THE ECONOMIC HOUSE 71 
This is a common tree of tropical sea coasts, native to tropics of the 
eastern hemisphere. It reaches a height of 40 feet, and blooms all 
year. The inner bark yields a fiber; the wood is durable and useful. 
Thevetia nereifolia, or YELLOW OLEANDER, is a member of the 
Apocynaceae, the family to which our dogbane belongs. This is a 
shrub from Mexico and the West Indies, widely cultivated in Florida 
as an ornamental shrub. The flowers are fragrant and resemble the 
oleander. The fruit is considered poisonous. The sap, also, is said 
to be poisonous. 7 
Trachelospermum jasminoides, or STAR JASMINE, Or CONFEDERATE 
JASMINE, is another member of the Apocynaceae. This is a climbing 
evergreen from China, much grown outdoors in our southern states 
for its fragrant, star-shaped flowers. 
Trichilia undulatifolia, or BUTTERWooD TREE, belongs to the Meli- 
aceae, the family to which mahogany belongs. The butterwood tree 
is valued for its wood. 
Triphasia trifolia (T. aurantiola), or LiMmE-BERRY TREE, belongs to 
the Rutaceae, and is distantly related to the orange. The native 
country is unknown, but the tree is widely cultivated throughout the 
tropics as an ornamental tree. The fruit, shaped and colored like 
cranberries, is used in making marmalade. The lime-berry will grow 
in soil too salty for the other citrous fruits, and is being tested as a 
stock on which to graft oranges and lemons. 
Urginea Scilla (U. maritima), or SQUILL, or SEA ONION, belongs to the 
Liliaceae. The sea onion is a native of the Mediterranean region, 
where it is highly valued for its medicinal properties. It is collected 
in great quantities for the drug trade. Bulbs sometimes attain a 
weight of 15 pounds. They contain 22% sugar, and are used in Sicily 
in the manufacture of whiskey. It is said that bulbs placed on a shelf 
in an Italian home will, without either earth or water, produce spikes 
of flowers, lasting in perfection for weeks. 
Vangueria infausta belongs to the Rubiaceae, the family to which 
coffee belongs. It is a shrub, native to tropical Africa, bearing an 
edible berry. The collection also includes the species edulis. 
Vanilla planifolia, or VANILLA, belongs to the Orchidaceae, or Orchid 
family. This plant belongs in the economic house, but cannot be 
kept here because of the temperature. It is kept in the Fern House. 
The collection includes 4 species of vanilla; but the one named is the 
species from which most of the vanilla of commerce is secured. There 
are comparatively few places where the vanilla plant can be cultivated 
and in many of those the beans are of inferior flavor. The Aztec 
Indians were found using vanilla when the Spanish conquered Mexico. 
Vanilla is still an important product of Mexico, and is also grown in 
Java and Tahaiti—although that grown in the latter country has an 
inferior flavor and is used chiefly in perfume making. The United 
States uses more vanilla than all the rest of the world put together. 
Vanillin, a chemical product with a similar flavor, is used to help supply 
the demand. Genuine vanilla, made from the pods, or “beans” of 
