LATANIA. 233 



duced upoa separate plants, the former being produced 

 in abtindance upon the spikes, ■whilst the females are much 

 less plentiftil. The fruits are three-seeded, each one being 

 enclosed in a hard shell. 



i. aurea. — ^A superb plant, sometimes found in col- 

 lections under the name of i. VerscMffeltii. The stem 

 is stout, and reaches some twenty feet in height ; with us, 

 lowever, but very little stem has been developed at 

 ipresent. The petioles are stout, erect, yellow, slightly 

 iglaucous at the base, unarmed, from two to four feet in 

 length, supportmg large, plaited, palmate leaves, measuring 

 [from two to three feet from the point of attachment to the 

 omargin ; these are split down for half their length, forming 

 narrow segments, rich bright green on both surfaces, and 

 in addition' the mid-rib of each on the under side is deep 

 tred. Native of the Island of 'Rodriguez, one of the depen- 

 dencies of the Mauritius. 



L. Commersonii, — This is a grand and massive plant. 

 The petioles are stout and glaucous at the base, tinged with 

 3red towards the top. The flabellate leaves are large, bright 

 iShining gi:een, except the .nerves, which are crimson, the 

 young leaved being wholly crimson before they have exi 

 panded. It is frequently known in collections as an inferior 

 ■variety of L. rubra, its inferiority being, however, only 

 .-applicable to the ■Want of dolour, which the last-named 

 plant retains in all its stages ; otherwise it is a noble 

 oteament to the plant stove. N'ative of Round Island, 

 •one of the dependencies of the Mauritius. 



L. fflaucopfvylla. — ^This plant assumes gigantic propor- 

 iiions, and from -what we have seen, its leaves attain their 

 full size by the time it begins to foinn the stem. The 

 'ipetioles are from two to eight feet in length, stout and 

 spreading, vei-y glaucous green, in young plants slightly 



