83 



The most interesting plant in the mulberry family, Moraceae, 

 is Artocarpus incisa, the bread-fruit tree, originally from the 

 islands of the Pacific. It usually attains a height of twenty to 

 thirty feet. Its so-called fruit is really a thick spongy receptacle, 

 globose or oblong in shape and a foot or so long. In this are 

 imbedded the true fruits, nut-like bodies, but these are seldom 

 produced in cultivated trees. This forms one of the main articles 

 of food of the natives of the Pacific Islands. The bark of the 

 tree is tough and is beaten out to make a fine white cloth. 



The bread-fruit tree is now widely distributed in tropical coun- 

 tries. It is common in the West Indies, where it was introduced 

 by the British government in the latter part of the eighteenth cen- 

 tury. The first attempt to secure plants of this tree in its native 



board the ship. The second expedition, however, accomplished 

 its purpose, and in 1793 bread-fruit trees were flourishing in the 

 West Indies. Other interesting plants of the mulberry family are 

 Ficus religiosa, the peepul tree of India, one of the trees of Hin- 

 doo worship, and Ficus quercifolia, of Burma and Malaya, strik- 

 ing in its imitation of the leaves of some of our oaks. This re- 

 semblance to the oak is especially noticeable when the plant is 

 fruiting, the fruit resembling young acorns in shape. 



To the grape family, Vitaceae, belongs Lcca coccinca, with its 

 quite showy red flowers. It is a native of Burma. 



The pepper family, Piperaceae, is represented by several 

 species of the genus Pepcromia, among them Peperomia maculosa 

 from the island of Haiti, with its dark green leaves marked with 

 lighter green, P. clusiaefolia, of tropical America, and P. Davisii, 

 known at present only from St. Kitts, and secured by one of the 

 Garden expeditions which visited that island. The genus Piper, 

 to which the pepper plant belongs, has some showy members, 

 represented by Piper magnificum, and P. omatum, the latter from 

 the Celebes Islands. 



House No. 9. 



This house is one of the most attractive to the general public. 

 Its arrangement is unusual in having the point of view from a 

 bridge over the water, thus enabling visitors to see the beauties 



