(i7) 



their water supply, as, from their habitat, this supply must 

 be precarious. In temperate regions nearly all of the species 

 are terrestrial, and have thin leaves, the soil about their roots 

 serving to protect them from the cold and also giving them a 

 more constant water supply: they do not, therefore, need 

 pseudobulbs or thickened stems. Coming from all parts of 

 the world as they do, their blooming time varies greatly, so 

 that at almost any time of the year, be it winter or summer, 

 some of these interesting plants may be found in bloom. 



On the central bench is an interesting palm, the double 

 cocoanut (Lodoicea maldivica) , a native of the Seychelles 

 Islands, also known as the coco de mer, and coco des Mal- 

 dives, and one of the rarest palms in cultivation; in the 

 specimen here shown the upper portion of the seed may be 

 seen projecting above the soil. The tree in its native wilds 

 attains a height of ninety feet, bearing aloft a magnificent 

 crown of green leaves which make it an important feature of 

 the landscape. This is the only plant in this house not a 

 member of the orchid family; it is kept here for cultural 

 reasons. 



Conseroatory Court. There are two attractive features 

 here during the open season, viz., the water lily collec- 

 tion and the collection of desert plants. The water lilies 

 may be found in two tanks, one in each end of the court. 

 In the easterly tank are placed the hardy sorts, such as are 

 able to withstand the severe cold of our winters, which re- 

 main permanently where they are, winter and summer. In 

 the westerly pool are the tender kinds, or such as require pro- 

 tection during the winter, and many of these are stored in a 

 warm cellar during winter and placed on view again in the 

 spring. The most conspicuous of the tender sorts are the 

 royal water-lilies from South America ; these are not hardy in 

 this climate, and, as they are too large to protect from the 

 cold, they are grown anew from seed each year; the seeds 

 are sown in the propagating houses late in winter, and the 

 young plants placed on view late in the spring or in early 

 summer. 



