220 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
explorer and collector. The ‘‘organ pipe’’ cactus (Cereus in- 
sularis), with its candalabra-like erect branches, is prominent 
on the hillsides. The stems are hard and woody and not sappy 
like other cacti. The ‘‘barrel cactus’’ or Melocactus communis, 
with its curious red cap, gives a bit of color here and there, 
bristling with its many rows of needle-like thorns. Several spe- 
cies of shrubby Acacia catch the clothes of the intruder; while 
a low vine-like plant known as the ‘‘wait-a-bit’’ with compound 
leaves like the tamarind and cruelly recurved spines which are 
concealed under the stem, holds one with vexatious tenacity as 
he tramps through the thickets. This is provocative of much 
profanity, as its weapons are concealed and their wound 
eruelly painful. It bears a round bluish seed that is used in 
making necklaces. Another local name is the ‘‘nicker plant.’’ - 
Many other thorny vines are constantly encountered and way- 
lay the traveler in a most irritating manner. 
Many fine mahogany trees (Swietenia mahogoni) line the 
roadsides and offer a most grateful shade, supplanting the elms 
of our own streets. I do not know whether the wood is used 
commercially or not, but it seems abundant. The tamarind 
(Tamarindus wmdica) 1s also a good shade-tree, and a grateful 
drink is made from the fleshy substance surrounding the seeds 
in the large bean-like pods. Here, as in Barbados, the most con- 
spicuous flowering tree is the flamboyant tree (Poinciana regia) 
with widely spreading branches. The leaves are compound, 
somewhat like those of the tamarind, but at the time of flower- 
ing are inconspicuous; while the brilliant mass of scarlet blos- 
soms, each with a white center, stands out with the vividness of 
flame. 
Another tree with a scarlet blossom is the Cordia, the hard 
wood of which is said to be excellent for making furniture. The 
‘‘frangipani’’ (Plumeria alba) has club-shaped branches, slen- 
der leaves and white blossoms, and exudes a milky juice. The 
mango (Mangifera indica) besides yielding the well-known 
fruit, is an excellent shade-tree, the leaves being a dark shiny 
green. Cocoanut palms are common and there are some large 
groves under cultivation near the entrance to St. John’s Har- 
bor. The ‘‘loblolly,’’ a shrubby tree with ovoid leaves and a 
whitish trunk, is common near English Harbor. 
