8i8 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



paler below. C. spicigera is another elegant kind, possessing 

 a stout stem and irregular pinnate rich green leaves, varying 

 from 2ft. to 3ft. in length, and deeply bifid at apex ; the petioles 



are short and 

 sheathing at the 

 base, mostly 

 fiat on their 

 upper side and 

 rounded below. 

 C. Swartzii 

 ( Ca lyp tronoma 

 Swartzii) is 

 another hand- 

 some plant in 

 its early stage, 

 and is valuable 

 on account of its de- 

 corative properties ; it 

 produces a smooth 

 stem; the leaves are 

 equally pinnatisect, and 

 the pinna? are deeply re- 

 duplicate at the base 

 and bifid at the top. 



Caryota. — A decora- 

 tive and valuable genus,, 

 represented in cultiva- 

 tion by a dozen beauti- 

 ful species, all requiring 

 stove treatment ; but 

 some of them can be 

 employed in summer 

 for sub-tropical gardens. 

 Characteristic distinc- 

 tions of this genus are 

 the bipinnate leaves of 

 its species and the 

 cuneate cross - pinnae. 

 The species only flower 

 after they have reached 

 their full size, and when 

 the flowers appear at 

 the base of the stem 

 very often the plant dies off, except when suckers have grown 

 before. C. urens is often used for outdoor decoration during 

 the summer months. Caryotas require a rich soil, composed of 

 equal parts loam and vegetable mould, and good drainage, 

 for in their growing period they "delight in a good supply of water. 



Fig. 549. — Caryota mitis. 



