IN FLORIDA 157 



Fort Myers. All except the last have yellow blossoms and all 

 are sprawlers and may be made to grow as shrubs. A. wil- 

 liamsi is a half climber and is very floriferous. All are a little 

 tender but might be grown well up the state if a mound of earth 

 were banked around their stems every winter. 



Ampelopsis veitchi has failed with me, probably on account of 

 the limy soil. It should be hardy over the whole state. 



Antigonon leptopus, Mountain Rose. Probably there is no 

 more intense pink color anywhere in nature than in the flowers 

 of this Mexican vine. It has hastate leaves, climbs by tendrils, 

 and the flowers in compound spikes are produced through the 

 whole year. Many years ago I was in Port au Prince, Haiti, 

 and seeing for the first time this glorious vine, which grew in 

 great magnificence, I was anxious to know its name. I became 

 acquainted with a merchant who seemed desirous of serving me 

 and he said he could tell me the names of any trees or plants I 

 wanted to know. So I took him to where a fine specimen of this 

 was in full bloom and asked him what it was. He struck an 

 attitude, threw up both hands and exclaimed U O that iss a 

 flow-wer." 



Argyreia. A genus of handsome vines closely related to Ipo- 

 moea. I. tiliae/olia has large, heart-shaped leaves that are sil- 

 very silky beneath, and attractive rosy purple flowers. In A. 

 cymosa the leaves are smaller and not silvery below. They are 

 of easy culture if well fertilized. 



Aristolochia, Birthwort. Many species in temperate to 

 tropical countries, the flowers very odd, with curved, often in- 

 flated, sometimes U-shaped tubes. In A. grandiflora the outline 

 of the flower is something like that of a bird ; the face of the corolla 

 is variegated with lurid purple and it has a long, twisted tail. It 

 emits a terrible odor which probably attracts insects that crawl 

 down its throat and cannot get out on account of reversed hairs 

 in it. There are one or two others occasionally cultivated here, 

 all probably natives of tropical forests, which should have rich 

 soil and shelter. A. sipho is a hardy species which would proba- 

 bly do well in the northern part of the state. 



Bauhinia vahli is a giant vine with immense cloven leaves, the 

 Malu of the lower Himalaya region. It runs for immense dis- 



