(3) 



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, Heliconia, 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 pines in the tropics, while the remainder of the name 

 was suggested by the spiral arrangement of the leaves. 



At 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 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 Monstcra, 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 ; it is a 

 species of fig (Ficus elasticd) ; 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 



