PLANTS OF DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA 
31 
branches disposed in whorls. It is a 
beautiful object planted alone or mixed 
with other trees. 
Artocarpus, Bread Fruit and Jack 
Fruit. The former with its immense, 
incised, glossy leaves is, when well 
grown, one of the grandest objects of 
nature. There is a fine photograph of 
this in McMillan’s Handbook of Tropi¬ 
cal Gardening. It is very tender when 
young, and I have not yet succeeded with 
it. There is a fine specimen of Jack 
Fruit growing in pine land at Cocoanut 
Grove. 
Carica papaya, the common pawpaw 
is a striking ornamental plant. The cul¬ 
tivated form has larger fruit than the 
wild one. 
Carissa. The specific nomenclature of 
this group is somewhat confused. I have 
what may be C. grandiflora and C. 
arduina. Both have beautiful, thick, 
glossy leaves and enormous pairs of 
thorns. The large, waxy, starry, fra¬ 
grant flowers make a lovely contrast to 
the deep green leaves and the crimson 
fruit. They are as completely at home 
here as weeds. 
Cecropia palmata is a rapid growing, 
awkward tree from the West Indies with 
immense deeply cut leaves which are 
silvery beneath. It is a striking orna¬ 
ment and does well here. 
Citrus. The orange, the lemon, the 
tangerine, the grapefruit and especially 
the kumquat are beautiful ornaments 
with their rich, glossy leaves, fragrant 
flowers and golden fruit. 
Chrysophyllum cainito (Star Apple). 
This is as handsome a tree as our wild 
species and blends finely with other orna¬ 
mental trees. 
Dillenia indica. A fine tree with hand¬ 
some serrate leaves and very large, 
showy white flowers. The fruit, as 
large as an apple, is edible. 
Eriobotyra japonica, Loquat, has ele¬ 
gant, large, serrate leaves, is very hardy, 
and is a beautiful tree. 
Eugenia jambos and E. malaccensis, 
Rose Apple and Malacca Apple are su¬ 
perb ornamentals. The former has 
long, leathery, glossy leaves and large 
heads of creamy stamens. It blooms in 
late winter and spring and it is a sight 
never to be forgotten to part its branches 
and peer into the semi-darkness inside 
and see its lovely blossoms, gleaming like 
stars. E. malaccensis has crimson flow¬ 
ers and is a gorgeous tree but is very 
tender. The former does finely here 
anywhere. 
Mammea americana, Mamee Apple, is 
a lofty, tropical tree with heavy, glossy 
leaves and fragrant white flowers. It 
is very tender when young but becomes 
a large tree here. 
Mangifera indica, Mango. No finer, 
nobler, ornamental tree is grown in this 
region. It has a well rounded head of 
long, leathery, shining leaves and the 
upright panicles of brownish flowers are 
quite attractive. It is perfectly at home 
in our poor soil and would make a fine 
tree to plant along roads. 
Musa. The banana and plantain rank 
among the most striking and beautiful of 
tropical ornamental plants. Unfortunately 
the plantain does not do well here and 
even the banana does not flourish here 
with the luxuriance that it does in the 
tropics. The banana does best in a rich, 
damp soil, though it does not like fi> 
stand in stagnant water, but it may be 
made to grow finely on pine land if given 
plenty of fertilizer and cultivation and 
should be planted freely in ornamental 
grounds. 
Phyllanthus distichus. Otahite Goose¬ 
berry. It is one of the anomalies of our 
vegetation, that our cherries grow on 
evergreen bushes and our gooseberries 
on thornless trees. The long pinnate 
leaves of this tree, curved downward in 
the middle are indescribably beautiful, 
and when the new growth comes out it 
is of a rich, reddish brown color. The 
tree is rather brittle and should be 
planted in a protected place. 
P. emblica is a very handsome tree 
with long, wand-like branches and exqui¬ 
site leaves. I have a fine specimen. 
Pomegranate (Punica granatum). It 
is a beautiful shrub with scarlet, trum¬ 
pet-shaped flowers and handsome, large 
red fruit. For some reason it does not 
always do well here. 
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica). It is 
a noble tree with finely roughened bark 
