134 ORNAMENTAL GARDENING 



ment of mosquitoes, sand burs, land crabs and all the pests and 

 vermin of Florida in order that I might live in a land where the 

 royal poinciana flaunted its splendid blossoms to the sky. 



Dillenia. A genus of beautiful Oriental tropical trees having 

 large leaves and handsome flowers. D. indica is sparingly culti- 

 vated in lower Florida but is greatly subject to root knot, and 

 I have never succeeded with it on that account. 



Eriodendron, Silk Cotton Tree. A genus of very large, rapid 

 growing trees from the tropics of the Old and New Worlds. E. 

 anfractuosum becomes an enormous tree in the West Indies; its 

 trunk is usually smooth and bulging, and in a young state it is 

 variegated with light and dark green. It is perfectly at home in 

 lower Florida in pine or hammock land. 



Erythrina, Coral Tree. A genus with thorny stems and tri- 

 foliate leaves, bearing brilliant red flowers in long racemes. In 

 certain districts a borer greatly injures the branches and in some 

 cases destroys the flowers. There is a good deal of similarity 

 among many of the species but E. crista-galli is quite distinct. 

 In the north this is almost herbaceous, being bedded out in 

 summer and dug up and wintered in a cellar. At Fort Myers I 

 saw a fine tree of this fifteen feet high. It would be hardy 

 throughout the state; the rest are tender. 



Eucalyptus. A large genus of trees which has its metropolis 

 in Australia. Quite a number are cultivated in South Florida 

 and in some cases specimens are already reaching considerable 

 size. In many instances the trees have proper leaves; in others 

 they have only phyllodia, which are leaf-like expansions that are 

 alike on both sides and hang vertically. Most of the trees are 

 brittle and break badly in high wind. 



Euphorbia. Some of the species are weeds, others are shrubs 

 and still others are trees. E. havanensis has triangular branches 

 which are variegated and furnished with spines, and it is much 

 used in Cuba for hedges. E. tiriculli has round stems and very 

 rudimentary leaves, a most curious tree. E. sanguined has a 

 dense crown of deep, metallic purple foliage. These species are 

 tender. 



Ficus. An immense genus of trees, shrubs and vines from the 

 warmer parts of the earth, which furnishes many ornaments for 



