which drapes the trees in our Southeastern States as the lichen 
does in the north woods. There are hundreds of species of 
Bromeliaceae known, of which we have only a modest repre- 
sentation. 
In the center of the house is the Chinese ground rattan, 
Rhapis huviilis , an almost hardy palm which will stand some 
frost and is grown outdoors in Surrey and Devon, and of course 
in California. A tall specimen of the fountain plant, Cordyliue 
australis, from New Zealand, is also in the center of the house. 
It is a sturdy plant, the long, narrow, leathery leaves of which 
make it suitable for home culture. It will stand the conditions 
of the ordinary room better than most greenhouse plants. Near 
it are specimens of P/ioetiix Roebeli?iii peiidulosa, a graceful 
drooping relative of the date palm, and also Washiugtonia 
tilifera robusta, from Southern California, the thread-like margins 
of whose leaves are characteristic and not an injury, as the 
casual might infer. Among the fan-leaf palms, our largest 
specimen is Livistona chiue?isis, common in all the flower 
shops. 
Retracing our steps, still keeping to the right and not forget- 
ting to close the doors which separate such variations of heat 
and moisture, we come back through the Economic House (5) to 
house 6, devoted to succulents. 
House 6— Nearly all the plants in this house are inhabitants of 
deserts or desert-like regions. On the west bench, just inside 
the door, are Dyckia and Hechtia, drab little members of the 
Bromeliaceae, or pine-apple family, quite different from the 
gorgeous kinds in the tropical house (8). Beyond these are the 
Fig-marigolds, or Ice Plants, all belonging to the genus AJesem- 
bryanthernum, which is represented in South Africa by over 400 
species, and in our collections by probably 10. Further down are 
specimens of the Candle Plant, Kleiuia anteuphorbia, also of 
South Africa and most appropriately named. Its candle-like 
stems are topped with yellow flowers not unlike our native 
Senecio. At the end of this west bench are members of the 
Crassulaceae or House Leek family, which includes hundreds of 
succulents, mostly with thick, fleshy basal leaves, an exception 
to which is the Sprouting Leaf, Bryophyllum pinnatnm. The 
leaves of this truly remarkable plant, no matter if cut to pieces, 
sprout into many little plants which take root and grow, so that 
the species is in small danger of extermination through injury. 
The whole of the east bench is devoted to the cactus fam’ily, 
a group of succulents of great variety of shape and habit, almost 
exclusively American. Nearest to the south end is the Crab- 
Cactus, Zygocactus tru?icatus, bearing somewhat profusely its 
red tubular flowers. Near it is the Strawberry Pear, Hyloctreus 
tricostatus, a three-angled cactus from Mexico, which bears great 
flowers at least four inches long. Not far away are several 
specimens of “Night-blooming Cereus,” a name applied to at 
least half a dozen nocturnal flowering species. All are tropical 
American and climb over trees. Their great cream or white 
funnel-shaped flowers, often 6 to 8 inches long, are well worth 
waking up to see. They last only a night or two, some only a 
few hours. All of the plants north of this on the east bench are 
prickly pears, Opuutia or its relatives, of which a recent mono- 
graph describes 250 species. They are often flat-jointed cacti, 
producing handsome flowers and, in some cases, edible fruits. 
The latter, without proper attention, may choke the unwary, as 
some of the spines are found inside certain of the otherwise 
good fruits and must be removed. 
