AEBCA. 105 



Aeeca. 



A genus of elegant pinnate-leaved Palms, which are 

 ■widely distributed over the earth, some of the species 

 being found ia the East Indies, while others occur in the 

 West; they exist also in the Islands of the Mauritius 

 . and its dependencies, in the Island of Madagascar, ia New 

 Zealand, and in Australia. The genus Areca is character- 

 ised by its branching spadix, and double spathe, which 

 &lly encloses the flowers ; these latter are unisexual, 

 but borne upon the same spike, the female blooms having 

 six rudimentary stamens, while the male flowers have a 

 six.clefl; perianth ; fruit one-seeded. 



Arecas should be grown in loam and peat in equal parts, 

 with a liberal addition of sand. As they become large, a 

 little more loam than peat should be used, say two parts 

 of the former to one of the latter. These plants are all 

 highly ornamental, their graceful plume-like leaves afibrd- 

 ing a pleasing contrast to the more erect-growing plants 

 in the stove and greenhouse ; independent of this, how- 

 ever, many of them are available for the decoration of 

 the dinner table, for the drawing room, and sub-tropical 

 garden. They can be increased by suckers occasionally, 

 hut seed is the only way by which a stock can be rapidly 

 ■obtained. 



A. alba. — An exceedingly handsome species, admirably 

 adapted in a young state for dinner table decoration. The 

 stem is slender, attaining a considerable height. Leaves 

 four to eight feet in length, pinnate, the petioles clothed 

 with a white tomentum ; pinn» two feet long and about 

 two inches wide, bright green on both sides, the whole 

 plant quite unarmed. Native of the Mauritius. 



A. aurea. — A beautiful species, with pinnate leaves, and 



