PLANTS OF DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA 
37 
some cases a small tree, is a native of 
Mexico and the West Indies, but is be¬ 
coming naturalized in Dade County, 
Florida. It is an upright grower with 
airy, pinnate foliage and enormous 
clusters of large, fragrant, golden flow¬ 
ers. It is a poor man’s plant and will 
grow anywhere, springing up spontane¬ 
ously in and around gardens and dwell¬ 
ings and requiring no care. 
Thunbergia erecta. A moderate sized 
shrub with large curved, violet-blue, 
trumpet-like flowers having a yellow 
throat. It must be grown in a more or 
less shaded location and if so planted 
will flourish and bear quantities of its 
lovely flowers with little attention, 
though it responds to good treatment. 
There is a white flowered variety which 
is not so fine. 
Viburnum tinus. A fine, old-fash¬ 
ioned evergreen shrub bearing pretty 
white flowers and known as Laurustinus. 
It is perfectly hardy and promises well 
here. 
EXOTIC ornamental vines and 
creepers. 
Abrus precatorius, Crab’s Eye Vine. 
A lofty climbing vine with delicate pin¬ 
nate leaves and small pods of round red 
seeds, with a black eye and called 
“Crab’s Eyes.” The whole plant has a 
decided taste of licorice. It is distributed 
all over the tropics and according to 
Tenson-Woods it grows near the man¬ 
groves in Malaysia. It soon spreads 
rapidly when introduced on a place here. 
Agdestis clematidea is a rapid grow¬ 
ing vine with soft, cordate leaves and 
large panicles of lovely, small, waxy 
white flowers. It grows from great ill 
scented tubers, in some cases larger than 
a bushel basket. When once the roots 
are well grown it soon covers a large 
area. 
Allamanda hendersoni is a magnificent 
sprawler, with glossy leaves and very 
large, trumpet-shaped, golden flowers. It 
is often used to cover piazzas here, 
though it is sometimes grown as a shrub. 
The tubes of the large flowers are favor¬ 
ite resorts of the tree frogs from whence 
they cheer the heart of the nature lover 
with their delightful music. I have A. 
schottii which is doing well, but has not 
bloomed yet. 
Antigonon leptopus. Mountain rose. 
A lovely vine from Mexico with airy 
racemes of the most brilliant rose col¬ 
ored flowers, blooming almost the entire 
year. It stands neglect well, but the 
leaves are sometimes troubled with 
blight. 
Argyreia tilisef olia is a rampant 
climber with very large, handsome, 
cordate leaves and white and violet flow¬ 
ers that is related to the morning glory. 
A fine specimen is growing in the 
grounds of Dr. John Gifford at Cocoa- 
nut Grove. 
Aristolochia, Birthwort. A. elegans is 
sometimes cultivated here for its large 
purple and white blotched, very curious 
flowers. 
Asparagus plumosus is well known at 
the north and does well here planted in a 
sheltered place. 
Bignonia venusta is, perhaps, the hand¬ 
somest vine planted in South Florida. It 
has trifoliate, glabrous leaves and im¬ 
mense clusters of the most vivid orange 
scarlet, long, tubular blossoms, produced 
in astonishing abundance in late winter 
and early spring. The drooping corollas 
continually loosen at the base and slide 
down the long bright pistils and for a 
time hang there suspended, thus adding 
another element of beauty to these su¬ 
perb flowers. There is a wonderfully 
fine vine covering some 60 feet of piazza 
at the house of Mrs. Fuller, in Cocoanut 
Grove, and when this is in bloom there 
are spaces of many square yards where 
nothing but masses of its lovely flowers 
are seen. B. crucigera, Cross Vine, is a 
native of northern Florida, with dull red 
flowers. B. chamberlaynii has yellow 
flowers. The vines attach themselves by 
means of hooked tendrils. 
Bougainvillea spectabilis is a thorny 
vine with the most dazzling purple 
bracts and when it does well is one of the 
showiest of our winter bloomers. A leaf 
rolling caterpillar sometimes eats the 
young growth so badly that the vine is 
a failure. B. lateritia has large leaves 
