FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
171 
in sheds in moist cool soil they would 
undoubtedly have made a good 
growth. Palm specialists should again 
introduce these species. 
Another genus of palms, far too rare¬ 
ly grown in our gardens, are the Livis- 
tonias. This group consists of about 
fourteen well-marked species of stately 
fan-leaved palms, but only three or 
four are now and then found in our 
gardens. There are magnificent speci¬ 
mens in the late Mr. E. H. Hart’s col¬ 
lection, even a few of the strictly trop¬ 
ical species. Most people who only 
look at these palms superficially find 
them too much like our common Cab¬ 
bage Palmetto, and for this reason pass 
them by. But there is, however, a 
great difference, not only in aspect, in 
the foliage and flowers, but also in 
the short, dense fruit-clusters. In or¬ 
der to succeed with these palms, which 
are hardy in the orange belt, rich, 
moist soil and—in their young state— 
shade are essential requisites. On 
high, dry pine land not under constant 
irrigation they are a failure. Large 
and well developed specimens are very 
beautiful and show a grandeur entirely 
their own. 
Livistonia Chine nsis, R. Br. (Lan- 
tania Borbonica, Hort.), of Southern 
China, is one of the most numerous and 
popular Fan Palms in cultivation, be¬ 
ing undoubtedly the best commercial 
Fan Palm for pot culture. In all the 
large conservatories it is never absent. 
In Horticultural Hall, Fairmount 
Park, Philadelphia, there are several 
specimens 60 to 70 feet high—tall and 
imposing palms with slender, smooth, 
gray trunks and magnificent leaf- 
crowns. The leaves are flat and per¬ 
fectly fan-shaped, three to four and 
even six feet in diameter and of a beau¬ 
tiful light green color. The fans im¬ 
ported in such large quantities from 
China are made of the leaves of this 
palm. In Orlando, where particularly 
the older and more enthusiastic set¬ 
tlers planted many exotic trees and 
shrubs, this palm is scarcely met with. 
There are, however, noble specimens 
in Mr. Hart’s garden, at Federal Point, 
and in the grounds of the large hotels 
along the East Coast many good Chi¬ 
nese Fan Palms can be seen. I saw 
recently a few fine young specimens 
near the entrance of Tampa Bay Ho¬ 
tel: They are about 15 feet high, very 
dense and perfect in form, bearing- 
large bunches of nearly ripe fruit when 
I saw them—February 27, 1909. These 
home-grown fruits should be carefully 
gathered and planted, as they very like¬ 
ly will produce plants perfectly accli- 
limatized. This palm is a fast-grower 
in rich, moist soil, but it needs shade, 
particularly in its younger state. 
Livistonia australis, Mart. (Cory- 
pha australis, Hort.), the Australian 
Fan Palm, another exquisite and dis¬ 
tinct palm that should find a home in 
our gardens. The leaf-crown is some¬ 
what denser and the color a deeper 
green than in the former. It is perfect¬ 
ly hardy in Central Florida, being 
found in Australia as far south as Mel¬ 
bourne. It grows best in rich ham¬ 
mock and low pine land, where it nev¬ 
er suffers from lack of water. My 
specimens had attained the height of 
six or seven feet and the diameter of 
the leaf-crown was 10 feet. A dense 
