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^ 



iSRARYl : 



THE OTTAWA NATURALIST. ^^fvV 



Vol. XII. OTTAWA, SEPTEMBER, 1898. No. 6. 



VEGETATION IN THE BERMUDAS.— Part. II. 

 Flowering Shrubs. 



By IL B. .S.MALL, Esq., Ottawa, Ont. 



The greater part of the trees, shrubs and plants of Bermuda 

 are not as a rule indigenous, but they have become so spread and 

 scattered in every direction that it is a difficult matter to dis- 

 tinguish what may be called wild from the cultivated. The mild- 

 ness of climate, abundant sunshine, moist atmosphere, and varied 

 soil all conduce to luxuriant growth. Only the most striking 

 shrubs can be alluded to in a short article, and that only in a 

 cursory manner, but sufficient enough to attract the attention of 

 the reader. 



Foremost amongst the shrubs is the " Match-mc-if-you-can" 

 i^Poinsictta pulcherrinia), a handsome growth of from 5 to 7 feet 

 high, with branches not unlike those of the Sumach, and which 

 terminate in clusters of greenish red and yellow flowers, sur- 

 rounded by a whorl of large leaf-like brackets of the brightest 

 scarlet from 6 to 10 inches in diameter. To see one of these- 

 shrubs in full bloom in the late autumn and early winter almost 

 dazzles the eye with their bright hues. 



The Hibiscus (//. •^imitabilis) grows from 10 to 15 feet hio-h, 

 or sometimes more. Its leaves are of a bright green, heart- 

 shaped, and the shrub is covered with large scarlet flowers 4 

 inches in diameter, occasionally changing to pink or pinkish 

 white. It keeps in full bloom nearly all the year round, bud 

 succeeding bud as the season advances. 



The Oleander {Neriuni Oleander) is a bushy evergreen 

 shrub from 4 to 20 feet high, thickly branched from the base. 

 Introduced into Bermuda years ago, it is now one of the most 

 striking features of the landscape. From early spring until 



