The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-03
BEAUTIFUL WILD FLOWERS.
The Regal Yucca, the. Lotus and the
Soap Plant.


Soap Plant.
Mr.. Gugie Bourquin has shown MORN
ING News representative a flower stem of
the silk, or bear grass yucca fIdmeatoSd),
which is certainly magnificent species of
plant native to the soil. 1t grew and flow
cred on the Newton plantation, southwest
| of the city.
The flower stem from base to tip is about
ten feet in length. and there is profusion
of ivory white, bell-shaped flowers on the
| stalk. There are twenty four stems to the
stalk, and these stems average from eight
| to sixteen flowers on each. That part of
| the stalk bearing the flowers is four feet in
length, the flower stems graduating in
| length, shortening TO the tip, giving the
flower part of the stalk the appearance of
| an elongated cone. There are over 800 full
blown flowers and as many as 100 buds not
yet in bloom on the stalk.
The yucca" as it is generally called, is
tropical grass. growing in punches, as many
as 100 leaves to bunch, the flower stalk
shooting up from the center OF the plant.
The leaves grow to a length of three feet
The plant attains perfection in three years.
1t grows on high lands and in hammocks
around the borders of swamps, and while
the flower lacks in fragrance it more than
makes up for it in the regal beauty of its
snow-white plume of BELLS
A gentleman from New York who win
tered in SAY annah examined the plant and
he pronounced its fiber superior to that of
jute or ramie. He has requested that sam
Piles of the leaves be forwarded to him SO
that he may have their fibrous texture NOR Q
fully determined by practical test. The
yucca takes SO long to mature that il is
doubtful if it will ever enter into any of the
textile fabrics, but it would certainly be a
magnificent lawn ornament, and it is some
what surprising that so many ornamental
native plants are neglected here which
would command greater attention in other
localities
MIR. Bourquin has the lotus plaut on his
place. and some time ago he furnished one
for Forsyth park which is now fruiting.
Some of the lotus plants on the plantation
are now blooming, and are most beautiful.
Ii is believed that they are native to the
soil, as their presence can be traced back for
more than a century.
The writer, on the occasion of a visit TO
the DEVILS Wood Yard, on Mr.. Bourquin's
place, in May, had his attention called to a
beautiful wild flower with fire-red blossoms,
and was surprised when the colored guide
informed him that the dainty flower, whose
parent stem was scarcely foot high, had a
root that would weigh at least fifteen pounds.
A servant dug it up, and while he
did not get all of it, he got enough to cor
| roborate the guides story. 1t weighed
over fifteen pounds, was about six inches in
| diameter near the surface, and was four
inches in diameter where it was cut off two
feet under the ground. The root was
brought to this city, planted in the richest
character of soil filled in around it from
bottom to top, and although it had bloome
in May, by careful watering and attention
| it has put out plant three feet high, and
| buds are forming fog its second Towering of
| the year.
The plant is known among the colored
people as the soap plant" and it is dug up
| by them and serves the same purpose as
soap. 1t IS boiled with the laundry and
unites in it all the cleansing properties of
| soap. The plant has evidently received
| greater attention from the unlettered COL
| ored people than the botanists, and is enti-
| tied TO the investigations of the latter