61 



found on marsh land, but is not very common. Biennial. 

 Summer. 



Parietaria Debilis or Floridana. Forst. (red pellitory. ) A 

 woody plant at root, with erect stems six to twelve inches 

 high, downy, reddish. Leaves oval, one and a half inches 

 long, and five-eights wide, pointed, of a glossy dark-green. 

 Flowers greenish-white, tinged with red. Grows on damp 

 walls and in rocky crevices. Annual. Winter months. 



Parietaria Alba (white pellitory.) A plant with white tran- 

 slucent stems. Iveaves same as above, but variable in size. 

 Flowers greenish tinged with white. Not common. In all re- 

 spects very similar to the preceding species. 



Morus Ruba. lyinn. (red mulberry.) i^n erect, thickly 

 branched tree, twenty to twenty-five feet high. I^eaves large, 

 crinkled, five to eight inches long and three inches wide, heart- 

 shaped, pointed, serrate. Flowers, a pinkish- white, followed 

 by a juicy fruit, on some trees red, on others white. It forms 

 a splendid shade tree froiu the denseness of its foliage. In 

 1593, Henr}' May, the earliest writer on these islands, speaks 

 of "infinite store of mulberries," and Jourdan writing in 1609 

 mentions " mulberries both white and red. " The Bermuda 

 Company perhaps with a view to improving the native tree 

 sent out mulberry seeds in 1616. The tree may frequently be 

 seen, especially in Warwick, in the shape of hedges. 



Morus Alba. Of this species there are two varieties (M. 

 multicaulis, Perrot, and M. macrophylla, Hart) which were 

 introduced in connection with an attempt made by the late Dr. 

 S. A. Smith to establish the silk industry in this colony. 

 These varieties are in appearance very similar to the preceding 

 but not so massive or so lofty. For several years Dr. Smith 

 dovoted close attention to breeding silkworms. The cocoons, 

 however seemed to fail to mature fully. Nevertheless Dr. 

 Smith shipped, yearly, fairly large consignments of them to 

 Italy and France. It is alleged that climatic conditions in 

 Bermuda militate against the winding of the silk off the cocoons. 



Ficus Carica (common fig.) This shrub, which at one time 

 was abundant in a wild state, is scarce although in the cultiva- 



