100 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 
foundation for most of the chewing gums. In the group 
of textile fibre plants, are found those from which are made 
Manila rope and paper, New Zealand hemp, sisal hemp, 
“silk floss,” and other important economic products. The 
patchouli plant, different species of jasmine, and the frag- 
rant olive, are in the section devoted to perfume plants, and 
the coffee, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and nut- 
meg may also be seen growing in this house. 
Close by is the so-called “St. John’s bread,’ which yields 
an edible pod of the bean type which is i erie to be the 
“locust” upon which John the Baptist subsisted while in 
the wilderness, as well as the “husks” which constituted the 
food of the prodigal son. A good collection of medicinal 
plants is also to be seen here. 
In the fern house the peculiar way in which the staghorn 
fern has survived, because of its drought-resisting qualities, 
is explained and in the collection of desert plants much 
information concerning their economic value and interest- 
ing manner of growth is given. Why, for instance, have 
the cacti, native of America, and the euphorbias, native of 
Africa, which are in no way closely related, assumed the 
same characteristic habits of growth? The giant cactus of 
Arizona, as well as the spineless cactus, the so-called “living 
rock,” the “dumpling,” and the “organ pipe” cactus are all 
ointed out and discussed. In the same house are the 
interesting odd-shaped blossoms of the parachute flower, apt 
to be passed by without notice by the casual visitor. 
Continuing through this range of greenhouses the remark- 
ably fine specimen of vanilla orchid is observed, together 
with some of its beans which furnish our most-used flavor- 
ing extract. Next come the carnivorous plants, including 
the pitcher plants, Venus’ fly traps, and the sun dews, the 
peculiar adaptation of these for catching and devouring in- 
sects being fully explained by the guide. 
_ At the present time perhaps the most noteworthy collec- 
tion of outdoor plants is to be found in the herbaceous tract. 
Here are gathered together a number of our common eco- 
nomic plants, together with some others which are not 
usually grown in this vicinity. While the products are 
familiar to all, yet the growing plants are new to many 
visitors. Among the foodstuffs grown here are rice, oats, 
various kinds of corn, rye, buckwheat, sugar cane, sorghum, 
sugar beets, and peanuts. Few people realize that peanuts 
grow upon small annual plants and that while the flowers 
are borne above ground the nuts develop under the earth 
in much the same manner as potatoes. An excellent field 
