128 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Liatris, or button snake root, in five or 
six varieties, mostly with light purple or 
magenta colored flowers; some bulbous 
rooted, others of a tuberous rooted na¬ 
ture. These bloom from September to 
November and are prominent in our list 
of fall blooming natives. 
There are also a number of varieties 
of wild asters which can probably be suc¬ 
cessfully placed under cultivation. Flow¬ 
ers one-half to one inch across, in shades 
of purple. 
Centrosema Virginiana, belonging to 
the pea family, is a charming little vine 
found along the edges of hammocks. 
The blooms, which are about i 1-2 inches 
across, come in various shades from lav¬ 
ender to light blue. 
But the season is advancing and we 
will leave the hammocks and study the 
lists of introduced plants. These we 
shall for convenience place under the 
head of Hardy, and Half Hardy. 
Among hardy plants are a number of 
Bamboos, which thrive well in almost any 
soil and are exceedingly handsome in ap¬ 
pearance. Bambusa argentea, and its varie¬ 
gated relative, argentea striata, are spe¬ 
cially vigorous growers in the hardy class, 
attaining a height of 30 to 40 feet, and 
may be considered of value for the pur¬ 
pose of windbreaks. Bambusa metake is 
a handsome dwarf sort, with broad leaves, 
attaining a height of 8 to 12 feet. The 
Golden Bamboo, Bambusa aurea, spreads 
rapidly by means of underground stems 
and is likely to prove a- nuisance on a 
lawn. 
For general purposes the Oleander may 
be classed as hardy though usually in¬ 
jured more or less by our extreme cold 
waves. While some of the varieties are 
well known, the family as a whole does 
not receive the attention deserved. Of 
easy growth, good decorative appearance 
and with an abundant return in the way 
of deliciously fragrant flowers during 
many weeks of spring and early summer, 
planting has mostly been limited to four 
or five sorts. That there is quite an ex¬ 
tended list of varieties does not seem gen¬ 
erally known. We find in one Florida 
catalogue a list of 17 varieties, consisting 
of double and single forms of red, pink, 
white and cream and various shades and 
markings in pink and white. 
The Crape Myrtle is also a very satis¬ 
factory hardy shrub of easy growth. For 
weeks in summer covered with great 
glowing umbels of flowers in many shades 
of color from lightest pink to crimson and 
purple. The white variety has not proved 
as good a grower with us as the other 
sorts but its delicate beauty justifies all 
necessary coddling. 
Pomegranates are also well worth a 
place in any grounds. Their glowing scar¬ 
let flowers resembling a bouquet of crape 
set in a crimson wax holder are very con¬ 
spicuous and pleasing amid the deep 
green foliage of the plant, while the large 
apple-like fruits are much esteemed by 
many who use their juice in making 
drinks. 
The Silk Oak, though not literally 
hardy with us, survives all except the 
most severe freezes, and excepting the 
winter of 1894-5 has not been cut back 
severely by cold. Its racemes of curious 
yellow and purple flowers are very at¬ 
tractive and the tree itself presents a 
striking and handsome appearance. 
