356 
The Garden Magazine, February, 1924 
A SOUTH AMERICAN PALM IN THE BOTANIC GARDENS AT SINGAPORE 
“In general character and luxuriance the vegetable growth of the tropics of the two 
hemispheres is singularly alike and the climatic conditions are virtually the same’’ as this 
flourishing specimen of Attalea cohune, so far from its native habitat, amply testifies 
The most extraordinary species is A. gigas var. Sturtevantii native of 
Guatemala, with enormous vagina-shaped flowers white without, 
cream color splashed and mottled with velvety maroon-purple within, 
with a long caudex hanging from the lip. The flowers are pendent on 
long stalks and are from i| to 2 ft. wide, from 2 to i\ ft.long, with a tail 
over a yard long. They emit a strong foetid odor and are fertilized 
by flies and other carrion-loving insects. 
From Peru, in 1847, came Cantua dependens, a greenhouse climber, 
with long, drooping, orange-colored flowers of great beauty and known 
to the Peruvian Indians as the Magic-tree. There are other species 
of Cantua and many other climbers of great merit, but the above will 
serve to illustrate clearly our indebtedness to American tropics for 
hothouse climbing plants. 
Some Favorite Foliage Plants 
O THE great family of Aroids our hothouses owe many of the 
finest foliage plants they possess and not a few with striking 
flowers. Among them no genus has contributed more splendidly than 
Anthurium which is wholly Ameri¬ 
can. Of the many handsome species 
in cultivation A. Veitchii, native of 
Colombia, has the noblest foliage. 
The leaves are of extraordinary ap¬ 
pearance, often attaining a length 
of five feet with a breadth of over a 
foot; the principal veins are sunk and 
the waved appearance thus caused 
is further enhanced by a deep glossy 
green color and a brilliant metallic 
lustre. Very beautiful too is A. 
IVarocqueanum another Colombian 
species with leaves from 2§ to 3 ft. 
long, deep green with prominent pale- 
colored veins. Another splendid spe¬ 
cies with round, heart-shaped dark 
green leaves and white veins is A. 
magnificum. A striking inhabitant of 
our hot houses is A. Scher^erianum, 
the Flamingo-plant, with a brilliant 
scarlet bract and twisted, protruded 
spadix and relatively narrow, dark 
dull green leaves. It is very florifer- 
ous, lasts in bloom a long time and 
always excites admiration. Very 
similar is A. Andreanum with paler, 
lustrous green, rather longer leaves, 
larger bract and a straight orange- 
yellow spadix. 
These, amongothertropical Aroids, 
are epiphytes and some of them begin 
life as climbers sending down whip¬ 
like aerial roots into the humid air 
of the forest, which on reaching the 
ground develop a branching root- 
system, become stretched taut and 
resemble hempen strands. A fine ex¬ 
ample of climbing Aroid is Philoden¬ 
dron Andreanum, native of Colombia. 
This species has leaves resembling 
those of Anthurium Veitchii which 
are often from 4 to 5 ft. long and are 
deflected vertically from a stout erect 
foot-stalk. When young, the leaves 
are scarlet tinged with brown; when 
older, bronzy red-brown finally 
changing to velvety green; the mid¬ 
rib and primary veins are whitish 
through all the stages of leaf- 
development. In this species the 
leaves are simple and entire, in 
others they are pinnated or curiously 
incised and often full of round holes. 
Most remarkable in this connection 
is the related Monster a deliciosa the 
fruit of which is edible. When very 
young the leaves of this plant are 
entire, but as it develops some of the 
tissue between the veins ceases to 
grow, becomes dry, and tears away, thus leaving holes between the 
ribs. 
With smaller, thinner leaves than the Anthurium we have many 
species of Dieffenbachia with bright or dull green leaves mottled and 
striped with white or yellowish color. Among those most frequently 
seen in cultivation are D. Bowmanii and D. picta from Brazil, D. 
Jenmanii from British Guiana and D. Pearcei from Ecuador. The 
stems of these plants contain a very acrid principle, and one species 
(D. seguine) is known as the Dumb-cane of the West Indies, since it 
renders speechless any one chewing a piece of the stem. It was form¬ 
erly used in torturing slaves. 
Cannas and the Gorgeous Poinsettia 
O SPECIES of Banana is native of America, but there are very 
many members of closely related families with handsome foliage. 
Such for example are Calathea and Maranta, which have simple leaves, 
purple on the underside, dark green mottled or blotched with dark 
brown and paler green on the upper side. One of the finest species is 
