184 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
on Biscayne Bay, requiring hammock 
and lowland soil. 
Pritchardia. Most beautiful, medi¬ 
um-sized fan-leaved palms from the 
islands of the South Pacific. They are 
very tender and will not be hardy north 
of the most southernmost point of 
Florida. Mr. Chas. T. Simpson writes 
me that he has lost his small specimens 
so often that he is not much encour¬ 
aged. Perhaps they will endure such a 
freeze as may occur on Biscayne Bay 
without much harm, when they are 
larger. As far as I know, only the fol¬ 
lowing three species have been or are 
still in cultivation in South Florida: 
Pritchardia Pacifica, Seem, and 
Wendl ., from Samoa and Fiji. Trunk 
grows about 30 feet high. Pritchardia 
Gaudichaudii, Wendl , and P. Martii, 
both from the Hawaiian Islands, are 
rather small species, the first reaching 
ultimately a height of 20 feet, the sec¬ 
ond having a trunk not exceeding five 
to six feet ; all are exceedingly elegant 
and are well worth a little extra care 
to protect them from cold when neces¬ 
sary. They need rich, moist soil and 
some shade. The fierce rays of the 
sun are as obectionable to them as a 
cold spell. 
Licuala. An allied genus of most ex¬ 
quisite fan-leaved palms from the 
tropical islands of the Pacific, requiring 
the same care as the Pritchardias. 
Licuala grandis, Wendl., from New 
Britain, is one of the most beautiful 
palms in the world and without doubt 
the most royal of all fan-leaved spe¬ 
cies. It is not so long ago that a 
well developed speciman was sold in- 
England for $1,000. At present, seeds 
of this species, as well as of many other 
tropical palms, can be easily obtained 
from Trinidad. Mr. Eugene Andre, 
the celebrated naturalist and explor¬ 
er, grows quite a number of the grand¬ 
est tropical palms in his garden near 
Port of Spain. From him I received a 
few years ago, a number of seeds which 
all sprouted. The young seedlings 
have endured the cold of the two la^t 
winters without harm, and are now 
growing finely. They were protected 
during cold weather with pine boughs. 
This seems to indicate that this spe¬ 
cies and L. pelt at a , Roxb.. of India may 
grow out of doors in extreme South 
Florida. They evidently are small or 
medium-sized palms and the leaves are 
rather delicate and are easily injured. 
Brahea. Allied to the two former 
genera, but with much more rigid, fan- 
leaves and short, massive trunks. Bra¬ 
hea dulcis, Mart., Palma dulce of Mex¬ 
ico, where it ascends mountains up ’o 
4,500 feet, is perfectly hardy in the 
orange-belt of Flarida, and a very noble 
and distinct species. The stem in full- 
grown specimens is about 10 to 20 feet 
high, and the leaves are from 4 to 5 feet 
long. It demands a rich soil, mixed 
with some clay. I had a fine specimen 
about 5 or 6 feet high which grew in full 
sun in a rather dry place. It withstood the 
severe cold of 1899, but was destroyed 
by a forest fire. I have not been able since 
to replace it or to obtain any other of the 
three remaining species. In its growth 
and entire aspect the Brahea I grew re¬ 
minded me very much of Erythea ar- 
mata. 
Bactris. Very thorny American palms 
—in fact, covered with such an armor 
