AV 
18 GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY 
uable, and many other are so rare that it would be impossible to dup- 
licate them under the present quarantine regulations. It is conservative 
to say that there are fanciers in the country who would pay hundreds 
of thousands of dollars for a duplicate collection, if such a thing were 
obtainable. 
This house contains, in addition to the palms, a large collection 
of bamboo, a collection of eucalyptus, a collection of rubber-producing 
plants, and various smaller collections. -Of the several hundred species 
represented, the ones that are probably of the most general interest 
are the following: 
Acalypha, or CoppER-LEAF, or THREE-SEEDED MERCURY, is a genus of 
the Euphorbiaceae, or Spurge family, represented here by 9 of the best 
known species. These are gorgeous foliage plants that are much used 
throughout the West Chicago Parks as bedding plants. The plants 
are hardy in Florida, but will not live outdoors over winter here. The 
specimens shown at the southern end of the Palm House are shrubs of 
10 to 12 years’ growth. In time they will become much larger unless 
kept pruned. 
Archontophoenix Cunninghamii (Seaforthia elegans) is one of the most 
stately and graceful palms known, and the specimen here is one of the 
Conservatory’s tallest palms. It bears great sprays of shell-pink 
flowers, followed in the fall, by great masses of scarlet red seeds. These 
seeds add materially to the beauty of the palm. 
Arenga saccharifera, or ARENGA SUGAR PALM, is the largest specimen 
in the Conservatory; yet it is but 13 yearsold. It is a native of Malaya, 
homely during its juvenile stage, but developing into a handsome tree 
when about 10 to 12 years of age. At that age the palm sap begins 
to yield “arenga sugar,’ much valued in its homeland. When the last 
flower cluster of this palm reaches maturity, the tree dies. “The species 
is of value in India for the yield of black fiber from the leaf-bases. 
This fiber, known as gomuti, resembles horsehair in appearance, and 
is used in making filters and in caulking ships. 
Aspidistra lurida (A. elatior), is a popular foliage plant that belongs 
to the Lily family. It is perhaps the best of all foliage house plants, 
because it withstands rough usage, dust, heat, cold, drought, and 
general neglect. 
Attalea Cohune, or COHUNE PALM, is a native of Honduras, where it 
attains a height of 60 feet. The fruit yields a finer oil than coconut 
oil, exported largely to France for use in soap-making. “The sap can 
be made into an intoxicating beverage. This collection includes 3 
other species of the same genus—all very slow-growing. 
Bactris major (Guilielma speciosa), or BEACH PALM, a native of Brazil, 
bears edible fruit the size of an apricot. 
Bambusa, or BAmBoo, is a native of tropical, subtropical, and a few 
temperate parts of the earth. The greatest number of species are 
found in China, where the bamboo is one of the mest important of 
economic plants. This collection includes many species—including 
the “fishing-pole” bamboo, the vining bamboo, the giant bamboo, the 
a ~ — « —_ ——_—* io. 
