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. henryi, 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. neilgherrense, L. sulphur eum 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 ornamental 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 



