834 THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



It produces a stout and cylindrical stem, bearing a beautiful 

 crown of leaves, which are pinnate, spreading, and vary from 

 6ft. to 12 ft. in length; the pinnae often measure i8in. long, rising 

 in pairs from almost the same place, and standing out in quite 

 different positions ; the petioles, which are covered with a mass 

 of brown fibres, are rather thick at the base. This plant also 

 possesses a valuable economic property. From its sap is obtained 

 a kind of syrup, which, after being boiled, forms "Palm honey." 

 Jub^as require a rich compost of two parts loam and one part 

 each of peat or leaf-mould and sand. Propagated by seeds. 



Kentia.- — A very old and well-known genus, which was for 

 many years combined with Areca, Now it has not only been 

 separated from Areca, but much subdivided, being reduced to 

 half-a-dozen, amongst which only three are known in cultivation. 

 Others formerly included here are now classified under Cypho- 

 sperina, Nedyscepe, Ifydriasfele, Hoivea, Kentiopsis^ Rhopalostylis^ 

 Veikhia, &c. The flowers of Kentias are disposed on branched 

 spikes. The leaves are terminal, and regularly pinnatisect ; the 

 segments are linear-lanceolate. Kentias require a rich and 

 sandy compost of equal parts of loam, peat, and sand, and also 

 a liberal supply of water as well as a saturated atmosphere. They 

 may be easily propagated by seeds. K. ausiralis is well worth 

 growing, being extremely decorative in its young state ; it is of 

 slender habit, and has long pinnate leaves of a shiny dark green. 

 K. costata, a very ornamental species in its young state, reaches 

 in its native country a height of Soft, to 90ft. ; the leaves, 

 which are pinnatisect, have a great number of linear-lanceolate 

 segments ; the spadix is branched. 



Kentiopsis. — A small genus, composed chiefly of species 

 removed from the preceding genus. All are extremely valuable 

 for their decorative properties, and require exactly the same treat- 

 ment as Kentias. K. divai-icata {Kentia gracilis) is a beautiful 

 species, quite distinct, reaching in its native country 30ft. in 

 height, and very useful in its young state for table decoration ; 

 . the leaves are pinnate, and the alternate leaflets are leathery and 

 of a fine red colour when young. K. inacrocajpa {Kentia Lindeni) 

 is a very handsome plant of strong constitution and extremely 

 ornamental ; it has a stout, smooth stem, with red petioles ; the 

 leaves are pinnate, ovate, and of a deep olive-crimson in their 

 young state ; the pinnfe, which are rather distant, are oblong and 

 lanceolate ; the fruits are fairly large. K. olivceforniis is also in 

 cultivation. 



Latania. — K genus represented in cultivation by a few stove 

 species, which are all extremely decorative and may successfully be 

 removed during the summer months into the greenhouse. The 

 stems, which are marked with circular scars, bear at their 

 extremity a splendid crown of fan-shaped leaves. The flowers are 

 unisexual, and males and females are produced on different 



