February 28, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
171 
resembling somewhat the Elephant’s-foot plant (Testudinaria elephantipes) 
of the Cape of Good Hope. 
As an ornament to the conservatory, for giving a tropical effect to the 
outdoor garden during the summer, or for hall decoration either in 
summer or winter, there are few plants to excel Beaucamea recurvata, 
its ample spreading head of long, drooping, dark green leaves affording a 
mostly in their wants and requirements being very imperfectly under¬ 
stood, and their rarity and consequent high money value has prevented 
their owners from experimenting much with them. 
I have had a great number of these plants under my care both in a 
large state and as seedlings ; I shall therefore conclude these remarks 
with a brief summary of my mode of management, which has been very 
Fig. 33.—BEAUCARNEA EECURYATA. 
contrast which we seek in vain in any other plant. It is frequently 
remarked by both amateurs and gardeners that Beaucarneas have a 
grotesque but not an ornamental appearance. That such should be 
the case, however, is entirely the fault of the cultivation. Treat them 
Aberally, and an ornamental, graceful, spreading crown of leaves will be 
developed ; starve them, and they become simply ugly. This peculiarity 
is not confined to the genus Beaucarnea, but applies more or less 
strictly to nearly all the plants we have in cultivation; the fault lies 
successful. I find that even in quite a young state, say when only a few 
months old, the plants begin to assume the bulb-like character at the 
base ; but I am not able to arrive at any satisfactory conclusion as to 
how long it takes to form such a plant as that represented, but I should 
imagine it would be about fifteen years from seed, providing the plant 
received uniformly liberal treatment. The soil should be rich fibrous 
loam, with a liberal admixture of sharp river or silver sand. Special 
attention must be paid to the drainage, which must at all times be in 
