THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 143 



a very good collection of vai'legated Caladiums was shown. In lato 

 summtr an exhibit was made of the spider lily, HymenocalliK littoralis. 

 These were grown in boxes 1 foot by 1.5 foot square and 1.5 

 foot deep. Passing from this house we enter the Agave and Aloe house. 

 These plants do not afford much interest except at time of flowering wlien 

 they send up a flower stalk 6 to 10 feet high with a spike of numerous 

 flowers. The Cactus and Yucca houses do not afford much interest al- 

 though there are some excellent specimens of the Echino-cactus. The 

 Acacia house contains in the main three Acacias, a leguminous plant cf 

 the tropics. These trees which were about eight or ten feet high were 

 one mass of bloom in the spring. Next in line is the Bromeliad house. 

 This house contains the octopus plant, Tillandsia balbisiana, and the 

 most interesting goose plant, Aristolochia gigas, which however, is not 

 a bromeliad. This flower is about the s:-ze of one's head, provided that 

 head is not exceeding ordinary proportions. The next house is the orchid 

 house and perhaps is the most interesting house for the orchids are the 

 most beautiful of all plants. Here I found that Cattleya triania was per- 

 haps the most beautiful and best adapted for commerce, although Chysis 

 the wax orchid, Dendrodiums, Oncidium papilio, the butterfly orchid, 

 and cyprysediums the slipper orchids, are also adapted for commerce. 

 Next to the orchid house is the house for East India plants and here Vi e 

 find Dieffenbachias, Cyanophyllums, Marantas, Orchids, Bromeliads and 

 ferns. In the fern house or dome one can see the tree ferns Alsophyia 

 and Cybodium, stag horn fern and numerous others. Adjoining the fern 

 house is the cycad house and there are many who think that cycads are 

 ferns. Here we find the old reliable sagO' palm, Cycas revoluta. Besides 

 Cycas, there is Zamia, Dioon and Eucephaiartos. The dioons are beau- 

 tiful plants and should be used more by florists. 



The bedding plants used at the garden can be classified into two 

 groups; the herbaceous or non-tropical and the tropical or woody plants. 

 The herbaceous bedding plants are uHcd in the parterre, a large sunken 

 garden, and in the circle, a large group of beds of arched shape. The 

 parterre and some of the other beds are planted with bulbs in the fall. 

 In early spring a stupendous show of thousands of bulbs crop out of the 

 ground. They are mostly tuiips and from fifteen to twenty of the prin- 

 cipal varieties are used. After flowering they are taken up and the sum- 

 mer bedding plants take their place. Their best bedding plants are, 

 Iresine, Coleums, Piquenia, Ageretxim, Salvia, Begonia, Crotons, Cordy- 

 iine and Pandanus. Tresine hertsti brilliantissima and coleus "South part 

 beauty" make the finest combination that I have ever seen. The former 

 is a brilliant red and the latter a rich yellow. There was not a single 

 bed of geraniums used and cannas were not used extensivelj^ The can* 

 nas were bothered very much by the caterpillar. Canuaurea gymnocarpa 

 received its last trial and will be abandoned for not making a good stand. 

 The principal grasses used were Penesetum and Panicum plicaturn varie- 

 gatnm, the latter making a close stand and of medium height. For early 

 and semi-summer bedding work, stocks, poppies (Papaver somniferum). 



