24 GARFIELD PARK CONSERVATORY 
boats. The leaves are used in making nets and paper. 
also includes representatives of 8 related species. 
Philodendron. The philodendrons are showy tropical vines belonging 
to the Aeroid family. All bear showy spathes or fruit. Many of them 
contain poisonous properties, either in the sap or the root. The col- 
lection includes 15 species from tropical America, distributed through 
this house, the Fern House, and the Warm House. 
Phoenix. This is the genus to which the date palm belongs. The 
collection includes 9 species. They bloom here in the spring, and 
some of them bear flower sheaths that are most showily colored. Prob- 
ably the most interesting species are the following: 
Phoenix dactylifera, or DATE PALM, a native of North Africa, Egypt, 
Syria, and Arabia. It is the palm found growing in the oases of the 
deserts. Its fruits grow in bunches of 20 or more, and are highly 
nutritious. They form an important part of the diet of millions of 
people. They are also used as a food for camels and other domesti- 
cated animals. 
The collection 
Phoenix sylvestris, or WiLtp Date, of India, is cultivated for the sap, 
which yields sugar and toddy. About 8 pounds of sugar can be made 
from the sap of one tree. Many thousands of tons of this sugar are 
produced annually in India. 
Pothos, or SHINGLE VINE, an Aeroid from Borneo and the Solomon 
Isles, will be found growing in various parts of the Conservatory, and 
may be seen in the different stages of growth—first as a young vine 
with leaves that look like lily leaves; later as a larger vine with the 
leaves overlapping each other like the shingles on a house; still later 
as maturing vines with leaves slightly perforated; and finally as full- 
grown vines with the leaves so much divided that they look like those 
of a totally different plant. 
Pritchardia Gaudichaudii, a fare palm from Hawaii. 
bring as high as $300. 
Rhapsis, or RATTAN CANE PALM, a low fan palm from China and Japan, 
represented here by 2 species. Both sucker freely and produce large 
clumps. 
Small specimens 
Ricinus communis, or CASTOR BEAN, is a member of the Euphorbiaceae. 
It is a native of India and is cultivated extensively in that land for the 
oil that is pressed from the seeds. The oil is used medicinally, in the 
arts, and in preparing food. The seed contains a poisonous principle. 
This is supposed to be the gourd of Jonah, and is extensively used to 
create a tropical effect. It is erroneously supposed to keep away 
garden moles and malaria. 
Rohdea japonica, a native of Japan and China, belongs to the Liliaceae, 
or Lily family. It is a favorite plant in Japan, where hundreds of 
varieties are grown, and where a small specimen but a few inches high 
often brings as much as $500. It is the plant adopted by the Manchus 
as their national flower, and is the subject of many books. It has 
proved hardy as far north as Washington. 
