178 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Attalea. This genus of American 
palms comprises about twenty different 
species, but only two can be mentioned 
here, as they 'will very likely prove har¬ 
dy when having attained a certain size. 
These are large-leaved palms of noble as¬ 
pect when fully grown and very orna¬ 
mental when small. They are unarmed, 
with ringed stems and very long gigantic, 
plume-like leaves, the segments of which 
are regularly placed along the midrib and 
at right angles with it. There is a mag¬ 
nificent specimen of A. Cohune in Horti¬ 
cultural Hall, Philadelphia, which not 
yet has formed a trunk but with huge 
leaves fully 30 feet long, all pointing up¬ 
wards. The Attaleas require very rich 
and deep soil and a constant supply of 
water and protection from frost. 
Attalea Cohune Mart. Cohune. This 
is one of the most common as well as 
one of the most royal palms of the East 
Coast of Central America. The large 
seeds supply an oil of great purity and 
excellent flavor. Perhaps hardy from 
Palm Beach southward. 
Attalea compta, Mart., Pindova Palm 
a very common species in Southern 
Brazil, particularly near Blumenau 
where it is held in high esteem. It is 
a glory of the landscape and is called 
the Queen of Palms by the German 
settlers. Growing in the same region 
as Cocos Blumenavia, C. Gaertneri, C. 
Yatay, Diplothemium campestre and 
others, all perfectly hardy in our gar¬ 
dens, it will undoubtedly prove a most 
valuable acquisition to the orange belr. 
This beautiful palm should be intro¬ 
duced and largely planted in properly 
prepared soil in the full sun. A. Co¬ 
hune, which is one of Mr. Reasoner's 
stand-bys in his catalog, should also be 
experimented with more extensively. 
If well protected with moss and pine- 
boughs, particularly around the heart, 
it will endure an ordinary freeze of a 
few degrees unharmed. The stem 
should also be banked with dry soil. 
Older plants will very likely prove 
much hardier than small ones. Every 
effort should be made by our wide¬ 
awake nursery men to introduce the 
unrivalled A. compta. 
Astrocaryum is another genus of ex¬ 
quisite American palms, with long 
feathery leaves. They are all exceed¬ 
ingly spiny, the foliage even of young 
plants being covered on both sides with 
sharp spines. When large, every por¬ 
tion—the trunk, the leaves, the fruit- 
stalk and the flower-spathes—shows a 
thick covering of formidable thorns. 
But they all are extremely beautiful 
in spite of their repulsive armor. 
Astrocaryum Mexicanum, Liebm., is 
the only species that now and then can 
be bought in this country; all the 
others have to be raised from seed, 
which I usually receive in a fresh state 
from Hoage & Schmidt, Erfurt,' Ger¬ 
many. In its young state this species 
is quite tender, but when well estab¬ 
lished and in vigorous growth it can 
stand a few degrees of frost under a 
shed. My plant was raised from seed 
which ripened in Horticultural Hall, 
Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. It is a 
dwarf palm,from Mexico, the trunk 
never growing taller than four to six 
feet. On account of its small size it 
is easily protected in a severe cold. I 
hope that further experiments will 
show its adaptability to our soil and 
