44 My New Zealand Garden 



is ' Mai de ojos ' (bad for the eyes). I suppose by 

 that, the pollen is poisonous, but in another sense 

 the flowers must be good for the eyes quite 

 a treat : a large bunch of long red stamens, 

 5 inches long, coming out of the centre of yellow 

 cups, and from ten to twenty flowers in each 

 group. Owing to the beauty of the long falling 

 stamens, it is called the Bird of Paradise Flower, 

 which helps to describe its conspicuous beauty. 

 It has fern-like foliage, which closes towards even- 

 ing. I bought experience dearly here, as I lost 

 my finest and oldest plant from the evil effects of 

 bad soil and drainage, for it loves cultivation. 

 Close to this is the Rose Acacia (Robinia hispida), 

 which, I think, must certainly rank among the 

 gems, with its bold but elegant foliage, like the 

 large White Acacia, and racemes of bright, clear, 

 deep-pink flowers like Laburnum. Mine is on its 

 own root, and its thin stem and branches all want 

 support. It has one drawback that of throwing 

 up suckers, which I now take care to cut off, 

 thinking they injure their parent, for I lost one in 

 the days when I thought them too precious to 

 touch. I hail the approaching day when I shall 

 possess one grafted on to one of its rougher rela- 

 tions, and I expect, if time is spared me, to grow 

 it into a fine suckerless tree. The foliage of this 

 also closes at night. A Japanese Clematis comes 

 next a new-comer which has not flowered yet, 



