GARDENS ANT) ORANGE GROUNDS OF ST. MICHAEL'S. 243 



very much and grow slowly, and the common Larch will scarcely 

 exist in the island. Banksias succeed equally well here as in 

 their native soil and climate ; with the exception of B. palustris, 

 they have been all introduced within tlie last four years, and 

 some are already ten feet high, both blooming and .seeding. 

 Protea cynaroides grows well, while every other species intro- 

 duced died. Some years ago Jose do Canto procured some Pro- 

 teaceous. seeds from the Cape, and was successful in rearing 

 young plants of Leucadendron argenteum, which lie planted in 

 an orange-garden. One plant surpa.ssed anything I ever saw ; 

 it is impossible to convey in writing any coiTect idea of tiic beauty 

 of this .silky and silvery-leaved native of the Cape. 



The genus Ficus is spread over every garden of extent in the 

 island. F. elastica and australis have been many years intro- 

 duced ; they grow to a large size. Ficus elastica retains tlie 

 same straggling habit it has in our stoves. F. australis is a com- 

 pact, noble tree. F. repens will become the Ivy of St. Michael's, 

 growing over rockwork, and imparting a peculiar charm of light 

 and shade — the old leaves being deep green and tlie young slioots 

 a pale yellow, often tipped with a tinge of red. 



Magnolias likewise appear to liave found a congenial home in 

 the island ; some specimens of M. grandiflora are forty and fifty 

 feet high, with spreading tops like an oak ; at evening time the 

 air is filled with tiie sweet scent of their flowers, and at noonday 

 their branches form a favourite retreat from tlie heat of the sun. 

 All the newlj^ introduced Magnolias appear to thrive quite as 

 well as M. grandiHora, which has been many years in the island. 



Few Palm trees have yet been planted, but those which have 

 been tried are thriving well. In the court-yards of many houses 

 in the city of Ponta Delgado are Phcenix dactylifera, the Date. 

 They are tall, noble-looking plants, producing abundance of 

 bloom every season, yet, from some cause I could never satis- 

 factorily find out, they bear no fruit. 



I will now proceed to notice briefly a few of the floweiing 

 shrubs that are worthy of attention. Camellias have long been 

 favourites with the natives. The inner courts of every convent 

 and monastery contain .some noble specimens ; when newly in- 

 troduced from nurseries in England they suffer a little from the 

 winds, and grow slowly ; but in a few years they become accus- 

 tomed to their new home and flourish luxuriantly. I have mea- 

 sured some Camellias twenty feet high, forming lawn bushes 

 like the Portugal Laurel in England. So great is tlie desire 

 for Camellias, that several of the Portuguese gentlemen have 

 purchased plants of all the named varieties in the English and 

 French nurseries. Metrosideroses, Melaleucas, and Callislemons, 

 all thrive well, and form objects of great beauty, flowering well 



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