A TRIP TO CUBA AND THE SOUTHERN STATES. 



you can pick up may be said to be the " pursuit of knowledge under difficulties." 

 Here we found a number of beautiful plants unknown to our green or hothouses, 

 many of which, with a whole cargo of air-plants, were preparing to be, and have 

 since been, shipped to our townsman, James Dundas, Esq., under direction of his 

 enthusiastic relative, Mr. J. Lippincott, Jr., who intelligently explored chapparals, 

 climbed mountains, and underwent every kind of fatigue, and sometimes native oppo- 

 sition, to fill Mr. Dundas's noble houses with the best things that could be procured. 



Among them is one plant that will be new to a vast portion of our cultiva- 

 tors. Mr. Pedrigal calls it Camellia arhorea, and it is about the size of a healthy 

 young Camellia of three years' growth ; its peculiarity is, that when set above a 

 stream of water, at a height, as we saw it, of eight or ten feet, it sends down to 

 the water a tube, round and elastic, looking as if made of thread or soft leather ; 

 at the end of this are a few little roots, and through these nourishment is sucked, 

 and sent in the hose! to the plant.* 



Mr. Pedrigal supplies a vast many native plants to European gardens, and to 

 this end, propagates and collects the best air-plants and epiphytes. Every small 

 and large tree in his garden, is the bearer of numerous specimens, so that the 

 place has quite an air-plant air, quite novel and amusing. On a Mamon-tree will 

 be seen air-plants bearing the flowers resembling a monkey, a spider, and a but- 

 terfly, proceeding apparently from the same roots which have been grown together 

 from the same starting-point. His verbenas attain the height of six feet ! and 

 have concluded to become ascending runners, in compliment to the climate. Then 

 there are trees covered with such novel flowers and fruit, of which we had no 

 previous knowledge, that a year instead of a few days would be required to give 

 them reality to our readers. We must, however, name, in Spanish fashion, the 

 Pinon real (of which we obtained a fine drawing for publication in our last num- 

 ber) and La Carolina (of the BombacesB family), two of the most gorgeous things 

 imaginable. A running vine here attracted all eyes. In Spanish, it is the Flore 

 de Cinco meses (five months flower), most superb and novel ; but all our specimens 

 were taken from under pressure of a trunk by a wicked Spanish chamber-maid, 

 and thrown into her slop-bucket ! which will account for our want of success in 

 naming many articles that were highly interesting and novel. 



Mr. Pedrigal has some fine specimens of Araucaria Braziliensis, and sells at 

 reasonable prices. Mr. Lippincott very much reduced his varied stock, and we are 

 happy to know they have all arrived in Philadelphia in excellent condition. 



We saw at this garden one of the most valuable woods known to the world : 

 the Hibiscus tiliacae, a Malvacea ; its fibre is used extensively for making ropes, 

 and its wood is of that durable and elastic quality which gives the long and very 

 strong and elastic shaft-poles of the volante, and which is indispensable, in the 

 absence of hickory, to the manufacture of that universal vehicle. 



Roses are about as good as our own ; great attention is now being paid to this 

 long-neglected flower, which it was thought would not succeed here ; but the 

 Paradise and Persia of roses is in the vicinity of Xatches, which we shall attempt 

 to describe hereafter. 



* This proves, on nearer examination, to be one of the Clusias, the rosea or syphon plant, 

 mentioned as enveloping the trees and palms, and named in Mr. Sauvalle's letter in our 

 last number along with Clusia alba. The species are trees abounding in a tenacious glutin- 

 ous juice, of a balsamic flavor, whence the English name Balsam tree. C. rosea has hand- 

 some flowers ; the fruit is green and of the size of a middling apple, with eight lines running 

 like the meridians of a globe from the stalk to the crown of it. When it ripens it opens at 

 these lines, and divides into eight parts, disclosing many mucilaginous scarlet seeds, 

 bling those of the pomegranate. See the former description of the alba. 



