608 



THE GARDENEK'S ASSISTANT. 



others, of which fertile, minus, and latum are the most 

 peculiar and distinct; cristatum has fronds repeatedly 

 forked; laeeratum has beautifully crested and curled 

 fronds; marginatum has a continuous raised line near 

 the margin on the under side which often produces 



Fig. 736.— Scolopendrium rhizophyllum. 



thorn-like processes, edges of the frond deeply cut; multi- 

 fidum has fronds much branched and forked; Stansfieldi 

 is like crispum, but the edges are fringed and the apex 

 crested. 



Struthiopteris. See Onoclea. 



Trichomanes radicans ( Killarney Fern). — Fronds 

 broadly-triangular, decompound, pellucid, rich olive-green, 

 and from a few inches to 2 feet in length. Requires pro- 

 tection from drought and sunshine. 



WOODSIA. — Dwarf Ferns, mostly confined to mountain 

 regions of temperate climes, and known by their globose 

 sori, set within a delicate involucre. 



W. alpina and W. ilvensis are two rare British species, 

 with a tufted caudex and pinnate deciduous fronds; pinnae 

 somewhat triangular in the former, oblong-obtuse, hairy 

 beneath in the latter. 



W. obtusa. — Fronds deciduous, 6 to 12 inches long, 

 bipinnate ; pinnules deeply pinnatifid ; pinnae somewhat 

 triangular, pale-green. North America. 



W. polystichoides. — Fronds deciduous, pinnate, densely 

 clothed with chaffy scales ; pinnae broad, obtuse, crenate, 

 dark-green. Japan. 



Woodwardia arcolata. — Deciduous sterile fronds sub- 

 pinnate, erect, 1 foot or more long; pinnae broad, serrate 

 on the edges, bright - green ; fertile fronds narrower; 

 rhizome creeping. North America. 



W. japonica. — Fronds evergreen, pinnate, 1 to 2 feet 

 long; pinnae broad, pinnatifid, margins serrate, dark- 

 green. Japan. 



W. vi? , ginica. — Caudex creeping; fronds deciduous, 1 to 

 2 feet long; pinnae sessile, lanceolate, pinnatifid, segments 

 somewhat ovate ; margins plane, pale - green. North 

 America. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 



PALMS AND CYCADS. 



Propagation — Insect Pests — List of Palms — Cycads. 



Palms. 



Palms form a distinct and important group 

 in the vegetable kingdom. Over a thousand 

 species are known, the majority of which are 

 natives of tropical countries, and therefore in 

 this country require a high temperature for 

 their cultivation. A few are found in extra- 

 tropical countries, and these may be grown in 

 a greenhouse temperature. One species only, 

 Track ycarpus (Chamcerops) excelsa, a native of 

 China, is sufficiently hardy to live out-of-doors 

 in the warmer parts of these islands. 



Although between four and five hundred 

 species have been introduced into English gar- 

 dens, not more than a tenth of these may be 

 called popular garden plants. Like the Grasses 

 and Bamboos, to which Palms are related, many 

 of the species closely resemble each other in 

 vegetative characters, differing only in their 

 flowers and fruits; when young they are so 

 difficult to discriminate that several species 

 may easily be grown under the same name. 



Many of the species grown as decorative 

 plants are, when fully developed, quite large 

 trees, some having straight cylindrical trunks 

 50 feet high, supporting a large crown of pin- 

 nate or palmate leaves; but as they assume a 

 decorative character when small, they are 

 largely utilized for the ornamentation of rooms, 

 &c. Such popular sorts as Livistona sinensis, 

 Seaforthia elec/ans, Cocos flexuosa, Howea Fosteriana, 

 and Trachycarpus excelsa may be seen at Kew 

 from 40 to 50 feet high. 



With very few exceptions Palms are propa- 

 gated only from seeds, which are imported in 

 large quantities from countries where they grow 

 freely. Millions of seeds are annually imported 

 into England alone of such favourites as Kentia, 

 Cocos, and Livistona, The seeds should be sown 

 in pans or boxes of loamy soil, and kept warm 

 and moist until they have formed a leaf; they 

 should then be planted singly in small pots. 

 Tropical conditions are preferable for young 

 seedlings of even temperate species until they 

 I have made two or three leaves. All Palms 

 ! without exception enjoy a strong loamy soil, 

 j and a liberal amount of moisture both at the 

 root and overhead, and from germination on- 

 I wards. Where large quantities of seeds are 



