84 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. vii. 



we are reminded of the tropical affinities of our window-garden 

 favourite, and note that, though colossal as compared with it, all 

 have the circinate one sided racime of pale flowers, Another 

 group, which, but for the interchanges of commerce, would be 

 foreign to our shores, flourishes here as if at home ; this is the 

 potato fainily (^Solanacece) , species of which grow wild in all 

 parts of the Island. Both the Pepper plant and the Tomato 

 often arrest the attention bj the display of their bright red fruit; 

 the latter in its clusters of little cherry-like fruit, when compared 

 with the large varieties grown in Canada, tells how much 

 the plant has been modified by cultivation, in its progress north- 

 ward. Two of our northern families with milky juice and pretty 

 flowers are well represented in Cuba: they are the Dogbane 

 (^Apocynaceoe) and the Milk- weed (^Asclepiadaceoe) . A species 

 of the latter is counted an efficacious medicine in fever. The 

 maritime species of the Goosefoot family (^Chenopodiacece) , also 

 have representatives on the Cuban shores, as the Glebe Flowers 

 and Amaranths have in the fields. As a counter part to the 

 "Wait-a-bit" Thorn of Southern Africa, the Una-de-gato of the 

 West Indies claims the attention of even the most careless travel- 

 ler, by marking his face and his hands if he rides carelessly 

 where it abounds. It has formidable recurved spines which 

 will rend even the strongest leggings. Among the subdivi- 

 sions of the Nettle family to be found in Cuba are the Indian 

 Fig and the India-rubber tree. These, as well as the Mango, 

 ofier examples of dense and beautiful evergreen foliage at the 

 driest season of the year, when the Ceibas, gummous trees and 

 many others are almost stripped of leaves. Our well known 

 family of Arums is scarcely to be recognized in the Philodendron, 

 with its round, bright green stem, ascending the trunk of some 

 lofty tree, and clinging to it by the roots which it emits from 

 each joint of the stem in its upward progress. Nor would we 

 easily recognize the Nettle family in the Phoradendron, which, 

 in like manner, finds the forest trees a convenient resting place, 

 where it may display its little orange-colored blossoms. The 

 Butter-cup family (^Ranunculacea;^ , representatives of which 

 are met with on every hand in our own land, is scarcely to be 

 recognized among the profusion of tropical forms in Cuba. 

 The great family Rosacea as well as the Violet, Heath, 

 Mustard, Pink and Parsley families, and many others which 

 abound with us, are almost excluded from the West Indian Flora. 



