LAWRENCE NIVEN Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens

Singapore, 1860, 1875.

THE

GARDEN5' BULLeTIN, 5TRAIT5 5ETTLEMENT5.

Vol. II. I ssued J anuary, 31st 1920. N o . 6.

Mr. Lawrence Niven. Mr. IJawrence Niven comlllencecl work a.t the Botanical

liarclens almost as soon as they were -opened by the " illgapore _\(Tri-horticultural Society," which was formed in 1859. 'l'he U~rdens were developed in 1861-62 and after successful show in the former year, it is recorded that "The Society had obtained the part time senices of Mq·. IJawrence Niven as Superintendent." ~rr. ~ iven was also superintendent of an adjoining lmtmeg plan­t'ltion, so that he could 00mbine the two very weI!. He earned the thanks of the Committee fOT " his taste in laying out the Gardens," und :Mr. Buckley records that he made the 'Gardens very attractive by large becls of pretty flowers. He is 'alIso mentioned with pni e in the Gardens Guide published in 10889 . 'rhc title of his office, which was more honorary t hau .remlll1era tive, was changed in 181'4 to Manager, the Goyernment then taking over the Gardens. ~1r. );irell retuilled charge until the aniv-al of Mr. James Murton in 1 75.

W. j\Lm.El'llACE .

A Guide to the Palm Collection in the Botanic Gardens. Singapore.

But two brief notes have so far been published Oll the fUle ('Ollectioll of Palm. growing in the Botanic GaTClens, Singapore. 'rhe first ill the" .lgricultllral BlllletiJll, S,. and F . j\L S." (Vol. HI, p. ,249) in 19()L1., the second ill the same Jonrnal (Yo!. IT, p. 6) in. 1906, both presumably by Mr. Hielley. In the fomteen years since the last art icle wus written mall\' ac1ditions, anc1 it is fearecl scycral lo--es. haw to be recordec1 anel accordingly it seemed (lesirahlc thoroughly to imestigate the collection again.. 'file present paper is the outcome of th is work.

In the J'iTst paper of MT. Riclley, entitled" The Palm Collec­tion of the Botan ic Gardens, Singapore," the culti"atioll anc1 pests ~f the palms has been rather fully treated, anc1 a list of the palms

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1Il cultinltioJ) i n the Gardens is appended. In the second Pap~ is a Ii t of Jlml' palms 'iutroduced illt{) the collection s ince ' U·t publication of ~h e eH.rber paper. N.

'.l ' he present paper is Ivritten witlt the abject of dralrin" . ten tio n to the collcetion and in prol".id iJlg a Wlide -m Id bl'iel\l~: crlptlon fo r YJSltors to the Gardens, who are Interested in Pain It ha~ heen written in a semi popnlHr s td~ accordingl,l' and hotani{~i te rnunolog,r, SYllOJlYJ1J,)', and cItatIOns of othel' worK: are g il'en a spari nglv as poss ible, A short clescri ption of the collection ,is fir,; giHm Iri th a &,eJI:1'al compa 1'i SO~l of ,t,he prom iJl eJl t -{'eat nre;; 01' t .h~ palm;;. 'J'hl s IS followed by a !Jst of the gCHem represen teil and bl'i~r note ou eadl species, uifi cient to enable them to d etel'!nine.~ at SIght.

Only ~h ose spec ies \I' hose ident.i ty has becn estab lisherl ci tl,;.t from Rctlla l determination 01' from pI'eyion;; record: a. found 011

the hhels hal'e been mell t iolled. 'Dhere arc :;till ,ercral not rN name{l, mallY of them quite young, !Jut ulltil they proiluce fl ow'el\' mId fruit it is imposs~!Jle to determine them acclll'fl.teli' and the\' hal'o acco.rcl ingl,l· been oll,l,itted ,

The colleetioll of pRlms is qlli te a representatil-p'{)Jle, i.1IC-llIdill" spec ies '1'1'0111 most tropical OO lloJl tri es. ;\0 , pecial 'al'rangemell~ except ill one 01' t wo in tanees, has been followed ill planting alld th e result is by no mealls di:pl easillg. A fa i I'll' '1l8Tge piece of grollJlil Jl ear t he Ga.rdens Officc, has boea exclusively p lanted uI> wi th. pal l1ls, alld from the lower end of Mamllta l\r'enuc dowlI to the PI'ant ::\,u],5e]'1' there extends wlHlt is KlIOI\'ll as the Palm Y>ll1ey, and as the u3.iue implies, the I,<tiley has been l' sen' eel almoit elltirell' for palm specimen '. o.n the "'est sielc, sel'eral specie, hal-e been quite, ucce5s:fu1ll y plaJltc(l ill d umps, nota,bly-Ptyc"o,. perlll(, Jlcrb'lhwri, Wenel l., CYl'los'/achys Lakka, Becc., J£ariillczia Ccu'!jofaefol'ic" H . .E. K" P'inangc, Kuhli'i, B I.. Rh opaloblasie "Cl· andm; Seheff" Oncospermc, fila,men/osa, B1., Jleierospatite clala, Scheff. , Oreodo,ra 'reg'ia, H. B. K., ,Stevensollia, grandifolia, iJulle" l' e'r-,cltatFelt-ia -,plen,dida" II ' enell., I'I!Jchoraphis allY usia, Bece,

.\ lla rt from t hese t,,·o peci'11 places, ma,lW specim eJl s arc SC'III·

tercd ol'e r the renminder of th e ("uelens. Small al-Ol mes hare been planteel ill one 01' two places, as for ex,allll}le, t,he al-e nlle of . (rel/flu sacciwl'I:[era, La:bill., nea r the 'I'ycr i'ali Hoad entr31I('C. T here is also a ll al'enne of &,b(,l jOalmelio, I~od'(l., H"nother nol quite complete of RhoJialoblaste 116J;and/'a, Schefl'., interplauteil with Phoen-i.~ 'l'U{J'icolo, AlleleI'. This latter g' iYes quite a plea illg effect, the tall RltopalobZaste heJ'{lllc/ra ,,'ith its drooping leaflets. <lnd the beantif ul cUI'\'ed leRvcs of Phoen';x 'rupieo/a" ma,ke a rer," pl'etty pi cture. Another a "eulle which m.nst be mentioneel, is . of (;.'l rios/(,cli .'loS };akka, .Eece., the " PiJlRnp: Rl1jah," "Sea lin!!: \\ aX r '11m." or " Hed-stemmed Palm." 'J'hi , <I.vellue conta,ius fim' specimells of t hi s beautiful palm, so clistin,ct from aU other OIl

a ccolult of Irhat .1ppears to be a reel ~ tel11, but is actualh- the Ted sheathing bases oJ the lcares, The rema i,ni ng plants 1I>1I"e either

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heen plan.tec1 in rOIl's of siJIgle species, 01' more generalJy as isolated II111ts wit,h a VIe ,,' to theIr develol)JJlg mtt} w.arthy representatIves

p[ t.heir speCles, On the whole thIs latter Ideal 113S been a.tta.med °ud It few very fine specimens might be mentioned such as, Allalc(b ~'Olllll1e, Mart., neal' the lake, C01'yp/t(b Gebang.a:, Bl., neal' the Her­I lriulll a young plant of Lata.nub C01n1ne1"SOIWL, L., neal' the Officc, '::Id t":o yel'." tall pecimens of Li'uistona altissima, Zoll ., on the Blludstalld Hill, and Illany specimens of Oncosl'e1'I1/(b jila1nentos(b, Ill. (.\ibong) and Blaeis guineellsis, Jacq. Altogether there are Ilbout 1085 specimens planted ill the Gardens embraci ng u.p,,'al'ds of ]20 specie' and 60 genera.

A ' CO,' II' .IHlSON O~' G.EXJ;RLI.J. CJIA. IlLI.OTJ~HS .

The va.ri·ati.oJl in growth of the palms allow~ them to be ~rouped under t,hree heads:-. (1) '1'hose which are so'iJoliferollS, that is wilo-e . tems grow

in Chm11)S such as Ca1'yo'la 1J~itis, Lour" CYl'ioslachys La./,:h·a, Beec., O;ncoSllc1'Inn jil(J;meniosa, BJ.

(2) 'I'hose which m'e soboliferoll s but al'e not self-support ing, obtai llilng their SWppDrt from snrrollucung tree~. Thi s seetioll iHclucles t1le many species of Calam1lS, f(ort/at/.-i(L a.n 1 Daellwnorops, and amongst which are mall)' plauts 01 cDllsiclemlble econDmic importance. .sDme grow to 1\ greH.t height, topping the highes,t Df OUT jungle trees. Ex­Hmples may be seen in the piece <Yf virgin ju.ng1e pre­sClTed in fhe gardens, especially a,t the top end of ~1aranta Avenue.

(3) ThDse palms wl'lich are single-stemmed, bearing ill some ca e a magnificent crown of leaves a. in COl'yp/ta, or ill other coses a comparatively small one a in the ta ll Lirisiollas, anc1 A1'chontophoenix .<'i.le.J:({Jn(/n/" WencU.

A DllSOHU'TIOX OF :PAUlS IN GllXEHAJ..

HOOT. Gcncral l.'· speaking palms Dave no tap-roots. After )!ermi nation the primary root perishes Il'lld is l'eplaced b'y achen­titiolls rDots springillg f rom the base of the stem. Tn 'l1 erschaf­Ipl/ill -,p/pn(/:ida., \\' elltll., rDot. ».re prodllced up to Z, or 3 ft" and ('\'CII mDre ahove t he . l1l'facc of the grollllll. These grDw dDwn­wards a11(l finall.v become fixed in the soil giving the plant a finn footing. In others sneh as Hhap'is, and Pinwnga, slickers are prD­duced \\-hic11 send lip ~tems ancllea.ves, soon formiJlg fine clumps .

. 'l'E)L The he ight 0,' length of the stem varies consiclerablv <1l1(1 in .ome eases there is harcH.,' any stem at all a in ' i:fabal IImlll i,. In others hOIl'e,m', they may be of any heiO'ht 01' length, -ome spec:imens of ('alal/ws bei ng as 11111(·h as 300 ft . Except 1'01'

the la t mentioned, 1I0 specimen .i n the Gardens exceed.s 80 ft., !ll1s hcight bei·ng .attained by two specimens of hiv'islo11(b (tl/-i8s'iIlUt, ~AlII. , Dn the Bandstand R ill. 'A iI. general ru le sillgle-stem111 ed pnlms attain to a greater heig1lt than soboliferoll s Dr e,'eml-stelll­lIwd palms. In diameter stems ,'ary eonsiderably, from ]-2 inches

]80

in the slender CltIClllIt·us, Pt.ychospenna, etc., to t he 'yery sltbstantiat looking tnwks o'E O'reodoxlt, ]Jt[ et1'oxylon, Borassus, and C01'Y1Jha which in some specimel1s -are anything from 3-5 feet. ' . '

fIn 01'eodoxct j·egia., H. B. K., the tnmk is quite smooth, ,,'hile in /l1·chontophoen·ix Alexltndme, Wen cH., it is ringed by the scars of the old lea'es . Of her species such as Atta.lert COh ltne, Mart. , and Elcteis gl!vneensis, J acq,. retain the bases 0'£ the old leaves whioh giv·es them a rugged ap1leara.nce. Ferns and orchids often obtain a footing in these leaf bases presentillg a typicall.l· t ropical effect. In CCLryota u'rens, L., the sheathing bases remain rouud the steul after the leal'es ·have fa llen and a·re bound together with a <1cnsc mass of fibres. Yet other palms haye spiny hunks as for ex­ample, Oncospe1'!nct h01'1'icla., SehelI., and O. fa scicll.litlcL, Th\\,.

Y cry few of the palms ha\'e branched tnm ks. One speci~s [[yphalYne incl·ica,. Becc., is represented in the gardens, but the plants are quite small anel are only about six mouths old.

The Rattans (Cltlam'us, etc.,) are almost the only palms whose stems are not self-supporting.

LEAF. As new lea,es are proiluced the olill{!'l.I'es generally elie off ancl faIl awav. .Bv this means in most cases a fin e trunk is producecl, surmo;;ntecl 'by a magll ifi ccnt crown of lea l·es. It is this

. CrOll"l1 of leaves which gives such a elistinctil'e beauty to palm ill general. i'l'hey vary cOllsiclembly in size, from the small-lea\'ed Bhapis f/ltb ell'Io·/''/11 ·is, L'Herit, to the gigantic leal'ecl T eysmannia ctliifrons, Miq.

The \'uria,tion in t he shape of the leaf is cons·iilemble, but llHlf

be considerecl uncleI' two heads :-(1) Palmate, in which the leal-es a.Te -ch<aracteristicalh' fau­

shapecl anel 1(2) :Pinnate, in ,,·11ich the leal'es ·arc cut similar to a feather. Examples of the first are Ja /'istona, ancl TlwYn a.1:, of 'the­

latter Ptychospe1'lna., CY1·tostctchys, and OncosIJe·rma.. Feather leavecl va.lms have on the ,,'hole very much larger

lea I'es than fan palms. ''1'he length of some of them being as milch as 30 ft., ancl their w:ielth 8 ft. However, none quite so laTge arc to be seell at present ill the 'Gardells. The angle which the leaf' makes with the stem varies accordiug to the age of the leaf. At first when opening, a leaf is a.hnost upright, but as it clel'elopes its weight bends it down .and the faJlillg awa,'y of the lo,wer leave 'canses it to hang lower nntil it in its t tu'n ilies 'and fa.]]s away. TIle leaves of fan palms as a rule form a larger angle with the stem than those of the f ea.ther paIms. , The reason being, that the weight is less e\'enl.\' d istributed, being placeel at the end of the petiole, Dl' steacl of almost the whole length of the leaf as ill the .J atter.

Considerable variation is founel in the leaflets. In the pi nnate section their relative positions on the leaf-rachis give a distinctive appearan ce to lllfl.ny species. A fell' examples ill both sections wi.U emphasize th is. In the paLna.to sedion, one find s in P1'I:tchadflf

I ~ ,

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,ra.ndiS, Seem., that the whole of. the leaflets seem to be joined up 10 form one deeply furrowed leaf, ha vmg a very strongly-toothed

,ruin. Other speci€s of the same genps L . peliata., B.oxb., for n~'II~ple nre divided aJomost to ~h e base, proil ucing furroweel leaf­f~~'5 which are very brontl ,wd strougly toothed at the apex, narrow­• JCY to the base, g lVlllg them a.lmost a. tria·ngnlal' shape. 'Good ~~x~mpl es of :fan-Ie~I'es are fo nnd in Th 'l'incw; and Lic'illtoncb in :vlrich thel' arc dlVlded f rom t to t the length of the leaf. TIns I S the uen'eml t.vpe of faJl-palm. o

Tn t he pinnate section the angle wh ich the leafiet for ms with ' the leaf-mchis var ies cOl1sicl e\ably. For instan ce in A'l'chontophoe­lIi.1: amI C!J'l'tostach!Js, t he leaflet is placed more or l ess at right nn;les to the racbi s fo rming a fairh flat-leaf. ·On the other hand in 'RIt 0liaZoblasl.e an el OnCOSpe'l'llla , t he angle is much greater giving II drooping appearance .which is "ery attra·ctiyc. :'111e leaflets are "cncI'aUv arranged in two rows one each sid€ th€ rachis, and as they ~re more or Jess opposite, they produce a.· flat leaf. 'l:his is the <lcneral arrangement fo r pinnate-leayed palms. A cl epa.rture fl'om this method is fou nd ill some species, as for instance in Raphia }/ookeri, M. an el W.. :li€re t he leaJi€ts appeal' to be al'l1anged in fOll r rows, two each side of the !·aehis. Tlli s is due to thei r beil1 g plncecl '1t different 3ng1les. ' rhe two bottom roil's, olle each side of the m.cilis, consist of alternate twos or threes placed -at the usual 3ngle, ",,11 ile the two upper 1'O'ws, aTe th€ Temaining leaflets placed at a I'ery Ill'nch more acnte >Ingle, th.us givi ng the appcarance of fOll r rows, whereas in reality t hl'l'e are but two. 'l'his anangement ,!!il'es it ver'y different appearancc to this type of' paum, and one fin e specimen ill the garclell ti makes a. nobl<:!-look ing pla llt. Another I'CIT di t inctive form i that of Oa1'yota ~b1 'ellS, L . In t his species the leayes' are bipil1n-ate or decomponnd, qui te 'an 11l1nsnal fo rm in the palm-family . In fact th is plant appears mOl:e like a giganti'c t,ree-fem. One other genus should be mentioned, namely, Jlc(1'ti­lI ezia from Amer i.ca . In M. ca-ryotaefolia, H. B. K , the leaflets, "hi ch are of peculiar shape, are pl,aced at in tervals in threes anel foul" on the rachis, the spaces hetween being olothed lIi t h very . hll rp spines. .

,The petioles of seveTal species aTe armed witll spines. \W1en allied I\'it h spiny stems the,)' forl11 a vel',)' formidable ban' ier in the jungle. Mentioll has been made of. t he spilll' leaf-rachis of Jlwr t·j,.. 1l ezicb, th is plant has also a very spi n'y stem . The same combination is fo un el in Oncospe'l'lJ2a. h01'l'icla, Scheff ., t hough the leaf-raahis of this species is llOt so spill." as tha t of Ma·l't·inezin. Ma ll Y pa11,ls hare sp ines Oil the petiole only, such as L-i'Vistona.,. and Elaeis.

Th e stems aJl([ leaves of Oalwllw8, and Ko·rf;halsia, are generally 'pror idetl \I' it h numerous recu1'l'ecl spin€s, amI the leaf rachis is often produced in to a. ba r bed, whip-like stru·cture. 'l'hese spines ""hi"h a.re l'efl exed enable the plants to climb o\,er the surrounding sh rubs -and t.o t he tops of the highest trees.

~l'h e Illa.ll,)' il ifferent positions assumeel by the leaves are often taken. up to protect t he plants from the effeds of too intensive

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sunlight and .the violence of wind anel rain. This arrangeillelit adUs very lIIllch in ome cases to the ben;uty of the plant. Phoenir '<npieola, Anders., affords an e~ceBent ex.ample. '1'll e curve affecte I by the leayes of t h,is plant 'renders it lIIore benutiful than would l~ t he cnse were the leaNes stmight.

FLO'rERS. rl'hese .are produced in lm:o-e llumbers on large alld much .. hranched inflorescences. 'rihey are frequentl.\' embedded ill the fle,h.,· . nrfnce of t he branches, anel belong to a t.l'pe of illflor 's. cen ce kno·wll as a . padix. In almost all palms the inflorescences are axiJlaJ'Y, only in one or two cases are they proclncecl termin/l.lh­'105 in Jf ei'roxylon, am] rO'r!J7Jh a. ]~ach infiorescence ,,'hen i n hll~l: is enclo;:ell ill a protecti"e strncture can ed a spathe. iJ'his is Illli"):t by t he g rowing inflorescence and falls off at once, or sometiutes nllnains to sheathe t he stalk and lo·wer In·anches. rfhe flowers art' "ery sma,1I and indi,·idlra.],h in ig·nificant; hilt are produced ill cnoml'Ons qnantit. ies, thousand often being borne 011 Olle inflorcs. cence. Coller·til'el,v the.,' often present a handsome appearmlcc. The." are sessile, and as a Tille uni scxu,al, thc ll1a~ e and Temale Occup\' ing ditl'erellt parts o·f the sHme inflorescence. Y er y rareh hr;rmaphrodite flower. are prOehl(·ecl. lJl some cases female flowC!:, 3.re borne on nhe lower hran e-hes of the spad ix "' ith the mal e fl(}wcn; densely packed 011 the IIpper. rn others as for example in Pi'llall.9a the fema le flowers arc placed be·t ,,·een the male flowers anel it is so 3lTHn.ged that two male flowers a,ppear in sllccess ion and then the female, tlHlTebv mak ing t he spike un isex:nal for the t ime being. As palllls are lllolloc·.otyledonoll s plants the general an'angelllcnt of the flower i ~ trimeroll":, that is il :epals, 3 petals, 6. or a lllultiple. ;; tamelli'. a Ill] 3 (·a rpels. In the mal e 'flowers the carpels, are rnclimclltary and al'e ea lled pist illocles and iii t he female flowcrs tue stamens are l"llf] imcntary and are tcrmec] staminocles. ])oll ~n is produced in gr~at ~lIa l lt i ties and prolJab lv \VillCI is one of the ehi eT agent, in poll ination. Bees nlso pIa ." an important part in t.his matter. Also the writer has seell flower spikes lite"allv swa rm· ing with a large typc of ant and it seems pTobable that polliuation m ight be carr ied Oll t by them. The ol'arv generall \' consists of three carpels eitllPr quite free or completely un ited.

·FHlTl'. The fruit is einher a herry 01' a drupe. T wo of the ra rpcl~ ma\' be abortil'e as in the Goconut, or .ij~ the carpels lire rree, a .yn ca rp of one·;;eedeci I'rnits r eR lilt,:;, 01' agai n if uni teil . il

s illgle fru it with one, two 01' t hree seeds, aocorilillg to the ll ulll'i lCr of ovules wiJi ch de,·plop is the result. The fl'uits are 011 the whole small whell compared with the ~ ize of the plaut, that of the Coeo· nut being one of the largest. (['h is is, ho,veyer, qnite dwarfed hy the huge fru it of the Don ble Cocon u t (T,oc/o'icea -'eeil eUa.nlln, J,nhi ll. ) , fl'om t.h e ,'eyc·helles.

SJ;ED'. 'J'he seeds are of varions haves and sizes. They are ronnd in the Coconut, O"~llg t.o one ovule oDlv li S a rille ha"ing de"eloped, whil st ill the Date, (Phoeni.r d!lc l.'flifera, T.J.) , t ile\' arc 'long anr] Il a.rr(),\r. \'"'here three Reeds are produced two sides lI rc often fl a tt.ened.

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C UllI'IVA-TWX . A fell' notes on the general cn,lt i\";lt ioll and pnO'ation of palms ill t he tropi cs woulll it is t hought ue of use.

P~\ has bren fu llv dealt ,dth in '''11he Agri cul t ural Bulletin S . d F. :H. S.,' · Y o!. Ilr, page 2'.50. The follO\l'ing extmct is tn,ken ~~~nl tha.t journal as the no tes there gi l'ell are equally appli cahle

noll'. " Al t ho ugh far t he g reater 1111111uer 9f palll1s are llatives of

opical regi·on s a sm.", I'l Jlumber inhab it cooler, slIb-tropi cal, or L'most ell1pera te r egion s. Such are (, ftama e'rops lIu/wil·is of ~ olitheTl I Europe" N a:llno'rlioIJS Nil ch 'i e{~lIa, o·~ Afghani s~an " Tmclly­('ur ollS e,rcc/.'u" 0'1: .Japan, Hft Cl ,l'Is hl/.llLt z"" of ,J a-pan , ]~ e'l1h{t gClptda of kell' Zealand, alld ] 'seudOIJft ol' n;.l' 8a:rgenl'vi 0:1' F lori (ln,

" 'l.' hese cooler c1 il1late pa ll1ls are l1lll ch less easy to cllltil'ate here and seldom th ri ve Il' hen planteil o lit, al t holl gh they may ue kept as pot or t ub plan ts for a long t ime,

" Therc arc al so a f ew desert palms, Il'hich are al so (liffi cult to " roll' Oll accOll nt of onr hea l'y rainfall, such are J-Typiw.enes, the ~011l1l10Jl date, (I'ho ewi,,. dacil/I'if e'I'IL ), Irhi ch, hOlrel'er , can be made to " roll' hut has Jl ever fl owered with us, The Palmyra or Lontar PI1 1~' (liorasslls ) introduced to Inelia, f rom Af ri ca and then,ce to the PeniJl sula, tlnires ncar the sea, jJl sanely places, but seem,s dimeult to grow far inland, am1 cI'elt in thc drier pnrts ot S111g­"pore is II Ot at " Il eas." to grow si~ti sfa ctor il\'. The ;\ i pa palm so abu ndant in t hc ti <lal Slramps docs ]lot groll' Il'ell awa." :from salt muel .

" Exc1usil'e of t hcse "Imo:,t all the palms from di fferent parts of the world w.hi ch hal'e been in trocll1cedinto S i1J gapore ha.\'e done well and IDall\" ha\:,c tl owCl'ed alld fl'u ited sl1ccessfuI iI' all d arc read il,Y cultir-atcd, "

"Sl<;En:, Generally speaki ng palms are reprod uced f rom seeds. in a, few instances propag a.tion by m eaJlS of dirision or root cut tings is the methoil ad opted. 'l~lle princi]lal genera from \I'hich root cut­tings may be obtain ed are :-Pina:ngu, Cy,'l osta,citys, On cospenn(t, friartea, OeIlOC{t"p~l S, Cha'lll,aedO?'e{t, Chrysalidoca'rpus, ll'allichia, , I l'ellga, Ca:rHo/a, NilJa, L ic llala, Rhctpis, Oala,mllls, Zalcwca., ](01'­

/ftalsia, lIapft 'ia" Bach 'is , /)esmorCllS, 1l.st ,'oc(!'ry'U tn, and Sag~ls , " ' ith these an lllKl ergrol1lld creeping rh izome produces a new growth and it is best to cut 0 1' rillg thi s r,hi zome behind the grow th and when ;l tnit of roots has becn form ec1the ,cutt ing may be remol'eel , Hoot cuttings, J1O'1I'CI'e l', seldom ma.ke ni ce sha.pely plants, the process is u uaUv a slow one and the pe'l'Cellt age of. loss generalh- hean', for these reasO.ns whcn prooura.bl e seeds are a,J.\l"a,),s pre-[erred.

" Ill coll ecting palm seeds it is esscntial t hat the seeel should be ped cctlv ripe. Th is is genem lly easily determ inec1 by the hard­nc of t he seed, that is to &ay 0-[ the albumen, ,and aliso by the colour and so ftness or. the frui t , occasionalh' the albllmell seems to bc fairly ha,rd before the frui t is rilJe ello ugh to gel,nina te, The Colollr of the hlli t is- oUen a heip, thus, in Ig1w,num the fruit is fiTst wh ite, thcn becomes ,reel, awl at last black, and when it has fi1'l'il"ecl at t hi s colonr on'h ' it is ripe enough -[or collecting,

184

" 'rhe fruits of palms may, be fleshy, fibrous or el'e~) woody, and It, few have a spllly spatlle w-Jnch has to be guarded agam st. ]\lesh. inlits SOOIl ferment and the pulp is easily removed. Fibrous frui~ may be macerated for a day or t lVO when the outer covering can b

c split or peeled off: 'l ' he Ma.Jayml :' Kabong" is one of the WOrst to handle, the JUlce from the fruits bemg a skm poison. 'Xh Kitool (Ca"yota .wens) is also a powerful in-itant on the sk inc

Many pa,lms germinate freely when left to themselves, under ~lll: tivation however it is best to remove the outer covering of the seed because of the decar of t he pulp or fibro'll s covering and Possihle loss f rom fungus. '1':he period of germi nation va ries f rom 6,week , with some to 3 or ,. ~'ea.rs with others. Except.ing, those pallll: requi ring much space, Coconuts, S'ago, i t is best to plant seeds in pots or boxes, which~ver is used t he drainage should be deep au!! weH covered with half decayed lea.ves to pl'event the compost frOlll blocking up the dminage. The' compost to be used should be free from ilUlgi and consist of bUl1lt earth, well decayed leaf-mould, some sand, 'and a little po,wdered chm·coal. 'Seeds mac)' be lJlanted fairly close, small seeds placed upright, Ia.rge seeds on one side, or flat, and covered with one-'half to one inch of t he prepa,red compost which 1Ms been passed through a se i ve of a fine mesh. After plant. ing the pots or boxes ,should be thoroughly IVa,tered (saturated) pla.ced in a moderately damp sit uation and afterwards sufficiently sprinkled so as never to be over wet or too dry. Palm seeds when planted l11Iust be guarded from rats and mice, and white ants, the sur:l\ace so il inspected, and exces!';i ve dam p and fungus removed, The growth is often at first very slow (th is is especiall v noticeabl . Dll'?t.tans) but after a ,veal' or two ,the g rowt:!l increases much more ra.pidly.

"SEEDLINGS. Wi th most of the best kuown palms seecllings may be described as fairl'y ]lardy and only ordina,ry attention i l1ecessary to produce strong plants, most fa:il1ll'es occur through excess il'e dUl1llJ or watering, and the moi stm e rcmaining in t he ax il of the leaves, or because the surface so il is too damp in which case the seecUing perishes. A few species of pa Ims have been introduced to cul tivation by seedling~ coHected in the jungle of. which seeds have not been procurable. Owing to the different conditions under which snch seeclliJJgs ha ve gernllin ated care must be taken to \\'rap the roots in mucl immediately on lifting them all cl the seedlings dulY up with a good ball of earth attached to them. The little plants nmst be kept very moist t ill t her can be pl,wtecl , 'and not allowed to get dry by expos,tHe to the sun or the." speeclilv perish. Some jungle palms stand transport fa irly well, especially rattans and with some species it is the only way to get t hem.

"HE-POTTI NG . As soon as seeclling palms l13ve filled their .pots with routs, t he yOUllg plants shou:ld be transplan ted or repottecl into single pots and a strong compost used, S~ me loam,)' soil, well decayeclcow manure anc1 leaI-mould, some saml and burnt earth, all well mixed together anel passecl t hrongh a moc1erately coarse sieve. Let t he dra,in3ge be sufficient and placed carefully. Allloose

185

laid sour soil remol'ed f rom the plants, the roots inspected if ~n'~lld Rnr1 fTee fTom pests, keep lightly syr inged for a few days sO 1 wa ter sparingly Im til the plants are esta:bli hed. Palms suc­all

cd best when potted or planted deeply, unlike fiowel'ing plants

~r~ lower TOOts of pa lm s in thickening mise the plant, and the sur­f Ice or adventitious roots grow upwards, In rep otting O'l' tubbing I'~n' strong. plants of whi ch t he roots have become tightly bound to!!cther it lS not necessary to ,dIsturb the baH or place new dram age UI~lerlleath it, but a Ii ttle addi tional drainage could be placed rOlmd the base, and thou~h the plants may aip'peaT ~;eel}lx t ubbed at first the su rface roots 1I'!l1 soon appeaJ' on the top.

!:lELECT IO:-; OF 'l'ECIEti , rfhe deeontiyemllie of palms is so "relit a to merit thejr being IJlaced high in the Ii t of decorative phillis, 'l' he following hint aTe giyen with a view to Rssi&ting ill >'t, lection anc1 phmt.ng, H aYU1g obtamed good strong plants, t he «(lIestion arises as to what should be clOlle WIth them to obtalll the hcst results, This is im})ol'tant as in the ca e of plilllts Teq llired for hon ehold decora t ion ,am1 !\.J'onnd t he bWlga,lo'IV, it is impemtrve thllt the pecie& which make t he best ]Jot plants are chosen. In addition it is very necessary to know \\"hi ch species requiTe s'hacie IIml I'ice versa. 'I hi applies to gOlirc1en planting generaoJly,

Po'!' PL.IN'TS. For this ]lUl1)ose the following species are ''l'ncralll' considered best,-Phoenix l'u picolr~, Andel' " Tlwinax ~rgelll e(b, l JOelc1" TI~I'ina.?; bUl'badensis; Lodel., L1:?,lw/a lJel1al:a! Roxb., Pril chm'dia gmlndtS, Seem" JAvtSiona austmhs, Mart., Lwtston(b ('!tillell s';s, Br., Li'll';stona altissima, Zoll ., Calrmws .Lindeni, Hort., ('wyola miI1's, Lour" Arenga Engle'ri, Beec" HY01Jh 01'be amal';­rllulio, Mart., H eierospatlie elata, Scheff., Vel'schaffeltia splundida, Wcnel!., Pt!/c!t.ospcl'Ina, J! cA l,th lIll'1" WencH" PtychoslJ61'ma Snnde'l'­illllfl, RieD ,. Elal>i.s gli1neMsis, Jacq., Cocos lJlwmos(b, Loc1c1 ., Mal'­fillczia cwryolaefolia, T-I , B. K" 8tevenson·ia. grandifolin, DUll c" Rho­flllloblaste Ii exaniJJra, Scheff., C II rysalidocal-Pus lutescen,s, \\' enen ,

Shade is necessa ry for Pritc7, al'dia gmn(h~, Seem, and Pty­t'ltosperl/ta .:)(bndel·iana, Riel1., a little sha'de is apPTeciatec1 by the majority of the others,

\].1 the .rubove whcn the,)' have grown too laTge :Eor pots 0 1' tubs, ('8U be planted out in sitn-a.tiolls which folio,\\, the lines already lwid <lown as r egllJrds shade,

SPECD11lN PLAN'l'S , The following species aTe recommended for planting out in t he grounds as specimen plants,-

(a) 'everal-stem'lllec1 species-Ch"ysalidoca,'pu,s lutcsccns, \\"enell " Rha71i.s flab cllifo·rmts , L'Herit" Gal'!Jota mitis, LoUl'" Arcnga undulataefolia, Becc" OncoS1Jcl'ma filfb1ncntosa, Bl., GYl't08-lach!Js La/r;/r;a, Becc" Pt!Johos penna. M cA 1'th~bl'i, Wendl. The a hove do not Tequire much shade, ,Some of these &pecics are particularly u cful for filling in gaps and ,,"here oa clump is desirable, It may he mentioned in passing that though very effective Gyl'tOStfbChy8 L(I/,;h'fb, Becc" the Pinang Raja~l, is ·a -rather slow gl'ower,

Pinanga K~bhlVi, Bl., Pina,ngfb patibla, Bl., and Ptycl!ospcl'ma 8andel'ia!ltn, RicH" require shade,

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(b) Single-stemmed species-.·Jcanlh orh ·iza. aCl/leala, Wend!. T,io'islolla aliissi'lll(b, Zoll., L . allsl /'(/Z;o. )1urt., /,aialllia Com'lItcl': .~o n;,i., L., Ca-ryola II'rell S, L., Blae'!:, gll'ineellsis, J ncq., Gocos pZ/(_ /nosa., Lockl. . Jla1'l;nez;(t cwr!JolaefoZ·ia, H. B. K., Phoe lli.~ 1')l lncola An·ders ., DY(Jsis madagasc(vriell sis, ROTt., Ol'eodont 1·eg;a., H. B. K,' A cI ':n oritylis calaPP(tria , ·Wenell., D;ct!J0spel'll1(t aZ/)wlI, W. and D.: A 'rchonlojJit oe'n'i,~ ,1le~'a'iLd1'(le, \\'endL )fone oI these require much shade.

A 1'1-::\ n : PL.t:\ l'S. )lany pa.lllls lend themsch'es 1'01' th is kind. Qf wOI'k and the rollo,wing h8l'e Dl'oved Yen' eJi'ectil-e.-

SabaZ }xtZmetio, Loc1d., Gal'yola l/1·ell ." L., DIj /Js·is madaga-l_ C(1Jrien~1'8, Hort., Oreodo:m 1'egia, H. B. K. , Cocos pllllltosa, Loc1d., a nc1 rl!'ellga sacchwrifera, J"uhill., all of whi eh fl,re su n mther than . hade loy ing plm)ts.

'Ii'. 'F LIPPA XCE.

(To be coni·inll ed) .

THE FUNGUS FLORA OF HEVEA BRASILIENSIS.

A little while ag-o an enqnirv was rec-e iyerl a king- what were the fung us cli seases of J{ceea. b·ra.,iM.ensis. On consnlt in g- the li tera. ture on this subject it was ascertained that there wa. no rccent ('ompletr . cnllll1eration of' the diseases that ha I'e been found to ;lttack th is tree in Malaya. Such li sts lUI I'e heen preparec1 for {)ther cO llntries, as for instance b~' l 'etch for the [fevea, in Ceylon, but the cli"eHscs are not nece. sa rill' the same in different countries ;llld it scemed dcs irable therefo re to hUl'e a li st for Malaya.

At the sa me t imc the present paper g-oes further than record­ing the di . eases that hal'e aetuall.'- bcen' prol'od and enu merates all fung i, both those that arc known to be paTa it.i c and those that are so fa r Tega rded HS sapropln -tic, .'I-hi ch hal'e been fOUlld on H evea locally.

The importauce of having suc·h a list is ably reasoned by Pro­fesso r C. F. Baker in VoL II, No. 11 of the" Gardens Bulletin," in his article" Hevea Yersus Fungi."

The records from wh ich thi s compilation is made are the works and collections of IL N . R.icUey, W. J. Gallagher, K . Banc­rol't, A. SllflJ'ples, W. N . C. Belgra I'e, R M. Ri chards, and C. F. Baker.

It is cons ic1ered that add itions will hal'e to be made to thi list from t ime to t ime as further investigations produce new records.

R.idley in " The Agricultural Bulletin, Straits Settlements and Federated Mala.y States," VoL X, 19111, page 141, quoting M. George V C'\'llet gives on page H3 " a list of all pests recorclec1 to the plant," and numerates 25 species of fUllgu , end ing with the com­ment, " This Illay 'eem a fonnic1able list but it is really small comparcd with the pests which attract most culti mtecl plants."