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Acanthophoenix (acantha, thorn, and phoenix, a date palm). Palmaceae, tribe Areceae. Very elegant greenhouse palms.
Leaves pinnate, finely dissected, more or less armed with long, slender, brown or black spines; lfts narrow, linear-lanceolate, acute, rarely acuminate, prominently veined above, scaly beneath, the margins revolute; rachis 3-angled in sections; sheath long, smooth or spiny: infl. (spadix) twice branched, sometimes smooth, but often hairy or even spiny, hanging by a short, stout
stalk; the secondary branches slender or sometimes thick and twisted: spathes 2, flattened, soon falling: fls. monoecious, in spirally disposed 3-flo. clusters, red, pinkish or orange; inner segms. of the perianth valvate in male fls., imbricate in female fls.; stamens 12, reduced in the pistillate fls. to a ring of functionless staminoidea: fr. black, about twice the size of a grain of wheat.—There are only 3 or 4 species, confined exclusively to the Mascarene Isls., Mauritius and Bourbon. G.C. II. 22:426.
These are tall palms or sometimes of moderate stature, the spiny and often ringed trunks conspicuously swollen at the base. Horticulturally, they have not
figured very prominently in the trade in this country, but they are among the finest of cultivated palms in the collections of fanciers and botanic gardens.
They should be grown in a warm house, from 70 to 90°, never less than a night temperature of 55 to 60°. They will root best in a soil composed as follows: loam three parts, peat one part, leaf-mold one part, mixed with a little sand or crushed charcoal. The drainage, so long as the plants are in pots and tubs, must be very good, as they require much water. If possible, when the plants are 6 feet or more, plant out permanently.
Propagation is only by seeds, which frequently require two to three years to germinate. The seeds should be placed in a seed-pan and kept in a warm, moist place.
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