IN FLORIDA 177 
Justicia. The books are so much at sea about this genus that 
I cannot do anything with it. 
Lantanas are bedded out in the north to some extent and are 
perfectly at home in Florida, at least throughout the lower half 
of it. There is a considerable range of color, white, yellow, 
orange, pink, purple and red, with various combinations of these. 
They are at their best in good pine land in full sunshine if well 
fertilized. 
Leonotis leonurus has loose whorls of orange scarlet, tubular 
flowers in long spikes, is a quick grower and blooms at intervals 
_ throughout the year... It is quite hardy and is one of our most 
desirable plants. 
Lilium. Nehrling, who has had large experience with bulbous 
plants in Florida, does not report favorably on most of the species, 
and those with which he has succeeded require such careful 
treatment that it is doubtful if they will ever become popular 
with us. He recommends L. henry, bearing orange yellow 
flowers, as one of the best for Florida. He has also found some 
of the funnel-flowered lilies which flourish with proper treatment, 
such as L. netlgherrense, L. sulbhureum and L. nepalense. He 
recommends that a bed three feet wide be dug, that old logs be 
put in the bottom and the rest filled with muck, leaf mold, cow 
manure and charcoal. It should be kept well watered. 
Maranta. Closely allied to Calathea and requiring the same 
treatment. 
Musa. Besides the fruiting species a number of strictly 
ornamental ones are in cultivation in the north. I have tried 
most of them here repeatedly and nearly all have failed. M. 
rhodochlamys is a fine, upright grower and does well, so do M. 
martini and M. gilletti. M.ensete, the great Abyssinian Banana, 
has entirely failed in repeated trials. The same is true of M. 
rosacea, M. sumatrana, M. vittata, M. superba, M. coccinea and 
M. textilis. Like all other bananas the crneneeesh species need 
rich soil, heat and moisture. 
Nipa fruticans. I have planted a number of seeds of this 
superb plant, which closely resembles a palm, in my brackish 
swamp but it would require all the police on the New York force 
to keep the land crabs from destroying the young plants. . I put 
