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America and the West Indies, and some from northern South 
America. Bananas will grow in southern Florida, but the 
rocky soil of that region is not well adapted to their cultiva- 
tion. The traveler’s tree, from Madagascar, is shown in 
several fine specimens, and gets its English name from the 
fact that the axis of each long leaf-stalk contains a great deal 
of water which can be tapped and drunk. The bird-of-para- 
dise plants, which take their name from their gaudy flowers, 
will be found in this group ; they are natives of southern Africa 
and belong to the genus Strelitzia. The fourth genus of 
the banana family, Helzconza, is also represented by several 
species, called wild plantains, natives of tropical America. 
The interesting screw-pines, natives of the Old World 
tropics, are illustrated by several species, the leaves of which 
are used in the manufacture of mats, hats and baskets. 
These plants are not at all related to pine trees, the latter 
part of the name referring to the slight resemblance the 
leaves bear to those of pineapple plants, which are commonly 
called dzzes in the tropics, while the remainder of the name 
was suggested by the spiral arrangement of the leaves. 
t the west end of this house will be found large speci- 
mens of the aroid family already referred to in describing 
house No. 2, the most noteworthy one of these being a mag- 
nificent plant of Veitch’s tail-flower (Anthurium Veztchiz), 
from Colombia, which is believed to be the most elegant 
plant of its kind in cultivation; climbing on trunks of trees 
set as supports, will be found a number of vines of the genera 
Philodendron and Monstera, the latter a native of Mexico, 
producing an edible fruit with the odor of pineapple. 
A large tree of the common rubber plant, much grown in 
parlors, will be found in the center of this house, reaching to 
the roof; this is a native of tropical Asia and yields some 
rubber, but not in as great quantity nor of as good quality as 
the other rubber trees of South and Central America; itis a 
species of fig (#%cus elastica); other species of Ficus are 
shown in this house, notably a fine tree of Roxburgh’s fig, 
which bears its fruit in bunches near the base of the tree, but 
