Veitchia
(named in honour of the late James Veitch, of Chelsea, the leading nurseryman of his day). ORD. Palmae. An imperfectly-known genus (four species have been indicated) of stove Palms, inhabiting the Fiji Islands and the New Hebrides. Male flowers much smaller than the females; spathes three (?), deciduous; spadix shortly and thickly pedunculate, the branches elongated, fastigiate, thickened at base. Fruit about 2ft. long, ellipsoid or fusiform-ovoid and slightly beaked, or sub-globose. Leaves terminal, equally pinnatisect; pinnae linear or acuminate, unequally truncate, the margins thickened. Only two species are at present grown in gardens. For culture, see Kentia.
V. Canterburyana (Canterbury's). A synonym of Hedyscepe Canterburyana. V. Johannis (John Veitch's).* fl. minute; spadix much branched, the branches forming large bunches. fr. at first green, at length bright orange, red at base, ovoid-ellipsoid. l., pinnae minutely toothed, the midrib terminating in a small curve, the apex obliquely truncate. Fiji, 1868. "Seedlings have, from the first, a straight stem, their sheath, petiole, and rachis being of a dark blood-colour, and covered when young with a grey tomentum, which is interspersed with lancet-shaped, thin, dark red lepida" (Wendland, in Seemann's "Flora Vitiensis"). See Fig. 153. SYN. Kentia Joannis. V. Storckii (Storck's). fl., spadix resembling that of Cocos nucifera, much and repeatedly branched; principal branches triangular, the lower ones having as many as twelve branchlets. fr. ellipsoid, with a slender, blunt taper. l., pinnae coriaceous, glabrous on both sides, much folded towards the base, and furnished with three prominent, longitudinal ribs, the two lateral ones of which are close to the margins. Trunk hard and smooth, dark brown below, light brown above. h. 40ft. Fiji. SYNS. Kentia elegans (of gardens), K. Storckii.