428 HORTUS MORTOLENSIS 
Scrnya. 
S. hemorrhoidalis was procured from Messrs. Wildpret & 
Schenkel, Hamburg and Orotava, in 1908. 8S. hyacinthoides is 
a native of the olive woods near Mortola. S. ctalica grows on 
our mountains, whence it has been introduced into the garden. 
SECHIUM EDULE. 
A perennial with a thick and fleshy rootstock; ripens its fruits 
from December to January. They are known as “ Chocho” in 
the West Indies, where they are much appreciated and eaten by 
all classes. Occasionally they are shipped to England and sold 
as ‘Chayotes.” The plant was long ago introduced to the 
Mediterranean region from Madeira. Our plants were grown 
from fruits sent by Mr. Max Herb, of Naples, in 1902. The fruit 
only contains one seed, which germinates whilst the fruit is still 
fresh and green. 
SEDUM. 
Some of the perennial species of Northern temperate regions 
find our climate and soil too hot and dry. 
SEMELE ANDROGYNE. 
A fine climber with large cladodia, has been generally separated 
from Ruscus on account of its mostly hermaphrodite flowers, the 
perianth and the stamens of which are united into a short tube at 
the base. So far our plant has never borne fruit. 
SEMPERVIVUM. 
Almost all the Canarian (arborescent or woody) species succeed 
very well at La Mortola, although many are sensitive to frost. 
They all flower and fruit abundantly. Many of them are old 
inhabitants of the garden, but the greater part were procured in 
later years from many botanical gardens, chiefly from Basel and 
Prague. 
The Alpine species have been given up, as with a few 
exceptions they do not thrive, our climate being too hot and 
dry. 
The Canarian species, on the contrary, are perfectly at home 
here, and afford an excellent illustration of xerophytic adaptation. 
After having flowered and ripened their seeds they lose, on the 
approach of the hot season, their old leaves, and finally retain 
only a small and very compact rosette, in which the leaves are 
densely imbricated, thus exposing only a very small surface. 
When the moist autumn begins the rosette opens and produces 
much larger leaves, quite different from those of the summer 
resting state. 
However, not all species behave in the same way; S. tabula- 
forme, for instance, never loses its flat form; but then this 
species only grows well in shady places, where it does not need 
special protection against excessive evaporation. 
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