90 FLORIDA: ITS CLIMATE, SOIL, PRODUCTIONS, 



-Caloosahatchee River, in order to get such woods as do not grow in the influence 

 of salt air. This was really the most interesting part of the route. Gigantic Acro- 

 stichuins, 10 feet high, covering acres, Epiphtyes loading the trees, and the entire 

 vegetation tropical. A peculiarity of these tropical trees is that for miles they occur 

 to you as mere shrubs, when at some other locality you find them lofty trees. I was 

 much disappointed in the size of most of the forest growth in that region. On the 

 Keys you can scarcely anywhere find a large (or rather a tall) tree. Some of these 

 were large enough at the base, but we generally found such hollow, and of some we 

 never did find a sound one. You will be disappointed, as I was, to find the growth 

 so small. I do not remember to have seen a tree, during the trip, 2 feet in diameter, 

 with the exception of the Live Oak, and on the Keys none of them get to be more than 

 .30 or 40 feet high. The Mahogany is not found in Florida, and should be erased from 

 the Flora. My authority for introducing it was a pod picked up on the beach by Dr. 

 Leitner. 



Hibiscus tiliaceus was not seen by me, and I think Dr. Blodgett must have got it 

 from cultivation. In Jamaica it is a shrub 12 to 15 feet high. Terminalia is not a native, 

 and is, I believe, local along the Saint John's or near Saint Augustine. The others 

 mentioned I did not meet with on any of the Keys I visited. Whether they become 

 trees I cannot say, for I forget the sources of my information regarding 1 hem when 

 writing my book. It was of course impossible to visit all the hundreds of Keys along 

 the reefs, and it is probable that these omissions may occur on more westwardly ones 

 than those I visted. 



The following is a modified arrangement of Dr. Chapman's list of 

 Florida trees : 



Anona (Custard Apple). No flowers or fruit ; 15 to 20 feet high. The fruit is said to be 

 egg-shaped, 1| inches in diameter, and eatable when fully ripe. 



Capparis Jamacencis (Caper-tree). A low tree. 



{Janclla alba. 



Guaiacum sanctum (Lignum Vita3). Only found, if I am rightly informed, on the Lig- 

 num Vitse Keys, and quite rare there. 



Xanihoxylum Pterota, 12 to 20 feet high. 



Bursera gummifera (Gumbo Limbo, Gummer Limmer). The largest of South Florida 

 trees, abounding in gum. 



Amyris JFloridiana (Torch -wood). Mostly shrubby. 



jLymenia Americana (Hog Plum). 2 to 20 feet high. 



Schaefferiafrutiscens (Crab-wood). A small tree. 



Sapindus (White-wood). This is scarcely the tree of the Southern States and of my 

 Flora ; I suspect it is S. saponana. 



Hypdatc paniculata (Maderia-wood). This wood is very like Mahogany, and is highly 

 valued. It is not abundant, and was only found on Metacuniba Keys. 



Rlius nielopium, 20 to 30 feet high. It is very poisonous, and we all got peppered by it- 



Piscidia orythrina (Dog-wood). A rather large tree. 



J'ithccolobium unguis-cati. Rarely a small tree. 



Ehizophora mangle (Red Mangrove). Commonly a low spreading tree. On the Thou- 

 sand Islands it attains its largest size 40 to 60 feet. All the low Keys are formed by 

 this tree. 



^Cotwcarpus erecta (White Buttonwood.) It comprises almost the only fuel used in 

 Southern Florida, and extends north as far as Auclote Keys. 



Ltxjuncularia racemosa (Black Buttouwood). A small tree everywhere, or a mere shrub, 

 except among the Thousand Jslauds and north of Cape Sable, where it forms a 

 large tree. 



.Eugenia buxifolia (Iron-wood). 25 to 30 feet high. 



.Eugenia Monticola. South Florida; about 30 feet high. 



Eugenia ( ). 



