Page:Haiti- Her History and Her Detractors.djvu/315

Rh and many other beautiful plants unknown outside the tropics. The large flamboyant-tree (Caesalpinia pulcherrima) displays on coast and hill-tops alike the crimson glory of its blooms against the soft green of the surrounding foliage, and lights up the scene with its vivid glow as of a lighthouse placed by nature for the guidance of invisible travelers. The cockscomb (Celosia cristata) empurples the fields with its velvet clusters, with here and there a touch of gold where the sunflower sways on its slender stalk, still another color being added to the scene by the deep pink blossoms of the coralilla (belle Mexicaine) (Antigonon leptopus), which runs along the hedges and hangs in graceful clusters from the surrounding bushes. Along the country waysides and in the fields are to be seen varieties of wild begonia, fuschia, lilac, rose-bay, marigold, reseda, the large trumpet-like flower of the datura, many varieties of lilies and wild roses, whilst in the cool of the mountains, along the banks of the streams, grow masses of wild forget-me-nots. Around the humblest peasant's hut the fragrance of flowers perfumes the air; climbing-jasmine, the honeysuckle, the sweet verbena, hidden in the bushes, reveal their presence by their sweet odor, mixed up with that of the mint which in some places carpets the ground. The convolvulus vine engarlands trees on whose trunks and branches wild orchids bloom. The fairy-like beauty of the scene is still more enchanting when seen with every leaf and blade of grass glistening with dew, shining like diamonds as they are lit up by the rays of the early sun. The very swamps are made beautiful by the nelumbo and the nenuphar, which spread over the stagnant waters, hiding them from sight by their large leaves and their yellow and white flowers.

Each hour of day seems to bring out some new beauty in the landscape. As the sun sinks slowly in the west, in a blaze of color such as is seen only in a tropical sunset, a gentle breeze passes caressingly on the land, carrying with it the faint fragrance of flowers such as the mirabilis and the night jasmine, which grow more