lated. This fast growing tree is used as a 
park ornament in St. Thomas. I can re- 
commend it for yard planting in Florida. 
DWARF POINCIANA 
DWARF POINCIANA (Caesalpinia 
pulcherrima). This usually shrubby South 
American ornamental is often planted in 
Florida, its brilliant red and yellow flower 
spikes highly ornamental. Sometimes it 
has prickles on the branches. 
*MESCALBEAN (Sophora  secundi- 
flora) Here is a lovely, hardy, fast grow- 
ing evergreen tree to 35 feet from the Rio 
Grande country where it is called Texas 
Mountain Laurel. It has a slender trunk, 
narrow crown and dark yellowish-green 
foliage. The pea-like flowers (Feb.-April) 
are violet blue, the standard marked at 
the base with a few dark spots, handsome 
and very fragrant, about | inch long in 
one-sided terminal clusters 2-3 inches 
long. The bright red seeds in silver-gray 
pods to 8 inches long, are said to be 
poisonous. 
EDWARDSIA (Sophora microphylla). 
This national tree of New Zealand for a 
time is a flexuose shrub with wiry, yellow- 
ish, interlacing stems, and a few small 
leaves. When the plant is 8-12 feet high, 
the juvenile form disappears entirely, and 
the tree gets a rounded leafy head, a 
naked trunk and stright brown branches. 
39 
It is a smaller tree and has smaller flow- 
ers than S. tetraptera, to which it is closely 
allied, but both have the same clusters 
of tubular sulphur yellow flowers in 
abundance, contrasting with old gold ca- 
lyces. It seems to be a difficult plant to 
grow in Florida but is worth establishing. 
*“FOUR-WING SOPHORA (S. tetrap- 
tera). This Chilean or New Zealand 
graceful, small tree has glossy, evergreen, 
fern-like foliage with tiny leaflets, been 
drooping, and bears a profusion of showy 
laburnum-like deep-yellow _ flowers, 
inches long. Because under ideal condi- 
tions it becomes a mass of gold, it has 
been named the national flower of New 
Zealand. Ycung plants for some years 
form a densely entangled wiry bush, but 
will grow in any soil in the sun. 
TIPU (Tipuana tipu). This South 
American evergreen weeping tree to 30 
feet or more is planted for shade and orna- 
ment along streets and in parks in trop- 
ical countries everywhere. The _ bright 
yellow butterfly-shaped flowers at the 
branch tips, Bailey calls “showy.” 
ANOPTERUS (A. macleayanus). This 
evergreen Australian tree to 50 feet is 
allied to Escallonia, which is so widely 
planted in California. It has very large 
leaves and bears “rather large” white 
lily-of-the-valley-like flowers in short clust- 
ers, 
D) 
TREE DAHLIA 
TREE DAHLIA (D. maxoni) In south- 
ern Mexico this woody small tree is much 
planted as a hedge. Its pale pink or lilac 
flower heads are lovely and it should 
make a delightful ornamental in Florida 
gardens. 
