FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
45 
tention to the palms and to use them as 
often and to the best advantage possible. 
First of all there is the Acrocomia to- 
tai, one of the. handsomest of all palms, 
attaining a height of thirty to forty feet, 
and crowned with a magnificent head of 
graceful pinnate leaves. Its only draw¬ 
back—and it is seldom indeed that we 
meet perfection in plants as we do in per¬ 
sons—is the fact that it is protected 
throughout, both trunk and leaves, with 
exceedingly sharp, long thorns, making it 
unsuitable for parkways and similar pub¬ 
lic uses. For the private estate, especially 
for creating backgrounds, it is, however, 
without a peer. But best of all it is com¬ 
paratively hardy, being about as resistant 
as the Cocos plumosa and doing well up 
into the center of the. State. 
Another interesting item is with re¬ 
gard to Archontophoenix alexandrae, 
which I am told does well here in Miami. 
From our experience in growing dec¬ 
orative palms, it would seem that for 
large tub specimens it is much superior 
to the commoner seaforthia, although it 
is a trifle less hardy. It is a wonderful 
palm in the open ground too and deserves 
more attention than has been given it. 
Arenga saccharifera, the Java Sugar 
Palm; Dictyosperma rubra; Elaeis gui- 
nensis, the African Oil Palm; and Hyo- 
phorbe verschaffeltii, a stubby-leaved or¬ 
ange-colored palm from Mauritius, are 
all magnificent tall-growing palms which 
should be. planted extensively in the low¬ 
er end of the State. 
To come back to hardier materials it 
would be well to call attention to the 
Giant Sabals, blackburniana and haven- 
ensis, hardy practically throughout the 
whole State. Then, too, there is the 
Phoenix sylvestris, resembling the well 
known Ph. Canariensis, but lacking the 
extreme drooping habit of its leaves. It 
is of interest, too, for its picturesque 
trunk, slender with the boots remaining 
on the entire length. It is also interest¬ 
ing to note that it is a much faster grow¬ 
er on poor soils. 
In the hardy dwarf palms it would be 
well to remember the Hardy Cocos of the 
Australis type, comprising several closely 
connected species, and the Livistona Chi- 
nensis or australis, formerly known as 
Latania. These are wonderfully decora¬ 
tive subjects and hardy throughout the 
State. The Trachycarpus excelsa, some¬ 
times still called Chamaerops, has almost 
disappeared, and is now seldom encoun¬ 
tered in nursery stock as it is such an ex¬ 
tremely slow grower. An excellent sub¬ 
stitute, and even preferred by some, is 
found in the native porcupine palmetto, 
Raphidophyllum hystrix, unfortunately 
quite rare too. 
Passing from the Palms to the shade, 
trees we are struck at once by the lack 
of variety in comparatively hardy ever¬ 
green subjects. In this southern section 
of the State you have a wealth of suit¬ 
able materials, and it is peculiar indeed 
to note how badly this has been neglected 
in a section so richly endowed by nature 
and which has advanced so rapidly in 
other ways. Having as you do so many 
truly wonderful trees that can be grown 
no where else, in the United States, it will 
be to your eternal discredit if you do not 
realize on some of these opportunities. 
And whatever you do, in all conscience 
give the Australian Pines a rest! Truly 
