LIPSTICK 
LIPSTICKTREE (Bixa orellano). This 
small evergreen tree with dense _heart- 
shaped leaves, attracts more attention 
than any other in my garden. First inter- 
est centers in the grape-like clusters of 
flower buds which burst in November, a 
few at a time into lovely 24-inch pink 
flowers like peach blossoms. Then come 
the bunches of brownish-green seed pods 
like chestnuts except the burrs are soft, 
and these contain the brilliant red annato 
dye used for coloring oleo or for playing 
“Indian.” 
RED LIPSTICKTREE 
"RED LIPSTICKTREE (B. orellano 
var.). Like the foregoing except possibly 
more striking in fruit, because the pods 
are as large as hen eggs and are a bright 
vermillion color, very showy. The flowers 
are the same. This is a fine ornamental. 
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“RHODESIAN TEAK (Baikiaea pluri- 
juga). This tree to 40 feet with glossy 
leaves, and large nodding flowers in 
March at the branch tips in long silky 
clusters, is one of the world’s showiest 
flowering trees. It grows slowly. When 
I sent a few of the seeds to Dr. David 
Fairchild, he wrote me: “What beautiful 
seeds! I never saw any before. In Dom- 
inica Botanical Garden I saw the tree in 
flower, fell in love with it, and have tried 
for years to get living seed of it, but in 
vain. Now you send me seeds. Thank 
you sincerely. I'll try my best to grow 
the tree in the Fairchild Tropical Garden. 
Its velvet-black calyx and superb white 
papery petals remind me of the Camoen- 
sia maxima, a superb leguminous vine I 
have tried to grow in Florida. I am so 
pleased to get these seeds.” 
DIOSPYROS (D. embrycpteris). Flo- 
ridians should know this handsome, orn- 
amental, evergreen persimmon tree. In 
northern India the creamy white fragrant 
flowers appear from March to May along 
with the young leaves which are bright 
crimson. I also have D. discolor. Colthurst 
places this among the “Familiar Flowering 
Trees of India.” 
*CHINESE GORDONIA (G. anomala. 
Syn. G. axillaris). This magnificent, much 
branched evergreen shrub or small tree 
to 10 feet is from Hong Kong. Herklots 
says, “When in flower the shrubs are very 
attractive with their large white and 
golden flowers.” The 5 pure white wavy 
petals 2 inches long and nearly as much 
across, are surmounted by a mass of 
golden stamens. The flowers are about 4 
inches across and resemble the camellia to 
which the tree is related. 
*TANAZ (Ougeinia dalbergioides). 
This small to medium sized tree sheds its 
old leaves in January-February (they turn 
yellow as they fall) and the new leaves 
appear in March. In the short bare period 
come the pale-pink or lilac flowers, in 
dense clustered spikes, crowded along the 
old branches. They are somewhat longer 
than those of its relative the Red Bud 
(Cercis sp.). Troup says: “In the flowering 
season the trees are a conspicuous and 
beautiful sight.” 
