*Chamæpeuce diacantha.—A spiny-leaved biennial of remarkable habit, growing in tufts of six or eight stems, from 2 ft. to nearly 3 ft. high, which, in the following season, are terminated by dense, spike-like clusters of purplish blooms. It requires light, well-drained soil and a warm position, and should seldom be watered. As the stems are not produced until the second year, the radical rosettes of the first year may be advantageously used in forming edgings, or on the margins of groups, for which
their light-green, silver-veined leaves are very suitable, or they may serve to fill a vacant space in the mixed border. Multiplied by sowing in spring or autumn. The plants require the shelter of a house in winter, and are only effective for edgings in the young or rosette stage.
*Chamærops excelsa.—A hardy species, with an erect stem, 20 ft. or 30 ft. high in its native country, and dark-green, erect, fan-shaped leaves, deeply cut into narrow segments. The leaf-stalks are from 3 ft. to 6 ft. long, and are enclosed at the base in a dense mass of rough fibres, and armed at the edges with small, tooth-like spines. This plant remains out during the winter in the neighbourhood of Paris, in sheltered positions, the stem being protected in severe frosts with a covering of straw, etc., and it is worth a trial in the south with us.
*Chamærops Fortunei (The Chusan Palm).—This species is often confounded with C. excelsa, from which, however, it differs in being of a stouter habit, having a more profuse matted network of fibres around the bases of the leaves and crown, the segments of the leaves much broader, and the leaf-stalks shorter and stouter, from 1 ft. to 2 ft. long, and quite unarmed. It grows 12 ft. or more in height, and has a handsome, spreading head of fan-like leaves, which are slit into segments about half-way down.
It may not be generally known that this palm is perfectly hardy in this country. A plant of it in Her Majesty’s gardens at Osborne has stood out for many winters and attained a considerable height. It is also placed out at Kew, though protected in winter. On the water-side of the high mound in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, it is in even better health than at Kew, though it has not had any protection for years, and stood the fearfully hard frost of 1860. If small plants of this are procured, it is better to grow them on freely for a year or two in the greenhouse, and then turn them out in April, spreading the roots a little and giving them a deep loamy soil. Plant in a sheltered place, so that the leaves may not be injured by winds when they grow up and get large. A gentle hollow, or among shrubs on the sides of some sheltered glade, will prove the best place for it. The establishment of a palm among our somewhat monotonous shrubbery and garden vegetation is surely worthy of a little trouble, and the precautions indicated will prove quite sufficient.
Chamærops Palmetto (Palmetto Palm).—This is a rather slow-growing species, but valuable on account of its hardiness. It grows to a height of about 15 ft., and has glaucous or sea-green, fan-shaped leaves, divided into long narrow segments. The stem is smooth or without prickles. It is a very fine object when planted out; and, grown in tubs in a cool house or conservatory, stands the open air in summer well, and should be put out at the end of May.