185 



Yucca bet-cento, a low evergreen shrub with long narrow foliage belonging 

 to the natural order Liliaceae, or Lily family. The plant is also known 

 as the Dagger Plant, Spanish Bayonet, Datile, Wild Banana, and Wild 

 Date. It bears creamy white, waxy, 

 bell-shaped flowers upon a tall 

 central spike, and these are followed 

 by fruits the size of small Bananas 

 and somewhat similar to them in 

 appearance. The fruit has a sweet 

 taste somewhat similar to a Fig, and 

 is fairly palatable. This plant is 

 indigenous to Colorado, Mexico, 

 Southern California, Texas, and other 

 parts of North America. This plant 

 is able to withstand long and^severe 

 droughts with comparative impunity, 

 and it is, therefore, well suited for 

 the dry interior districts of Australia. 

 As a fruit-bearing plant, however, 

 it is scarcely worth cultivating, as 

 there are far better kinds, but in some 

 cases it may be utilized with advan- 

 tage. The plant, however, yields a 

 valuable commercial fibre, and is 

 worthy of being cultivated chiefly on 

 that account. It will thrive in any 

 fairly good soil, and may be grown 

 successfully in all but the coldest 

 parts of Australasia. If grown for a 

 fibre crop, the plants should stand 

 twelve feet apart, in rows. Propagation is effected by suckers, which 

 are freely produced from the roots of old plants. 



MEXICAN BANANA. 



MISSEL. 



This is the vernacular name in Guiana for the fruit of Blakea quinque- 

 nent'a, a small evergreen tree, indigenous to the West Indies and some 

 parts of tropical America, belonging to the natural order Melastomacese. 

 It has handsome white flowers and fine foliage, and, therefore, is worthy 

 of attention as an ornamental plant. The fruit is a yellow berry, enclosed 

 in a bell-shaped calyx. It has a rich pleasant flavour, which has been 

 likened to that of Raspberries and cream. The Missel, being a native of 

 warm regions, as a matter of course, can only be successfully cultivated 

 in the tropical or sub-tropical parts of Australia. In congenial localities 

 it is worthy of attention as a fruit tree and as a handsome ornamental 

 plant for the shrubbery. Any fairly good soil is suitable, but the most 

 favourable is a rich sandy loam containing a good proportion of vegetable 



