266 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



A. rostratum — a slender- 

 steiujued species, attain- 

 ing a height of about 

 thirty feet ; the stem, and 

 the sheathing base of the 

 petioles, are armed with 

 black spines some two 

 inches or more in length ; 

 leaves four to eight feet 

 long; leaflets upwards of 

 a foot long, the terminal 

 one broad, and divided at 

 the top, rich green on the 

 upper side, white beneath. 

 Brazil. 



A, sclerocarpa — a gigantic 

 Palm, forming a stout, 

 erect stem, which is 

 usimlly swollen in the 



centre ; it attains a height 

 of forty feet or more. In 

 a young state this is a 

 veryhandsome plant form- 

 ing a large head of feathery 

 plume-like leaves. Para, 

 where its native name is 

 "Mucaja.'' 

 A. vulgare — this is a noble 

 plant, and widely distri- 

 buted; called "Tucum " in 

 Brazil, and "Chambiara" 

 in Peru; it attains a 

 height of sixty feet, with 

 a very stout stem, bearing 

 a large head of its feathery 

 leaves, which are deep 

 green above, silvery-white 

 below. Amazon. 



Areca. — A large family of spineless plants, 

 known as the " Cabbage Palms," as the heart and 

 young leaves are frequently scooped out, and cooked 

 as a. vegetable. "When old, these trees are called 

 " Areec " by the natives, hence their generic name. 

 The spadix is branched, enclosed in a double spathe ; 

 the male and female organs are in separate ilowers 

 (unmixed), but both forms of flowers are borne upon 

 the same spike ; fruit small, one-seeded. 



Arecas are highly decorative plants, several being 

 admirably adapted for outdoor decoration during 

 the summer months. 



A. alba — when small this 



is a slender .plant, suffi- 

 ciently delicate for dinner 



table decoration, and as 



it increases in size, its 



beauties also increase. 



Mascarene Islands. The 



correct name of this is 



Dictyospe^ma album. 

 A. AlicBB— a small-growing 



plant, with piunatifid 



leaves, which are very 



deeply divided, but leave 



a broad wing to the mid- 

 rib ; it is a very ornamen- 

 tal species. fTorth-east 



Australia. 

 A. aurea — this plant is 



similar in habit to A. 



alba. Seychelle Islands. 



The correct name of this is 



Dictypspermum aureum. 

 A Catechu — a tall, .slender 



Palm, attaining a height 



of twenty to thirty feet ; 



its elegant pale green 



leaves, and very long 



leaflets, render it very or- 

 namental in the stove, 



but it is too tender for 



general decorative pur- 

 poses. The fruits of this 



species are the famous 



Betel - nut, so largely 



chewed by the whole of 



the Indian and Halay 



races. Cochin China and 



Malay Islands. 

 A mada^ascariensis — a 



dwarf plant with spread- 

 ing- pinnate pale green 



leaved ; very distinct and 



ornamental In the stove. 

 Madagascar. The correct 

 name of this is Dypsis 

 madagascariensis . 



A. monostachya — an elegant 

 small-growing plant, with 

 a slender stem which sel- 

 dom exceeds a few feet 

 in height, and bears a 

 spreading head of pinna- 

 t^ect leaves of a deep 

 green. It is usefid for 

 any purposes of decora- 

 tion where small plants 

 are required. Australia. 

 The correct name of this 

 is Bacularia monostachya. 



A. oleracea, the common 

 " Cabbage Palm " of the 

 West Indies, belongs pro- 

 perly to the genus of Eu- 

 terpe, under which it will 

 be found. It attains a 

 height of 40 feet, and when 

 young its bright green 

 pinnate leaves make it 

 very useful for decorative 

 purposes. 



A. rubra— a bold-growing 

 plant, with spreading pin- 

 nate leaves, the leaflets 

 being very long and deep 

 green ; in the young state 

 the whole"leaves are of a 

 beautiful brightred, hence 

 the name. It attains a 

 height of twenty or thirty 

 feet when matture, and is 

 one of the very best of its 

 class [for general decora- 

 tive purposes. Mascarene 

 Islands. 



majestic when mature, their straight cylindrical stems 

 towering up some thirty, forty, and even sixty feet, 

 bearing large feathery heads of pinnate leaves. All 

 are natives of South America, and are not generally 

 useful for decoration, but are very distinct and oma-' 

 mental in the stove. 



A. acaule— a very handsome 

 dwarf species, destitute of 

 a stem, but producing 

 large leaves, some nine or 

 ten feet high ; these are 

 pinnate, nairow, and clus- 

 tered; the whole plant is 

 armed with long and for- 

 midable flat, black spines. 

 Marshy woods on the Bio 

 Negro. 



A, Japari— the stems of this 

 species are usually clus- 

 tered, slender, attaining a 

 height of about thirty feet, 

 and profusely armed with 

 spines. It is handsome as 

 a young plant. 



A. Munbaca — this is a dwarf 

 kind, and therefore well 

 adapted for small houses ; 

 the stem is slender, and 

 EU'med with spines, and 

 is about eight feet high, 

 seldom exceeding twelve 

 feet. Bio Negro, and near 

 Para. 



A. Murumuru — a very hand- 

 some species, attaining a 

 height of about tifteen 

 feet ; tbe stems and 1mse 

 of the sheathing petioles 

 being armed with large 

 black spines, some six: 

 inches longand bent down- 

 wards. Andes. 



Attalea. — This genus derives its name from 

 attalus, "magnificent," in reference to their grand 

 appearance. When mature they reach a height of 

 some fifty to sixty feet or more, with tall, straight, 

 cylindrical stems, and an immense plume-like crown 

 of leaves ; but, although these plants reach such a 

 great height, they put on their ornamental appear- 

 ance in quite a yoimg state, long before the forma- 

 tion of any stem, and in this state are admirably 

 adapted for the decoration of halls and corridors, 

 independent of their beautiful appearance in the 

 stove. 



A. Cohune— this is a fine 

 ornamental plant, produc- 

 js^ large nuts, which 

 yield a very useful and 

 valuable oil. Its leaves 

 are pinnate and plume- 

 like, the jpinnse a foot to 

 eighteen inches long, and 

 deep green. Hondtiras. 



A. compta— this is a beau- 

 tiful pinnate plant of some- 

 what smaller growth than 

 A. funifera. The nuts of 

 this species are used for 

 dessert, and the leaves are 

 used in the manufacture 

 of hats. Brazil. 



A. funifera — the article so 

 largely used in the manu- 



facture of brooms and 

 brushes, and also for 

 rope-making, and known 

 by the name of Plassaba, 

 is the produce of this 

 Palm ; it is the flbrons 

 matter from the base of 

 the leaf -stalbs. The fruits 

 known as Coquilla-nuts 

 are also the produce of 

 this species, and are 

 much used by th,e turner 

 in the manufacture of 

 knobs for umbrellas, han- 

 dles for doors, and many 

 other uses. The leaves 

 are , pinnate, beautifully 

 arched, and bright green. 

 Brazil. 



Astrocarjrtun. — This genus belongs to the 

 Cocoa-nut section ; the plants comprising it are all 

 handsome in a young state, and many of them are 



Bactris. — A genus of slender-growing Palms^ all 

 of which are handsome in a young state, but lose 

 their beauty as they get old ; their stems are reed- 

 like, and seldom exceed six or seven feet in height, 

 although there are a few species with stouter stems, 

 which grow some forty feet or more. All the 

 species are densely armed with black or brown 

 spines, which usually encircle the stems in' bands at 

 various intervals. The flower-spikes are enclosed 

 in a double sheath, which presents a rather formid- 

 able appearance with its dense ai-mour of black 



