Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-11-02

! its natural habitat Ia on the aliuvial
lands along streams, though 1t readily
udapts Itself TO higher situations. How
far over Texas il extends as an indi-
RenOus growth we are uuprepared to ssy
though we have seen il fiourlshing &c
perfection nj several points. No doubt
It would succeed well anywhere in
Texas. Its northern range for us may
lie put about the same as that Of the
! yaupon, though it grows much further
| up along the Atlantic coast.
| Audromedia nitida is very pretty
little broedleaf evergreen that we have
seen growing plentitully along streams
well down i'll Texas. We know OF no
common name for it. The leaves much
resemble those of the orange, and 1t -,
though very slender in its natural
growth, bears trimming into storkipess
Arst rate. Bears u proiusion of bell
shaped flowers of q pale piukish tinge
| which continue to come well through the
season. The little flowers, not more
thun one fourth of an Inch in length, are
! highly fragrant, with an odOr much re-
sembling that OF new honey. We cannot
vOuch for the success of the shrub i'll
| Northern Texas, though since we have
| seen it growing in Tennessee we think it
! would be apt TO succeed as far up as Fort
! Worth, at least. The shrub grows to
| the height of ABOUT five feet.
There are other fine broad-leaf ever
| green shrubs we know of growing near
the gulf coast, but since we are unad-
| rised as to how they would act trans
/ planted TO the far interior, and this be-
| ing an article written for all Texas, we
shall not take up the renders time with
a mention OF them. Eut there is vet one
! unmentioned class of plants deserving
! special atten:IOu-a class known to be
entirely at home with us, and one that
carries a hint of the tropics wherever it
grows. We allude TO the yuccas. All
the species figuring in American botany
will grow in every section OF Texas.
In tine Gulf states east of the Missis-
ippi river, the most conspicuous species
OF this family of plants to he me. with is
the Yucca alvefolia, known for common
as the "Spanish dagger" We are not
sure that the same species grows wild in
Texas, but suppose il does. 1t reaches
TO the height of ten feet under favorable
conditions, with trunk four 10 five inches
in diameter, aud bears at The top each
season raceme of large bell
shaped clear white flowers, to
be followed by bunch of fruit
somewhat resembling bananas. The
numerous leaves which take out from the
stalk all round are, as the common name
indicates, daggers, like in shape and
each is pointed with a strong and very
sharp spire. or course the reader al
ready has Il pretty clear idea of what
plant we refer TO from this imperfect de-
scription associated with the common
name, which last is quite generally
adopted in all parts of the country where
the Yucca alvefolio grows.
We have seen few specimens of this
species growing in the Yards of Northern
Texas, and can therefore vouch for its
being hardv here. There is another spe-
cies, however, good deal like the one
under consideration, that is much more
common here, aud withal, is the most
desirable species of the two. 1t Is pecu-
liar TO Texas and Mexico. One never
sees it growing wild east of the Mssis-
sIppi river, and rarely, indeed, finds it
under culture there. 1t is the largest
growing of oil the yuccas, som etimes
renching height of twenty feet. In
general appearance it closely resembles
the species jlst described. though its
''daggers' are broader, thicker and
longer, and its trunk much larger in
crcum ferHnce. The botanical mime
given by Buckley is Yucca ongifoia.
lis natural habitat is Western Texas and
Mexico though there are muny fine young
specimens growing in Fort Worth IL fact
which leads us TO conclude that il might
be depended upon III any section of the
state. The people here have also given
10 the common name of "Spanish dag
ger
The most common yucca in the coast
country east of the Mississippi river is
popularity known rs "blue grass, or
"Adam s needle and thread "-botani-
cal name Yucca filamentosa. II has q
large tuft of broad daggar-shaped leaves
Immediately at the ground, but never
puts up u trunk. A slender flower stalk
is thrown up from this tutt to the height
of three or four feet. but this dies and
falls so soon rs the seed is matured.
Along the margin of each leaf hang
long threadlike filameuts which suggest
one of its popular names. The flowers
very much resembles those of the other
two species mentioned.
We have never met With this bear
grass species growing in Texas, but there
is u beautiful little yucca quite common
here that exhibits many of its character
isticS. Its leaves are In n bunch on the
ground, but they are smaller and mar
The margin of each leaf is marked with |
q narrow white stripe, which is not at
all characteristic of the bear grass, but |
The fillameuts appear along the margin |
as IT, the case of the latter. The eastern |
bear grass has no spire to speak of at the |
end of the leaf, but on the contrary this |
Texas species is quite strongly spired.
No works Oh botany mention the little |
yucca under mention, therefore we must |
conclude that il has neve yet been de- |
scribed and named by anv botanist |
When they do take it in hand they will |
probably load it down with some such |
name az yucca tlameutose, variety |
Texaua.''
All these yuccas being highly orna-
mental, strictly Southern, permanently
evergreen and undoubtedly hardy in
every section of Texas, ought to cluim |
liberal share of our peoples attention
as desirable growths for the yard and the
lawn.
Irrigating the Pecos Valley.