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the maguey of the West Indies (a spiny-leaved relative of 
the century plant, native of the West Indies, and used there 
for hedges), on the southern bench; this name maguey is also 
applied in parts of the West Indies to species of Agave, which 
will be found in house No. 6. 
Numerous representatives of the lily family, especially of 
the genus Dracaena, will be found on the south bench, and 
these are much used for ornamental planting in the tropics ; 
here also are plants of the genus Sansevzerda, the bow-string 
hemps of Africa; a valuable tough fiber is derived from their 
leaves; larger plants of the lily family will be found in the 
adjoining house No. 4, a corner of this house being given 
over to tall dracaenas and their relatives. 
The arrow-root family is illustrated by the arrow-root 
(Maranta arundinacea), native of South America, but widely 
cultivated in the West Indies, its roots furnishing the com- 
mercial product; Calathea comprises a large number of 
tropical American plants noteworthy for their fine foliage, 
and there are other genera represented. 
Here also will be found several species of the genus Costus 
and of other genera of the ginger family, and some tropical 
species of the /rzs family and of the banana family, but most of 
these are in the adjoining house, No. 4, growing too tall to 
be accommodated in house No. 3 
Ffouse No. 4g. Were are brought together many kinds of 
large tropical plants belonging to families also represented 
in the smaller houses, but too tall to be grown on the 
benches. The collection of bananas and their relatives 
occupies the greater part of the space and one or more of the 
specimens is usually in fruit; the collection contains both the 
edible, commercial bananas and the plantains, and also several 
species whose fruit is not edible, but whose interest lies in 
their decorative leaves and flowers. The stems and leaves 
of all these plants contain some fiber, which is produced in 
enormous quantities in the Philippine Islands from JAfusa 
textilis, and is the well-known Manila hemp. The supply 
of fruit for the United States comes mostly from Central 
