October, 1909.] 



317 



Timbers 



some tree, somewhat common in the 

 southern part of Antigua. It is of erect 

 growth, and with a trunk from 1 to 2 

 feet in diameter. The wood is strong 

 and hard, lasts well in water, and is 

 suitable for turnery purposes. 



Woman's tongue (Albizzia Lebbek)- 

 The wood of this tree is fairly durable 

 and polishes well. It is used in making 

 furniture, boat building, and for general 

 purposes. 



Red cedar (Cedrela odorata). On good 

 soil this tree frequently attains a height 

 of from 40 to 60 feet, with a trunk 

 diameter of from 3 to 4 feet. It is quick- 

 growing, the wood being open-grained, 

 but soft and porous. Cedar wood is in 

 request for furniture making, especially 

 wardrobes, shingles, interior house- 

 work, etc, The drier parts of Antigua 

 would perhaps be unsuitable for this 

 tree. 



Casuarina eguisetifolia. The Casua- 

 rina is a straight and quick-growing 

 tree, which yields good timber, that is 

 found especially useful in making cattle 

 yokes. 



Locust (Hymencea Courbaril). This 

 tree has a trunk which reaches up to 

 5 feet in diameter. The wood is tough 

 and somewhat resembles mahogany, but 

 is harder, It is used for cabinet and 

 furniture work. It is liable to rot in the 

 ground. 



White- wood (Terminalia Buceras). 

 The White-wood is a large tree that 

 yields timber which is useful for a 

 variety of purposes. This is one of the 

 best woods for shingles. It is very 

 durable in water. 



Other trees suitable for planting in 

 Antigua, and which yield wood of value, 

 are the following : — 



Mahogany (Swietenia Mahagoni), Sapo- 

 dilla (Achras Sapota), Star apple (Chry- 

 sophyllum Cainito). Almond {Termi- 

 nalia Catappa), Torch wood (Tecoma 

 scans), and the sea-side grape (Coccoloba 

 uvifera), which grows on indifferent 

 lands near the sea-shore. 



It may also be added that the wood of 

 the mango and acacia makes excellent 

 fuel. 



HORTICULTURE. 



TURNERA ELEGANS. 



By H. F. Macmillan. 



(Illustrated.) 



Among the best flowering plants for 

 gardens in the Tropics must be included 

 Turner a elegans, also known as T. trioni- 

 flora, of the natural order Turneracece. 

 It is a small shrubby perennial, native of 

 Brazil, with thin wiry straggling 

 branches, seldom exceeding two feet in 

 height. The exact date of its introduc- 

 tion into Ceylon is not recorded, but the 

 plant is known to have been grown at 

 Peradeniya previous to 1845. 



The flowers are of a pretty creamy 

 white colour, with a dark-purple "eye" 

 formed by the coloured base of the 

 petals. The flowers, which are sessile 

 or very shortly stalked, are produced 

 singly in the axils of the upper leaves, 

 to the stalks of which they are adherent ; 

 they open in the morning and close at 

 noon, the petals assuming a twisted form. 

 The plant is in flower throughout the 

 greater part of the year, but more 



particularly in the dry season, and when 

 grown in a mass, as at Peradeniya, is 

 very attractive. The leaves when 

 bruised are strongly scented, somewhat 

 resembling sorrel, A peculiarity of this 

 family, which is shared by the plant 

 under notice, is that the flowers of some 

 of the species are what is termed in 

 botany dimorphic and heterostyled ; that 

 is, the flowers of one plant are long- 

 styled, with stamens half-way up the 

 tube of the corolla and the stigma and 

 its mouth ; while on another plant the 

 flowers are short-styled, with the stigma 

 half-way up and the stamens at the 

 mouth. This arrangement is a provision 

 of Nature for effecting cross-fertilisa- 

 tion, which in this case is brought about 

 by the aid of bees or butterflies. 



The plant is propagated by division, 

 cuttings, or seed. It thrives best in 

 a rich free soil in partial shade, and will 

 respond well to a liberal application of 

 well-decomposed manure or leaf -mould, 

 which may be given as a top dressing and 

 forked into the soil. The plant bears 

 transplanting badly, and when this oper- 

 ation is undertaken the shoots should first 

 be pruned well back, the plants being 

 afterwards copiously watered and 

 shaded. 



