328 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENINO. 



stems, all from the "Western Hemispherej and almost 

 rivalling their Eastern relatives, the Coryphas. 

 These plants are very hardy, and are extremely 

 useful for any purpose where hold foliage is desired. 



S. Blackburniajia— a. mag- 

 niticent species, with, 

 stout, erect stem, thirty 

 feet or more high, "bear- 

 ing an immense crown 

 of very large, almgst cir- 

 cular leaves. W. Indies, 



T. umbraculifera — this 



plant resembles the last- 

 named in aU respects 

 saving colour. The leaves 

 of this are not glaucous, 

 but deep green ; neither 

 is the point of attach- 

 ment white. West Iiv 

 dies. 



SagUS. — This is the Malayan name for " bread," 

 and is given by them to some Palms that yield sago, 

 which is the soft inner part of the stems of these 

 plants. The trees which produce the finest sagos of 

 our shops are ^S". leevis and S. Mumphii, sometimes 

 called Metroxylon, There are other Palms, however, 

 which yield sago, but not of such good quality, nor 

 in such quantity. Naturally they grow in swamps, 

 and must be abundantly supplied with water to 

 develop and support them in perfection. It re- 

 quires about three years to ripen the fruit, which 

 are covered with large, hard, imbricating scales, 

 shining as if polished. 



S, filare (Metroxylon) — a 

 somewhat slender-grow- 

 ing species ; the stem and 

 petioles are profusely 

 armed with long, slender, 

 needle-like spines. Indiau 

 Archipelago. 



S. Isevis (Metroivlon) — this 

 is the smooth S^o Palm, 

 and the kind which yields 

 the largest quantity. 

 Stems stout, smooth, 

 saving the old remnsmts 

 of the leaf-stalk, whicb. 

 often give it a rough 

 appearance ; twenty to 

 thirty feet high, or more ; 

 leaves broad, somewhat 

 erect, pinnate ; these re- 

 semble ' splendid dark 

 green feathers, a^id are 



usually as long as the 

 stem, so that a tree 

 twenty feet high would 

 have a leaf twenty feet 

 long ; specimens Qf the 

 leaves have been sent 

 home upwards of forty 

 feet long. Indian Archi- 

 pelago. 

 S. Eumphii (Metroxylon) — 

 a dwarfer plant, with the 

 same habit and appear- 

 ance as the preceding 

 species, saving that the 

 petioles are armed with 

 stout spines an inch long. 

 It bears a crown of beau- 

 tiful plume-like leaves, 

 which are somewhat 

 arched and spreading. 

 Indian Archipelago. 



in cultivation, besides numerous other plants found 

 to be new. A mishap,' however, befell one of these 

 plants after its arrival in England, and it was 

 found on the Continent under the name of Astro- 

 caryum aureoptmctatum, but as it was quite a new 

 genus it obtained in Germany the name of Fhcsni- 

 cophoriwYhf or Stolen Palm, or Thief Palm. 



Stevensonia. — This name was given to the only 

 species yet discovered, to commemorate the kindness 

 and warm interest taken by Grovernor Stevenson in 

 all scientific adventures and explorations. The 

 plant was sent from the Mauritius under the MS. 

 name of Stevensonia grandifolia, to that prince of 

 botanists, and thorough English, gentleman, Sir 

 William Hooker, then Director of the Royal 

 Gardens at Kew. There are an immense number of 

 small islands between the Mauritius and the Sey- 

 chelles, far too small to be shown upon any map, and 

 yet they nearly all have some plant peculiar to them. 

 To these islands Mr, Duncan, of the Botanic Gardens 

 in the Mauritius, directed his researches, ably backed 

 by the then Governor of the Mauritius and its 

 dependencies, Stevenson, and the result was the 

 discovery of many of the handsomest Palms we have 



S, grandifolia — a magnifi- 

 cent stove Palm, but too 

 much a lover ot: heat to 

 allow of its use for any 

 other decorative purposes. 

 Stem stout, and with the 

 sheathing petioles densely 

 armed with very long, 

 black, needle-like spines, 

 so'me four inches long ; 

 leaves entire, with a deeply 

 bilobed apex, much 

 plaited, six to ten feet in 

 length, the edges regularly 

 split into acuminate seg- 

 ments, deep green, pro- 

 fusely spotted over its 

 entire surface with orange- 

 coloured spots ; the pe- 

 tioles are dull orange, and 



the young leaves when 

 unfolding are of a rich 

 coppery-orange, changing 

 with age to deep greei . 

 It is without exception 

 the most majestic Palm 

 ever introduced to this 

 country. Seychelle Is- 

 lands. 

 S. grandifolia, var. viridi- 

 folia — this is a form which 

 has originated from im- 

 ported seeds ; it is desti- 

 tute of the orange-col- 

 oured siK)t8 on the leave-, 

 and the petioles also are 

 green ; in other respect-* 

 the plants are identical. 

 Seychelle Islands. 



Thrinax. — A' genus of handsome small-growing, 

 fan-leaved Palms ; indeed, their name comes from the 

 shape of the leaves, and signifies a fan. The genus 

 is distinguished by its flowers having a six-parted 

 calyx, destitute of a corolla, stamens varying from 

 six to twelve, joined at the base, and a funnel-shaped 

 stigma. The various species are all handsome, and 

 sufficiently hardy to withstand cool treatment. 



T. arborea — stem slender; 

 petioles supporting a large 

 fan -leaf, deeply divided 

 into narrow segments, up- 

 wards of two leet across. 

 West- Indies. Properly, 

 Acanthorhiza arborea. 



T. graminifolia — a slender- 

 growing and handsome 

 plant, with long and thin 

 petioles; leaves fan- 

 shaped, divided into nar- 

 row segments, bright 

 green. 



T. multiflora— a superb 

 plant, attaining aheight of 

 twenty feet; stem slender; 



petioles long and thin ; 

 the fan-leaf some three 

 feet across, divided at the 

 margin into long pendu- 

 lous segments, briiiht 

 green above, the reverse 

 side silvery-white. Cen- 

 tral America. 

 T. radiata — stem swollen at 

 base ; petioles slender, 

 about two feet long, and 

 dull orange-yellow, en- 

 closed at the base in h, 

 network of fibres ; leaves 

 nearly circular, upwards 

 of two feet a'cross. West 

 Indies. 



Verschaffeltia. — This genus is named in honour 

 of Ambrose Yersohaffelt, a Belgian nurseryman, and 

 a great cultivator of Palms. It forms a stem quickly, 

 and rises above the ground upon an inverted cone of 

 roots in the manner of the Hasp Palms {Iriartea). 

 Magnificent stove plants, but rather too tender for 

 general purposes of decoration. For treatment see 



V. splendida — this grand 

 species has a slender stem 

 and is densely armed with 

 long, needle-like, black 

 apineS, two to six feet in 

 length, plaited,and deeply 

 bifid at the apex. Sey- 

 chelle Islands. 



V, melanoohBstes — stem 

 cylindrical, stout, and 

 clothed withlong, slender, 

 black spines ; leaves, when 

 young, entire, some four 

 feet long, plaited. Sey- 

 chelle Islands. Properly, 

 Koscheria melanochsetes. 



