THE PALM FAMILY. 



269 



rings of scars upon them. Cham se dor eas are all Cliamserops. — This genus has hcen described 

 natives of America. in the green-house division of these plants ; the 



The name comes from chamai, "dwarf," and species introduced here are often called Green-house 

 dorea, "a gift," but we are unaware how it applies. Palms, and treated as such, but they thrive best in 



the stove. 



C. Arenbergii — an extremely 

 handsome species. The 

 slender stem bears on its 

 summit a beautiful crown 

 of pinnate leaves. Guate- 

 mala. 



C. brevifrons — the leaves of 

 tbis species seldom exceed 

 a foot or eighteen incbes 

 in length ; pinnate, with 

 sessile leaflets, broad at 

 the base, and tapering to a 

 point. New Grenada. 



C. elegans— stem erect, bear- 

 ing drooping pinnate 

 leaves, from two to three 

 feet in length, leaflets nine 

 to twelve inches long, 

 narrow, tapering to a 

 point, and bright green. 

 Mexico. 



C. Ernesti-Augusti — stem 

 five to six feet high, and 

 about two inches in dia- 

 meter, closely ringed, 

 bearing on the summit 

 a head of six to twelve 

 broadly bifid leaves, which 

 are one to two feet long, 

 including the stem-clasp- 

 ing petiole, and one foot 

 broad, serrate at the 

 edges, and dark green, the 

 female plant usually bear- 

 ing rather more leaves 

 than the male. The 

 flowers are of a deep 

 orange-colour, about the 

 size of a pea, and are 

 extremely ornamental, 

 but very fugacious. The 

 female spadix is usually 

 simple, but sometimes 

 double, and with the pe- 

 duncle about two feet in 

 length, thick, and fleshy ; 

 flowers orange-red, same 

 size as the male ; spadix 

 deep green, changing to a 

 bright coral-red. Tabasco, 

 New Grenada. 



C. Geonomiformis — a spe- 

 cies similar in appear- 

 ance to the preceding, but 

 smaller in all its parts, 

 some four feet high, and 

 branching,pendulous pani- 

 cles ; green. Guatemala. 



C. glaucifolia — this is a slen- 

 der-stemmed species, with 

 long plume-like pinnate 

 leaves, which render it 

 very elegant ; glaucous- 

 green. Guatemala. 



C. graminifolia — stem reed- 

 like, carrying a beautiful 

 feathery head of leaves 

 from three to four feet in 

 length. The flowers are 

 orange - colour, borne in 

 branching panicles ; the 

 spadices are pendulous, 

 and about twelve inches 

 long. It is one of the 

 most elegant members of 

 the family. Costa Rica. 



C. macrospadix — this spe- 

 cies forms a stout stem, 

 and bears a large head of 



long and broad pinnate 

 leaves, which are about 

 four feet in length. Costa 

 Rica. 



C. microphylla — this minia- 

 ture Palm-tree forms a 

 stem and a crown of 

 leaves, and flowers and 

 seeds, when only a few 

 inches high. Stem reed- 

 like, deep green, curiously 

 freckled with white ; 

 leaves pinnate, nearly a 

 foot long. The flowers 

 are produced on branch- 

 ing spikes, which are 

 shorter than the leaves. 

 Brazil. 



C. Sartorii — a free bold- 

 growing species, with a 

 slender stem, and long 

 pinnate leaves, some four 

 feet in length, and beau- 

 tifully arched, leaflets ses- 

 sile, about nine inches 

 long, and one and a half 

 inch broad. Mexico. 



C. scandens — a slender spe- 

 cies, which, after reach- 

 ing about six feet in 

 height, begins to climb ; 

 leaves pinnate, about 

 three feet long, and glau- 

 cous. Mexico. 



C.Tepejilote— this is a hand- 

 some species, with a stout 

 stem, eight or ten feet 

 high, having numerous 

 closely-set rings of scars ; 

 leaves pinnate, three to 

 four feet in length, bear- 

 ing about eighteen to 

 twenty pairs of leaflets, 

 which are twelve to eigh- 

 teen inches long, and 

 one to two inches broad ; 

 the male flowers golden- 

 yellow, spadices pendu- 

 lous, nine inches or more 

 long, borne in a branch- 

 ing panicle. The name of 

 this species is peculiar, 

 and comes from the Mexi- 

 cans, who gather the 

 young unexpanded flower- 

 spikes of the Chamaedo- 

 reas, and this one in par- 

 ticular, and use them as a 

 vegetable, which they call 

 " Tepejilote." Eastern 

 Mexico. 



C. Warscewiczii — stem slen- 

 der, about six feet high. 

 Guatemala. 



C. Wendlandii — a bold- 

 growing, handsome plant, 

 with a slender stem, bear- 

 ing a crown of pinnate 

 leaves, two to three feet 

 in length; leaflets sessile 

 at the base, about twelve 

 inches long, and two 

 broad. Though all the 

 species here enumerated 

 are admirably adapted for 

 general decorative pur- 

 poses, this species is by 

 far the best for the dwell- 

 ing-house. Mexico. 



C. Martiana — this is a su- 

 perb but rare species, 

 with an erect and slender 

 stem, attaining a height 

 of some twenty or thirty 

 feet. The petioles are 

 slender, armed at the 

 edges with small teeth- 

 like spines, and tomen- 

 tose, one to two feet long, 

 their bases enveloped in a 

 rough net-work of dark 

 brown fibres ; leaves fan- 

 shaped, nearly circular, 

 and flat. Himalayas. 



C. stauracantha — this and 

 the following species are 

 by some separated from 

 this family by the name 

 Acanthorrhiza, the prin- 

 cipal difference being in 

 the segments of their 



animal. 



C. butyracea— leaves three 

 to six feet long, simple 

 and pliated when young ; 

 becoming pinnate, the leaf- 

 lets aggregate by threes 

 and fours ; highly orna- 

 mental. New Grenada. 



C. elegantissima — an elegant 

 small-growing plant, with 

 long, arching, plume-like 

 leaves. The species re- 

 sembles C. Weddeliana, 

 but its leaflets are rather 

 broader, and its colour is 

 bright instead of deep 

 heavy green. Brazil. 



C. Orinocen sis— this species 

 is rare and very beauti- 

 ful, and has been thus de- 

 scribed : " This handsome 

 Palm, notable for its short 

 curling, yellowish foliage, 

 forms large beds on the 

 bare granite of the moun- 

 tains of the Orinoco, be- 

 tween the mouths of the 

 Vichada and Meta. It is 

 a conspicuous ornament 

 on the hills around May- 

 pures, where it is called 



leaves being split to the 

 base ; stem rather robust 

 — crowned with palmate 

 leaves. It forms a quan- 

 tity of aerial roots at the 

 base of the stem, which 

 become spiny with age. 

 Mexico. 

 C. Warscewiczii — stem 

 stout, petioles unarmed, 

 two to three feet in length, 

 enclosed at the base in a 

 dense mass of white 

 fibrous network ; blade of 

 the leaf from eighteen 

 inches to!two feet in dia- 

 meter, nearly round, and 

 more or less split down to 

 the base ; upper side a 

 very deep green, silvery- 

 white beneath. Central 

 America. 



Corozito. Stems slender, 

 twelve to sixty feet high." 



C. plumosus — this very 

 beautiful plant derives its 

 name both from its long 

 feather -like leaves, and 

 also from the long droop- 

 ing branches of the spadix, 

 which are very plume-like ; 

 as a young plant it is very 

 useful for general decora- 

 tive purposes, whilst as it 

 attains maturity it is mag- 

 nificent. Brazil. 



C. Weddeliana — amongst 

 graceful Palms, this spe- 

 cies stands pre-eminent, 

 and very few plants have 

 ever been such universal 

 favourites. Stem slender, 

 bearing a grand crown of 

 arching feathery leaves, 

 from one to four or five 

 feet long, finely pinnate ; 

 the leaflets very narrow, 

 deep green above, clothed 

 with a grey tomentum on 

 the under side. Banks of 

 the Amazon and Eio 

 Negro. 



Coryplia. — -This genus is peculiar to Asia. The 

 name comes from Jcoryphe, " the summit," in reference 

 to the large terminal branching spadix of flowers 

 which they bear when they are mature, so that 



Cocos. — A family consisting of numerous species, 

 varying widely in size ; to this genus belongs the 

 well-known Cocoa-nut Tree, Cocos nucifera, to which 

 we, however, merely refer, and omit further notice 

 of here, as it is not useful for decorative purposes. 

 But there are several small species which are 

 invaluable, and which we shall briefly describe. 

 The name of the genus is said to be derived from 

 coco, a word signifying "a monkey," from the re- 

 semblance of the nut to the head and face of that 



