74 GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY 
Many of them are so difficult to grow that even plant fanciers rarely 
succeed in developing presentable specimens. Many of the speci- 
mens shown here cannot be duplicated anywhere in the country. 
The collections exhibited here are among the most valuable owned 
by the Conservatory. 
One collection that never fails to excite interest is the collection 
of Nepenthes, or pitcher plants, from India and other oriental coun- 
tries. These insectivorous plants hang over a pool in the center of the 
room as in their native home, and daily catch great numbers of tropical 
roaches, flies, and other insects. This is one of the best collections of 
pitcher plants in the country, and contains between 75 and 100 
specimens, representing 18 species and varieties. 
Outside the collection of pitcher plants and the collection of 
fruiting pineapples, the chief interest of the collections shown in this 
house is in the foliage. The characteristics that give the plants their 
value are obvious to the visitor; consequently only a very few of the 
hundreds of species here represented are listed for comment. Among 
the species that may gain interest from some brief description are the 
following: 
Aechmea, represented here by several species, is a genus of the 
Bromeliaceae. The flowers show a most beautiful and unusual com- 
bination of colors—orange, lavendar, pink, white, and yellow, all in 
the same flower cluster. The most noteworthy species in the collec- 
tion is Mariae-Reginae, which has most showily colored leaf bracts. 
Begonia. The begonias belong to the Begoniaceae, a family of plants 
found in all the warm countries of the world. The begonia was first 
introduced into England in 1777, and has since become a most popular 
house plant among English-speaking peoples. The Conservatory has 
a collection of 40 species and varieties, the most delicate of which are 
kept in this room. 
Bignonia. The bignonia that grows locally is the cross-vine. Rep- 
resentatives of 10 tropical species are grown in the Conservatory. 
All are excellent vines that bloom profusely. Most of them are grown 
in this room, because they require a great amount of warmth. 
Codiaeum, or CROTON, or VARIEGATED LAUREL, a native of the islands 
of the Pacific and the Malay peninsula, belongs to the Euphorbiaceae, 
the family to which our flowering spurge belongs. The foliage shows a 
great variety of shades of green, yellow, red, orange, pink, and crim- 
son. This collection is an unusually good one, including representa- 
tives of nearly 40 species and varieties. 
Cocos nucifera, or Coconut PAM, is a plant that belongs in the Eco- 
nomic House and is described with its contents, but that requires a 
warmer temperature than the one maintained there. 
Cordyline. The cordylines belong to the Liliaceae, or Lily family, 
and resemble dracaenas in appearance. Their leaves are brilliantly 
colored, usually in shades of pink, orange, and scarlet. This collection 
is a large one, containing representatives of more than 20 species and 
varieties, collected from the East Indies, Australia, Tropical Asia, 
Brazil, and New Zealand. 
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