GEONOMA. 213 



■mid- rib and veins being deep red ; under side pale green. 

 A very elegant trailing plant. Native of BraziL 



Geonoma. 



This very elegant family of Palms merit the attention of 

 all plant growers, their dwarf habit and beautiful crown of 

 leaves specially recommending them to those with small 

 houses. In their native habitats they are not exposed to 

 the direct rays of the sun, but are found in great quantities 

 luxuriating in the shade of larger Palms, and indeed under 

 many other denizens of the forest, but in no instance 

 .have they been found in the open removed from other 

 .trees ; hence it would seem a large amount of shade is 

 necessary to their existence, and this should be carefully 

 noted by the cultivator. Oeonomas are found in abundance 

 in most of the forests of the Peruvian and Equatorial 

 Andes, up to an elevation of about 4,000 feet, but ^hose 

 .species which are natives of New Grenada and Mexico 

 grow at even greater elevations. This genus is nearly 

 related to Ohamcedorea, which it somewhat resembles. 

 The flower spikes are simple or branched ; the flowers 

 are unisexual, produced upon the same plant, but on dis- 

 ■tinct spikes ; the fruits are one-seeded. Geonomas should 

 vbe potted in spongy peat and loam, in the proportion of 

 two parts of the former to one of the latter ; they require 

 an abundant supply of water — indeed, many of them grow 

 best when plunged in a tank, and should any of them fall 

 into bad health, if stood in a tank of water, with a little 

 extra heat, they wiU speedily recover. They are increased 

 by seeds and suckers only. For stove decoration, or the 

 decoration of the dinner table, these plants are superb, 

 but we cannot recommend them for the embellishment of 

 ^apartments, for wherever we have seen them tried, they 



