81 



The wood of the "Wallaba" is considered very suitable for 

 making "shingles" or wood tiles for the covering of roofs, and is 

 largely used for this purpose on the mainland of South America, 

 especially in British, French and Dutch Guiana, "Wallaba" shingles 

 being a well known article in the markets for housebuilding material. 



There is a fairly good figure of the parts of this tree in Aublet's 

 Plantes de la Guiane, p. 142, Vol. III., but the Legume is poorly 

 represented. 



The tree as it grows under our care is to be compared with 

 Amherstia, and the pods of each being almost identical in shape and 

 hang in the same manner from a long peduncle. The foliage is also 

 very similar in appearance. 



147.-BIGNONIA UNGUIS, L. 



"Cat's Claw" Creeper. 



This plant is one which covers the branches of trees in wood- 

 lands and plain, with festoons of green foliage all the year round, and 

 in the flowering season (March and April) it presents such masses of 

 glowing colour to the view as to become quite a feature in the land- 

 scape. It is best seen, however, when covering the branches of trees 

 standing singly in pastures or other places where it is restricted in 

 groAvth. In such positions it surrounds the whole of the trunks and 

 larger branches with its foliage, and flowers are produced from every 

 side forming one solid field of orange yellow bloom, the beauty of 

 which has only to be seen to be highly appreciated, but cannot be 

 accurately described. 



The glory of the plant, however, quickly passes away, for the 

 flowers commence to fall on the second or third day, and in a week 

 not a single one is to be seen. In due course these are succeeded 

 by long, pendulous capsules which sometimes reach nearly three 

 feet in length. 



Attempts have been made to bring this climber into cultivation, 

 and it was planted on the walls of Government House by one of my 

 predecessors. The plant grows readily, and as a screen for bare walls 

 answers Avell, but during the past eight years has only produced 

 flowers once, and these poor in size and few in number, and hardly to 

 be recognized as the same produced by its sister plant growing on a 

 tre e but a few yards distant : in fact the plant seems unhappy, and 



