TWO HISTORIC CENTURY-OLD CYCADS 



SAMUEL NEWMAN BAXTER 



Arborculturist to the Commissioners of Fairmount Park 



Sago Palms of Revolutionary Times that Adorn the City Collections of Philadelphia 



RICH and unique collection of old- 

 time stove and greenhouse plants 

 recalling memories of bygone years 

 when such plants formed the fea- 

 tures of all gardens of any pretense, to-day 

 finds shelter in the mammoth Horticultural 

 Hall of Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Here 

 may be seen Bananas ripening their fruit 

 under tropical temperatures, the lofty Co- 

 hune Oil Palm (Attalea cohune) from Hon- 

 duras, and the Canary Island Date Palm 

 (Phoenix canariensis) touching the glass roof 

 seventy feet above. 



Two noteworthy Sago Palms (Cycas revo- 

 luta) whose history goes back to revolution- 

 ary times have become almost shrines to 

 many visitors. One of these (now six feet 

 ten inches high, exclusive of foliage), was once 

 the property of George 

 Washington and is said 

 to have .been saved from 

 the fire which destroyed 

 his conservatory at Mt. 

 Vernon. Four years ago 

 it was presented to the 

 Fairmount Park Commis- 

 sion by Mrs. George B. 

 Wilson. This plant is es- 

 timated to be one hun- 

 dred and fifty years old. 

 The other historical 

 Sago Palm was presented 

 by Jacob Hoffner of Cin- 

 cinnati in 1876 when Hor- 

 ticultural Hall was built 

 for the Centennial Exhi- 

 bition. As recorded on a 

 silver name plate, this 

 Palm was "owned by 

 Robert Morris of Phila- 

 delphia before and during 

 the Revolutionary War." 

 Some account of the 

 Morris influence on horti- 

 culture was included in 

 Dr. Harshberger's recent 

 articles on "Old Gardens 

 of Pennsylvania." The 

 trunk of this plant is seven 

 and one-half feet high, and 

 twelve inches in diameter 

 at base, tapering at top to 

 six inches (as shown in 

 photograph). 



The age of plants of 

 this type which grow in 

 height by successive rings, 

 left by fallen leaf-stalks 

 and representing the 

 growth or whorl of leaves 

 which appear biennially, 

 can be determined by the 



VETERAN SURVIVORS OF 

 REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 

 The Sago Palm (Cycas revoluta) shown above, once 

 owned by George Washington and luckily saved from 

 the fire which destroyed the Mt. Vernon conservatory, 

 still flourishes under glass at Fairmount Park, Phila- 

 delphia. Its companion (at left) also has a distin- 

 guished past, having been in the possession of Robert 

 Morris during the stirring days of 1776, and pre- 

 sented just a hundred years later (1876) to the people 

 of Philadelphia by Mr. Jacob Hoffner of Cincinnati 



simple expedient of counting the scars. The 

 trunk does not have to be cut down like 

 hardwood trees before the rings can be seen. 

 Although originating in Java, the Sago Palm 

 is grown as commonly outdoors in Florida 

 as in the conservatories of the North. 



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