130 ORNAMENTAL GARDEN ING 
striking trees in the vegetable kingdom. I have not succeeded 
with it so far. A. imbricata, Monkey Puzzle from Chile, has 
totally failed here but it may do something in clayey soil in 
northern Florida. Mr. Frank MacLaren of Fernandina informs 
me that A. bidwill1 succeeds there with some protection. 
Barringtonia is a genus of beautiful flowered trees from the 
East Indian region, none of which, so far as I know, have been 
tried in Florida. The species should be planted in moist places 
near the sea. 
Bauhinia. A large genus of trees, shrubs and vines from the 
Old and New World Tropics, all of which, so far as I have seen 
tried, do well in South Florida. The queen of them all is B. 
purpurea of which a specimen in Fort Myers has reached a 
height of nearly forty feet with a trunk diameter of two feet. 
Its gorgeous variegated purple flowers that open in late winter 
are like those of some superb orchid. JB. alba has white flowers, 
blooming at intervals through the year; B. furfuracea is a thorny 
tree with white nocturnal blossoms; B. krugii has pink and yellow 
flowers; B. triandria seems to be represented here by two varie- 
ties, one with pale purplish flowers, the other having them pink 
and white striped. B. tomentosa has yellow flowers. Most of 
these will stand some frost and if mounded up in winter would 
go through a hard freeze with a loss of only the tops. They 
should be planted in all gardens. 
Bischofia javanica, from Java, has fine large, trifoliate leaves 
and is quite ornamental. It is much hardier than would be 
supposed, coming from the heart of the tropics. 
Bixa orellana, Arnotto, a tree from the West Indies, whose 
seeds are covered with a reddish paste, annatto, which is not 
only used to color butter and cheese but to decorate the faces 
and bodies of tropical Indians. It does well in lower Florida. 
Bombax ceiba, one of the silk cotton trees, rejoices in a variety 
of scientific names but that does not prevent it from being an 
interesting and attractive tree. It is a rapid grower, and in its 
native place, the American Tropics, it reaches enormous dimen- 
sions. It casts its digitate leaves in winter and in early spring 
bears great waxy red flowers. If it is planted in pine land it 
would be well to give it plenty of muck. 
