THE BAY HOUSE 39 
our lilac and ash belong. This shrub, which bears great panicles of 
white flowers, is widely grown throughout the warmer part of our 
country as an ornamental plant. It stands pruning well, and is in 
great favor as a hedge plant in sections where the winters are not too 
severe. 
Osmanthus fragrans, a native of China and Japan, is a small evergreen 
tree that belongs to the Oleaceae, the family to which the lilac belongs. 
The species is valued for its handsome foliage and its fragrant white 
flowers. 
Opuntia, or PRICKLY PEAR, is a genus of the Cactus family, represented 
here by 5 species, some of which are cultivated for their large edible 
fruits, others for their peculiarity. The prickly pear of our local sand 
dune region is a related species. All opuntias have showy flowers, 
usually yellow. They easily escape from gardens and become weeds. 
In many foreign countries they are especially disliked for this reason. 
Pithecoctenium muricatum, a native of tropical America, belongs to the 
Bignoniaceae, the family to which the catalpa belongs. This species 
is valued for its showy flowers. 
& 
The Economic House 
HIS house shelters a collection representing nearly 300 species 
| of interesting tropical plants, chiefly woody, of especial economic 
value. The purpose of this room is distinctly educational. The 
other houses, of course, have a decided educational value. In them 
all manner of exotic plants are shown in characteristic growth, and the 
specimens are carefully labeled as to scientific name, common name, 
if any, and geographical distribution. The chief interest of the Palm, 
Fern, Show, Aeroid, and Warm Houses, however, always has been, 
and probably always will be, in their beauty. Eventually it is hoped 
to arrange a permanent landscaped plantation in this house that will 
be as beautiful in its way as the plantations in the other houses just 
referred to; yet the emphasis in this house will always be educational. 
The specimens are here arranged in groups, according to their 
most outstanding economic value. The groups comprise Edible Fruits, 
Condiments, Medical and Poisonous plants, Perfume Producing 
Plants, Rubber and Resin Producing Plants, Dye Producing Plants, 
Fancy Woods, and Miscellaneous Useful Plants. Some specimens, of 
course, really belong in several different groups—the orange, for ex- 
ample, belongs with the edible fruits, the condiments, and the perfume 
producing plants. In such cases the specimen is placed according to 
its best known use. 
The temperature here is too cool for some of the most interesting 
tropical plants of economic value. The melon-tree, which belongs in 
this house and is described in the following list, must be kept in the 
