144 ST. HELENA 



Here is entertainment indeed for the botanist. Almost 

 anything will grow. Flax, aloes, sugar-cane, and cotton, 

 together with coffee and tobacco, are to be seen, and nearly 

 all English vegetables as well as Cape produce. Two crops 

 of potatoes are raised yearly. In the roofs of the old 

 buildings cabbage-tree wood was much esteemed for its 

 durability. This grows on all the interior heights. 



The red wood (Dombeya erythroxylon) is a beautiful 

 spreading tree rising to a height of about thirty feet with 

 long pendant blossoms of the bell kind, white, pink and red. 

 It was valuable for building, but the white ant so attacked 

 it that there are only a very few trees remaining. 



Of the same genus is the dwarf ebony (Dombeya mela- 

 noxylon), which low shrub is quite different to the black 

 heavy wood called ebony in the records, of which there are 

 at present only a few isolated dry pieces. 



In some of the most rocky and barren places grows a 

 bushy tree with small pale green leaves called 'the wild 

 rosemary (Philica rosmarini folia). It is said that nothing 

 will flower beneath its shade. The wild olive (Philica 

 elliptica) is of the same genus as the wild rosemary ; it 

 bears a small dry berry, but neither of them answers 

 the description of the rosemary and olive of other 

 countries. 



An astrigent shrub called the St. Helena tea (Beatsonia 

 portulacifolia) is often to be found on the sides of rocky, in- 

 accessible heights, bearing a little white blossom. It has 

 been used with great success for tanning. 



Myrtle in some situations attains the height of twenty 

 feet. In the grounds of Oakbank are to be found most 

 beautiful trees ; the camellia trees which form the southern 

 boundary being of great height, the China date and Chilian 

 pine being also of wonderful growth. The latter is a very 

 pretty wood for furniture and house decoration, and is 

 said to resist the attacks of white ants. 



A great variety of curious ferns is obtainable, the most 

 remarkable being the tree fern (Dicksonia arborescens) 

 rising to between fifteen and twenty feet, in appearance 

 resembling a palm. In the museum in Jamestown may be 

 seen a beautiful collection of ferns made by Captain Thom- 

 son of the Bengal Pioneers. 



