214 VEGETATION 



Albizzia lebbek Benth. (Woman's Tongue). 

 Plate LXXXVI, Fig. 1. 



A low, widely spreading tree that is much planted for shade. Its thin 

 pods, when dry, keep up a constant rattling, whence the common name. 



In addition to these, most of the trees mentioned as cultivated for their 

 fruits are also of ornamental value. 



Among the cultivated shrubs, the following are often seen: Phimiera 

 rubra L. (Prangipani), Thevetia thevetia (L.) Millsp. Nerium oleander L. 

 (Oleander), Codimum variegatum Blume (Croton), Erythrina crista-galli L. 

 (Cock's-spur), Lagerstramia indica L. (Crape Myrtle), Garde7iia jasminoides 

 Ellis (Cape jessamine), Punica granatum L. (Pomegranate), Hibiscus rosa- 

 sinensis L., Tamarix gallica L. (Tamarisk), Viburnum opulus L. (Snowball 

 tree), Tecoma stans Juss. (Yellow elder). 



Space does not permit the enumeration of the many other cultivated 

 shrubs, vines and herbs, but one might mention the magnificent Bougainvillea 

 spectaiilis Poir., shown in Plate I, and the scarcely less attractive Antigon 

 leptopus H. and B. 



BOTANICAL FORMATIONS IN THE BAHAMA ISLANDS. 

 To one accustomed to the grandeur of the forests of the United States 

 and to the fresh and varied greens of our vegetation the impression produced 

 by the low, monotonous growth of the Bahama Islands is distinctly disap- 

 pointing. The color scheme is a dull, grayish-green, relieved occasionally, it 

 is true, by dashes of brilliant color, such as scarlet, yellow, white, from plants 

 in flower, but lacking power to attract and charm the eye. Standiag on the 

 top of the Blue Hills and looking northward towards Nassau (Plate XXV, 

 Fig. 1), one sees the flaming crowns of the poinciana like burning coals in a 

 bed of ashes ; all else is subdued. The Bahamas also lack the fascination of the 

 fern-clad mountains of Jamaica, where the delicate and water-loving species 

 grow with a profusion that can scarcely be realized. For in these Islands there 

 are no mountains, valleys, running streams, or fresh and quiet waters. Here 

 nature does not seem so diverse, and the opportunities she offers for a varied 

 life are restricted on every side by the rocky, calcareous soil and salt-laden wind. 

 But, on the other hand, the rigor of such conditions and the necessity 

 of meeting them have brought about corresponding adaptations of habit and 

 structure in the vegetation that are of the greatest interest to students of plant 

 life. Space does not permit even a bare mention of the diverse means by 



