cool greenhouse if kept a little dry in winter. The 

 cones are always interesting and often very decorative. 

 Those of M. rillosus are twice as large as a pineapple, 

 orange-yellow, half-revealing the scarlet fruits. 



Cycads are propagated by seeds; also by offsets or 

 suckers. They are slow-growing, except in very warm 

 houses. They like a strong, loamy soil. While making 

 new growth they need plenty of water. See Ci/cas. The 

 woolliness of the stem and leaf-segments varies with the 

 age of the plants and of the leaves. 



The pith and central portion of the cones of some 

 species form an article of food among the Kaffirs, hence 

 the common name of Kaffir Bread. The mo.st widely 

 known species in cultivation are U. viUo^us, E. Alien- 

 steinii a.mlE. punrieiis. Though very handsome Cycads, 

 they are Vjy no means popular. 



Some other Cycads frequently produce seed in con- 

 servatories, but Encephalartos seldom does, and plants 

 are, therefore, usually imported. Dry trunks, weighing 

 frequently from 50-75 pounds, have been received from 

 South Africa. They often remain dormant for a year or 

 more, and do not make ornamental specimens for two or 

 more years. 



In the following descriptions "rachis" refers to the 

 midrib of the leaf on which the leaflets or segments are 

 borne, and "petiole " means the portion of the leaf be- 

 low where the leaflets begin. 



A. Leaflets toothed {sometimes entire in No. 1). 



E. Petiole 4-angled : foliage glaucous, i. e., covered with 

 plum-like ^^blootn." 



1. hdrridus, Lehni. Trunk woolly or not: leaflets op- 

 posite or alternate, lanceolate, mostly entire, sometimes 

 toothed. Var. glaiica is presumably more glaucous than 

 the type. B.M. 5371. 



BB. Petiole sub-cylindrical : foliage nol glaucous. 



c. Leaves darl; green: trunk not icoolhj. 



2. Altensteinii, Lehm. Leaflets mostly opposite, lan- 

 ceolate. B.M. 71«2-3. G.C. 11. 6:392, .393, 397; III. 

 2:281; 12:489-93. 



oc. Leaves light green: trunk woolly. 



3. yilldsus, Lehm. Leaflets opposite or alternate, 

 linear-lanceolate. B.M. 6654. E.H. 1897:.36. G.C. II. 

 1:513; 3:400; 7:21; 13:181. 



AA. Leaflets not toothed (except in young Ivs. of JYos. S 

 and 9, and also in No. 1). 



B. Foliage glaucous. 



4. L^hjn&nni, hehm. {Cffcas LShmanni,'Hort. ). Trunk 

 not woolly: rachis and petiole obtusely 4-angled; leaf- 

 lets nearly opposite, narrowly or broadly lanceolate, 

 rarely 1-toothed. Gt. 1865:477." 



BB. Foliage not glaucous. 

 0. Apex of leaflets mostly obtuse, pointless. 



5. longiJdlius, Lehm. Trunk not woolly, at length 

 tall: rachis and petiole 4-cornered but flatfish aVjove: 

 lowest leaflets often 1-3-toothed, margin somewhat revo- 

 lute: wool soon vanishing from the rachis and leaflets. 

 Var. revoliltns, IMii]., has the margins more distinctly 

 revolute. Var. angustilolius has narrower, flat leaflets. 

 Var. Ho6keri, DC, has narrowly lanceolate leaflets, not 

 glaucous but intense green, and rachis not woolly. B.M. 

 4903, erroneou.sly named F. Caffer, is referred to this 

 place by a recent specialist, though the h'afl(t.s itrc dis- 

 tinctly pointed in the picture. 



KNDIVE 



re. Apex of leaflets always strong-pointed. 

 D. Form of leaflets linear. 

 E. Margin of leaflets revolute. 

 G. cycadifdlius.Lehm. {F.Friderici-GuilWmi,hphm. 

 E. cycadifdliuSyVSir. Friderici-Guiliilmi, Rod.). Trunk 

 woolly at first: rachis and petiole ashy-pubescent: leaf- 

 lets opposite and alternate, linear. I.H. 29:459. G.F. 

 4:209. 



EE. Margin of leaflets not revolute. 



7. pilngens, Lehm. {Zdmia pungens, Ait.). Rachis 

 and petiole glabrous: leaflets long-linear, dark green, 

 rigid, flat, striated beneath. Var. glaiica is also sold. 



DD. Form of leaflets lanceolate. 

 E. Bachis glabrous. 



8. CAfJer, Miq. {E. Cdffra, Hort.). Petiole 3-angIed: 

 leaflets alteruate, narrower at the base, twisted, the 

 younger ones with 1 or 2 teeth. R.H. 1869, p. 233. Not 

 B.M. 4903, which is E. longifolius, var. Eookeri. 



EE. Rachis spidery-pubescent. 



9. Ciffer, var. brachyphylluB, DC. (E. brachyphyllus, 

 Lehm. ) . Rachis and blades of the lower leaflets spidery- 

 pubescent : male cones sessile instead of peduncled. 

 The pinna? are erect, and longer and narrower than in 

 E. Caffer. 



W. M., P. J. Berckmans and W. H. Taplin. 



ENCHOLtEIUM. Consult Tillandsia. 



ENDIVE (Ciehdrium Endivia). Compdsitw. See 

 Cichoriiim. During summer and fall, well-blanched 

 heads of Endive may be found in all our large city 

 markets, and are appreciated to some extent, especially 

 among the foreign part of our population. We seldom 

 see Endive in American home gardens, or in small 

 local markets. In the absence of lettuce during the lat- 

 ter part of the season. Endive serves as an acceptable 



762. Green Curled Endive tied up tor blanching. 



salad, and is well worthy of greater attention than it re- 

 ceives, especially as it is of easy culture. Select any 

 ordinary good garden soil. Sow seed thinly in drills, 

 which need not be more than a foot apart, but thin the 

 plants promi)t]y to about the same distance in the rows, 

 and keep free from weeds, and also well cultivated and 

 hoed. When the plants have attained nearly their full 

 growth, gather up the leaves and tie them lightly at 

 their tips (Fig. 762). In from two to three weeks' time, 

 according to weather conditions, tlie heart will blanch 

 beautifully, and tlie plant shotihl then be promptly used 

 or marketed, as decay sets in soon after this stage of 

 (levelo])m(^nt. The blanching may also be done by 

 sliiipirtg a large-sized but short tile or piece of tile over 

 eacli jdaut, after the leaves :ire gathered up and held 

 closely together. 

 Thi^ varietal differences are slight, and consist mostly 



