Hydriastele
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Describe the plant here...
| Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture |
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Hydriastele (Greek, water and column; the tall trunks growing near springs). Palmaceae, tribe Areceae. A monotypic genus containing a tropical Australian palm advertised sometimes as Kenlia Wendlandiana. This may belong to Exorrhiza, which see. If it is a true Hydriastele, however, it is told from the kentias in foliage by the leaf-segments split at the apex instead of acuminate and not split. More fundamentally, Hydriastele differs in having the ovule on the side of the cell instead of at the bottom, as in Kentia. In this respect it agrees with the group of genera mentioned under Hedyscepe, but it differs from that group in having the fls. borne in 4 ranks instead of spirally. Hydriastele is a spineless palm with erect winged caudex: lvs. terminal, pinnatisect; segms. alternate, linear, split at the apex; mid-veins covered below with caducous scales; margins thin; rachis laterally compressed, dorsally convex; face of the petiole concave; sheath rather short: spadices with short, wide peduncles, branched from the base, the branches obtusely quadrate, long, slender, pendulous: spathes 2, complete, compressed, deciduous, the lower one ancipital: bracts and bractlets connate: fr. small, ellipsoidal, smooth or ribbed. This distinct and excellent palm has hitherto been rare, but now that the seeds are being produced in tropical nurseries it is fast becoming popular. The seeds are round, fairly hard, and resemble those of Archontophoenix Alexandra. The characteristic leaves are pinnatifid, the segments being irregular and somewhat jagged at the apex, after the fashion of a fish-tail palm or caryota. It stands the temperature of an ordinary living-room better than many other palms. For rapid growth it needs more heat than Howea Belmoreana and H. forsteriana. In the greenhouse a temperature of 60° to 70° is most congenial. A lower temperature will not hurt it, but gives a slower and more compact growth. It loves plenty of moisture, and frequent syringing is beneficial. For potting soil, it likes rich loam, with plenty of sharp sand and good drainage. The seeds and seedlings should be treated more like the commercial areca, i.e., Chrysalidocarpus lutescens. It forms a single stem when only 3 feet high, and grows to a height of 20 feet or more in cultivation. It is at its best when 10 to 15 feet high. When well established and pot- bound it loves high feeding, as does Chrysalidocarpus lutesccns. (H. A. Siebrecht.)
The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text. |
Cultivation
Propagation
Pests and diseases
Varieties
Gallery
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References
- Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
External links
- w:Hydriastele. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
- Hydriastele QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)