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the south bench; many species yield a tough and valuable 

 fiber from the leaves; they are commonly referred to as 

 bowstring-hemp. The collection of screw-pines, Pandanus, 

 occupies a large part of the south bench, the larger speci- 

 mens being on the center bench opposite, and in the 

 adjoining house 4. 



The tacca family, Taccaceae, is here represented in two 

 genera, Tacca cristata and Schizocapsa plantaginea, both 

 on the north side of the center bench. This family is 

 closely related to the amaryllis family. 



The arrow-root family is illustrated by the arrow-root 

 [Maranta arundi?iacea), native of South America, but 

 widely cultivated in the West Indies, its roots furnishing 

 the commercial product; Calathea comprises a large number 

 of tropical American plants noteworthy for their fine 

 foliage; and there are other genera represented. 



House No. 4. Here 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 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 resem- 

 blance the leaves bear to those of pineapple plants, which 

 are commonly called pines in the tropics, while the remain- 

 der of the name was suggested by the spiral arrangement 

 of the leaves. 



In this house may be found large specimens of the aroid 

 family, the most noteworthy one of these being a magnifi- 

 cent plant of Veitch's tail-flower {Anthurium Veitchii), 

 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, one of these, Monstera 

 deliciosa, is a Mexican plant producing an edible fruit 



