BOMB. IV GARDENS', 413 



foliage needs no commenl ; while it is well known, that they suqoee<d 

 admirably here ; and that more than a hundred varieties arc found in 



our gardens. They are, however, now-a-days partly giving way to 

 quicker growing- and, in certain respects, more effective shrubs, as 

 the biilliantly coloured Aealyphas, the leaves of which vary in colour 

 from the most brilliant metallic blood-red to the purrs! yellowish 

 green, while their shape and size offer great variety, and one kind is 

 distinguished by its long drooping blood-red flower spikes. Among 

 the Eranthemums we have similar variations — golden greyish, violet, 

 pinkish flaked and dark-purple narrow or broad, metallic shining- 

 leaves, while the many varieties of Graptophyllums, with broadly 

 light or dark blotched leaves, are valuable additions to the great 

 number of variegated shrubs, among which perhaps few are more 

 useful, though less striking in colour, than the wdiite-blotched Aralia 

 Guilfoylei, or none more elegant and graceful than the finely feather- 

 leaved Panax Victoria, or the snow shrub, Phyllanthus nivoms, 

 which form a beautiful contrast to its dark purple coloured congener, 

 Phyttanthus afropurpicreus, the effect of which is, how r ever, far sur- 

 passed by its ally, Exoecaria bicolor. Among flowering shrubs none 

 are more effective than the brilliantly-coloured Poinsettias, of which 

 several varieties occur, w r hile for variety of colour, size, and beauty 

 of the individual flowers, the numerous varieties of shoe flowers 

 (Hibiscus) have no rivals. The Caesalpinias (Poinciana pukherrima) 

 are most of the year covered w T ith their large clusters of brilliant 

 orange or pure yellow flowers, and the charm of our pure white 

 flowered or pale-lilac Durantas can hardly be rivalled, while the 

 masses of gigantic bell-shaped white flow r ers of Datura suaveolcns are 

 well worth admiration. The coral-stalked flow T ers of Jatrophas, the 

 yellow- flowered Allamandas, Teoma stans and Thevetia neriifolia and 

 the scarlet Teconia eapensis, the snowy-white Tabema'-moittaiias, and 

 the almond-scented Gardenia {G. htcida) are along with the well-known 

 crimson, pink or white Oleanders frequent inhabitants of our gardens, 

 and assist with a great number of other flowering shrubs, among 

 which perhaps the different kinds of the very popular jessamines, the 

 brilliantly coloured Ixoras, the w r hite-bracted Mussamdas, and numer- 

 ous kinds of Olerodendrons deserve to be mentioned, in yielding a 

 continual supply of choice flowers. Among foliage plants other than 



