42 



Indies, but their fruit does not appear to be 

 much in demand. 



Burning Bush (Poinsettia Pulcherrima)— A 

 handsome shrub, five to six feet high. Us 

 branches being conspicuous from terminat- 

 ing in clusters of green, red, and yellow flow- 

 ers, surrounded by a whorl of very bright 

 scarlet. The blossom is most attractive. 



Cassava (Jatropha Manihot) — A smooth, 

 shrubby plant, three to four feet high, is cul- 

 tivated for its starch, from which tapioca is 

 prepared by washing. It also forms an arti- 

 cle of food for the natives, who, especially at 

 Christmas time, supplant the English plum- 

 pudding with cassava pie. 



Elder (Sarabucus Nigra) is by no means 

 uncommon, but its showy white blossoms 

 seldom produce fruit. Probably the want of 

 winter's rest, which all deciduous trees get 

 in the north, tends to barrenness. 



Honey-Smkles (Caprifolium Sempervirens, 

 ?ind- lyouieera. Japonica) are trained along 

 verandahs, and are very fragrant. They may 

 \)e seen growing over old walls in Devon- 

 shire. 



Tansif (Tanacetum Yiilgare) with its feather- 

 like leaves may be noticed round many small 

 cottages, and is valued as a stomachic and 

 tonic. . 



Oleander (Nerium Oleander). A bushy ever- 

 green shrub, six to twenty feet high, branch- 

 ed from the base. It was originally intro- 

 duced here from the shores of the Mediter- 

 ranean,, and has taken so kindly to the soil 

 and climate that it has spread all over the 

 islands, and has become quite a nuisance to 

 farming interests. The more it is cut down 

 the thicker it grows up again, and as its seeds 

 are as feathery as thistle down they spread 



