UC-NRLF

ESM flEE

THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

FLORA DOMESTICA.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITEFRIARS.

FLORA DOMESTICA,

OR

THE PORTABLE FLOWER-GARDEN;

DIRECTIONS FOR THE TREATMENT OF

PLANTS IN POTS ;

AND

ILLUSTRATIONS FROM THE WORKS OF THE POETS.

" How exquisitely sweet
This rich display of flowers,
This airy wild of fragrance
So lovely to the eye,
And to the sense so sweet."

ANDREINI'S ADAM.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR TAYLOR AND HESSEY,

93, FLEET-STREET,
AND 13, WATERLOO-PLACE, PALL-MALL.

1823.

TO

SIR WILLIAM KNIGHTON, BART.

SIR,

I TAKE the liberty of laying this Volume
before you, in humble acknowledgment of the gra-
titude and respect with which I remain,

SIR,
Your humble and obedient Servant,

THE AUTHOR.

A

LIST OF THE PLANTS

DESCRIBED IN THIS WORK.

Page
A*

Adonis 1

African Lily Agapanthus 4

African Marygold, see Tagetes.
Agave, see Aloe.

Almond-tree Amy'gdala 5

A'loe 6

A'maranth Amaranthus 14

Amary'lliSj see Star Lily.

Andromeda 18

Anemone Anemone 19

Antholy'za - 24

Anthy'llis 25

Antirrhinum 26

A'rbor Vitse Thuja 27

A'rbutus 28

A'rum Calla ^Ethiopica 32

A'sphodel Asphodelus 33

A'ster 35

Aucuba Japonica 37

Auricula Primula Auricula 38

Azalea 43

B.

Balm Melissa 44

Balm of Gilead, see Dragon's-head.

Balsam Impatiens 47

Basil O'cymum 49

Bay Laurus Nobilis 51

Belvedere Chenopodium Scoparia 59

Bitter- vetch O'robus 60

Blood-wort Sanguinaria 51

Box-tree Buxus 63

Broom , . Spartium 65

Browallia . 69

viii LIST OF PLANTS.

Page

c.

Camellia Japonica 70

Campanula 71

Candy-tuft Iberis 73

Canterbury Bells,, see Campanula.

Cardainine 74

Cardinal-flower Lobelia 76

Catchfly Silene 77

Celandine Chelidonium , „ . . 77

Centaury Centaurea 82

Cereus Cactus 84

Cerfnthe 86

Chelone 87

China Rose, see Hibiscus.

Chionanthus 88

Chironia 88

Chrysanthemum 89

Cineraria 91

Cistus 92

Clematis 93

Clethra 96

Cock's-comb, see Amaranth.

Colchicum 96

Columbine Aquilegia 97

Colutea Frutescens 99

Convolvulus 100

Coreopsis 103

Corn-flag .Gladiolus 104

Coronilla 105

Cotyledon 106

Cowslip Primula Veris 107

of Jerusalem Pulmonaria 110

Crinum \\\

Crocus 112

Cy'clamen 115

Cy'tisus ' ng

D.

Dahlia 119

Daisy Bellis 120

Banewort Sambucus E'bulus 128

Daphne 129

Dog's-bane Apocynuni I".."."!!!!!!!!..!. 131

Dragon's-head Dracocephalum 134

Dl7'as 135

E.

Egg-plant Solanum Melongena 136

LIST OF PLANTS. ix

Page

Erinus 136

Everlasting Gnaphalium 137

F.

Foxglove Digitalis 138

Fritillary Fritillaria 140

Fuchsia 141

Fumitory Fumaria 142

G.

Gentian Gentiana 143

Geranium Erodinm — Pelargonium 145

Germander Teucrium 152

Globe-flower Trollius 153

Globularia 154

Goat's-Rue Galega 155

Golden-Locks Chrysocoma 156

Gourd Cucurbita 157

Greek Valerian Polemonium Ca3ruleum 159

Guelder-Rose Viburnum O'pulus, 160

H.

Hawthorn Cratre'gus Oxyacantha 161

Heart's-ease Viola Tricolor 1 65

Heath Erica 171

Heliotrope Heliotropium 1 74

Helmet-flower Scutellaria 176

Helonias 1 76

Hepatica Anemone Hepdtica 177

Hibiscus 178

Hollyhock Althse'a 180

Honesty Lunaria 1 82

Honeysuckle Lonicera 1 82

Hottentot Cherry Cassine Maurocenia 185

Houseleek Sempervivum 186

Hy'acinth . . . Hyacinthus. 187

Hydrangea 196

Hypericum 199

I.
Ice-plant, see Mesembryan them urn.

Indian Corn Zea 201

Indian Pink Dianthus Chinensis 201

Ipomce'a 202

I'ris 203

I'xia 207

Jerusalem Sage Phlomis 208

x LIST OF PLANTS.

Page

Jessamine Jasminum 208

Jonquil, see Narcissus.

Juniper Juniperus 21 1

K.

Kalmia 214

L.

Laburnum, see Cytisus.
Lady's-smock, see Cardamine.

Larkspur Delphinium 215

Laurel Prunus Laurocerasus 216

Lavatera 217

Lavender Lavandula 218

Lemon-tree Citrus Limon 220

Lilac Syringa 221

Lilies Lilium 225

Lily of the Valley Convallaria 228

London-pride, see Pink and Saxifrage.

Lupine Lupinus 230

Ly'chnis 232

M.

Mallow -.... Malva 234

Marsh Marygold Caltha Palustris 236

Marvel of Peru Mirabilis 237

Marygold Calendula 239

Maurandia Semperflorens 242

Mesembryanthemum 243

Mezereon, see Daphne.

Mignonette Reseda Odorata 246

Milkwort Poly'gala 247

Mimosa 247

Mint Mentha 252

Monk's-hood Aconitum 253

Motherwort Leomirus 255

My'rtle My'rtus 257

N.

Narcissus 264

Nasturtium Tropae'olum 269

Nigella 271

O.

Oleander Nerium 271

O'Jive-tree O'lea 273

O'range-tree Citrus AurSntium .... .276

LIST OF PLANTS. xi

P.

Peony ............ ...... Paeonia . . ................ 283

Passion-flower ............ Passiflora ................ 284

Perwinkle .............. Vinca . . ........ .......... 285

Phillyrea ................ Cassine Capensis .......... 286

Phlox .......................................... 287

Pink .................... Dianthus ................ 288

Polyanthus .............. Primula Vulgaris .......... 29 1

Poppy .................. Papaver .................. 292

Primrose ................ Primula Grandiflora ........ 299

Prince' s-feather, see Amaranth.

Privet .................. Ligustrum ................ 302

Protea ............................. . , .......... 303

R.

Ranunculus ............. . ..................... „ 303

Rhododendrum .......... Rhododendron ............ 306

Rhodora, see Rhododendron.

Robinia ............................ , ........... 307

Rocket .................. Hesperis ...... ............ 308

Rose-bush .............. R6sa .................... 310

Rosemary . . . ........... Rosmarinus .............. 330

S.

Sage .................... Salvia ......... . . ......... 333

Saxifrage ................ Saxifraga ............... . 334

Scabious ................ Scabiosa ................ 337

Scarlet Bean ............ Phaseolus Multiflorus ...... 338

Sea Lavender ............ Statice ......... . ........ 339

Seclum .......................................... 340

Sensitive-plant, see Mimosa.

Shaddock-tree ............ Citrus Decumana .......... 341

Snow-drop .............. Galanthus ................ 342

Solomon's Seal, see Lily of the Valley.

Southernwood ............ Artemisia Abrotanum ...... 344

Speedwell .............. Veronica ..... , .......... 344

Spiroe'a ................................ . ....... 346

Star of Bethlehem ........ Ornithogalum ............ 348

Star Lily ................ Amary'llis ................ 348

Stock .................. Matthiola ................ 352

Stone-crop, see Sedum.

Stramonium .............. Datura ........... ....... 355

Strawberry Elite .......... Blitum .................. 356

Sun-flower .............. Helianthus ................ 357

Sweet Pea .............. Lathyrus ................ 360

Sweet-briar, see Rose-bush.
Sweet Sultan, sec Gentaurv. •

xii LIST OF PLANTS.

Page

Sweet William, see Pink.

Syringa Philadelphia 362

T.

Tagetes 364

Tarchonanthus 364

Tobacco Plant Nicotiana 365

Tuberose Polyanthes 368

Tulip Tulipa 370

V.

Valerian Valeriana 374

Venus's Looking-glass, see Campanula.

Vervain Verbena 375

Violet Viola 376

Viper's Bugloss E'chium 381

Virginian Cowslip Dodecatheon Meadia 382

W.

Wallflower Cheirdnthus 382

Water Lily Nyrnphae'a 384

Winged Pea Lotus Tetragon61obus 386

Winter Cherry Phy'salis 386

X.

Xeranthemum 387

Y.

Yucca 388

Z.

Zinnia 389

Zygophy'llum 390

PREFACE.

As I reside in town, and am known among my friends as
a lover of the country, it has often happened that one or
other of them would bring me consolation in the shape of
a Myrtle, a Geranium, an Hydrangea, or a Rose-tree, &c.
Liking plants, and loving my friends, I have earnestly de-
sired to preserve these kind gifts ; hut, utterly ignorant of
their wants and habits, I have seen my plants die one after
the other, rather from attention ill-directed than from the
want of it. I have many times seen others in the same
situation as myself, and found it a common thing, upon the
arrival of a new plant, to hear its owner say, " Now, I
should like to know how I am to treat this ? Should it
stand within doors, or without ? should it have much wa-
ter, or little ? should it stand in the sun, or in the shade ?"
Even Myrtles and Geraniums, commonly as they are
seen in flower-stands, balconies, &c., often meet with an .
untimely death from the ignorance of their nurses. Many
a plant have I destroyed, like a fond and mistaken mother,
by an inexperienced tenderness ; until, in pity to these vege-
table nurslings and their nurses, I resolved to obtain and
to communicate such information as should be requisite
for the rearing and preserving a portable garden in pots.
This little volume is the result ; the information contained
in it has been carefully collected from the best authorities ;
and henceforward the death of any plant, owing to the

xiv PREFACE.

carelessness or ignorance of its nurse, shall be brought in,
at the best, as plant-slaughter.

It has not been attempted to make a complete catalogue
of every plant that may be reared in a pot or tub, but
such have been selected as are the most frequently so cul-
tivated ; and such as are most desirable for beauty of
form or colour, luxuriance of foliage, sweetness of perfume,
or from interesting or poetical associations with their
history. In the belief that lovers of nature are most fre-
quently admirers of beauty in any form, such anecdotes or
poetical passages are added, relating to the plants men-
tioned, as appeared likely to interest them.

To avoid endless repetition, some few general observa-
tions are subjoined, but only such as are really general ;
and they will not be found to render a variety of references
necessary for the treatment of one plant, a necessity which
it is the chief aim of this little work to set aside. It is
hoped that any person desiring to know the treatment
proper for this or that plant, will find all the information
necessary under its particular head. The General Ob-
servations are comprised in so small a compass, that the
merely reading them over will probably be found sufficient.

The love of flowers is a sentiment common alike to the
great and to the little ; to the old and to the young ; to
the learned and the ignorant, the illustrious and the obscure.
While the simplest child may take delight in them, they
may also prove a recreation to the most profound philo-
sopher. Lord Bacon himself did not disdain to bend his
mighty intellect to the subject of their culture.

Lord Burleigh also found recreation from the cares of
state in his flower-garden. Ariosto, although utterly ig-
norant of botanical science, took even an infantine pleasure
in his little garden; and we are informed by his son, that
after sowing a variety of seeds, he would watch eagerly for

PREFACE. xv

the springing of the plants, would cherish the first peep of
vegetation, and having for many days watered and tended
the young plant, discover at last that he had bestowed all
this tenderness upon a weed ; a weed, perhaps, which had
choked the plant for which he had mistaken it.

fc Nelle cose de' giardini teneva il modo medesimo, che nel far de
versi, perche mai non lasciava cosa alcuna che piantasse piu di tre
mesi in un loco'; e se piantava anime di persiche, o semente di alcuna
sorte, andava tante volte a vedere se germogliava, che fmalmente,
rompea il germoglio : e perche avea poco cognizione d' erba, il piu delle
volte prossumea che qualunque erba, che nascesse vicina alia cosa semi-
nata da esso, fosse quella ; la custodiva con diligenza grande sin tanto
che la cosa fosse ridotta a' termini, che,, non accascava averne dubbio.
I' mi ricordo, ch' avendo seminato de' capperi, ogni giorno andava a
vederli, e stava con una allegrezza grande di cosi bella nascione. Final-
mente trovo ch' eran sambuchi, e che de' capperi non n'eran nati
alcuni."

" He treated his garden as he did his verses, never leaving any thing
three months in the same place. Whenever he planted or sowed any
thing, he went so often to see if it sprouted, that at last he broke the
shoot : and having little knowledge of plants, he took any leaves that
appeared near the place where he had sown his seeds for the plants
sown, and tended them with the greatest diligence, till his mistake was
clear beyond doubt. I remember once when he had sown some capers,
he went every day to look at them, and was delighted to see them
thrive so well. At last he found these thriving plants were young
elders, and that none of the capers had appeared."

NOTES BY VIRGINIO ARIOSTO, FOR A LIFE OF HIS FATHER.

Who can read this anecdote of so great a man, and not
feel an additional interest in him ! In how amiable a light
it represents him ! Was a cruel, unfeeling, or selfish man
ever known to take pleasure in working in his own garden ?
Surely not. This love of nature in detail (if the expression
may be allowed) is an union of affection, good taste, and
natural piety.

How amiable a man was Cowper ! — and Evelyn, too, and
Evelyn's friend, Cowley, who addressed to him a poem

xvi PREFACE.

entitled The Garden. Gessner also is represented as of
a kindred sweetness of nature. They all worked in their
own gardens ; and with enthusiastic pleasure.

Barclay, the author of the Argenis, rented a house near
the Vatican, in Rome, with a garden in which he planted
the choicest flowers, principally such as grow from bulbs,
which had never been seen in Rome before. He was ex-
tremely fond of flowers, particularly of the bulbous kind,
which are prized chiefly for their colours, and purchased
the bulbs at a high price*.

Pope had the same taste, and was assisted in his horti-
cultural amusements by Lord Peterborough. One of the
most interesting descriptions of him represents him as being
seen before dinner in a small suit of black, very neat and
gentlemanly, with a basket in his hand containing flowers
for the Miss Blounts. Rousseau, who has written some in-
teresting Letters on Botany, of which among his other
accomplishments he was master, found friends in the
flowers, when he thought he had no others. Even his
great rival Voltaire, who if he had more wit had much less
sentiment, soothed his irritability and cherished his bene-
volence in his garden ; and one, " greater than he," and
whom I mention in the same page with any thing but an
irreverent or unchristian feeling, said the noblest thing
of a flower that ever was uttered: "Behold the lilies
of the field, how they grow: they toil not, neither do they
spin; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon, in all his
glory, was not arrayed like one of these." (Matthew, chap,
vi. v. 28, 29 f.) How surely would Solomon himself have

* See Beckmann's History of Inventions, vol. i.

t Some have supposed that the flower to which Jesus alluded must
have been the Tulip • as if it were necessary for it to be really gaudy
or gorgeous before it could be set above the splendour of royalty ! This
may be called the art of divesting sentiment of its sentiment.

PREFACE. xvii

agreed with this beautiful speech ! for that his " wise
heart" loved the flowers, the lily especially, is evident from
numerous passages in his Song. The object of his love
in claiming a supreme degree of beauty, exclaims, " I am
the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley."

The Emperor Dioclesian preferred his garden to a
throne :

" Methinks I see great Dioclesian walk
In the Salonian garden's noble shade,
Which by his own imperial hands was made :
I see him smile, methinks, as he does talk
With the ambassadors, who come in vain
T' entice him to a throne again.
e If I, my friends/ said he, ' should to you show
All the delights which in these gardens grow,
"Tis likelier far that you with me should stay,
Than 'tis that you should carry me away :
And trust me not, my friends, if, every day,
I walk not here with more delight,
Than ever, after the most happy fight,
In triumph to the capital I rode,
To thank the gods, and to be thought myself almost a god.' "

COWLEY'S GARDEN.

Sir W. Temple desired to have his heart buried in his
garden.

Lope de Vega appears to have been a lover of gardens.
" As he is mentioned more than once," says Lord Holland,
" by himself and his encomiasts, employed in trimming a
garden, we may collect that he was fond of that occupation.
Indeed his frequent description of parterres and fountains,
and his continual allusion to flowers, justify his assertion
— ' that his garden furnished him with ideas, as well as
vegetables and amusement*.'"

The French poet Ronsard was evidently a lover of

* See Life of Lope de Vega, vol. i. page 93.

xviii PREFACE.

flowers, as may be seen in his poems, particularly of the
Rose, and the Violet, which he calls the flower of March ;
these he has introduced repeatedly :

" Two flowers I love, the March-flower and the rose,
The lovely rose that is to Venus dear *."

Ovid was, as might be expected, a lover of gardens,
and by a passage in one of his poems appears to have
been fond of writing in them. It is in his Tristia, where
he is regretting, during his voyage to the place of his
exile, the delight he used to feel in composing his verses
under the genial sky, and among the domestic comforts of
his native country :

" Non hsec in nostris, ut quondam, scribimus hortis,

Nee, consuete, meum, lectule, corpus habes :
Jactor in indomito brumali luce profundo,

Ipsaque caeruleis charta feritur aquis.
Improba pugnat hiems, indignaturque, quod ausim
Scribere, se rigidas incutiente minas."

Lib. i. Eleg. 11.

" Not in my garden, as of old, I write,

With thee, dear couch, to finish the delight :

I toss upon a ghastly wintery sea,

While the blue sprinkles dash my poetry.

Fell winter's at his war; and storms the more

To see me dare to write for all his threatening roar."

Ovid is so fond of flowers, that, in the account of the
Rape of Proserpine in his Fasti, he devotes several lines
to the enumeration of the flowers gathered by her attend-
ants. Mr. Gibbon is very angry with him for it : " Can it be
believed," says he, " that the Rape of Proserpine should
be described in two verses, when the enumeration of the
flowers which she gathered in the garden of Eden had just

* See Mr. Gary's Translation in the London Magazine, vol. v. page
507.

PREFACE. xix

filled sixteen*?" But surely this loitering of the poet, over
his meadows and crocuses, conveys a fit sense of the plea-
sure enjoyed by Proserpine and her nymphs ; a pleasure,
too, for which they expressly came forth, and by the too
great pursuit of which the latter were separated from their
mistress.

In our own time, we may instance the late Mr. Shelley.
Of a strong and powerful intellect, his manners were gentle
as a summer's evening : his tastes were pure and simple : it
was his delight to ramble out into the fields and woods,
where he would take his book, or sometimes his pen, and
having employed some hours in study, and in speculations
on his favourite theme — the advancement of human hap-
piness, would return home with his hat wreathed with
briony, or wild convolvulus ; his hand filled with bunches
of wild-flowers plucked from the hedges as he passed, and
his eyes, indeed every feature, beaming with the bene-
volence of his heart. He loved to stroll in his garden,
chatting with a friend, or accompanied by his Homer or
his Bible (of both which he was a frequent reader) : but
one of his chief enjoyments was in sailing, rowing, or float-
ing in his little boat, upon the river : often he would lie
down flat in the boat and read, with his face upwards to
the sunshine. In this taste for the water he was too ven-
turesome, or perhaps inconsiderate; for it was rather a
thoughtlessness of danger, than a braving of it. In the
end, as it is well known, it was fatal to him : never will
his friends cease to feel, or to mourn his loss; though
their mourning will be softened by the contemplation of
his amiable nature, and by the memory of that gentle and
spiritual countenance, " which seemed not like an inha-
bitant of the earth" while it was on it.

* Gibbon's Miscellaneous Works, vol. iv. page 356.

•*W

XX PREFACE.

, .{.• * '$' ^'s *; «.- Jjl * •''*".•* ^-^-. **• i

Among the existing lovers of flowers, it is a pleasure to
be able to name the gallant and accomplished young
prince, Alexander Mavrocordato, one of the chief leaders
of the Greeks in their present glorious struggle for
freedom. A botanical work, not long since published in
Italy, is dedicated to him on account of his known fond-
ness for the subject. Thus, in every respect, he inherits
the feelings of his ancestors. This is the same prince to
whom Mr. Shelley dedicated his Hellas. Among the
Greeks this taste was very general, as may be gathered
from many ancient writers. In the following passage from
the Travels of Anacharsis, several of these authorities are
assembled : the author describes a visit to a friend who
had retired to his country-house :

" Apres avoir traverse une basse-cour peuplee de poules, de canards,
et d'autres oiseaux domestiques, nous visitames 1'ecurie, la bergerie,
ainsi que le jardin des fleurs, ou nous vimes successivement briller les
narcisses, les jacinthes, les anemones, les iris, les violettes de diffe-
rentes couleurs, les roses de diverses especes, et toutes sortes de plantes
odoriferantes. Vous ne serez pas surpris, me dit-il, du soin que je
prends de les cultiver: vous savez que nous en parons les temples,
les autels, les statues de nos dieux; que nous en couronnons nos
tetes dans nos repas et dans nos ceremonies saintes; que nous les
repandons sur nos tables et sur nos lits ; que nous avons meme 1'atten-
tion d'offrir a nos divinites les fleurs qui leur sont les plus agreables.
D'ailleurs un agriculteur ne doit point negliger les petits profits;
toutes les fois que j'envoie au marche d'Athenes, du bois, du charbon,
des denrees et des fruits, j'y joins quelques corbeilles de fleurs qui sont
enlevees a Tinstant *."

" Having crossed a court-yard peopled with fowls, ducks, and other
domestic birds, we visited the stables, the sheep-fold, and the flower-
garden ; where we saw in succession narcissuses, hyacinths, anemonies,
irises, violets of different colours, roses of various kinds, and all sorts
of odoriferous plants. You will not be surprised, said he, at the care
I take in cultivating them ; for you know that we adorn with them

* Voyage du Jeune Anacharsis en Grece, vers le milieu du qua-
trieme siecle avant 1'ere vulgaire; par J. J. Barthe'lemy. Tome cin-
quieme.

PREFACE. xxi

the temples, altars, and statues of our gods ; that we crown our heads
with them in our festivals, and holy ceremonies ; that we scatter them
upon our tables, and our beds ; that we even consider the kinds of
flowers most agreeable to our divinities. Besides an agriculturist
should not neglect small profits; whenever I send to the market of
Athens wood, provision, or fruit, I add some baskets of flowers, and
they are seized instantly."

In another part of the same work, the author describes
a marriage ceremony in the Island of Delos, in which
flowers, shrubs, and trees make a conspicuous figure. He
tells us that the inhabitants of the island assembled at
day-break, crowned with flowers : that flowers were
strewed in the path of the bride and bridegroom : the
house was garlanded with them : singers and dancers
appeared, crowned with oak, myrtle, and hawthorns ; the
bride and bridegroom were crowned with poppies ; and
upon their approach to the temple a priest received them
at the entrance, presenting to each a branch of ivy, — a
symbol of the tie which was to unite them for ever *.

It was not in their sports only that the Greeks were so
lavish of their flowers : they crowned the dead with them ;
and the mourners wore them in the funeral ceremonies.
Flowers seem to have been to this tasteful people a sort
of poetic language, whereby they expressed the intensity
of feelings to which they found common language in-
adequate. Thus we find that their grief, and their joy,
their religion, and their sports, their gratitude, admiration,
and love, were alike expressed by flowers.

And flowers do speak a language, a clear and intel-
ligible language : ask Mr. Wordsworth, for to him they
have spoken, until they excited " thoughts that lie too
deep for tears ;" ask Chaucer, for he held companionship
with them in the meadows ; ask any of the poets, ancient
or modern. Observe them, reader, love them, linger over

* Vol. vi. chapter 77.

•;.v >-':..-.

* f *» '.- /'•*<•• •« '

xxii PREFACE.

them ; and ask your own heart if they do not speak affec-
tion, benevolence, and piety. None have better under-
stood the language of flowers than the simple-minded
peasant-poet, Clare, whose volumes are like a beautiful
country, diversified with woods, meadows, heaths, and
flower-gardens : the following is a pleasing specimen :

. ,**•*'- if ** a *"*

" Bowing adorers of the gale,
Ye cowslips delicately pale,
Upraise your loaded stems ;

Unfold your cups in splendour, speak !

* *. J. ' i.

Who decked you with that ruddy streak,
And gilt your golden gems ?

" Violets, sweet tenants of the shade,
In purple's richest pride arrayed,

Your errand here fulfil ;
Go bid the artist's simple stain
Your lustre imitate, in vain,

And match your Maker's skill.

" Daisies, ye flowers of lowly birth,
Embroiderers of the carpet earth,

That stud the velvet sod ;
Open to spring's refreshing air,
In sweetest smiling bloom declare
Your Maker, and my God *."

fr * 1j» ^

This poet is truly a lover of Nature : in her humblest
attire she still is pleasing to him, and the sight of a simple
weed seems to him a source of deljght :

" There 's many a seeming weed proves sweet,
^ t * , As sweet as garden-flowers can be t."

In his lines to Cowper Green, he celebrates plants that
seldom find a bard to sing them; having enumerated
several, he continues ; —

, ^ " Still thou ought'st to have thy meed,
To show thy flower as well as weed.

* Clare's Village Minstrel and other Poems, vol. ii. page 61.
t Clare's Poems on Rural Life, &c. page 63.

PREFACE. xxiii

Though no fays, from May-day's lap,

Cowslips on thee dare to drop ;

Still does nature yearly bring

Fairest heralds of the spring :

On thy wood's warm sunny side

Primrose hlooms in all its pride ;

Violets carpet all thy bowers ;

And anemone's weeping flowers,

Dyed in winter's snow and rime,

Constant to their early time,

White the leaf-strewn ground again,

And make each wood a garden then.

Thine 's full many a pleasing bloom

Of blossoms lost to all perfume :

Thine the dandelion flowers,

Gilt with dew, like suns with showers ;

Harebells thine, and bugles blue,

And cuckoo flowers all sweet to view ;

Thy wild-woad on each road we see ;

And medicinal betony,

By thy woodside railing, reeves

With antique mullein's flannel leaves.

These, though mean, the flowers of waste,

Planted here in nature's haste,

Display to the discerning eye

Her loved, wild variety :

Each has charms in nature's book

I cannot pass without a look.

And thou hast fragrant herbs and seed,

Which only garden's culture need :

Thy horehound tufts, I love them well,

And ploughman's spikenard's spicy smell ;

Thy thyme, strong-scented 'neath one's feet ;

Thy marjoram beds, so doubly sweet;

And pennyroyals creeping twine :

These, each succeeding each, are thine,

Spreading o'er thee wild and gay,

Blessing spring, or summer's day.

As herb, flower, weed, adorn thy scene,

Pleased I seek thee, Cowper Green."

VILLAGE MINSTREL, &c. vol. i. page 113.

The eloquence of flowers is not perhaps so generally

xxiv .PREFACE.

understood in this country as it might be, but Mr. Bowring
scarcely does us justice in the following observations:

" In the peninsula the wildest flowers are the sweetest.
There are hedges of myrtles, and geraniums, and pome-
granates, and towering aloes. The sunflower and the
bloody warrior (Aleli grosero) occupy the parterre : they
are no favorites of mine.

" Flowers ! what a hundred associations the word brings
to my mind. Of what countless songs, sweet and sacred,
delicate and divine, are they the subject. A flower in
England is something to the botanist, — but only if it be
rare ; to the florist — but only if it be beautiful; even the
poet and the moralizer seldom bend down to its eloquent
silence. The peasant never utters to it an ejaculation — the
ploughman (all but one) carelessly tears it up with his
share — no maiden thinks of wreathing it — no youth aspires
to wear it. But in Spain ten to one but it becomes a
minister of love, that it hears the voice of poetry, that it
crowns the brow of beauty. Thus how sweetly an anony-
mous cancionero sings :

" Put on your brightest, richest dress,
Wear all your gems, blest vales of ours !
My fair one comes in her loveliness,
She comes to gather flowers.

" Garland me wreaths, thou fertile vale ;
Woods of green your coronets bring ;
Pinks of red, and lilies pale,
Come with your fragrant offering.
Mingle your charms of hue and smell,
Which Flora wakes in her spring-tide hours !
My fair one comes across the dell,
She comes to gather flowers.

" Twilight of morn ! from thy misty tower
Scatter the trembling pearls around,

PREFACE. xxv

Hang up thy gems on fruit and flower,,
Bespangle the dewy ground !.
Phoebus, rest on thy ruby wheels —
Look, and envy this world of ours ;
For my fair one now descends the hills,
She comes to gather flowers.

" List ! for the breeze on wings serene
Through the light foliage sails ;
Hidden amidst the forest green
Warble the nightingales !
Hailing the glorious birth of day
With music's best, divinest powers,
Hither my fair one bends her way,
She comes to gather flowers."

LONDON MAGAZINE, Spanish Romances, No. 3.

For the most part of our countrymen, I fear they do not
allow themselves leisure to admire or enjoy the beauties
of nature ; yet it cannot be said that they are utterly in-
sensible to them ; for with regard to flowers at least we
may observe, that on Sundays every village beau, nay every
straggling townsman who comes on that day within reach
of a flower, has one in his button-hole.

It was, perhaps, the general power of sympathy upon the
subject of plants, which caused them to be connected with
some of the earliest events that history records. The
mythologies of all nations are full of them ; and in all
times they have been associated with the soldiery, the
government, and the arts. Thus the patriot was crowned
with oak ; the hero and the poet with bay ; and beauty
with the myrtle. Peace had her olive ; Bacchus his ivy ;
and whole groves of oak-trees were thought to send out
oracular voices in the winds. One of the most pleasing
parts of state-splendor has been associated with flowers, as
Shakspeare seems to have had in his mind when he wrote
that beautiful line respecting the accomplished prince,
Hamlet:

" The expectancy and rose of the fair state."

xxvi PREFACE.

It was this that brought the gentle family of roses into
such unnatural broils in the civil wars : and still the united
countries of Great Britain have each a floral emblem :
Scotland has its thistle, Ireland its shamrock, and England
the rose. France, under the Bourbons, has the golden
lily.

It was an annual custom with the Popes to send a golden
rose perfumed to the Prince who happened to be most in
their good graces.

Our different festivals have each their own peculiar
plant, or plants, to be used in their celebration : at Easter
the willow as a substitute for the palm ; at Christmas, the
holly and the mistletoe ; on May-day every flower in
bloom, but particularly the hawthorn or May-bush. In
Persia they have a festival called the Feast of Roses, which
lasts the whole time they are in bloom — (See ROSES, page
321). Formerly it was the custom, and still is in some parts
of the country, to scatter flowers on the celebration of a
wedding, a christening, or even of a funeral (See ROSES,
page 315, and ROSEMARY, page 331).

It was formerly the custom also to carry garlands
before the bier of a maiden, and to hang them, and scatter
flowers over her grave :

" Her death was dreadful ;

And, but that great command o'ersways the order,
She should in ground unsanctified have lodged
Till the last trumpet ; for charitable prayers,
Shards, flints, and pebbles should be thrown on her,
Yet here she is allowed her virgin crants*,
Her maiden strewments, and the bringing home
Of bell and burial."

The Queen scattering flowers :

" Sweets to the sweet. Farewell !
I hoped thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid,
And not have strewed thy grave."

HAMLET, Act v. Scene 1.

* Grants is the German word for garlands.

PREFACE. XXvii

In Tripoli, on the celebration of a wedding, the baskets
of sweetmeats, &c., sent as wedding presents, are covered
with flowers ; and although it is well known that they fre-
quently communicate the plague, the inhabitants will even
prefer running the risk, when that dreadful disease is
abroad, rather than lose the enjoyment they have in their
love of flowers. When a woman in Tripoli dies, a large
bouquet of fresh flowers, if they can be procured, if not,
of artificial, is fastened at the head of her coffin. Upon
the death of a Moorish lady of quality, every place is
filled with fresh flowers and burning perfumes : at the head
of the body is placed a large bouquet, of part artificial,
and part natural, and richly ornamented with silver : and
additions are continually made to it. The author who de-
scribes these customs also mentions a lady of high rank,
who regularly attended the tomb of her daughter, who
had been three years dead : she always kept it in repair,
and, with the exception of the great mosque, it was one of
the grandest in Tripoli. From the time of the young
lady's death, the tomb had always been supplied with the
most expensive flowers, placed in beautiful vases ; and, in
addition to these, a great quantity of fresh Arabian Jessa-
mines, threaded on thin slips of the Palm-leaf, were hung
in festoons and tassels about this revered sepulchre. The
mausoleum of the royal family, which is called the Turbar,
is of the purest white marble, and is filled with an immense
quantity of fresh flowers ; most of the tombs being dressed
with festoons of Arabian Jessamine and large bunches of
variegated flowers, consisting of Orange, Myrtle, Red and
White Roses, &c. They afford a perfume which those
who are not habituated to such choice flowers can scarcely
conceive. The tombs are mostly of white, a few inlaid
with coloured marble. A manuscript Bible, which was
presented by a Jew to the Synagogue, was adorned with

xxviii PREFACE.

flowers ; and silver vases filled with flowers were placed
upon the ark which contained the sacred MS *.

The ancients used wreaths, pf flowers in their entertain-
ments, not only for pleasure, but also from a notion that
their odour prevented the wine from intoxicating them:
they used other perfumes on the same account. Beds of
flowers are not merely fictitious (see ROSES, page 320).
The Highlanders of Scotland commonly sleep on heath,
which is said to make a delicious bed ; and beds are, in
Italy, often filled with the leaves of trees, instead of down
or feathers. It is an old joke against the effeminate Sy-
barites, that one of them complaining he had not slept
all night, and being asked the reason why, said that a rose-
leaf had got folded under him.

In Naples, and in the Vale of Cachemere (I have been
told also that it sometimes occurs in Chester), gardens are
formed on the roofs of houses : " On a standing roof of
wood is laid a covering of fine earth, which shelters the
building from the great quantity of snow that falls in the
winter season. This fence communicates an equal warmth
in winter, as a refreshing coolness in summer, when the
tops of the houses, which are planted with a variety of
flowers, exhibit at a distance the spacious view of a beau-
tifully chequered parterre." (FORSTER.) The famous hang-
ing gardens of Babylon were on the enormous walls of
that city.

A garden usually makes a part of every Paradise, even
of Mahomet's, from which women are excluded, — women,
whom gallantry has so associated with flowers, that we are
told, in the Malay language, one word serves for both f.
In Milton's Paradise, the occupation of Adam and Eve

* See Tully's Narrative of a Residence in Tripoli,
f See Lalla Rookh, page 303. Sixth edition.

PREFACE. xxix

was to tend the flowers, to prune the luxuriant branches,
and support the roses, heavy with beauty (see ROSES,
page 323). Poets have taken pleasure in painting gar-
dens in all the brilliancy of imagination. See the garden
of Alcinous, in Homer's Odyssey ; those of Morgana, Al-
cina, and Armida, in the Italian poets : the gardens fair

" Of Hesperus and his daughters three
Who sing about the golden tree:"

and Proserpina's garden, and the Bower of Bliss in Spen-
ser's Fairie Queene. The very mention of their names
seems to embower one in leaves and blossoms.

It is a matter of some taste to arrange a bouquet of
flowers judiciously; even in language, we have a finer idea
of colours, when such are placed together as look well to-
gether in substance. Do we read of white, purple, red,
and yellow flowers, they do not present to us so exquisite
a picture, as if we read of yellow and purple, white and
red. Their arrangement has been happily touched upon
by some of our poets :

th' Azores send

Their jessamine; her jessamine, remote
Caffraia : foreigners from many lands,
They form one social shade, as if convened
By magic summons of th' Orphean lyre.
Yet just arrangement, rarely brought to pass
But by a master's hand disposing well
The gay diversities of leaf and flower,
Must lend its aid t' illustrate all their charms,
And dress the regular, yet various scene.
Plant behind plant aspiring, in the van
The dwarfish ; in the rear retired, but still
Sublime above the rest, the statelier stand."

COWPER.

tibi lilia plenis

Ecce ferunt nymphse calathis : tibi Candida Nais,

xxx PREFACE.

Pallentes violas et summa papavera carpens,
Narcissum et florem jungit bene olentis anethi.
Turn casia, atque aliis intexens suavibus herbis,
Mollia luteola pingit vaccinia caltha."

VIRGIL, Eclogue 2.

<c Behold the nymphs bring thee lilies in full baskets : for thee fair
Nais, cropping the pale violets and heads of poppies, joins the nar-
cissus, and flower of sweet-smelling anise : then, interweaving them
with cassia and other fragrant herbs, sets off the soft hyacinth with
the saffron marygold."

DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

Drayton runs riot on the subject : a nymph in his Muse's
Elysium says,

" Here damask-roses, white and red,
Out of my lap first take I,
Which still shall run along the thread ;
My chiefest flower this make I.
Amongst these roses in a row,
Next place I pinks in plenty,
These double-daisies then for show,
And will not this be dainty ?
The pretty pansy then I' 11 tye
Like stones some chain inchasing ;
And next to them, their near ally,
The purple violet placing.
The curious choice clove July-flower,
Whose kinds, hight the carnation,
For sweetness of most sovereign power
Shall help my wreath to fashion;
Whose sundry colours of one kind,
First from one root derived,
Them in their several suits I '11 bind,
My garland so contrived :
A course of cowslips then I '11 stick,
And here and there (though sparely)
The pleasant primrose down I '11 prick,
Like pearls which will show rarely ;
Then with these marygolds I '11 make
My garland somewhat swelling,
These honeysuckles then I '11 take,
Whose sweets shall help their smelling.

PREFACE. xxxi

The lily and the fleur-de-lis,

For colour much contenting,

For that I them do only prize,

They are but poor in scenting ;

The daffodil most dainty is

To match with these in meetness ;

The columbine compared to this,

All much alike for sweetness :

These in their natures only are

Fit to emboss the border,

Therefore 1 '11 take especial care

To place them in their order :

Sweet-williams, campions, sops-in-wine,

One by another neatly ;

Thus have I made this wreath of mine,

And finished it featly."

DRAYTON.

gc So did the maidens with their various flowers

Deck up their windows and make neat their bowers :

Using such cunning as they did dispose

The ruddy peony with the lighter rose,

The monkshood with the bugloss, and entwine

The white, the blue, the flesh-like columbine

With pinks, sweet-williams ; that far off the eye

Could not the manner of their mixtures spy.'

W. BROWNE.

What is here said on the subject of arrangement is of
course addressed to those who are unacquainted with
botany ; those who study that delightful science will, most
probably, prefer a botanical arrangement, observing how-
ever to place the smaller plants of each division next the
spectator, and thus proceeding gradually to the tallest and
most distant ; so that the several divisions will form stripes
irregular in their width.

The exertions of Lamarcke and the Jussieus have now
so improved the ancient and original method of arranging
plants by their natural affinities to each other, that most
of the young botanists have adopted it. The only work

xxxii PREFACE.

in which this truly scientific method is applied to all the
plants growing wild in the British islands is Gray's Na-
tural Arrangement ; which also contains an Introduction
to Botany in general, on a more extensive scale than
Withering's, as it includes the explanation of all the new
terms which have been lately introduced into botany by
the cultivators of the natural system.

Although it is true that near London plants in general
will not thrive so well as in a purer air, and that people in
the country have usually some portion of ground to make a
garden of, yet such persons as are condemned to a town
life will do well to obtain whatever substitute for a garden
may be in their power ; for there is confessedly no greater
folly than that of refusing all pleasure, because we cannot
have all we desire. In Venice, where the nature of the
place is such as to afford no garden ground, it is common
to see the windows filled with pots, and they have a market
for the sale of them. Those who can afford it, indeed,
have gardens elsewhere ; but by far the greater number
are obliged to content themselves with a portable garden.
A lover of flowers, who cannot have a garden or a green-
house, will gladly cherish any thing that has the aspect of
a green leaf ;

-" These serve him with a hint

That Nature lives : that sight-refreshing green

Is still the livery she delights to wear,

Though sickly samples of th' exuberant whole.

What are the casements lined with creeping herbs,

The prouder sashes fronted with a range

Of orange, myrtle, or the fragrant weed,

The Frenchman's darling*? Are they not all proofs,

That man immured in cities, still retains

His inborn, inextinguishable thirst

* Mignonette.

PREFACE. xxxiii

Of rural scenes, compensating his loss
By supplemental shifts, the best he may?"

COWPER.

With this passage, which brings us round to the direct
object of this little work, it will be as well for me to con-
clude the preface. I am as fond of books as of flowers ;
but in all that regards authorship, I fear I am as little able
to produce the one, as to create the others. I therefore
hasten to the more mechanical part of my work, and to the
kind aid of my quotations. I shall only add, if any body
would like to have additional authority for the culti-
vation of a few domestic flowers, that Gray, with all his
love of the grander features of nature, and all his nice
sense of his own dignity, did not think it beneath him to
supply the want of a larger garden with flower-pots in his
windows, to look to them entirely himself, and to take them
in, with all due tenderness, of an evening. See his de-
lightful letters to his friends.

For a poetical translation of some quotations, of which
there was before either no English version, or none that
did justice to the original, as well as for some general cor-
rections, &c. I am indebted to the assistance of a friend,
whose kindness I most gratefully and somewhat proudly
acknowledge, in sparing a few hours from his own im-
portant studies, to give this little volume some pretension
to public notice.

Although no other flowers are considered in this work,
but those usually grown in pots; yet this comprises a
larger collection than most persons are likely to cultivate.
They indeed who are much attached to the beauties of
the vegetable tribes may add others not here mentioned,
go very deep into the science of botany, and yet keep within
the limits of a garden of pots. Some even of the most
scientific botanists prefer a domestic garden of this kind.

c

xxxiv PREFACE.

For example, Richard Anthony Salisbury, Esq. the uni-
versally acknowledged head of our English botanists, no
longer cultivates his former gardens at Chapel Allerton,
Yorkshire, or at Mill Hill, Middlesex, but confines his at-
tention to a choice collection of the most curious plants in
pots, arranged in the yard of his house in Queen Street,
Edgeware Road. In like manner, Messrs. Loddiges,
nurserymen at Hackney, have a very large collection of
hardy herbaceous plants, in small pots, set on beds of
scoria, to keep the soil contained in them moist.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

FLORA DOMESTICA,

IfC.

ADONIS.

RANUNCULACE^I. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

Italian, adonio. — French, adonide ; rose rubi ; gouttes de sang [drops
of blood] ; aile de faisan [pheasant's- wing] ; ceil de perdrix [partridge's
eye] . — Greek, eranthemon [spring-flower] . — English, adonis-flower ;
bird's eye ; pheasant's eye ; flos-adonis. The autumnal adonis is also
called red maythes, red morocco ; to which Gerarde adds may- weed,
and red camomile. " Our London women," says he, " do call it rose-
a-rubie."

THIS flower owes its classical name to Adonis, the fa-
vourite of Venus : some say its existence also ; maintaining
that it sprung from his blood, when dying. It is likely
that the name arose from confounding it with the anemone,
which it resembles. There are, however, other flowers
which lay claim to this illustrious origin ; the larkspur is
one, but the claim is too weak to be generally allowed.
Moschus has conferred this distinction on the rose. Others,
again, trace its pedigree to the tears which Venus shed
upon her lover's body ; and Gerarde would persuade us
that these tears gave birth to the Venice-mallow : but the
anemone has pretty generally established her descent from
both parents. — See Anemone.

2 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The name of the beautiful huntsman, in his living ca-
pacity, however, applies well enough ; for the Adonis is
handsome and ruddy, and an enemy to the corn ; but the
flower is not so hardy as its godfather, and must be shel-
tered from the frosts of winter.

The Autumnal, or Common Adonis, has usually a red
flower ; but there is a variety of this species, of which the
flowers are lemon-coloured. It is a native of most parts of
the south of Europe ; in Germany it grows wild among
the corn ; as it does, according to Gerarde, in the west of
England. It is very common in some parts of Kent, par-
ticularly on the banks of the Medway, — a water-nymph,
according to Spenser, famous for her flowers.

" Then came the bride., the lovely Medway came,

Clad in a vesture of unknowen geare,

And uncouth fashion, yet her well became,,

That seemed like silver sprinkled here and there

With glittering spangs that did like stars appear,

And waved upon, like water chamelot,

To hide the metal, which yet every where

Bewrayed itself, to let men plainly wot
It was no mortal work, that seemed, and yet was not.

Her goodly locks adown her back did flow,
Unto her waist, with flowers bescattered,
The which ambrosial odours forth did throw
To all about, and all her shoulders spread
As a new spring : and likewise on her head
A chapelet of sundry flowers she wore,
From under which the dewy humour shed,
Did trickle down her hair, like to the hore
Congealed little drops which do the morn adore."

The Vernal Adonis [Fr. hellebore d? Hippocrate] is a
perennial ; and, as it does not flower the first year, it might
be more convenient to purchase it at a nursery when in a
state to flower, than to raise it at home. It may, however,
be treated in the same manner as the Autumnal Adonis. It
is a native of Switzerland, Germany, &c. It bears a large

ADONIS. 3

yellow flower, which blows about the end of March, or the
beginning of April.

The Apennine Adonis is very similar to the vernal, of
which it is termed the sister; but it continues longer in
flower than that species, which, true to the name it bears,
comes and goes with the spring. The reader of poetry is
aware that Adonis, after death, was supposed to spend his
time alternately with Proserpine in the lower regions, and
with Venus on earth.

" Go, beloved Adonis, go,
Year by year thus to and fro,
Only privileged demigod !
There was no such open road
For Atrides ; nor the great
Ajax, chief infuriate ;
Not for Hector, noblest once
Of his mother's twenty sons ;
Nor Patroclus ; nor the boy
That return'd from taken Troy *."

There is also a shrub Adonis, a native of the Cape of
Good Hope.

The Autumnal Adonis is an annual, and the seeds sown
in spring will flower in October. If some of the seeds are
sown in September they will blow early in June. As the
flowers open sooner or later in proportion to their ex-
posure to the sun, a little attention to their arrangement will
insure a longer succession of them. The seeds should be
sown two or three in a pot, half an inch deep. During
the severity of the winter, the pots should be housed ; but
in mild weather they should stand in the open air. In dry
weather they should be occasionally, but sparingly, wa-
tered, just enough to preserve them from drought.

* See the Translations from Theocritus, in Hunt's Foliage.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

AFRICAN LILY.

AGAPANTHUS.

HEMEROCALLIDE^. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The botanical name of this flower is from the Greek, and signifies a
delightful flower.

THIS Lily is a native of the Cape of Good Hope : it is of
a bright blue colour ; very showy and elegant. The flowers
blow about the end of August, and will frequently preserve
their beauty till the spring.

It is increased by offsets, which come out from the sides
of the old plants, and may be taken off at the latter end of
June ; at which time the plant is in its most dormant state.
It should be turned out of the pot, and the earth carefully
cleared away, that the fibres of the offsets may be the
better distinguished: and these must be carefully sepa-
rated from those of the old root. Where they adhere so
closely as not to be otherwise parted, they must be cut off
with a knife ; great care being taken not to wound or break
the bulb, either of the offset or of the parent plant.

When these are parted, they should be planted, each in
a separate pot filled with light kitchen garden earth, and
placed in a shady situation, where they may enjoy the morn-
ing sun ; a little water should be given to them twice a week,
if the weather be dry ; but they must not have much, espe-
cially at this season, when they are almost inactive ; for as
the roots are fleshy and succulent, they are apt to rot with
too much moisture. In about five weeks the offsets will
have put out new roots ; they may then be removed to a
more sunny situation, and may have a little more water;
but still not plentifully. In September they will put out
their flower-stalks, and towards the end of the month, the

AFRICAN LILY. 5

flowers will begin to open ; when, unless the weather be
very fine, they should be housed, that they may not be
injured by too much wet, or by frost ; but they must be
allowed as much fresh air as possible. During the winter
they may have a little water once a week in mild weather,
but none in frost. This flower must be watered only at
the roots.

ALMOND TREE.

AMYGDALA.

ROSACES. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE Almond-tree ! the lofty Almond-tree a potted plant !
the Almond tree, to which Spenser, in an exquisite passage,
likens the plume of Prince Arthur :

" Upon the top of all, his lofty crest,

A bunch of hairs discolour 'd diversly,

With sprinkled pearl and gold full richly drest,

Did shake, and seem'd to dance for jollity.

Like to an almond-tree ymounted high

On top of green Selinis all alone,

With blossoms brave bedecked daintily,

Whose tender locks do tremble every one
At every little breath that under heaven is blown."

No, it is not this immortal Almond-tree that is to be
moved at pleasure from the garden to a room or balcony ;
but a Russian cousin, the Bobownik, Dikii Persik, or Cal-
myzkii Orech [Calmuck almond] ; but called by the Cal-
mucks themselves, CharunOrak, a young Tartar of humble
growth, though emulating his great relation in the elegance
of his apparel. He is called the Dwarf Almond tree ; and
is worthy to have derived his name from the transforma-
tion of some dwarf in a fairy tale into a tree. In April
the young shoots of this tree are covered with blossoms of
a beautiful blush-colour; and the leaves are sometimes

6 PLORA DOMESTICA.

five inches long. It will bear the open air, and, when the
weather is dry, should he watered every evening. The
young suckers from the roots must be taken off every
year, or they will starve the parent plant : they may be
planted in February or October, and should be placed
in the shade till they have taken root. The fruit of this
shrub is about the size of a hazel-nut, and has the taste of
the peach-kernel.

Plutarch mentions a great drinker of wine, who, by the
use of bitter almonds, used to escape being intoxicated.
The Italians, upon their favourite modern principle of
contra stimulants, suppose this very likely ; and so it may
be ; but it need not be added, that to tamper in this manner
with diseases seems very dangerous.

ALOE.

ASPHODELEJE. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE derivation of this name is uncertain. Beginning
with the syllable Al, it is, perhaps, of Arabian origin;
especially as the plant is much venerated in the East. In
the Hebrew, a cognate language, it is called ahalah : some
derive Aloes from the Greek als [the sea] ; others from the
Latin, adolendo,- but this can only refer to the Aloe-wood,
which is used in sacrifices for its fragrance. On the whole,
it is probable the name was first applied to the Aloe-wood,
and hence transferred to the common Aloes, on account of
their bitterness. Its medicinal virtues were made known
to us by Dioscorides, the physician of Cleopatra; and it is
also mentioned by Plutarch. The name Aloe is retained by
all the European nations.

From the specimens we are in the habit of seeing in this
country, we should be inclined to think that the utility of

ALOE. 7

the Aloe far surpassed its beauty, and to rank it, as a ve-
getable, with the camel and the elephant in animal life.
Like the larger animals, it is confined to hot, or compa-
ratively uncivilised countries. Its appearance, which re-
sembles a collection of huge leathern claws, armed with
prickles, is very formidable ; and even the smaller species
have a sort of monstrosity of size in their parts, though
small as a whole. But notwithstanding the extraordinary
utility of the Aloe, those who have seen it in its native
country, and in full flower, describe it as scarcely less re-
markable for elegance and beauty. The larger and more
useful kinds appear to be also the most beautiful. Rous-
seau uses the epithet beautiful, in speaking of the great
American Aloe, or Agave.

" Nature seems to have treated the Africans and Asiatics
as barbarians," says St. Pierre, in speaking of the Aloe, "in
having given them these at once magnificent, yet monstrous
vegetables ; and to have dealt with us as beings capable of
sensibility and society. Oh, when shall I breathe the perfume
of the honeysuckle ? — again repose myself upon a carpet of
milk-weed, saffron, and blue-bells, the food of our lowing
herds ? and once more hear Aurora welcomed with the
songs of the labourer, blessed with freedom and content*?"

The kind chiefly used in medicine is the Barbadoes Aloe,
the preparations from which are eminent for the nauseous-
ness of their bitter. " As bitter as aloes," is a proverbial
phrase. It is a common practice with our fair countrywo-
men to avail themselves of this bitterness in the Aloe, when
weaning their children ; applying it to the bosom to induce
them to refuse it ; but this is surely a more objectionable
deceit than that by which they are allured to swallow nau-
seous drugs.

* St. Pierre's Voyage to the Isle of France.

8 FLORA DOMESTICA.

" Cosi all' egro fanciul porgiamo aspersi
Di soavi licor gli orli del vaso :
Succhi amari, ingannato, intanto ei beve;

E dall' inganno suo vita riceve."

TASSO.

So we (if children young diseased we find)
Anoint with sweets the vessel's foremost parts,
To make them taste the potions sharp we give :
They drink, deceived; and so deceived, they live.

FAIRFAX'S TRANSLATION.

It seems strange that any thing but the most imperative
necessity should induce a mother to use any means which
can render her an object of disgust to her child.

The most remarkable of the Aloe tribe is the great Ame-
rican Aloe, named by botanists Agave, which name is de-
rived from the Greek, and signifies admirable, or glorious :
called by the French aloe en arbre [tree aloe], and also
pitte. The natural order in which it should be arranged
is uncertain. Bernard Jussieu placed it with the Narcissi,
and Anthony Jussieu with the Bromeliaceae. It is a native
of all the southern parts of America. " The stem generally
rises upwards of twenty feet high, and branches out on
every side towards the top, so as to form a kind of pyramid .
The slender shoots are garnished with greenish yellow
flowers, which come out in thick clusters at every joint,
and continue long in beauty ; a succession of new flowers
being produced for near three months in favourable sea-
sons, if the plant is protected from the autumnal cold. The
elegance of the flower, and the rarity of its appearance in
our cold climate, render it an object of such general cu-
riosity, that the gardener who possesses the plant an-
nounces it in the public papers, and builds a platform
round it for the accommodation of the spectators. The
popular opinions, that the aloe flowers but once in a cen-
tury, and that its blooming is attended with a noise like the

ALOE. 9

report of a cannon, are equally without foundation. The
fact is, that the time which this plant takes to come to per-
fection varies with the climate. In hot countries, where
they grow fast, and expand many leaves every season, they
will flower in a few years ; but in colder climates, where
their growth is slow, they will be much longer in arriving at
perfection. The leaves of the American Aloe are five or six
feet long, from six to nine inches broad, and three or four
thick*/'

Millar mentions one of these plants in the garden of
the King of Prussia, that was forty feet high ; another in
the royal garden at Friedricksberg in Denmark, two-and-
twenty feet high, which had nineteen branches, bearing
four thousand flowers ; and a third in the botanic garden
at Cambridge, which, at sixty years of age, had never
borne flowers. He specifies some others, remarkable for
the number of their flowers, but does not mention the age
of any one at the time of flowering.

" With us,*" says Rousseau, " the term of its life is un-
certain; and after having flowered, it produces a number
of offsets, and dies."

A kind of soap is prepared from the leaves of this Aloe,
and the leaves themselves are used for scouring floors,
pewter, &c. ; and their epidermis is serviceable to literature
as a material for writing upon. The following extract from
Wood's Zoography will give some idea of the general utility
of this extraordinary plant : —

" The Mahometans respect the Aloe as a plant of a su-
perior nature. In Egypt it may be said to bear some share
in their religious ceremonies ; since whoever returns from
a pilgrimage to Mecca hangs it over his street-door as a
proof of his having performed that holy journey. The

* Wood's Zoography, vol. iii.

10 FLORA DOMESTICA.

superstitious Egyptians believe that this plant hinders evil
spirits and apparitions from entering the house; and on
this account, whoever walks the streets in Cairo, will find
it over the doors of both Christians and Jews.

" The leaves of the different specimens of Aloe, as well
as the Agave, are highly serviceable to the natives of the
countries where they grow. The negroes in Senegal make
excellent ropes of them, which are not liable to rot in
water ; and of two kinds mentioned by Sir Hans Sloane,
one is manufactured into fishing-lines, bow-strings, stock-
ings, and hammocks; while the other has leaves, which,
like those of the wild pine and the banana, hold rain-
water, and thus afford a valuable refreshment to travellers
in hot climates. The poor in Mexico derive almost every
necessary of life from a species of Aloe. Besides making-
excellent hedges for their fields, its trunk serves instead of
beams for the roofs of their houses, and its leaves supply
the place of tiles. From these they obtain paper, thread,
needles, clothing, shoes, stockings, and cordage ; from the
juice they make wine, honey, sugar, and vinegar."

Such of the Aloes as do not require a stove will bear the
open air, in our climate, from the end of March to the end
of September. During the winter they should be watered
about once in a month ; in the summer, when the weather
is dry, once in a week or ten days ; but when there is much
rain, they should be sheltered from it, or they will be apt to
rot. If the weather be mild, they may be placed where they
may receive the fresh air in the day-time for a month after
they are housed ; after that the windows should be closed.
They should not be put into large pots, but should be re-
moved into fresh earth every year, which should be done
in July. As much of the earth should be shaken away as
possible, the roots opened with the fingers, and such as are
decayed taken off; but great care must be taken not to

ALOE. 11

break or wound those which are young and fresh. Water
them gently when newly planted, place them in the shade
for three weeks, and if the weather is hot and dry, water
them in a similar manner once or twice a week. Most of
the species may at this time be increased by offsets, which
should be planted in very small pots ; and if, in taking off
the suckers, you find them very moist where they are
broken from the mother-root, they should lie in a dry
shady place for a week before they are planted. When
planted, treat them like the old plants. Such kinds as do
not afford plenty of offsets may generally be propagated
by taking off some of the under leaves, laying them to dry
for ten days or a fortnight, and planting them, putting
that part of the leaf which adhered to the old plant about
an inch or an inch and a half into the earth. This should
be done in June.

There are few things, I believe, more venerable, more
eloquently impressive in their antiquity, than an old tree.
The ruins of an old and noble edifice, of which every shat-
tered fragment, every gaping cranny, complains of the de-
structive hand of time, is young and modern in our eyes,
compared with that which still survives its touch, — the old
ivy, that still, with every succeeding year, moves slowly on,
knitting its creeping stalks into every crevice, and carrying
its broad leaves up to the very summit. What can be more
venerable than the far-spreading roots of an old elm or
oak tree, veining the earth with wood ! Cross but that little
piece of wood, called the wilderness, leading from Hamp-
stead towards North End, where the intermingled roots
are visible at every step, casing the earth in impenetrable
armour, and forming a natural pavement, apparently as old
as time itself — can all the antiquities of Egypt command
a greater reverence ?

The larger species of Aloe, from the immensity of its

12 FLORA DOMESTICA.

size, and the known slowness of its growth, must speak
the same impressive language. Mr. Campbell has put it
in a noble attitude for the occasion :

" Rocks sublime

To human art a sportive semblance bore,
And yellow lichens colour'd all the clime
Like moonlight battlements, and towers decay'd by time.
But high in amphitheatre above,
His arms the everlasting aloes threw."

GERTRUDE OF WYOMING.

The Abbe la Pluche gives an interesting account of the
uses of the Chinese Aloe, commonly called Wood-aloes, or
Aloes-wood ; from whence, as has been supposed, the name
of aloe has been transferred to the common species.

" This Aloe," says he, " is as tall as the olive-tree, and
of much the same shape : there are three sorts of wood
contained under its bark ; the first is black, compact, and
heavy ; the second swarthy, and as light as touchwood ;
the third, which lies near the heart, diffuses a powerful
fragrance. The first is known by the name of eagle-wood,
and is a scarce commodity ; the second, calembouc-wood,
which is transported into Europe, where it is highly
esteemed as an excellent drug ; it burns like wax, and,
when thrown into the fire, has an aromatic odour. The
third, which is the heart, and called calambac, or tambac
wood, is a more valuable commodity in the Indies than gold
itself. It is used for perfuming the clothes and the apart-
ments of persons of distinction ; and is a specific medicine
for persons affected with fainting-fits, or with the palsy.
The Indians, likewise, set their most costly jewels in this
wood. The leaves of this tree are sometimes used instead
of slates for roofing houses ; are manufactured into dishes
and plates, and, when well dried, are fit to be brought to
table. If stripped betimes of their nerves and fibres, they

ALOE. 13

are used as hemp, and manufactured into a thread. Of
the points, with which the branches abound, are made nails,
darts, and awls. The Indians pierce holes in their ears
with the last, when they propose to honour the devil with
some peculiar testimonies of their devotion. If any orifice
or aperture be made in this tree by cutting off any of its
buds, a sweet vinous liquor effuses in abundance from
the wound, which proves an agreeable liquor to drink when
fresh, and in process of time becomes an excellent vinegar.
The wood of the branches is very agreeable to the taste,
and has something of the flavour of a candied citron. The
roots themselves are of service, and are frequently con-
verted into ropes. To conclude, a whole family may sub-
sist on, reside in, and be decently clothed by, one of these
Aloes."

The common writing-paper in Cochin-China is made
from the bark of this tree ; of which the botanical name is
aquilaria, from aquila, an eagle, so named because it grows
in lofty places ; and from its bitter taste, also termed Wood-
aloes.

Chaucer notices both the fragrance and the bitterness
of the Aloe-wood :

" The woful teris that thei letin fal
As bittir werin, out of teris kinde,
For paine, as is ligne aloes, or gal."

TROILTJS AND CRESEIDE, book iv.

ec My chambir is strowed with mirre and insence,
With sote savoring aloes and sinnamone,
Brething an aromatike redolence."

REMEDIE OF LOVE.

The great antiquity of the use of Wood-aloe as a perfume
is shown by the Bible : " All thy garments," says a passage
in the Psalms, " smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia :"

H FLORA DOMESTICA.

and Solomon, addressing the object of his love, says, " thy
plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant
fruits ; camphire, with spikenard ; spikenard and saffron ;
calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense;
myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices : a fountain of
gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Le-
banon:" upon which, the object of his love, as if in an
enthusiasm of delight at his speaking so of the place she
lives in, beautifully exclaims, " Awake, O north wind ; and
come, thou south ; blow upon my garden, that the spices
thereof may come out. Let my beloved come into his
garden, and eat his pleasant fruits."

AMARANTH.

AMARANTHUS.

AMAHANTHACE.E. „ MONCECIA PENTANDRIA.

Italian, amaranto, fior veluto [velvet-flower] ; maraviglie di Spagna
[the Spanish wonder]. — French, amaranthe; passe- velours [pass- vel-
vet] i fleur d'amour [love-flower]. — English, amaranth; flower-gentle;
velvet-flower. The botanical name is derived from the Greek, and
signifies unfading.

THE species of Amaranth most cultivated in English
gardens are the Two-coloured Amaranth, which flowers
late in the autumn, with purple and crimson flowers; —
the Three-coloured Amaranth, with variegated flowers,
which continue to blow from June to September (Fr.Jleur
de jalousie, jealous-flower; in Spanish and Portuguese
called papagayo, the parrot) ; " there is not," says Millar,
" a handsomer plant than this in its full lustre ;" — the
Prince's-feather Amaranth (amar. hypochondriacus), which

AMARANTH. 15

f

also varies in colour, and which flowers at the same time ; —
the Spreading or Bloody Amaranth, with flowers of a red
purple, blowing from June to September ; — the Pendulous
Amaranth, or Love-lies-bleeding, (Fr. discipline des reli-
gieuses, the nuns' whipping rope), with flowers of a red
purple, blowing in August and September; — the Cock's
comb, or Crested Amaranth [Celosia in pentandria mono-
gynia], of which the flowers are red, purple, white, yellow,
or variegated, flowering in July and August; — and the
Globe Amaranth [Gomphrena in pentandria digynia ; but,
like Celosia, still belonging to the same natural family of
Amaranthaceae], of which there are several varieties, white,
purple, striped, 8tc. The purple resembles clover raised
to an intense pitch of colour, and sprinkled with grains
of gold. The flowers, gathered when full grown, and
dried in the shade, will preserve their beauty for years,
particularly if they are not exposed to the sun. A
friend of the writer's possesses some Amaranths, both
purple and yellow, which he has had by him for several
years, enclosed with some locks of hair in a little marble
urn. They look as vivid as if they were put in yesterday;
and it may be added, that they are particularly suited to
their situation. They remind us of Milton's use of the
Amaranth, when speaking of the multitude of angels as-
sembled before the Deity:

" to the ground

With solemn adoration down they cast

Their crowns inwove with amaranth and gold ;

Immortal amaranth, a flower which once

In Paradise, fast by the tree of life,

Began to bloom, but soon for man's offence

To heaven removed, where first it grew, there grows

And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life,

And where the river of bliss through midst of heaven

Rolls o'er Elysian flowers her amber stream ;

With these that never fade, the spirits elect

16 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Bind their resplendent locks enwreathed with beams ',
Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright
Pavement, that like a sea of jasper shone,
Impurpled with celestial roses smiled/'

The following occurs in Shelley's Rosalind and Helen :
(e Whose sad inhabitants each year would come,
With willing steps climbing that rugged height>
And hang long locks of hair, and garlands bound
With amaranth flowers, which, in the clime's despite,
Filled the frore ah* with unaccustomed light.
Such flowers as in the winter y memory bloom
Of one friend left, adorned that frozen tomb."

In Portugal, and other warm countries, the churches
are, in winter, adorned with the Globe Amaranth. Cowley
and Rapin, in their Latin poems on plants and gardens,
make honourable mention of the Amaranth ; but the trans-
lations of those poems are too unworthy of their originals
to admit of quotation, and a friend who would have sup-
plied me with better is on a distant journey.

The Cock's comb Amaranth is a very showy and remark-
able plant. The appellation was given it from the form
of its crested head of flowers resembling the comb of a
cock. Sometimes the heads are divided like a plume of
feathers. It is said that in Japan these crests or heads of
flowers are often a foot in length and in breadth, and
extremely beautiful. The colour of the scarlet varieties
is highly brilliant.

The Amaranths are all annual, must be raised in a hot-
bed, and may be had from a nursery when strong enough
to bear removal, which, for the last three kinds, will not be
earlier than the middle of June : the others may be placed
abroad earlier. In dry weather they should be watered
every evening. Such flowers as are intended to be pre-
served should be cut before they run to seed ; and should
be observed daily after they are blown, that they may be
taken in ftill beauty.

AMARANTH. 17

The Amaranth is recommended, among other flowers, as
a food for bees :

" II timo e T amaranto
Dei trapiantare ancora, e quell' altr' erbe
Che danno a questa greggia amabil cibo."

LE API DEL RUCELLAI.

Thyme and the amaranth
Also transplant, and all such other herbs
As yield the winged flock a food they love.

Moore speaks of them as being used for the hair, a pur-
pose for which they are peculiarly well adapted :

te Amaranths such as crown the maids
That wander through Zamara's shades *."

From a passage in Don Quixote one may suppose that
Amaranths were sometimes worn by the Spanish ladies in
the time of Cervantes; but the chief value of such passages
consists in showing us the probable taste of the author. It
is where he speaks of a set of ladies and gentlemen who
were amusing themselves by playing shepherds and shep-
herdesses in the woods, and who had hung some green
nets across the trees. And as he (Don Quixote) was go-
ing to pass forward and break through all (he took it for
the work of enchanters) " unexpectedly from among some
trees two most beautiful shepherdesses presented them-
selves before him : at least they were clad like shep-
herdesses, except that their waistcoats and petticoats were
of fine brocade, their habits were of rich gold tabby,
their hair, which for brightness might come in competition
with the rays of the sun, hanging loose about their shoul-
ders, and their heads crowned with garlands of green
laurel and red flower-gentles interwoven." The delicate
and sunny-coloured bay leaves of the south, and the red or

* " The people of the Batta country, in Sumatra, or Zamara, when
not engaged in war, lead an idle inactive life, passing the day in playing
on a kind of flute, crowned with garlands of flowers, among which
the Globe Amaranth, a native of the country, mostly prevails."

c

18 FLORA DOMESTICA.

purple Amaranth, interwoven, would make a beautiful mix-
ture, especially as the Amaranth is deficient in leaves.

One of the most popular species of the Amaranth is the
Love-lies-bleeding. The origin of this name is not generally
known; unless we are to suppose it christened by the
daughter of O'Connor, in her tender lamentations over the
tomb of Connocht Moran :

" A hero's bride ! this desert bower,
It ill befits thy gentle breeding :
And wherefore dost thou love this flower
To call — my love-lies bleeding ?

This purple flower ray tears have nursed ;

A hero's blood supplied its bloom :
I love it, for it was the first

That grew on Connocht- Moran' s tomb."

The Amaranths are chiefly natives of America, and very
few are supposed to grow naturally in Europe; yet Sir
W. Jones speaks of them as if growing wild in Wales :

" Fair Tivy, how sweet are thy waves gently flowing,

Thy wild oaken woods, and green eglantine bowers,
Thy banks with the blush-rose and amaranth glowing
While friendship and mirth claim their labourless hours !"

ANDKOMEDA.

ERICINE^E. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Marsh cistus; wild rosemary; poley-mountain ; moon- wort; marsh
holy-rose.

THIS plant was named by Linnaeus, from the daughter
of Cepheus and Cassiope, who was exposed at the water-
side, and rescued from the sea-monster by Perseus. Thus
a name in botany, especially in the works of this great and
illustrious naturalist, is often made to tell two stories — that
of its classical prototype and of its own nature.

The Marsh Andromeda, which is a native of America
and many parts of Europe, is also a plant of our own ;

ANDROMEDA. 19

growing wild in most of our northern counties, as well as
in the Lowlands of Scotland. It is an elegant little shrub,
with pink flowers, which begin to open toward the end of
May.

This is the species of Andromeda the most desirable for
home-cultivation ; but there are many others, of which two
or three are evergreens ; as the willow-leaved and the box-
leaved Andromedas. They will all bear the open air. In
dry summer weather they will require water every evening;
if the weather be very hot, they may be watered in the
morning also.

ANEMONE.

RANUNCULACE^. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

Anemone, from the Greek, anemos, wind: some say because the
flower opens only when the wind blows ; others, because it grows in
situations much exposed to the wind. — French, Anemone, 1'herbe au
vent Qwind herbj. ,

To do justice to every species of the Anemone, it would
be necessary to write a volume upon that subject alone ;
but it will suffice for the present purpose to speak of the
kinds most desirable.

The Anemones are natives of the East, from whence
their roots were originally brought; but they have been
so much improved by culture, as to take a high rank
among the ornaments of our gardens in the spring. As
they do not blow the first year, it will be more convenient
to purchase the plants from a nursery than to rear them
at home : on another account also, it will be better ; for
they vary so much, that it is impossible to secure the
handsomest kinds by the seed ; and, when in flower, they
may be selected according to the taste of the purchaser.
They should be sheltered from frost and heavy rains :
light showers will refresh them, and in dry weather they

20 FLORA DOMESTICA.

should be watered every evening, but very gently. When
the roots are once obtained, they may be increased by
parting.

The Narrow-leaved Garden Anemone grows wild in the
Levant. In the islands of the Archipelago the borders
of the fields are covered with it in almost every variety of
colour ; but these are single ; culture has made them double.

Of the double varieties of this species there are nearly
two hundred. To be a fine one, a double Anemone should
have a strong upright stem, about nine inches high ; the
flower should be from two to three inches in diameter:
the outer petals should be firm, horizontal, unless they
turn up a little at the end, and the smaller petals within
these should lie gracefully one over the other. The plain
colours should be brilliant, the variegated clear and distinct.

The Broad-leaved Garden Anemone is found wild with
single flowers, in Germany, Italy, and Provence ; the single
varieties are sometimes called Star- Anemones : they are
very numerous, as are also the double varieties, of which
the most remarkable are the great double Anemone of
Constantinople, or Spanish marygold, the great double
Orange-tawney, the double Anemone of Cyprus, and the
double Persian Anemone.

There is a species called the Wood-Anemone, which
grows in the woods and hedges in most parts of Europe.
In March, April, and May, many of our woods are almost
covered with these flowers, which expand in clear weather,
and look towards the sun ; but in the evening, and in wet
weather, close and droop their heads. When the Wood-
Anemone becomes double, it is cultivated by the gardeners ;
and were the same pains taken with this as with the foreign
Anemones, it would probably become valuable.

Anemone roots may be planted towards the end of
September, and again a month later; some plant a third

ANEMONE. 21

set about Christmas. The first planted will begin to flower
early in April, and continue for three or four weeks ; the
others will follow in succession. As soon as the leaves
decay, which of those first planted, will be in June, the
roots should be taken up, the decayed parts and the earth
cleared away ; and, having been dried in the shade, they
should be put in some secure place, where they may be
perfectly dry, and particularly where mice, &c. cannot find
access to them. This opportunity may be taken to part
the roots for increase ; and provided each part has a good
eye or bud, it will grow and flower ; but they will not
flower so strong if parted small. The roots will be weak-
ened, if suffered to remain long in the earth after the
leaves decay. They will keep out of the earth for two, or
even three years, and grow when planted. The single,
or Poppy Anemone, will, in mild seasons, blow throughout
the winter.

Earth proper for the Anemone may be procured from
a nursery ; the roots may be planted in pots five inches
wide ; the earth an inch and a half deep over the top of the
roots, and the eye of the root upwards. They must be kept
moderately moist, shaded from the noon-day sun, and ex-
posed to that of the morning. In the winter they should
be placed under shelter, but should have plenty of fresh
air, when not frosty.

The Abbe la Pluche relates a curious anecdote of M.
Bachelier, a Parisian florist, who, having imported some
very beautiful species of the Anemone from the East Indies
to Paris, kept them to himself in so miserly a manner, that
for ten successive years he never would give to any friend
or relation whomsoever the least fibre of a double Anemone,
or the root of one single one. A counsellor of the parlia-
ment, vexed to see one man hoard up for himself a benefit
which nature intended to be common to all, paid him a
visit at his country-house, and, 'in walking round the gar-

22 FLORA DOMESTICA.

den, when he came to a bed of his Anemones, which were
at that time in seed, artfully let his robe fall upon them ;
by which device, he swept off a considerable number of
the little grains, which stuck fast to it. His servant, whom
he had purposely instructed, dexterously wrapped them
up in a moment, without exciting any attention. The
counsellor a short time after communicated to his friends
the success of his project; and by their participation of
his innocent theft, the flower became generally known.

Rapin, in his poem on gardens, ascribes the birth of the
Anemone to the jealousy of Flora; who fearing that the
incomparable beauty of a Grecian nymph would win from
her the love of her husband Zephyr, transformed her into
this flower. But to this tale he adds an account better
authorised, of the Anemone having sprung from the blood
of Adonis and the tears of Venus shed over his body ;
and it is but common justice to Flora to observe that this
is the generally received opinion of the origin of the
Anemone. Cowley gives it this parentage, in his poem on
plants. Ovid describes Venus lamenting over the bleeding
body of her lover, whose memory and her own grief she
resolves to perpetuate by changing his blood to a flower ;
but less poetically than some others : he substitutes nectar
for the tears of Venus; not even hinting that the said
nectar was the tears of the goddess.

" But be thy blood a flower. Had Proserpine
The power to change a nymph to mint ? — Is mine
Inferior ? or will any envy me
For such a change ? Thus having utter'd, she
Pour'd nectar on it, of a fragrant smell ;
Sprinkled therewith, the blood began to swell,
Like shining bubbles that from drops ascend;
And ere an hour was fully at an end,
From thence a flower, alike in colour, rose,
Such as those trees produce, whose fruits enclose

ANEMONE. %3

Within the limber rind their purple grains j
And yet the heauty but awhile remains ;
For those light-hanging leaves, infirmly placed,
The winds, that blow on all things, quickly blast."

SANDYS' s OVID, book x.

The Greek poet, Bion, in his epitaph on Adonis, makes
the Anemone the offspring of the goddess's tears.

Mr. Hor. Smith, in his poem of Amarynthus, supports the
first reason for naming this flower the wind-flower — that it
never opens but when the wind blows :

" And then I gather'd rushes, and began
To weave a garland for you, intertwined
With violets, hepaticas, primroses,
And coy Anemone, that ne'er uncloses
Her lips until they 're blown on by the wind."

AMARYNTHUS, p. 46.

It seems more usual, as well as in character, for the
presence of the sun to unclose the lips of the Anemone,
which commonly close when he withdraws ; but when he
shines clear,

" Then thickly strewn in woodland bowers,
Anemonies their stars unfold."

Sir W. Jones has translated an ode from the Turkish
of Mesihi, in which the author celebrates several of the
more sweet or splendid flowers :

f e See ! yon anemones their leaves unfold,
With rubies flaming, and with living gold."

" The sweetness of the bower has made the air so fragrant, that the
dew, before it falls, is changed into rose water."

" The dew-drops, sweeten'd by the musky gale,
Are changed to essence ere they reach the dale."

The only poetical allusion, which I have met with, to

24 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the fragility of the Anemone, is in the poems of Sir W.
Jones :

" Youth, like a thin anemone, displays
His silken leaf, and in a morn decays."

ANTHOLYZA.

IRIDEJE. TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The name of this flower is from two Greek words, signifying a
flower and madness. Why they are so applied I do not know, unless
it has heen used in hydrophobia.

THE Antholyzas being chiefly from warmer countries,
will not bear the open air in this : they are usually kept
within doors from October, until they have ceased flower-
ing ; when, if it is intended to save the seeds, they are set
abroad to perfect them ; but the better mode of raising
them in private gardens is to part the offsets from the
bulbs, which furnish them in plenty. Those raised from
seed do not flower till the third year. The best time
to plant the roots is in August ; they should be housed at
the end of September, and will continue growing all the
winter. In April, or early in May, the flowers appear :
when these and the leaves have decayed, the bulbs should
be taken up, dried in the shade, and cleaned, and pre-
served as directed for other bulbs. In August they may
be replanted : the offsets may be planted three or four in
a pot, the first year ; the second, they should be separated
to flower. In winter, they should be gently watered once
or twice a week ; in the spring, they will require it oftener,
perhaps every evening, but sparingly.

The principal species are the Plaited-leaved Antholyza,
with red flowers ; the Scarlet-flowered, which is very beau-
tiful; the BroadJeaved, which has also scarlet flowers;

ANTHOLYZA. 25

and the Red-flowered [or Antholyza Meriana, Fr. la me-
rianelle, so named by Dr. Trew, from Sybilla Merian, the
celebrated female Dutch botanist; but placed by some
in the genus Gladiolus ; and by others in Watsonia], of
which the flowers are of a copper-red colour outside, and
of a deeper red within. They are all handsome plants;
having, in addition to the beauty of their flowers, large
dark green leaves, some of them a foot in length : they
are natives of the Cape of Good Hope.

ANTHYLLIS.

LEGUMINOSJE. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA,

Kidney- vetch ; ladies-finger; Jupiter's beard; silver bush. The
name Anthyllis is derived from the Greek, and signifies a downy-
flower ; from the down on its leaves. — French, barbe de Jupiter [^Ju-
piter's beard^j. — Italian, barba di Giove, signifying the same.

THE Silvery Anthyllis, which is the only species necessary
to mention here, is so called from the whiteness of its
leaves : it is a handsome shrub, bearing yellow flowers
which blow in June. This Anthyllis is a native of France,
Spain, Italy, Portugal, and the East. It must be sheltered
in winter; but the more air it enjoys in mild weather, the
better it will thrive : in dry weather it should be- gently
watered every evening ; in winter once a week will suffice.

Cuttings planted in any of the summer months in a pot
of light earth, and placed in the shade, will take root, and
may then be treated in every respect as the older plants.

LinnaBUs observes of the common Anthyllis, that the
colour of the flowers varies with that of the soil: in
Poland, where the soil is a red calcareous clay, the flowers
are red : in Gothland, where the soil is white, the flowers
are the same : here they are yellow.

26 FLORA DOMESTICA.

ANTIKKHINUM.

PERSONE^. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA.

Toad-flax ; snap-dragon ; from the resemblance of its flowers to an
open mouth. — French, mufle de veau. — Italian, antirrino.

THESE flowers are many of them large and handsome,
but some persons consider them coarse ; which, indeed,
is the case with many of the most splendid flowers, as the
hollyhock and the sun-flower. They are, however, very
magnificent, particularly the great snap-dragon, or calve's
snout; called by the French, le muflier commun; mouron
'violet [violet pimpernel] ; ceil de chat [cat's eye] ; gueule
de lion ; &c. The flowers of this species are red, white,
purple, yellow, or a combination of any two of these
colours. They are single or double. It is a native of the
south of Europe, and blows in June and July. The
Russians express an oil from the seeds, little inferior to the
oil of olives. This species is increased by cuttings planted
in the summer in a dry soil : and this and the following
are the kinds most commonly cultivated in gardens :

2. The three-leaved ; Valentia and Sicily ; purple

or yellow ; July and August.

3. The branching ; Spain ; yellow ; May and June.

4. The violet-flowered ; France and Italy.

5. The many-stalked ; Sicily and the Levant ;

yellow ; July.

6. The hairy ; Spain ; yellow ; July.

7. The common yellow ; Europe ; June to August.

8. The brown-leaved ; Siberia, Piedmont, &c. ;

yellow.

9. The purple, or Vesuvian; July to September.

10. The Montpelier ; sweet-scented ; blue ; June to the end of

autumn.

11. The dark-flowered ; Gibraltar; flowers most of the summer.

12. The Alpine ; very elegant ; a fine violet-colour,

with a rich gold-colour in the middle ; many

growing close together; all the summer.

ANTIRRHINUM. 27

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, are annual plants, and must be increased by
seeds, which may be sown in the spring ; — or in autumn,
sheltering them in the winter ; with the exception of the
last, which should be sown in March, and will require no
shelter. 3, 4, in five-inch pots: 6, three or four seeds
in an eight-inch pot.

7, 8, 9, 10, are perennial plants ; they may be sown as
the last mentioned, in spring, or in autumn ; they will
require shelter from hard frost. The two last may also
be increased by parting the roots in autumn. The com-
mon-yellow is an indigenous plant, and if in a tolerably
dry soil, will bear frost itself: a little straw over the roots
will suffice for 8. In Worcestershire the common yellow
toad-flax is called butter-and-eggs. It has leaves somewhat
similar to flax, and on that account is named toad-flax,
flax-weed, and wild flax. Its juice, mixed with milk, is
used as a poison for flies ; and water distilled from it is
said to remove inflammation in the eyes.

11, 12, may be increased by cuttings, planted in the
summer in a light unmanured soil. They must be removed
into the house in October, and brought out again about
the end of April, or early in May.

AEBOR-VIT^l.

THUJA.

CONIFERffl. MONCECIA ADELPHIA.

The origin of this name, which signifies the tree of life, does not
appear, though it seems to have reference to the tree mentioned in
the book of Genesis. — French, 1'arbre de vie ; cedre Americain [^Ame-
rican cedar]]. — Italian, albero di vita.

THE Arbor-vitae is a native of Siberia and Canada, where
it is very plentiful. Being the strongest wood in Canada,

28 FLORA DOMESTICA.

it is there used for enclosures and palisades, for boats, and
the floors of rooms. It is reckoned one of the hest woods
for the use of the lime-kiln; and besoms made of its
branches are carried over Canada by the Indians for sale.
When fresh, they' have a very agreeable scent, which is
perceptible in houses swept with them. The leaves have
medicinal properties. In England the wood is used for
bowls, boxes, cups, &c.

This tree is sometimes called the white cedar. It be-
gins to flower about May. A young plant may be pro-
cured from a nursery as soon as its education is so far
advanced that it may be introduced to the world with pro-
priety. It will thrive well in a pot for many years : but
the best species for this purpose is the Chinese Arbor- vitae,
which does not grow too large for a pot. It will bear our
climate in all its seasons, only requiring to be watered
occasionally in dry weather.

AKBUTUS.

ERICINE^E. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Strawberry-tree. — French, le fraisier en arbre, 1'arbre a fraises, both
similar to the common English name : the fruit is called arbouse, ar-
boise, or arboust. — Italian, arbuto, albatro, albaro, corbezzolo, from
the fruit called corbezzola. By Pliny the fruit is called unedo.

THIS is called the strawberry-tree, from the resem-
blance of its fruit to a strawberry. Although it attains a
considerable size, it is frequently grown in pots, and will
bear transplanting very well. For this operation, April is
the most favourable time; the cultivator taking care to
preserve the earth about the roots, and to shade them
from the mid-day sun, when newly planted,

ARBUTUS. 29

As the leaves of the Arbutus remain all the winter, and
in spring are pushed off by the shooting of new ones, the
tree is always clothed. In June the young leaves are ex-
tremely beautiful ; in October and November it is one of
the most ornamental trees we have ; the blossoms of the
present, and the ripe fruit of the former year, both adorn-
ing it at the same time. There is an Arbutus now in the
garden (in October) before my window, more lovely than
I can find language to express. When other trees are
losing their beauty, this is in its fullest perfection ; and
realises the exuberant fiction of the poets, — bearing at
once flowers and fruit :

" There is continual spring, and harvest there
Continual, both meeting at one time ;
For both the boughs do laughing blossoms bear,
And with fresh colours deck the wanton prime,
And eke at once the heavy trees they climb,
Which seem to labour under their fruit's load :
The whiles the joyous birds make their pastime
Amongst the shady leaves, their sweet abode,
And their true loves without suspicion, tell abroad."

SPENSER'S FAERIE QUEENE.

" Great Spring, before,

Greened all the year : and fruits and blossoms blushed
In social sweetness on the self-same bough."

THOMSON'S SPRING.

• " the leafy arbute spreads

A snow of blossoms, and on every bough

Its vermeil fruitage glitters to the sun."

ELTON.

This tree is a native of Greece, Palestine, and many
other parts of Asia ; of Ireland, and of many parts of the
south of Europe. In Spain and Italy the country-people
eat the fruit, which is said to have been a common article

SO FLORA DOMESTICA.

of food in the early ages. Virgil recommends the young
twigs for goats in winter :

- ' ' Jubeo frondentia capris
Arbuta sufficere."

It was used in basket-work :

" Arbuteae crates, et mystica vannus lacchi."

Arbutus and oak formed the bier of the young Pallas,
the son of Evander :

fc Haud segnes alii crates et molle pheretrum
Arbuteis texunt virgis et vimine querno,
Extructosque toros obtentu frondis inumbrant."

VIRGIL, JExEis, lib. xi.

" Others, with forward zeal, weave hurdles, and a pliant bier of
arbute rods, and oaken twigs, and with a covering of boughs shade
the funeral bed high-raised." — DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

Horace, too, speaks of it, and celebrates its shade :

" Nunc viridi membra sub arbuto
Stratus."

Millar, after giving some of these quotations, adds, " I
hope we shall no more have the classical ear wounded by
pronouncing the second syllable of Arbutus long, instead
of the first." This little ebullition of impatience, natural
enough to a person who knew the right pronunciation,
would have pleased his friend Dr. Johnson, who speaks
of him somewhere as " Millar, the great gardener."

Some species of the Arbutus, from being mere shrubs,
are better adapted for the present purpose than the
beautiful one called the Common Strawberry-tree, which
is the best known in our gardens ; as the Painted-leaved,

ARBUTUS. SI

the Dwarf, and the Acadian Arbutus. These trees mostly
like a moist soil, but the Acadian prefers a wet one : it is
a native of swampy land, and if grown in a pot should be
kept very wet: the earth, also, should be covered with
moss, the better to retain the moisture. The other spe-
cies should be watered every evening when the weather
is dry, but not so liberally. When the frosts are severe,
it will be more secure to shelter them ; for though they
will bear our winters when in the open ground, they are
somewhat less hardy in pots. In mild seasons, a little
straw over the earth would be a protection sufficient.

The berries of the Thyme-leaved Arbutus, which is a
native of North America, are carried to market in Phila-
delphia, and sold for tarts, &c. Great quantities of them
are preserved, and sent to the West Indies and to Europe.
The London pastry-cooks frequently use these instead of
cranberries, to which they are very similar ; but they are
inferior to cranberries of our own growth.

In Tuscany, many years ago, a man gave out that he
had discovered a mode of making wine from the Arbutus.
His wine was very good ; but, upon his leaving the country,
his wine-casks were found to contain a quantity of crushed
grapes.

Upon the whole, the Arbutus, with its strawberry-like
fruit, its waxen-tinted blossoms hanging in clusters, their
vine-coloured stems, its leaves resembling the bay, and
the handsome and luxuriant growth of its branches, is
one of the most elegant pieces of underwood we possess :
and when we have reason to believe that Horace was fond
of lying under its shade, it completes its charms with the
beauty of classical association.

32 FLORA DOMESTICA.

ARUM.

CALLA ^ETHIOPICA.

AKOIDE^E. GYNANDRIA POLYANDRIA.

THE ^Ethiopian species of this flower, commonly called
the horn-flower, is the only one deserving of a place in
the garden. Many Arums of the botanists are very useful
as medicine, food, &c. and the leaves of the esculent Arum
serve the inhabitants of the South-Sea islands for plates
and dishes : but they are very little ornamental ; and the
few which are handsome have so powerful and disagree-
able a scent as deservedly to banish them from most of
our gardens.

This species, however, is exquisitely beautiful, and not
only inoffensive in odour, but even agreeable. The leaves
are large and glossy. It has a large white flower, folded
with a careless elegance into the shape of a cup or bell,
with a bright golden rod (called the spadix) in the centre.
Placed by the side of the dark red peony, the effect is
truly splendid : the contrast makes both doubly magni-
ficent. A heathen might have supposed these fine flowers
created on purpose to grace the bosom of the stately
Juno. By the side of the rose, too, or the large double
tulip, or some of the finer kinds of marygold, it has a
noble appearance; and no flower is more deserving of
care in the cultivation. In summer, the Arum should be
allowed a liberal draught of water every evening; but,
being a succulent plant, should be watered only at the
roots. It flowers in May, and may stand abroad until the
end of October: it should then be housed, and, during
the winter, should be watered but once a week. It retains
its leaves all the year: new ones displacing the old as

ARUM. 33

they decay. In August the root should be taken out of
the earth, when there will probably be a number of off-
sets upon it : these must be taken off, and planted in se-
parate pots. The mother plant must then be carefully
re-set in fresh earth, and, as well as the young roots, be
placed in the shade until they have fixed themselves. In
winter, although housed, it should be allowed plenty of
fresh air in mild weather, and towards the end of April
may be gradually accustomed to the open air.

The true Arums are similar plants, which, in a wild and
humble state, are well known to children under the ap-
pellation of lords and ladies. Their natural stateliness,
gets them a fine name, in spite of their situation *.

ASPHODEL.

ASPHODELUS.

ASPHODELE.E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

King's-spear. — French, asphodele.-— Italian, asfodelo.

THE yellow Asphodel f is a native of Sicily, flowering in
May and June: the white species £, a native of the south
of Europe, flowers in June. The Onion-leaved Asphodel
is a native of France, Spain, and the island of Crete: it
flowers from June to August. The two last bear a starry
flower, streaked with purple.

* They are also called Wake Robin; cuckow pint; ramp. In
French, le gouet commun; bonnet de grand pretre [high-priest's
mitre]; herbe a petre; cheval bayard [bay horse]; pain de lievre
[hares' bread].

t In French, la verge de Jacob [Jacob's staff].

t In French, hache royale, baton royal, both signifying the royal
sceptre.— In Italian, cibo regio [royal food].

D

34 FLORA DOMESTICA.

They are tolerably hardy, the white least so ; but they
will all bear the open air, except in severe frosts, from
which they require some protection. In dry summer-
weather they should be watered every evening ; in winter,
once a week will suffice. The last-mentioned kind is an
annual, and decays toward the end of October. It should
be sown in the autumn : one seed in a pot. The first two
species, as they do not flower the first year, will be better
raised in a nursery : the first, when once obtained, may
be increased by parting the roots, which should be done
after the flower decays. They should be planted about
two inches deep in the earth.

Rapin, in his poem on gardens, speaks of the Asphodel
as an article of food :

" And rising Asphodel forsakes her bed,
On whose sweet root our rustic fathers fed."

GARDINER'S TRANSLATION.

It is mentioned by Milton as forming part of the nuptial
couch of Adam and Eve in Paradise :

" flowers were the couch,

Pansies, and violets, and asphodel,

And hyacinth, earth's freshest, softest lap."

It was formerly the custom to plant Asphodel and
mallow around the tombs of the deceased. St. Pierre,
after dwelling with some earnestness on the propriety of
such customs, quotes the following inscription, engraven
on an ancient tomb :

" Au-dehors je suis entoure" de mauve et d'asphodele, et au-dedans
je ne suis qu'un cadavre."

The fine flowers of the Asphodel produce grains, which,
according to the belief of the ancients, afforded nourish-
ment to the dead. Homer tells us, that laying crossed

ASPHODEL. 85

the Styx, the shades passed over a long plain of Aspho-
del*. Orpheus, in Pope's Ode on St. Cecilia's day, con-
jures the infernal deities —

" By the streams that ever flow,
By the fragrant winds that blow

O'er the Elysian flowers ;
By those happy souls who dwell
In yellow meads of asphodel,
Or amaranthine bowers."

Pope, according to a passage in Spence's Anecdotes,
where he speaks of it with a disrespect hardly becoming
a poet, seems to have thought it one of our commonest
field-flowers.

ASTER.

•3*-
CORYMBIFER^. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

Starwort, so named from its starry shape. — French, ast£re. — Italian,
astero.

THE varieties of the Aster are infinite ; and being very
showy, of almost every colour, and the colours remarkably
vivid, they make a brilliant figure in our gardens in the
autumn. The most general favourite is the Chinese, or
China Aster, which has larger and handsomer flowers
than any of the others. There are many varieties of this
species ; white, blue, purple, and red ; single and double
of each; and another variety, variegated with blue and
white.

The French call the China Aster la Reine Marguerite,
which has been rendered, in English, the Queen Mar-

* See St. Pierre's Harmonies de la Nature.

36 FLORA DOMESTICA.

garet : may they not rather mean to call it the Queen
Daisy — marguerite being their name for the daisy, which
this flower much resembles in form, though it is of a much
larger size, and of more brilliant colours?

The Amellus, or Italian Starwort*, has a large blue and
yellow flower. The leaves and stalks being rough and
bitter, are not eaten by cattle ; and thus remaining in the
pastures after the grass has been eaten away, it makes a
fine show when in full flower. This is supposed to be the
Amellus of Virgil :

" The Attic star, so named in Grecian use,
But calTd amellus by the Mantuan muse."

GARDINER'S TRANSLATION OF RAPIN.

" Est etiam flos in pratis, cui nomen amello
Fecere agricolse ; facilis quaerentibus herba ;
Namque uno ingentem tollit de cespite silvam,
Aureus ipse ; sed in foliis, quae plurima circum
Funduntur, violse sublucet purpura nigrse.
Ssepe Deum nexis ornate torquibus arae.
Asper in ore sapor : tonsis in vallibus ilium
Pastores, et curva legunt prope flumina mellse.
Hujus odorato radices incoque baccho ;
Pabulaque in foribus plenis appone canistris."

VIRGIL, GEORGTC 4.

" We also have a flower in the meadows which the country-people
call amellus. The herb is very easy to be found ; for the root, which
consists of a great bunch of fibres, sends forth a vast number of stalks.
The flower itself is of a golden colour, surrounded with a great num-
ber of leaves, which are purple, like violets. The altars of the gods
are often adorned with wreaths of these flowers. It has a bitterish
taste. The shepherds gather it in the open valleys, and near the
winding stream of the river Mella. Boil the roots of this herb in
the best flavored wine ; and place baskets full of them before the door
of the hive." — MARTYN'S TRANSLATION, p. 390.

* Called in France 1'oeil de Christ [Christ's eye] ; in Italy, amello,
or astero affico di fior turchino.

ASTER. 37

The China Aster is an annual plant. It should be sown
in March or April, and kept in a tolerably warm room
until it has risen about three inches above the earth ; and
should then be gradually accustomed to the open air. The
seed may either be sown singly, or many together, and re-
moved into separate pots when they have grown about three
inches : in the latter case, they must be placed in the shade
until they have taken new root, and be gently watered every
evening. According to their situation, China Asters will
require water every evening, or second evening, in dry
summer weather, after they are rooted ; but it is necessary
to give particular attention to this when they are newly
planted. They will flower in August,

Most of the Asters have perennial roots and annual
stalks, and may be increased by parting the roots, which
should be done soon after the plant has done flowering.
The Italian Starwort should not be removed oftener than
every third year. The earth should be kept tolerably
moist for all of them, and the taller kinds should be sup-
ported with sticks.

The African species must be raised in a hot-bed, and
jequire protection in winter.

AUCUBA JAPONICA.

RHAMNEJE? TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THIS tree, the leaves of which are singularly dabbled
with spots, is very commonly grown in pots, as an orna-
ment for balconies, windows, &c. and seems to have been
long a favourite ; probably, in some measure, from being
of a hardy constitution, always green, and requiring little

FLORA DOMESTICA.

care — for it is by no means so handsome as many which
are less generally regarded. It will bear the open air all
the year round : the earth should be kept tolerably moist,
Some call it American Laurel.

AUEICULA.

PRIMULA AURICULA.

PRIMULACE-3B. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Mountain Cowslip, French Cowslip, and Oricolo; but all these
names have been superseded by Auricula, by which name it is best
known in this country. The old botanical name was auricula ursi
[bear's ear], from the shape of the leaves. — French, oreille d'ours. —
Italian, orecchio d'orso.

THE Auricula is a native of the mountains of Switzerland,
Austria, Styria, Carniola, Savoy, and Piedmont. It flowers
in April and May. It is astonishing how greatly it may be
improved by cultivation. It has been affirmed that Henry
Stow, of Lexden, near Colchester, a noted cultivator of
these flowers, had one plant with no less than one hun-
dred and thirty-three blossoms upon one stem*.

The varieties are innumerable; and they are known
by the name of every colour, and combination of colours.
Some are named from the persons who first raised them ;
others by more fanciful appellations, as the Matron, the
Alderman, the Fair Virgin, the Mercury, &c.

A fine Auricula should have a strong upright stem, of
such a height that the flowers may be above the foliage
of the plant. The foot stalks should also be strong, and

« Morant's Colchester (to which Millar refers), page 92,

AURICULA. 89

proportioned in length to the size and number of the
flowers, which should not be less than seven. The tube,
eye, and border should be well-proportioned ; that is, the
diameter of the tube one-sixth, and that of the eye (in-
cluding the tube) one-half the diameter of the whole
flower. The circumference of the border should be a
perfect circle ; the anthers should be large, and fill the
tube; and the tube should terminate rather above the
eye, which should be very white, smooth, round, and
distinct from the ground-colour. The ground-colour
should be bold, rich, and regular, whether in a circle, or
in bright patches : it should be distinct at the eye, and
only broken at the outer part into the edging. The dark
grounds are usually covered with a white powder, which
seems necessary to guard the flower from the scorching
heat of the sun.

Perhaps there is no flower more tenderly cherished by
the cultivators than the Auricula: they wait upon and watch
over it like a mother over her infant.

'" Auriculas, enrich'd

With shining meal o'er all their velvet leaves."

THOMSON.

One Auriculist (for the science deserves a separate ap-
pellation) has devoted a little volume to its culture. An
aspirant in this science is apt, however, to be startled on
learning that the object of his adoration has a singular
propensity for meat, and that a good part of its bloom is
actually owing, like an alderman's, to this consumption of
flesh. Juicy pieces of meat are placed about the root, so
that it may in some measure be said to live on blood.
This undoubtedly lessens its charms in some eyes. Its florid
aspect somehow becomes unnatural; and the " shining
meal," with which Thomson says it is " enriched," being

40 FLORA DOMESTICA.

no longer associated with vegetation, makes it look like a
baker covered with flour, and just come out from a dinner
in his hot oven.

The Auricula does not flower the first year ; but as it is
sometimes desirable to continue the handsome kinds, it
may be occasionally agreeable to sow the seeds at home :
directions are therefore given for that purpose. The
seeds may be sown any time before Christmas, but the
best time is in August. They may at first be sown within
an inch of each other, not more than a quarter of an inch
deep. They should stand in a moderately warm room, and
be kept tolerably moist, by sprinkling the earth with a
hard clothes-brush dipped in water, warmed by standing
in the sun. At the end of four or five weeks, when the
plants are all come up, they must be gradually accustomed
to the air. As soon as any of the plants show six leaves,
transplant them into other pots, about two inches asunder ;
and, when grown so as to touch each other, transplant
them again, separately, into small pots, where they may
remain to blow; and place them where they may enjoy
the morning sun. Towards the middle of March they
should be placed where they may receive the early, but
be screened from the noon-day sun. Exposure to a whole
day's sun at this time will destroy them ; but, if the wea-
ther be mild, fresh air may be admitted to them. About
the end of April they should be gradually accustomed to
the open air ; but care must be taken not to do this too
abruptly, and to place them out on a mild day,

" When dews, heaven's secret milk, in unseen showers,
First feed the early childhood of the year."

DAVENANT.

Special care must be taken to screen them from easterly
winds. Earth, properly prepared for Auriculas, may be

AURICULA. 41

obtained from a nursery; and this is considered of some
importance. What further directions are necessary will
equally apply to those flowers raised at home, and to such
as are only adopted children.

Preserve the plants from too much wet in winter, but
let them have as much air as possible. To screen them
from rain, it is best to keep them under cover. In Fe-
bruary, when the weather is mild, take out of the pots as
much of the earth as you can without disturbing the roots,
and fill them up with fresh earth, which will greatly
strengthen the plants : also take off such leaves as are
decayed.

Auriculas should, in dry weather, be very gently wa-
tered three times in a week, carefully observing that no
water fall upon the flowers ; which, by washing off their
farina, would greatly deface their beauty, and hasten their
decay.

The best situation for Auriculas, when in bloom, is
where the air may surround them, but roofed over head
at such a distance as not to oppress the plants. Placed
in an eastern balcony, shaded by a veranda, and by a few
shrubs on the southern side, they will be well lodged.
When the flowers have lost their beauty, they must be
entirely exposed, to perfect their seeds, which will ripen
in June. When the seeds are ripe, the seed-vessel will
turn brown, and open. When they are perfectly dry,
gather them, and lay them in an open paper exposed to
the sun. To prevent their growing mouldy, they must
remain in the pods till the season for sowing them.

Soon after they are past flowering, Auriculas should be
taken out of the earth, such fibres as have grown very
long should be shortened, and the lower part of the
main root, if too long or decayed, cut off. If the lower

42 FLOBA DOMESTICA.

leaves be faded or withered, strip them off in a down-
ward direction : take off the offsets, and plant them in
pots. Have ready a pot, three-parts filled with the pre-
pared earth, highest in the middle ; there place the old
plant, with its fibres regularly distributed all round : then
fill the pot up with the same earth, and lay a little clean
coarse sand on the surface, round the stem of the plant.
The pot should be gently shaken, to settle the earth about
the. root. It should be planted within half an inch of the
lowest leaves ; for, as the most valuable fibres shoot from
that part, they will so be encouraged to strike root sooner.

When the offsets have formed one or more fibres of an
inch or two in length, they may be parted from the mother-
plant with the fingers, and planted as directed for young
seedlings, several in a pot, until they are large enough to
be transplanted separately.

In May, that is, as soon as this planting and trans-
planting is finished, the plants, old and young, should be
placed in a shady, airy situation ; by no means where the
water from other plants can drip on them; and there
remain till September, or, if the weather be mild, till
October, when they must be sheltered from rain, snow,
and frost, but must still be allowed air. They may be
placed near a window, which should be open in mild
weather, and closed when frosty.

Should there be offsets in April, or earlier, they may
be taken off, and planted, without waiting till the old
plants are removed. The following spring they will pro-
duce flowers, thougl^ but weakly. When past flowering,
remove them into larger pots ; and the second year they
will flower in perfection. When the old plants are trans-
planted, they should, if requisite, be removed into larger
pots.

AURICULA. 43

It must be either the Auricula or the Polyanthus de-
scribed* by the poet in the following passage :

" Oft have I brought thee flowers, on their stalks set
Like vestal primroses, but dark velvet
Edges them round, and they have golden pits."

KEATS'S ENDYMIOK.

The Auricula is to be found in the highest perfection in
the gardens of the manufacturing class, who bestow much
time and attention upon this and a few other flowers,
as the tulip and pink. A fine stage of these plants is
scarcely ever to be seen in the gardens of the nobility
and gentry, who depend upon the exertions of hired
servants, and cannot therefore compete in these nicer
operations of gardening with those who tend their flowers
themselves, and watch over their progress with paternal
solicitude.

AZALEA.

RHODORACEJE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYN1A.

Azalea is derived from the Greek, and signifies dry.

MILLAR says the Azalea is so named because it grows
in a dry soil ; but this must be a strange oversight— for in
the next page he tells us that it grows naturally in a moist
soil, in North America, and that unless it has a moist soil
it will not thrive.

The Azalea is a beautiful flowering shrub. The naked-
flowered Azalea, in its native country, grows fourteen or
fifteen feet high: here it is never more than half that
height. Of this species, the flowers appear before the
leaves : they are red, or white and red, and in great
abundance. This shrub is common in the woods of New

44 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Jersey, and is called May-flower, Wild Honeysuckle, and
Upright Honeysuckle. We call it American Honeysuckle.

The White-flowered Azalea is a lower shrub than the
former : the flowers are sweet-scented. This also is an
American. The Pontic Azalea has yellow flowers. The
Indian Azalea has a profusion of flowers, of a beautiful
bright red.

The Azaleas should be sheltered from severe frost, and
the earth be kept moist. They flower from May to July,
and are too handsome to be dispensed with, but from ab-
solute want of room.

BALM.

MELISSA.

LABIATJE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

From the fondness of bees for this plant, it is named melissa [a
bee], melissophyllum [bee-leaf], from the Greek ; and apiastrum, of
a like signification, from the Latin. From its strong scent of lemons,
Gesner has called it citrago. — French, le melisse des jardins [garden
balm]; herbe de citron [lemon herb]; citronade, citronelle, both from
the odour; poncirade; piment des mouches a miel [bees' spice]. —
Italian, melissa; cedronella; cedrancella; citraggine; melacitola. —
In the Brescian territory, sitornela.

IT is seldom that this darling of the bees is admitted
into the flower-garden, yet it is very pretty when in flower;
particularly that which is called the Great-flowered Balm,
which has large purple flowers. Many a useless plant is
admitted into the flower-garden with not half the beauty
of this, which would deserve a place there for its scent
alone. It was formerly considered as an efficacious remedy
in hypochondria, but it is not so highly esteemed by the
physicians of the present day. It proves, at least, an inno-

BALM. 45

cent substitute for foreign tea, which many persons find
injurious to them; and many think its aromatic flavour
very agreeable. Much of the prejudice against our native
tea-plants has arisen from the tea being made of the fresh
herbs, and by far too strong. If the Chinese tea were
used as lavishly, it would be still more disagreeable to
the taste than our native teas.

On account of its being so great a favourite with the
bees, it was one of the herbs directed by the ancients to be
rubbed on the hive, to render it agreeable to the swarm :

" Intorno del bel culto e chiuso campo
Lieta fiorisca 1'odorata persa,
E Tappio verde, e 1'umile serpillo,
Che con mille radici attorte e crespe
Sen va carpon vestando il terren d'erba,
E la melissa ch* odor sempre esala ;
La mammola, Torigano, ed il timo,
Che natura creo per fare il mele."

LE API DEL RTTCELLAI.

" O'er all the lawny field, lovely, shut in,
Let the glad violet smile with its sweet breath ;
And parsley green ; and humble creeping-thyme,
Which, with a thousand roots, curling and crisp,
Goes decking the green earth with drapery;
And balm that never ceases uttering sweets;
And hearts-ease, and wild marjoram, and thyme,
Which nature made on purpose to make honey."

" Quand' escon 1'api dei rinchiusi alberghi,
E tu le vedi poi per 1'aere puro
Natando in schiera andare verso le stelle,
Come una nube che si sparga al vento ;
Contempla ben perch' elle cercan sempre
Posarsi al fresco sopra un verde elce,
Ower presso a uli muscoso e chiaro fonte.
E pero sparga quivi il buon sapore
De la trita melissa, o 1'erba vile
De la cerinta ; e con un ferro in mano
Percuoti il cavo rame, o forte suona
II cembal risonante di Cibelle.

46 FLORA DOMESTICA,

Questo subito allor vedrai posarsi
Nei luoghi medicati, e poi riporsi
Second il lor costume entr' a le celle."

LE API DEL RUCELLAI.

" When the hees issue from their nestling homes,
And you behold them through the clear blue ether,
Swimming tow'rd heaven like a wind-sprinkled cloud,
Be on the watch ; for then it is they go
To feel the open air on a green oak,
Or near a mossy and fresh-bubbling fountain ;
There follow them, and put the genial flavour
Of the bruised balm, or cerinth, and strike up
The hollow brass or tremble-touching cymbal,
And you will see them suddenly come down
Upon the season'd place, and so re-enter
After their wonted fashion, in their cells."

Virgil, in one of his pastorals, which was indeed the
original of the poem of Rucellai, mentions green casia,
wild thyme, and savory, instead of the violet, parsley, and
wild thyme. By casia, some have supposed the poet in-
tended rosemary ; but in another passage he distinguishes
these two plants: and as he uses the epithet ' green,' which
the ancient poets almost invariably apply to parsley, it is
probable Rucellai may have considered this as the plant
described by Virgil. The frequent changes in the names
of plants have occasioned much doubt and difficulty in
ascertaining exactly the plants intended by old authors.
Vaccinium has been translated by different writers, the
privet, the hyacinth, the violet, &c.

Evelyn tells us that " this noble plant yields an in-
comparable wine ;w and that " sprigs, fresh gathered, put
into wine in the heat of summer, give it a marvellous
quickness."

There is a plant called Bastard Balm, or Balm-leaved
Archangel; in French, Le Melissot, or Melisse de Pu-
naisse [Bug-balm]; of which the botanical name, Me-

BALM. 47

littis, is similar in its etymology to Melissa. This, like the
true Balm, yields a great deal of honey ; it is described
as having an unpleasant smell when fresh, hut becoming
delightfully fragrant when dried. It has large white and
purple flowers, which are odoriferous when they first open.
This plant is very handsome, and is a common inhabitant
of the flower-garden.

Both these plants may be increased by parting the roots,
which may be divided into pieces, with five or six buds to
each, and planted in separate pots : this should be done in
October. When intended for ornament, the roots should
not be disturbed oftener than every third year. The earth
should be loamy, and they should be placed in an eastern
aspect, where they will thrive and produce flowers in
abundance. The Melissa will flower in June or July ; the
Melittis, a month earlier. They may have a little water
in dry weather, and stand abroad throughout the year.
In autumn cut off the decayed stalks; new ones will
grow in the spring.

BALSAM.

IMPATIENS.

BALSAME^E. SYNGENESIA MONOGAMIA.

Latin, impatiens. — Italian, balsamina; maraviglia di Francia;
[the wonder of France]. — In Florence, begFuomini; bell' uomo [fine
man]. — French, balsamine, or belsamine. The Yellow Balsam is also
called noli-me-tangere [touch me not] ; quick-in-hand and wild
mercury. — French, la balsamine des bois [Balsam of the woods] ; la
merveille; 1'herbe Sainte Catharine; ne me touchez pas. — Italian ,
erbaimpaziente; balsamina gialla [Yellow Balsam].

SOME of the names given to this plant refer to the
violence with which the ripe seeds dart from the seed-
vessel when touched.

48 FLORA DOMESTICA.

In the day-time the leaves of this plant are expanded,
but at night are pendent ; contrary to the habit of plants
in general, which are more apt to droop during the heat
of the day. This plant grows in England and many other
parts of Europe, and in Canada : it is the only species of
Impatiens which grows wild in Europe.

The Garden Balsam, which, as its name implies, is the
most commonly cultivated in our gardens, is a native of
the East and West Indies, China, and Japan. The
Japanese use the juice prepared with alum to dye their
nails red. This beautiful flower has been much enlarged,
and numerous varieties have been produced, by culture.
Mr. Martyn, in his edition of Millar's Dictionary, speaks
of having seen one, " the stem of which was seven inches
in circumference, and all the parts large in proportion;
branched from top to bottom, loaded with its party-
coloured flowers, and thus forming a most beautiful
bush."

There are white, purple, and red ; striped and varie-
gated, single and double, of each. Millar mentions two
remarkable varieties: — the Immortal Eagle, a beautiful
plant with an abundance of large double scarlet and white,
or purple and white flowers ; — and the Cockspur, of which
the flowers are single, but as large as those of the former
species ; with red and white stripes. This is apt to grow '
to a considerable size before it flowers; so that in bad
seasons it will bear but few blossoms.

In Ceylon and Cochin-China, there is a species of Bal-
sam, from the leaves of which the inhabitants of Cochin-
China make a decoction to wash and scent their hair.

The flowers of the Balsam will be handsomer if the
plant be raised in a hot-bed : in May, if the weather be
mild, it may be gradually accustomed to the open air. It
must be watered every evening, but gently ; and being a

BALSAM. 49

succulent plant, great care must be taken not to let water
drip on it, nor to sprinkle it on the leaves or flowers. It
loves the shade, and will thrive the better if shaded from
the mid-day sun by the intervention of some light shrub,
as the Persian lilac, &c. The Balsam is a general fa-
vourite for the number and beauty of the flowers, their
sweetness, and the uprightness and transparency of its
stem:

' ' Balsam, with its shaft of amber,"

says the poet, and the propriety of the expression has
been questioned ; but the introduction of a Balsam in the
sunshine, not only fully justified its propriety, but excited
surprise in those who had questioned it, at their own want
of observation.

BASIL.

OCYMUM.

LABIATE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

Basil is from a Greek word, signifying royal. It is generally called
sweet basil. — French, basilic; la plante royale — Italian, basilico;
ozzimo. — Ocymum is from a Greek word signifying swift, because the
seed when sown comes up very quickly.

BASILS are either herbs, or undershrubs, generally of a
sweet and powerful scent : they are chiefly natives of the
East Indies, and in this climate require protection from
frost. They are raised in a hot-bed, but should have as
much air as possible in mild weather. They may stand
abroad from May to the end of September, or of October,
according as the weather is more or less mild at this
season. They should be kept moderately moist.

Many of the Basils will not live in this country, unless
in a hot-house, but there are many that will, and among

E

50 FLOIIA DOMESTICA.

those are some of the handsomest and sweetest kinds ; as
the American Basil, with a flesh-coloured flower, remark-
able for its agreeable scent ; the Monk's Basil, a small annual
plant, with a white and purple flower,— a mysterious fo-
reigner, whose country is unknown to us ; and Sweet Basil,
which has spikes of white flowers, five or six inches in
length, and a strong scent of cloves : of this species there
is a variety smelling of citron, and another of which the
flowers are purple.

In the East this plant is used both in cookery and me-
dicine, and the seeds are considered efficacious against the
poison of serpents.

The Basil, called by the Hindoos, holy or sacred herb,
is so highly venerated by them, that they have given one
of its names to a sacred grove of their Parnassus, on the
banks of the Yamuna.

In Persia (where it is called rayhan), it is generally
found in churchyards :

" the Basil-tuft that waves

Its fragrant blossom over graves."

It is probably the custom to use it in Italy also to adorn
tombs and graves, and this may have been Boccaccio's
reason for selecting it to shade the melancholy treasure of
Isabella. The exquisite story which he has told us, has
lately become familiar to English readers, in the poems of
Mr. Barry Cornwall and Mr. Keats. The former does
not venture, like Boccaccio, to describe Isabella as che-
rishing the head of her lover, but makes her bury the
heart in a pot of Basil ; first so enwrapping and embalming
it as to preserve it from decay. Mr. Keats is more true
to his Italian original, and not only describes her as bury-
ing the head, but makes the head itself serve to enrich
the soil, and beautify the tree ; nay, even to become a part
of it:

BASIL. 51

" And she forgot the stars, the moon, and sun,
And she forgot the blue above the trees,
And she forgot the dells where waters run,
And she forgot the chilly autumn breeze :
She had no knowledge when the day was done,
And the new morn she saw not, — but in peace
Hung over her sweet basil evermore,
And moisten'd it with tears unto the core.

tc And so she ever fed it with thin tears,
Whence thick and green and beautiful it grew,
So that it smelt more balmy than its peers
Of basil-tufts in Florence ; for it drew
Nurture besides, and life from human fears,
From the fast mouldering head there shut from view ;
So that the jewel safely casketed
Came forth, and in perfumed leafits spread."

This young poet now lies in an Italian grave, which is
said to be adorned with a variety of flowers. Among
them Sweet Basil should not be forgotten.

And here we are naturally led to the Bay-tree.

BAY.

LAURUS NOBILIS.

LAURINE^l. ENNEANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Greek, Daphne. — Italian, alloro ; lauro. — French, laurier.

THIS Bay, by way of distinction, called the Sweet Bay,
well justifies the epithet: the exquisite fragrance of the
Bay-leaf, especially when crushed, is known to every one ;
even in our climate, where it ranks but as a shrub, and
doubtless, in its native soil, where it grows to a height
of twenty or thirty feet, the perfume would be still finer.

How many grand and delightful images does the very
name of this tree awaken in our minds! The warrior

52 FLORA DOMESTICA.

thinks of the victorious general returning in triumph to
his country, amid the shouts of an assembled populace ; the
prince, of imperial Caesar ; the poet and the man of taste,
see Petrarch crowned in the Capitol. Women, who are
enthusiastic admirers of genius in any shape, think of all
these by turns, and almost wonder how Daphne could
have had the heart to run so fast from that most godlike
of all heathen gods, Apollo.

It is said, that turning a deaf ear to the eloquent plead-
ings of the enamoured god, she fled, to escape his con-
tinued importunities : he pursued, and Daphne, fearful of
being caught, entreated the assistance of the gods, who
changed her into a laurel. Apollo crowned his head with
its leaves, and commanded that the tree should be ever
after held sacred to his divinity. Thus it is the true in-
heritance of the poet ; but when bestowed upon the con-
queror, is only to be considered as an acknowledgment
that he deserves immortality from Apollo's children.

Spenser, indignant at the slight shown to his illustrious
father, speaks in a vindictive strain of the fair Daphne :

" Proud Daphne, scorning Phoebus' lovely fire,

On the Thessalian shore from him did flee ;
For which the gods, in their revengeful ire,
Did her transform into a laurel-tree."

SPENSER'S SONNETS.

This noble tree has often been confounded with the
common laurel, which is of quite a different genus, bearing
the botanical name of prunus laurocerasus. The Bay was
formerly called Laurel, and the fruit only named Bayes ;
this has probably occasioned the mistake. The word
Bay, indeed, is probably derived from Bacca, the name of
the berry.

Thomson, as if resolved to have the right laurel at any
rate, makes use of both i

BAY. 53

1 " from her majestic brow

She tore the laurel, and she tore the bay."

THOMSON'S BRITANNIA.

The Bay not only served to grace triumphant brows,
mortal and immortal, but was also placed over the houses
of sick persons, from some superstitious notion of its
efficacy. It adorned the gates of the Caesars and high
pontiffs. It was worn by the priestess of Delphi, who
chewed some of the leaves and threw them on the sacred
fire. Letters and dispatches sent from a victorious ge-
neral to the senate, were wrapped in Bay-leaves; the
spears, tents, ships, &c. were all dressed up with them ;
and, in the triumph, every common soldier carried a
branch in his hand.

The Bay was in great esteem with the physicians, who
considered it as a panacea. The statue of Esculapius,
though perhaps with an allusion also to his father Apollo
(who was the god of physic in general, as his son seems
to have been of its practitioners), was adorned with its
leaves. From the custom that prevailed in some places
of crowning the young doctors in physic with this Laurel
in berry (Bacca-lauri), the students were called Bacca-
laureats, Bay-laureats, or Bachelors. The term has, with
some propriety, been extended to single men, as the male
and female berries do not grow on the same plant ; and it
seems we might with equal correctness bestow the name
upon unmarried ladies.

The decay of the Bay-tree was formerly considered by
the superstitious as an omen of disaster. It is said that
before the death of Nero, though in a very mild winter,
all these trees withered to the root, (yet surely his death
was no serious disaster!) and that a great pestilence in
Padua was preceded by the same phenomenon. The
Laurel had so great a reputation for clearing the air and

54f FLORA DOMESTICA.

resisting contagion, that during a raging pestilence Clau-
dius was advised by his physicians to remove his court to
Laurentium on that account. It was also supposed to
resist lightning, of which Tiberius was very fearful, and it
is said, that to avoid it he would creep under his bed, and
shade his head with the boughs.

Mr. L. Hunt alludes to this power in the Bay, in his
Descent of Liberty :

" Long have you my laurels worn,
And though some under leaves be torn
Here and there, yet what remains
Still its pointed green retains,
And still an easy shade supplies
To your calm-kept watchful eyes.
Only would you keep it brightening,
And its power to shake the lightning,
Harmless down its glossy ears,
Suffer not so many years
To try what they can bend and spoil,
But oftener in its native soil
Let the returning slip renew
Its upward sap and equal hue ;
And wear it then with glory shaded,
Till the spent earth itself be faded."

W. Browne tells us also, that " Baies being the ma-
terials of poets' ghirlands, are supposed not subject to any
hurt of Jupiter's thunderbolts, as other trees are." — (See
note to page 8, vol. i.).

" Where bayes still grow (by thunder not struck down),
The victor's garland and the poet's crown."

(See W. BROWNE'S POEMS, vol. iii.)

It is remarkable that this beautiful tree, which is hardy,
handsome, sweet, and an evergreen, to say nothing of classi-
cal associations, is so seldom and so sparingly cultivated in
this country. Evelyn tells us " that some Bay-trees were
sent from Flanders with stems so even and upright, and
with heads so round, full, and flourishing, that one of them

BAY. 55

sold for twenty pounds ; and, doubtless," adds he, " as
good might be raised here, were our gardeners as in-
dustrious to cultivate and shape them. I wonder we
plant not whole groves of them, and abroad, they being
hardy enough, grow upright, and would make a noble
Daphneon."

Virgil celebrates the filial affection of the Bay, where,
speaking of the different methods of propagating trees,
he says,

" Others have a thick wood arousing from their roots ; as cherries,
and elms: the little Parnassian bay also shelters itself under the great
shade of its mother." — MARTYN'S TKANSLATION, p. 114.

This would not, perhaps, convey to us so strong a
meaning, did we not know, as Evelyn informs us, that
while young, this tree thrives not well any-where but un-
der its " mother's shade ; where nothing else will thrive."

The Bay is a native of Asia, and the southern parts of
Europe : it is not uncommon in the woods and hedges in
Italy. The Abbe St. Pierre observes, " that it grows in
abundance on the banks of the river Peneus, in Thessaly,
which might well give occasion to the fable of the meta-
morphosis of Daphne, the daughter of that river."

It may be raised from berries, suckers, cuttings, or
layers : it will bear the open air, and, when grown to a
tolerable size, requires no other care than to water it oc-
casionally in dry weather, to prune it in the spring, and
to shift it into a larger pot when it has outgrown the old
one. In doing this, the earth must not be cleared from
the roots. A Bay- tree must not be hastily dismissed when
it appears dead, but should be preserved till the second
year ; for when past hope of recovery, they will often re-
vive, and flourish again as well as ever.

The Bay, which is the meed of the poet, a poet only

56 FLORA DOMESTICA.

can celebrate; and what flower or tree has been more
highly celebrated than this tree, which the resemblance
of its name to that of his mistress induced Petrarch to
make the continual subject of his pen? Thus, in speaking
of the commencement of his passion, he uses this figure :

" Amor fra 1' erbe una leggiadra rete
D'oro e di perle tese sott' un ramo
Del 1' arbor sempre verde, ch' i tant' amo
Benche n' abbia ombre piu triste, che liete :"

SONNET 148.

Love mid the grass laid forth a lovely net
Of woven pearls and gold, under the veil
Of that fair evergreen I love «o well,
Although its shade is sad to me while sweet.

Again :

" Arbor vittoriosa e trionfale,
Onor d' imperadori e di poeti,
Quanti m' hai fatto di dogliosi e lieti
In qtiesta breve mia vita mortale !"

SONNET 225.

O thou victorious and triumphant tree,
Glory of poets and of emperors,
How many sad and how many sweet hours
Hast thou in this short life bestow'd on me !

" L' aura celeste ; che 'n quel verde Lauro
Spira, ov' Amor feri nel fianco Apollo
E a me pose un dolce giogo al collo
Tal, che mia liberta tardi ristauro."

SONNET 164.

" L' aura che '1 verde lauro, e 1' aureo crine
Soavemente sospirando move ;
Fa con sue viste leggiadrette, e nove
L' anime da' lor corpi pellegririe*.

SONNET 208.

* The play upon the word Laura in these passages does not (as the
Italian reader will readily perceive) easily admit of translation.

BAV. 57

After the death of Laura, he writes :

" Rotta e 1' alta Colonna, e '1 verde Lauro,
Che facean ombra al mio stance pensero :"

SONNET 229.

evidently alluding to the death of his mistress, and that
of Cardinal Colonna ; and a high compliment, indeed, it
was to the cardinal, on such a subject to unite his name
with hers.

How tender and how natural is the following sonnet :

" Quand' io veggio dal ciel scender 1' aurora
Con la fronte di rose, e co' crin d' oro ;
Amor m' assale : ond' iormi discoloro ;
E dico sospirando, ivi e Laura ora.

0 felice Titon tu sai ben 1' ora
Da ricovrare il tuo caro tesoro :

Ma io che debbo far del dolce Alloro ;
Che se '1 vo* riveder, conven ch' io mora.

1 vostri dipartir non son si duri ;
Ch' almen di notte suol tornar colei

Che' non ha a schifo le tue bianche chiome :
Le mie notti fa triste, e i giorni oscuri
Quella, che n' ha portato i pensier miei ;
Ne di se m' ha lasciato altro, che '1 nome."

SONNET 250.

Again I have to lament that the absence of a poetical
friend will not allow me to add a proper translation of this
sonnet. To give the English reader some notion of the
subject, I have translated it in humble prose. I need not
add, that this can convey but a very inadequate idea of
the original ;

" When I behold Aurora descending from heaven, with her cheek
of roses, and her locks of gold, love assails me : I turn pale, and I say,
sighing, where is Laura now ? Oh, happy Tithonus, thou knowest
well the hour when thou wilt recover thy dear treasure : but what
shall I do for the sweet laurel, which would I see again, I first must
die ! Your parting is less cruel ; for night at least restores to thee her
who scorns not thy white locks : she makes my nights sorrowful, and
my days dark, who has borne away my thoughts, and of herself has
left me nothing but the name."

58 FLORA DOMESTICA.

But unless Petrarch's whole works are inserted, it will
be a vain attempt to give all the passages in which he thus
celebrates both his mistress and the tree. Orie or two
more only shall be mentioned : the canzone beginning

< ' Standomi un giorno solo a la fenestra ;"

CANZONE 42.

and

" Quando il soave mio fido confbrto."

CANZONE 47.

It was but just that he should be crowned with this be-
loved Laurel, as it is well known that he was, publicly, at
Rome ; having been offered the same honourable distinction
at Paris also.

"The Laurel seems more appropriated to Petrarch,
(says Mr. Hunt,) than to any other poet. He delighted
to sit under its leaves ; he loved it both for itself and for
the resemblance of its name to that of his mistress ; he
wrote of it continually ; and he was called from out of its
shade to be crowned with it in the Capitol. It is a
remarkable instance of the fondness with which he che-
rished the united ideas of Laura and the Laurel, that he
confesses it to have been one of the greatest delights he
experienced in receiving the crown upon his head *."

Chaucer bestows the Laurel upon the Knights of the
Round Table, the Paladines of Charlemagne, and some
of the Knights of the Garter,

" That in their timis did right worthily.

*****
For one lefe givin of that noble tre
To any wight that hath done worthily
(An it be done so as it ought to be)
Is more honour than any thing erthly,
Witness of Rome ; that foundir was truly
Of all knighthode and dedis marvelous,
Record I take of Titus Livius."

* Indicator, No, XL. vol. i. page 316.

BAY. 59

Chaucer evidently intends the genuine Laurel, not the
usurper of the title, since he speaks of its sweet scent :

" And at the last I gan full well aspy
Where she sate in a fresh grene laury tre,
On the furthir side evin right by me,
That gave so passing a delicious smell,
According to the eglantere full well."

THE FLOURE AND THE LEAFE.

The following lines, addressed by Tasso to a Laurel in
his lady's hair, are, with their translation, taken from the
Literary Pocket-Book for the year 1821 :

" O pianta trionfale,

Onor d' imperatori,

Hor de' nomi de' regi anco t' onori

Cosi di pregio in pregio,

Di vittoria in vittoria,

Vai trapassando, e d' una in altra gloria ;

Arbore gentile, e regio,

Per che nulla ti manchi, orna le chiome

Di chi d' Amor trionfa, e 1' alme ha dome."

O glad triumphal bough,

That now adornest conquering chiefs, and now

Clippest the brows of over-ruling kings :

From victory to victory

Thus climbing on, through all the heights of story,

From worth to worth, and glory unto glory ;

To finish all, O gentle and royal tree,

Thou reignest now upon that flourishing head,

At whose triumphant eyes Love and our souls are led.

BELVEDERE.

CHENOPODIUM SCOPARIA.

ATRIPLICE^E. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA.

Called also Summer Cypress. — French, la belvedere; bellevedere;
belle a voir.— Italian, il belvedere : all which foreign names refer to
its beautiful appearance.

THIS is an extremely handsome plant, growing very

60 FLOKA DOMESTICA.

close and thick, in the form of a pyramid, as regular as if
cut by art : it has so much the appearance of a young
cypress tree, that but for the leaves being of a more lively
green, it might at a little distance be mistaken for one.
It grows naturally in Carniola, Greece, China, and Japan.
The seeds should be sown in autumn, singly, or several
together, and divided into separate pots in the spring,
when they come up. In autumn, when they ripen their
seeds, if other pots are standing pretty near, the seeds
will be apt to fall into them, and the self-sown plants will
come up the following spring : so that it will be well to
keep such pots as will not admit of such an unceremonious
visitor at a sufficient distance to secure them from in-
trusion. The earth should be kept moderately moist.

BITTER-VETCH.

OROBUS.

LEGUMINOS-E. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

Frenchy Torobe; pois de pigeon [pigeon's pea]. — Italian, orobo;
robiglia.

THE Yellow Bitter- Vetch is described by Haller as one
of the handsomest of the papilionaceous tribe. It is a
native of Siberia, Switzerland, Italy, and the South of
France. Spring Bitter- Vetch has a handsome flower, cu-
riously shaded with red, purple, and blue, becoming alto-
gether a sky-blue before it falls. It grows in the woods
in many parts of Europe, and flowers in March and April.
The Tuberous Bitter- Vetch, called also heath peas, wood
peas, and in French gesse sauvage, has also a brilliant
flower of red-purple, fading to a blue as it decays. The
Highlanders, who call it corr, or cormeille, dry the tu-
bercles of the root, and keep them in the mouth to flavour
their liquor. They affirm, that they are enabled, by the

BITTER-VETCH. 61

use of them, to repel hunger and thirst for a long time.
This idea reminds one of a passage in one of the Italian
poets, where an enchanter preserves two knights from
starvation during a long journey by giving them an herb,
which, being held in the mouth, answers all the purposes
of food.

The taste of these roots resembles that of liquorice-root,
and, when boiled, they are well-flavoured and nutritive.
In times of scarcity, they have served as a substitute for
bread. The plant is a native of most parts of Europe.
These, and the other hardy kinds, may be increased by
parting the roots, which should be done in the autumn.
They generally delight in shade, and prefer a loamy soil :
the earth should be kept moderately moist.

BLOODWORT.

SANGUINARIA.

PAPAVERACE&. POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The English name is from its blood-coloured juice. It is also
named, by the Americans, Puccoon.

" THOUGH the Sanguinaria cannot be considered as a
showy plant," says Mr. Martyn, " yet it has few equals in
point of delicacy and singularity : there is something in it
to admire, from the time that its leaves emerge from the
ground and embosom the infant blossom, to their full ex-
pansion, and the ripening of the seeds."

In the woods of Canada, and other parts of North
America, it grows in abundance : the Indians are said to
paint their faces with the juice. In this country the
flowers open in April, but they fully expand only in fine
warm weather.

We are told, that in the year 1680 this plant was culti-
vated in "Mr, Walker's suburban garden in St. James's

62 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Street, near the palace." Its flowers are white, and three
or four flower-stems spring from one root: it prefers a
loose soil and a shady situation, and may be annually in-
creased by parting the roots in September. When the
flowers decay, the green leaves come out, which last till
Midsummer: from which time till autumn the roots re-
main inactive. It should be planted in a pot seven or
eight inches wide> and an equal mixture of bog earth and
rotten leaves will be the best soil. It must be watered
every evening in dry summer weather. The earth may
be covered with moss, which will tend to preserve the
moisture in the summer, and to protect the roots from
frost in the winter.

BOX TEEE.

BUXUS.

EUPHORBIACE^B. MONOECIA TETRANDRIA.

French, le buis ; le bois beni [blessed wood]. — Italian, busso ; bosso;
bossolo ; in the Brescian territory, martel [hammer wood] ; buz.

PROPERLY speaking, there is but one species of Box ;
varying much in size, and somewhat in the colour of its
leaves. It may be easily propagated both by seeds and
cuttings ; but is so slow of growth, as to be many years in
attaining any considerable size. It is therefore advisable
to purchase it of the size desired, rather than to raise it
at home. It will thrive in any soil or exposure, and
under the deepest shade. It is an evergreen, and re-
markable for its fine glowing colour: particularly the
dwarf kind. In the story of Rimini, it is called " sunny-
coloured box." " The pleasantness of its verdure," says
Evelyn, " is incomparable."

The Box-tree, though in gardens seldom seen more

BOX TREE. 63

than three or four feet high, will, if not cut, rise to a
height of twelve or fifteen. The wood is close-grained,
very hard, and heavy. It is the only one of the European
woods that will sink in water; and is sold by weight,
fetching a high price. Not being liable to warp, it is
well adapted to a variety of nicer purposes; as tops,
screws, chess-men, pegs for musical instruments, knife-
handles, modelling-tools, &c, The ancients made combs
of it, which use is mentioned by Cowley in his poem on
Plants :

" They tye the links that hold their gallants fast,
And spread the nets to which fond lovers haste."

Corsican honey was supposed by the ancients to owe
its ill name to the bees feeding upon Box : none of our
animals will touch it. Parkinson says, "the leaves and
saw-dust boiled in lye will change the hair to an auburn
colour."

When it was the fashion to clip and cut trees into the
shapes of beasts, birds, &c. the Box was considered as
second only to the yew for that purpose ; for which, Pliny
says that nothing is better adapted. Martial notices this
quality in speaking of Bassus's garden :

" otiosis ordinata myrtetis,

Viduaque platano tonsilique buxeto."

" There likewise mote be seen on every side
The yew obedient to the planter's will,
And shapely box, of all their branching pride
Ungently shorne, and with preposterous skill,
To various beasts, and birds of sundry quill
Transform'd, and human shapes of monstrous size ;

" Also other wonders of the sportive shears
Fair Nature mis-adorning, there were found
Globes,, spiral columns, pyramids and piers
With sprouting urns, and budding statues crown'd ;

64 FLORA DOMESTICA.

And horizontal dials on the ground

In living box by cunning artists traced ;

And gallies trim, on no long voyage bound,
But by their roots there ever anchor'd fast,
All were their bellying sails outspread to every blast."

G. WEST.

This preposterous taste in gardening was at last re-
formed by the pure and classical taste of Bacon ; who,
though no enemy to sculpture, did not approve of this
absurd species of it : at once disfiguring art and nature.

" In several parts of the North of England, when a
funeral takes place, a basin full of sprigs of Box-wood is
placed at the door of the house from which the coffin is
taken up ; and each person who attends the funeral, ordi-
narily takes a sprig of this Box-wood, and throws it into
the grave of the deceased.''— (See Note in WORDSWORTH'S
POEMS, 8vo. vol. i. p. 163.)

" The bason of box- wood, just six months before,
Had stood on the table at Timothy's door ;
A coffin through Timothy's threshold had pass'd,
One child did it bear, and that child was his last."

WORDSWORTH.

Gerarde informs us, that turners and cutlers call Box-
wood dudgeon, because they make dudgeon-hafted knives
of it. The Box-tree is a native of most parts of Europe,
from Britain southwards : it also abounds in many parts
of Asia and America. In England it was formerly much
more common than at present.

(e These trees," says Evelyn, " grow naturally at Boxley
in Kent, and at Box-hill in Surrey : giving name to them.
He that in winter should behold some of our highest hills
in Surrey, clad with whole woods of them, for divers miles
in circuit, as in those delicious groves of them belonging
to the late Sir Adam Brown of Beckworth Castle, might
easily fancy himself transported into some new or en-
chanted country."

BOX THEE. 65

But this enchantment has been long since dissolved.
Mr. Millar, in 1759, lamented the great havoc made
among the trees on Box-hill, though there then remained
several of considerable magnitude; but since that time
the destruction has been yet greater. Not only this hill
in Surrey, and Boxley in Kent, but Boxwell in Coteswold,
Gloucestershire, is said to be named from the Box tree.
It has been made a serious and heavy complaint against
Box, that it emits an exceedingly unpleasant odour, of
which the poets speak as a thing notorious : yet it is only
when fresh cut that the scent is unpleasant, and a little
water poured over it immediately removes this objection.

B K O O M.

SPARTIUM.

LEGURIINOS^E. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

French, le genet; le genet a balais. — Italian, sparzio; scopaj gi-
nestra: all referring to its use as besoms*.

THE Brooms are very ornamental shrubs, with few
leaves, but an abundance of brilliant and elegant flowers :
they strike a deep root, but are too handsome to be re-
jected where room can be afforded for them. They must
be planted in a pot or tub of considerable depth. There
are three species with white, and one with violet-coloured
flowers : the others have all yellow blossoms.

The violet-coloured has no leaves, and is usually called
the Leafless Broom : it was found by Pallas in the Wolga
Desert. The Spanish Broom has yellow — the Portugal,
white blossoms. The white-flowered, one-seeded kind, is

* The family of Plantagenet took their name from this shrub, which
they wore as their device.

F

66 FLORA DOMESTICA.

a native both of Spain and Portugal. " It converts the
most barren spot into a fine odoriferous garden," says Mr.
Martyn, speaking of this species.

All the species here named will endure the cold without
shelter : they do not like much wet. Our common Broom
surpasses many of the foreign kinds in beauty : indeed,
few shrubs are more magnificent than this evergreen, with
its profusion of bright golden blossoms. They are the
delight of the bees : and the young buds, while yet green,
are pickled like capers. It is said that the branches are
of service in tanning leather, and that a kind of coarse
cloth is manufactured from them. The young shoots are
mixed with hops in brewing : and the old wood is valuable
to the cabinet-maker. Brooms are made from this shrub ;
and, from their name, it is supposed to have furnished
the first that were made. In the north of Great Britain
it is used for thatching cottages, corn, and hay-ricks, and
making fences. In some parts of Scotland, where coals
and wood are scarce, whole fields are sown with it for
fuel.

But the Scotch have long been aware of the poetry as
well as the utility of this beautiful shrub. The burden of
one of their most popular songs is well known :

" O the broom, the bonny bonny broom,

The broom of the Cowden-knows ;
For sure so soft, so sweet a bloom
Elsewhere there never grows."

Burns lauds it, too, in one of his songs, written to an
Irish air, which was a great favourite with him, called the
Humours of Glen :

" Their groves of sweet myrtle let foreign lands reckon,
Where bright beaming summers exalt the perfume ;
Far dearer to me yon lone glen o' green breckan,
Wi' the burn stealing under the lang yellow broom.

BROOM. 67

<f Far dearer to me are yon humble broom bowers,

Where the blue-bell and gowan lurk lowly unseen ;
For there lightly tripping amang the sweet flowers,
A listening the linnet, oft wanders my Jean."

" 'Twas that delightful season, when the broom
Full-flowered, and visible on every steep,
Along the copses runs in veins of gold."

WORDSWORTH'S POEMS, 8vo. vol. ii. p. 265.

Thomson speaks of it as a favourite food of kine. It
flowers in May and June.

" Yellow and bright, as bullion unalloyed,
Her blossoms."

COWPER'S TASK.

Broom makes a pleasant shade for a lounger in the
summer : it seems to embody the sunshine, while it inter-
cepts its heat :

" To noontide shades incontinent he ran,
Where purls the brook with sleep-inviting sound ;
Or, when Dan Sol to slope his wheels began,
Amid the broom he basked him on the ground,
Where the wild thyme and camomile are found."

CASTLE OF INDOLENCE, Canto 1.

Mr. Horace Smith speaks of it as poisonous, yet most
of the species are eaten by cattle : some are particularly
recommended as a food for kine. The Base Broom, or
Green-weed, is said to embitter the milk of the cows that
eat of it; but, from the bitterness of the plant itself, they
commonly refuse it.

•" my herd

Cannot be browsed upon the mount, for so
The heifers might devour with eager tongue
The poisonous budding brooms."

AMARYNTHUS.

68 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Browne alludes to the use of Broom in thatching:

" Among the flags below,, there stands his coate,
A simple one, thatched o'er with reed and broom ;
It hath a kitchen, and a several room
For each of us."

BRITANNIA'S PASTORALS.

A Russian poet speaks of the Broom as a tree :

" See there upon the broom-tree's bough
The young grey eagle flapping now."

BOWRING'S RUSSIAN ANTHOLOGY.

The blossom of the Common Broom closely resembles
that of the Furze, both in form and colour — that Furze
which sheds such a lustre over our heaths and commons,
and at sight of which, it is said, Dillenius fell into a perfect
ecstacy. In many parts of Germany the Furze-bush is un-
known. Gerarde says, that about Dantzic, Brunswick,
and in Poland, there was not a sprig of either Furze or
Broom ; and it is really a striking sight to come suddenly
upon a common, glowing, as it were, in one great sea of
gold. Gerarde adds, that, in compliance with earnest
and repeated entreaties, he sent seeds to these places,
and that the plants raised from them were curiously kept
in the finest gardens. Furze bears various names in dif-
ferent parts of England : Furze in the south, Whin in the
east, and Gorse in the north.

<f The prickly gorse, that, shapeless and deformed,
And dangerous to the touch, has yet its bloom,
And decks itself with ornaments of gold."

COWPER'S TASK.

" Or from yon swelling downs, where sweet air stirs
Blue harebells lightly, and where prickly furze
Buds lavish gold."

KEATS'S ENDYMION.

BROOM. 69

St. Pierre evidently alludes to the Furze-bush in the
following passage : " I saw in Brittany a vast deal of un-
cultivated land ; nothing grows upon it but Broom, and a
shrub with yellow flowers, which appeared to me a com-
position of thorns. The country-people called it Lande,
or San : they bruise it, to feed their cattle. The Broom
serves only to heat their ovens. It might be turned to
better account. The Romans made cord of it, which
they preferred to hemp, for their shipping." — ST. PIERRE'S
VOYAGE TO THE ISLE OF FRANCE.

It is also called in different parts of France, Jonc Marin
[Sea-rush] ; Pore Marin [the Sea-hog] ; Lande Epimuse
[Thorny Heath]. Its botanical name is Ule*.

BROWALLIA.

BROWALLIEJE. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA.

So named by Linnaeus, from Job Browallius, Bishop of Aboa.

THIS is but an annual plant, and must be raised in
a hot-bed; but it is worth procuring for its short-lived
beauty, on account of the extreme brilliancy of the co-
lours. " We cannot," says Mr. Curtis, " do justice to it
by any colours we have." There are but two kinds : the
Upright, and the Branching. The former is the hand-
somest. It is a native of Peru, and flowers from July to
September. It should be kept within doors till June ;
and, in dry and hot weather, should be frequently, but
sparingly, watered. ,

70 FLORA DOMESTICA.

CAMELLIA JAPONICA.

CAMELLIADE^B. MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA-

So named in honour of Joseph Kamel, a Jesuit, whose name is
usually spelled Camellus. This tree is sometimes called Japan Rose,

THIS beautiful evergreen must be sheltered from the
middle of September till the beginning of June. In the
summer, when the weather is dry, it should be watered
every evening, or second evening, according to the heat
of the sun: in the winter once a week will suffice, and
that should be at noon. There are double and single
varieties ; white, purple, and red of each. This tree has
the appearance of a bay bearing roses, much more than
the rhododendron, which, from some fancied resemblance
of that sort, is also named rose-bay.

There are several other Camellias, requiring the same
treatment as this, which is the handsomest species. Had
the Camellia been a Greek, or Italian, or English plant,
there would have been a great deal said of it by poets
and lovers ; and doubtless it makes a figure in the poetry
of Japan. But, unfortunately for our quotations, though
perhaps fortunately for their own comfort, the Japanese
have hitherto had most of their good things to themselves.
Their country would lay open a fine field for the botanist.
See an interesting account of this apparently intelligent
and amiable people in GolowrnVs Narrative of his Cap-
tivity among them.

There are two superb collections of the Camellia Ja-
ponica open to the public : one at Vauxhall, the other at
Hackney.

CAMPANULA. 71

CAMPANULA.

CAMPANULACE/E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Italian, csumpSinella,.— French, campanula., or campanette.— English,
Bell-flower. These names signify a little bell, and were given to the
flower on account of its bell-like shape.

MILLAR mentions seventy-eight kinds of Campanula, of
which it will be sufficient to specify some of the most
desirable ; as the Venus's Looking-glass, which has usually
a handsome purple flower, but sometimes white. This
plant takes its name from the glossiness of the seeds. It
is also called Corn-Gilliflower, and Corn-Pink : in French,
Miroir de Venus, but at Paris, la Doucette : in Italian,
Specchio di Venere.

It is a native of the south of Europe. Plants sown in
the autumn will flower in May, a month earlier than those
sown in the spring. The seeds may be sown about an
inch asunder; the earth should be kept moist, and the
plant should remain in the open air. The roots of this
species are annual.

The Peach-leaved Campanula is a perennial. The
flowers are blue or white ; double and single varieties of
each. This may be increased by parting the roots, which
should be done in September. It will thrive in any soil
or situation.

The Giant Throatwort is a native of England and most
parts of Europe. It has a purple or white flower, which
blows in July and August. This species loves shade.

Great Throatwort, Canterbury Bells, called in French
la Cloche [Bell], la Clochette [Little Bell], les Gands de
Notre Dame [Our Lady's Gloves], is a native of Europe
and Japan. It has purple or white flowers, blowing in
July and August. This species may be increased in the

72 FLORA DOMESTICA.

same manner as the Peach-leaved, but prefers a loamy
soil: they are both very hardy. The name of Throat-
wort was given to these plants from a notion that they
would cure inflammation and swelling of the throat.

The lesser Canterbury Bells have purple, brilliant blue,
or white flowers, which continue from June to September.
This prefers a dry chalky soil : in a rich soil the flowers
are apt to lose their colour. This is the Calathian Violet ;
also called Autumn Bell-flower, Autumn Violet, and Har-
vest Bells.

The Medium, or Coventry Bells,— in French, Mariettes,
and in Italian, Viola Mariana [Mary's Violet] — to which
Gerarde gives the name of Mercury's Violets, have large
and handsome flowers, blowing in June: their colours,
blue, purple, white, or striped.

The Campanulas here enumerated, and such others as
are not natives of the Cape, are sufficiently hardy to en-
dure the open air in the winter, although some of them
are sheltered while seedlings. Most of them may be in-
creased by cuttings or seeds. Those raised from cuttings
flower" more quickly; those from seeds are considered as
the strongest. They should be sparingly watered.

There is a species of Campanula which is trained to
conceal fire-places in the summer, and has a very pretty
effect when so used. It is the Pyramidal Campanula ; la
Pyramidale des Jardins of the French. The roots send
out three or four strong upright stalks, which grow nearly
four feet high, and are garnished with smooth oblong
leaves and an abundance of large blue flowers. These
upright stalks send out short side-branches, which are
also adorned with flowers ; so that, by spreading the up-
right stalks to a flat frame composed of slender laths, the
whole plant is formed into the shape of a fan, and will
perfectly screen a common sized fire-place. The plant

CAMPANULA. 73

may stand abroad till the flowers begin to open; and,
being then placed in a room where it is shaded from the
sun and rain, the flowers will continue long in beauty. If
it be removed into the air at night, where it is not exposed
to heavy rains, the flowers will be handsomer, and will last
longer. This kind is rather more delicate than those be-
fore mentioned ; and when raised from seeds, which is the
best mode, requires a hot-bed to bring it forward. It
should therefore be procured in a pot, and should be one
that has been raised from seed. Most of the Campanulas
close their flowers at night. They will grow in common
garden earth.

CANDY-TUFT.

IBERIS.

CRUCIFER.ZE. TETBADYNAMIA SILICULOSA.

Candy-Tuft takes its English name from Candia, one of the many
countries of which it is a native ; and its Latin name from Iberia, now
Spain.

THE evergreen kinds are more tender than most of the
species, and require shelter from frost : they do not thrive
so well in a pot as in the open ground, but cannot for a
comparative inferiority be dispensed with. In addition to
the advantage of retaining their green leaves all the year,
they enliven the winter months with their tufts of white
flowers, which continue in succession from the end of
August till the beginning of June.

There are two species of evergreen Candy-Tufts : the
broad and the narrow-leaved. The former is a native of
Persia ; the latter, of the island of Candia. As these do
not often produce seeds in England, they are increased
by cuttings, which may be planted in any of the summer

74 FLOKA DOMESTICA,

months ; and, if shaded from the sun, and kept moist, will
take root in two months. Their branches will fall unless
supported by sticks.

The Common Purple Candy-Tuft, the White, and the
Sweet-scented are annuals; and, if sown in September,
March, April, and May, may be continued in succession
throughout the summer. These, as well as the Rock and
the Round-leaved Candy-Tufts, will bear exposure to the
open air. They must not have more water than is suf-
ficient to keep them from absolute drought.

The Purple has a variety of names : as Candia Thlaspi,
Candia Mustard, and Spanish Tuft. The White species,
though not mentioned by any of the old botanical writers,
is indigenous : it is. common to most European countries.
The Sweet-scented, the flowers of which are dazzlingly
white, is a native of the mountains near Geneva. The
seeds should be sown in pots four or five inches in dia-
meter, one in each.

CARDAMINE.

CRUCIFERJB. TETRADYNAMIA SILIQUOSA.

So called from its taste of cardamoms : also Lady's Smock, from the
white sheets of flowers they display on the plashes of water in which
they usually grow ; and Cuckoo-flower, from blowing at the time of
that bird beginning to sing. — French, cresson de pres [meadow-cress] ;
passarage sauvage [wild cress]. — Italian, cardamindo; nasturzio di
prato ; o crescione di prato: both signifying meadow-cress.

FEW of the species of Cardamine are admitted into
gardens. The kind most deserving of a place there is
the common Cuckoo-flower, or Lady's Smock, which is
common in our meadows, and by brook sides, &c ; or,
rather, the double varieties of this kind should perhaps be

CARDAMINE. 75

selected. This flower has been usually described by the
poets as of a silvery whiteness, which shows the season they
have chosen for their rural walks to have been a late one ,•
as, in its natural state, it is more or less tinged with purple,
but becomes white as it fades, by exposure to the heat of
the sun. " The allusions to the whiteness of the corollas,"
says Rousseau, " will not hold, for they are commonly
purple."

The various shades of these flowers, with the little green
leaves that enclose the unopened buds, have an exceedingly
pretty effect when a quantity of them are collected ; and
if kept in fresh water, and well supplied, they will survive
their gathering for a fortnight or more. The young leaves
are eaten in salads.

The double varieties are white or purple : they are in-
creased by parting the roots in autumn. They love the
shade, and should be plentifully watered every evening.
It is called the Cuckoo-flower, because it comes at the same
time with the cuckoo ; and, for the same reason, the name
has been given to many other flowers. Shakspeare's
Cuckoo-buds are yellow, and supposed to be a species of
ranunculus. Indeed, he expressly distinguishes his Cuckoo-
bud from this flower :

e( When daisies pied, and violets blue,
And lady's-smocks all silver white,
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue,
Do paint the meadows with delight."

" So have I seen a ladie-smock soe white,
Blown in the mornynge, and mowd down at night."

CHATTER-TON'S BATTLE or HASTINGS.

76 FLORA DOMESTICA.

CARDINAL-FLOWER.

LOBELIA.

LOBELIACE^E. SYNGENESIA MONOGAMIA.

Named from Matthias de Lobel, a Flemish botanist, physician and
botanist to King James the First. — French, la cardinale. — Italian, fior
cardinale; cardinalizia.

THE Cardinal-flower is a very handsome plant, the
scarlet species in particular: the blue, however, is very
handsome. They do not flower the first year : yet, as the
offsets produced from the roots do not flower so strongly
as seedling plants, it is better to sow them. This should
be done in the autumn. They may at first be sown several
together : the pots in which they are sown should stand
abroad in mild weather, but under cover in frost or heavy
rain. In spring the plants will appear. They may then
remain abroad altogether, and must be kept always rather
moist. When big enough to remove, they may be re-
planted separately into small pots ; or, if preferred, may
be so sown at first. They should be placecj where fhey
may enjoy the morning sun, and there remain till autumn:
they must then be taken into the house, but stand near an
«pen window in mild weather. If in the course of the
summer the roots should fill the pots, the plants must be
removed into larger ones. The following spring they must
be potted in fresh earth, and again placed abroad. They
will flower in August ; and, if not exposed to the mid-day
sun, will continue long in beauty. The roots will last two
or three years. They are likewise increased by their off-
sets, and by cuttings of the stalks, like rockets ; but no
other way is so good as sowing them.

CATCHFLY. 77

CATCHFLY.

SILENE.

CARYOPHYLLE^. DECANDRIA TRIGYNIA.

French, le cornillet; attrape mouche [catch fly.]

THIS plant is covered with a glutinous moisture, from
which flies, happening to light upon it, cannot disengage
themselves. This circumstance has obtained it the name
of Catchfly; to which Gerarde adds the name of Limewort.

If the seeds are sown in the autumn, separately, in pots
about six inches in diameter, and in a dry soil, they will
grow without further attention. They will bear the open
air ; and, unless in very dry weather, will not need water-
ing. These directions will serve for nearly all the kinds,
of which there are upwards of sixty. There are, however,
two exceptions : the Dark-flowered and the Waved-leaved
species, which require a stove.

CELANDINE.

CHELIDONIUM.

PAPAVERACEJE. . POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The name of this plant is derived from the Greek, and signifies a
swallow. It is not so named, as some have supposed, from its coming
and going with the swallow; but, according to Gerarde,, from an
opinion which prevailed among the country-people, that the old swal-
lows used it to restore sight to their young when their eyes were out.
For the same reason it is also called Swallowwort.

THE Sea Celandine, or Yellow Horned Poppy (called
also Bruisewort), is a flower common to every part of
Europe, growing on sandy soils, chiefly by the sea-shore.

78 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The flowers fall the second day after they are blown;
but they are large, form a fine contrast with the sea-
green colour of the leaves, and follow each other in
such quick succession and abundance almost all the sum-
mer, as to make it a valuable plant. It begins to flower
in June. It is a perennial flower. The whole plant
abounds with a poisonous juice, which is said to occasion
madness.

The Red and the Violet Celandines, or Horned Pop-
pies, are common in Europe, growing in the same sandy
soil as the former. These flower in July and August.

The Great, or Major Celandine, is common in hedges,
and other shady places; on rubbish, rocks, or old walls*.
It bears a bright yellow flower, and continues in blossom
from the beginning of May till the end of July.

The juice of this plant is acrimonious : it is said to cure
ring-worms, and, when diluted with milk, to consume white
opaque spots in the eyes. It is also thought efficacious in
the cure of warts and cutaneous disorders. The root is
esteemed by the natives of Cochin-China for a variety of
medicinal purposes.

This species preserves its green leaves all the year,
and they are remarkably handsome ; being large, elegantly
shaped, and of a transparency which shows th6 delicacy
of their texture, as the yellow light shines through them.
The double-flowered variety is chiefly cultivated in gar-
dens : it is increased by parting the roots in autumn.

The usual mode of sowing these plants is to scatter the
seeds about in rock-work, where they will come up with-
out further trouble. If sown in pots, the best time for
the purpose is in September : one seed in each pot. They

* This is the proper swallow wort ; and called, in French,, Teclaire,
la grande eclaire, le felongene, 1'herbe de 1'hirondelle [swallow's herb:]
in Italian, favagella, cerigogna.

CELANDINE. 79

should stand in the open air, and they require watering
only in very dry weather : the last-mentioned species loves
the shade.

The Small Celandine, or Pilewort, is not usually ad-
mitted into gardens ; but, on the contrary, on account of
the injury it does to every thing growing near it, is care-
fully rooted out wherever it appears. It is a species of
ranunculus, called the ranunculus ficaria, from the shape
of the root, which resembles that of the fig ; and belongs
to the natural family of the Ranunculaceae.

In early spring, there is scarcely a grove, thicket, mea-
dow, hedge, orchard, or plantation of any kind, that is not
covered with the glossy golden flowers of the Small Celan-
dine. When they have been exposed for some days to
the heat of the sun, they turn white, and fall off: they are
succeeded by small bulbs, like grains of wheat, which
shoot from the bosom of the leaves ; and as the stalks lie
upon the ground, these little bulbs get into the earth,
and become the roots of new plants. The stalks being
sometimes washed bare by the rains, have induced the
ignorant and superstitious to believe that it rained wheat.
The young leaves are eaten by the common people of
Sweden, boiled as greens.

At night, and in wet weather, the flowers close, which
helps to preserve them from the cold that otherwise might
be hurtful to them, from their flowering so early in the
spring. They first appear in February, and continue
through March, and a great part of April. It seems, the
early flowering of this plant has helped to recommend it
to the notice of Mr. Wordsworth, by whom it has been
highly and repeatedly celebrated :

" Pansies, lilies, kingcups, daisies,,
Let them live upon their praises ;

80 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Long as there 's a sun that sets,
Primroses will have their glory ;
Long as there are violets,
They will have a place in story :
There 's a flower that shall be mine,
'Tis the little Celandine.

Eyes of some men travel far
For the finding of a star ;
Up and down the heavens they go,
Men that keep a mighty rout !
I 'm as great as they, I trow,
Since the day I found thee out,
Little flower ! —I '11 make a stir
Like a great astronomer.

Modest, yet withal an elf,
Bold, and lavish of thyself,
Since we needs must first have met
I have seen thee, high and low,
Thirty years or more, and yet
'Twas a face I did not know;
Thou hast now, go where I may,
Fifty greetings in a day.

Ere a leaf is on a bush,
In the time before the thrush
Has a thought about its nest,
Thou wilt come with half a call,
Spreading out thy glossy breast
Like a careless prodigal ;
Telling tales about the sun,
When we 've little warmth, or none.

Poets, vain men in their mood !
Travel with the multitude ;
Never heed them ; 1 aver
That they all are wanton wooers ;
But the thrifty cottager,
Who stirs little out of doors,
Joys to spy thee near her home,
Spring is coming, thou art come !

CELANDINE, 81

Comfort have thou of thy merit,
Kindly, unassuming spirit !
Careless of thy neighbourhood,
Thou dost show thy pleasant face
On the moor, and in the wood,
In the lane — there 's not a place,
Howsoever mean it be,
But 'tis good enough for thee.

Ill befal the yellow flowers,
Children of the flaring hours !
Buttercups, that will be seen,
Whether we will see or no ;
Others, too, of lofty mien ;
They have done as worldlings do,
Taken praise that should be thine,
Little, humble Celandine T

Prophet of delight and mirth,
Scorned and slighted upon earth ;
Herald of a mighty band,
Of a joyous train ensuing,
Singing at my heart's command,
In the lanes my thoughts pursuing,
I will sing, as doth behove,
Hymns in praise of what I love."

But to quote all this poet's praises of the Celandine is
more than can be allowed to us. The reader is too well
acquainted with his writings to be ignorant of his love for
this little flower, or to refuse him the sympathy he re-
quires :

" Let, with bold advent'rous skill,

Others thrid the polar sea ;

Build a pyramid who will ;

Praise it is enough for me,

If there be but three or four

Who will love my little flower."

Mrs. Charlotte Smith more than once alludes to the

G

82 FLORA DOMESTICA.

early flowering of the Pilewort ; particularly in the lines
addressed to the early butterfly :

( ' Trusting the first warm day of spring,
When transient sunshine warms the sky,
Light on his yellow spotted wing
Comes forth the early butterfly.

With wavering flight he settles now
Where Pilewort spreads its blossoms fair,
Or on the grass where daisies blow,
Pausing, he rests his pinions there.

But, insect, in a luckless hour
Thou from thy winter home hast come,
For yet is seen no luscious flower,
With odour rich and honied bloom.

And these that to the early day
Yet timidly their bells unfold,
Close with the sun's retreating ray,
And^shut their humid eyes of gold."

CENTAUKY.

CENTAUREA.

CINAROCEPHALEJE. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA FRUSTANEA.

This plant has been also named Chironium ; both names being de-
rived from the centaur Chiron ; some say, because first discovered by
him — others, from his having been cured by it of a wound in his foot,
made by the fall of an arrow when he was entertaining Hercules. —
French, la centauree j bluet ; barbeau ; aubifoin. — Italian, centaurea.

THIS is a very extensive genus, greatly varying in
beauty: some being mere ordinary weeds, others hand-
some and showy flowers. Many of them are cultivated in
our gardens : the most common, perhaps, is the Sultan-

CENTAURY. 83

flower, or Sweet-sultan, a native of Persia, and commonly
seen growing wild among the corn in the Levant. The
colour is purple, flesh-coloured, or white. The scent is
very powerful, and to some persons disagreeable.

There is a variety, called, from the colour of its flowers,
Yellow Sweet-sultan*, of which the scent is unquestionably
pleasant. The best time to sow Sweet-sultan is in the
spring : they will begin to flower in July. One seed will
suffice for a six-inch pot : water must be given sparingly,
or the roots will be liable to rot. The yellow variety is
raised in a hot-bed, and, when grown, requires more ten-
der treatment than the rest of the family. They are an-
nual plants.

The perennial kinds may be either increased by seed,
as directed, or by parting the roots in autumn : always ob-
serving to place such as are newly planted in the shade
until they have taken fresh root. These will require
shelter in the winter. Centaury has a tendency to strike
very deep root, which makes many of them altogether
unfit for pots. Unfortunately, the Great Centaury is of
this number: I say unfortunately, because this species,
which grows naturally on the mountains of Italy, has been
rendered classical by Virgil's mention of it in his Georgics,
where it is recommended, among other flowers, as a me-
dicine for bees when sick. I think Dryden also mentions
it somewhere.

* The centaurea amberboi of the botanists. In French, le barbeau
Jaune ; JLeur du grand seigneur; V amberboi. — Italian, ciano giallo
Turchesco odoroso.

84 , FLORA DOMESTICA.

CEREUS.

CACTUS.

OPUNTIACE^. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The origin of the name uncertain. — French, le cactier.

THE Great-flowered Creeping Cereus, called in French
le serpent, is a plant of extraordinary magnificence and
beauty. Its blossoms open in the evening: they are large
and sweet-scented, but of very short duration. They
begin to. open between seven and eight o'clock; are fully
blown by eleven, and by three or four in the morning
they fade, and hang down quite decayed. During their
short-lived beauty, few flowers can compare with them.
The calyx of the flower, when open, is nearly a foot in
diameter; the inside of which, being of a splendid yellow,
appears like the rays of a bright star : the outside is of a
dark brown. The petals of the flower are of a pure and
dazzling white ; and a vast number of recurved stamens,
surrounding the style in the centre, add to its beauty.
The fine scent of this extraordinary flower perfumes the
air to a considerable distance. It flowers in July; and
upon large plants eight or ten flowers will open on the
same night, and be succeeded by others for several nights
together, making a most magnificent appearance by candle-
light. This plant does not bear fruit in this country, and
must be nursed in a stove, to enable it to produce flowers.
It is, in fact, an intruder here ; but it is to be hoped its
beauty will obtain pardon for its intrusion: the more
readily, as it introduces a very lovely relation, who has
right of admission.

The Pink-flowered Creeping Cereus produces a greater
number of flowers than the former. They open in May,

CEREUS. 85

or, in warm seasons, yet earlier. They are of a fine pink
colour, and keep open three or four days. This plant has
very slender branches, which should be trained to a little
trellis frame of sticks. The flowers are so beautiful and
so numerous, that it deserves some care to cherish it. It
may be preserved through the winter in a warm inhabited
room, and towards the end of May may be set abroad.
Very little water must be given in summer, and scarcely
any in the winter. About the middle of September it
should again be removed into the house. If there be
much rain or sharp winds in the summer season, this plant
must be sheltered ; and it must always be in a warm situ-
ation. It will flower better if it can conveniently be placed
within the room even in summer, if near to an open win-
dow. It should not have a very large pot, or a rich soil.
This plant is a native of Peru : the former species, of Ja-
maica.

The Six-angled Upright Cereus, or Torch-thistle — in
French, le cactier de Surinam — was the first which became
common in English hot-houses. This plant, if not cut
down, will grow forty feet high ; but wherever the stems
are cut, they put out others from the angles immediately
below the wounded part. The flowers are white, and as
large as those of the hollyhock. It does not often flower ;
when it does, it is generally in July. It is a native of Su-
rinam, and may be preserved in the same manner as di-
rected for the Pink-flowered species. The cochineal insect
feeds chiefly upon plants of this genus, and the Indians
frequently propagate them for the sake of those insects ;
particularly that which is called the Cochineal Indian-Fig.

86 FLOKA DOMESTICA.

CEEINTHE.

HYDROPHYLLE^E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYGNIA.

Cerinthe is derived from the Greek, and signifies honeycomb, which,
as well as the name of honeywort, has been given to this plant on ac-
count of the quantity of honey-juice it contains. — French, le melinet.
Italian) cerinte or cerinta.

THE Great Honeywort has a purple flower, with a
yellow tube : the Small, a yellow flower. They will con-
tinue in blossom the greater part of the summer. As it
injures the seeds to remain long out of the ground, they
should be sown in autumn, soon after they are ripe : sow
the seeds singly, in four or in five inch pots ; house them
during frost, and keep them moderately moist. They are
both annual plants ; pretty while they last, and of an agree-
able scent. The honey-juice contained in the tube of the
flowers is a great attraction to bees; and it is for this
reason recommended as proper to plant near apiaries.

Virgil recommends the keepers of bees to sprinkle the
fragrant juices of Balm and Honeywort, to entice them
home. Cerinthe is one of the most common herbs in the
fields of Italy; which induces Virgil to term it ignobile
gramen :

" Hue tu jussos asperge sapores,
Trita melisphylla, et cerinthae ignobile gramen."

Dryden translates melisphylla and cerinthe, melfoil and
honeysuckle :

" Then melfoil beat, and honeysuckles pound,
With these alluring savours strew the ground."

But we have no plant named Melfoil. Milfoil is so called
from its great number of leaves. Rucellai, in his Italian
poem, translates the passage thus :

CERINTHE. 87

" E pero sparga quivi il buon sapore
De la trita melissa, e 1'erba vile
De la cerinta."

LE API DEL RUCELLAI.

And therefore sprinkle here the genial flavour
Of the bruised balm and lowly honeywort.

CHELONE.

BIGNONIE^E. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMUB.

This name is derived from the Greek, and signifies a tortoise. —
French, galane ; tortue, [tortoise] .

THE White Chelone has been called by Joscelin, in his
New England Rarities, the Humming-bird Tree. When
planted in the open ground, it spreads its roots to a con-
siderable distance ; but it rather improves than injures
them to confine the roots by putting the plant in a pot ;
as the stalks which the root sends up will otherwise be
too far distant, and have a straggling appearance.

The Red Chelone is very similar to the first species,
but has broader leaves, and the flowers being of a brilliant
purple, it is altogether more showy than those with white
flowers.

The Hairy Chelone is also very similiar to the first,
but that the leaves of this are hairy, and the flowers are
of a clearer white.

There are one or two others, but these are the hand-
somest ; and as their treatment should be the same, it is
useless to make a mere catalogue of names.

They are all natives of North America, and will endure
the cold without injury, but must be watered daily in hot
weather ; and, when very dry, both morning and evening.
These plants are the more valuable, as they are in full

88 FLORA DOMESTICA.

beauty in the autumn, when most flowers are beginning
to decay.

CHIONANTHUS.

JASMINES. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The name of this shrub is derived from the Greek, and signifies
snow-flower. It is usually called the Virginian snow-drop tree. —
French, 1'arbre de neige.— Italian, albero di neve.

THIS shrub is common in South Carolina, where it grows
by the side of rivulets. The flowers come out in May,
hanging in long bunches, and are of a pure white ; whence
it is called by the inhabitants Snowdrop Tree : and, from
the flowers being cut into narrow segments, they give it
also the name of Fringe Tree.

The Snowdrop Tree requires much care in raising : the
best time to procure one is when it is about four years
old ; it will then endure the cold of winter. In the sum-
mer it likes the morning sun ; and is always fond of water.
In dry summer weather it may be refreshed with a little
water, both morning and evening.

CHIRONIA.

GENTIANE^. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This genus, like the centaury, is named after the centaur Chiron.

THERE are several species of Chironia, which, being
chiefly natives of the Cape, may be treated in the same
manner. They are little shrubby plants, varying in
colour according to the species : blue, purple, yellow, or
red. The most common are the berry-bearing kinds, of
which there are two ; one, which is, on this account,
named the Berry-bearing Chironia ; the other, Frutescens,

CHIRONIA. 89

or Fruit-bearing. The first of these is both in flower and
in fruit during nearly the whole .of the summer.

These plants must be housed in the winter, but; so
placed as to receive as much sun as possible ; and fresh
air in mild weather. They must be observed daily, that
they may not be left with the earth dry, but must have
only water sufficient to prevent this, particularly in the
winter ; and must be preserved from damps.

CHRYSANTHEMUM.

CORYMBIFEIUS. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.'

This name is derived from the Greek, and signifies gold-flower.

THIS article will be found to contain some of the Mary-
golds, of which the different kinds are so dispersed, and
so intimately connected with many different genera, that
it would rather increase than lessen the confusion to place
them all under one head. The Index will refer to such
articles as relate to them.

One of the handsomest of the Chrysanthemums is the
Indian ; the flowers of which are three inches or more in
diameter : it varies in colour; there are white, purple, red,
orange, yellow, &c. This kind requires shelter in the
winter ; as also does the Canary Ox-eye, a native of the
Canary Islands, very much resembling the common cha-
momile flower. In winter, these two kinds should be very
gently watered, about three or four times in a week : in
the summer, they will require it more plentifully, and every
evening when the weather is dry.

The Siberian Chrysanthemum is very hardy, and will
live in the open air all the year : it does not often perfect
seeds in England, but may easily be increased by slips,
which may be planted two or three in a pot, in September

90 FLORA DOMESTICA.

or October, and transplanted into separate pots in March ;
it will be necessary to shelter these young shoots in frosty
weather, and to keep the earth moist.

The Garden Chrysanthemum, sometimes called the
Cretan, or Cretan Corn Mary gold, is yellow ; it flowers in
June. This is an annual plant, and generally raised in a hot-
bed. It is not, however, very tender ; and cuttings planted
in autumn, and kept in the house in the winter, will, if in a
tolerably warm situation, take root, and flower well in the
summer.

The common Ox-eye, likewise called Ox-eye Daisy,
Maudlin-wort, and Moon-flower, is a perennial plant, very
common in dry pastures, corn-fields, &c. It is called in
French, la marguerite grande [great daisy]; la grande
paquette ; I'oeil de bosuf [ox eye] ; I'ceil de bouc [goat's eye] :
and in Italian, leucantemo [white flower] ; la margheritina
maggiore [great daisy] ; Yocchio di bue [ox eye]. The
flower is white, with a yellow eye. It has been much re-
commended for its medicinal virtues, but does not appear
to have established its reputation in this respect: the
young leaves are eaten in salads; and it is said are, in
Padua, much esteemed for this purpose. It continues in
blossom from May till July ; will live in the open air ; and
should, as well as all the other kinds, be kept moist.

There are several other species, which generally re-
quire the same treatment ; that is, moderate watering, and
winter shelter.

The common Corn Marygold, which belongs to this
genus, known in France by the name of la marguerite
jaune [yellow daisy] ; souci des champs [field marygold] ;
souci des bles [corn marygold] ; and in Italy, by those of
crisantemo [gold flower] ; and margherita gialla [yellow
daisy] ; is seldom grown in gardens : it is very common
in corn-fields; and, as Linnaeus observes, though their

CHRYSANTHEMUM. 91

brilliant colours may please the eye of the passing traveller,
they are no very agreeable sight to the farmer, to whom
they are but troublesome weeds. He informs us, that
there is a law in Denmark to oblige the farmers to extir-
pate them. These flowers are also called Gowans, Gules,
Gools, Gowls, Guills, Goulans, Goldins, Yellow-bottles,
and Golden Corn-flowers. The Germans use them as a
yellow dye. The Chrysanthemum, the Indian particularly,
is in high estimation with the Chinese, and is celebrated
by all their poets *.

CINERAEIA.

CORYMBIFER^E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

Ash-coloured; most of the species being of a grayish colour. —
French, cendriette ; cinerre. — Italian, cineraria.

THE handsomest kinds are the Blue-flowered Cineraria,
or Cape-Aster, and the Woolly Cineraria. The flowers
of the first are of a bright sky-blue, and the plant is never
without them the whole year round. Of the second, the
inner part of the flowers is white, the outside a most
vivid purple : it flowers early in the spring, and, if in a
healthy state, will also flower all the year ; but this plant
is often infested with a kind of insect wjiich destroys its
vigour ; therefore, to ensure a succession of healthy, hand-
some plants, it should be annually increased by cuttings,
which, if planted in September, and placed in a tolerably
warm situation, will strike root very readily.

These plants must be housed in the winter. Many
persons keep the last kind in a stove, but, like many of
ourselves, they are more healthy when treated less ten-
derly. The earth must be kept moderately moist.

* See Titsinghi's Illustrations of Japan.

92 FLORA DOMESTICA.

CISTUS.

CISTE.E. POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Called also gum cistus, and rock rose.— French, le ciste.— Italian,
cisto, cistio.

THE Cistus is a very extensive genus, and all the species
are valuable ornaments to a garden. Their flowers, al-
though of short duration, are succeeded almost every day
by fresh ones, for more than two months, and are generally
about the size of a rose. They are of different colours,
and the plants retain their leaves all the year.

Some few require a stove ; it will be sufficient to specify
the most beautiful kinds which may be preserved without
one.

The Poplar-leaved Cistus, a native of Portugal : flowers
white, tinged with purple at the edges; bloom in June and
July.

The Bay-leaved Cistus, a native of Spain : flowers white ;
blow in June and July.

The Spanish Gum Cistus : white flowers, with spots of
purple at the base ; in blossom from June to August. —
The whole plant exudes a sweet glutinous substance in
warm weather, which has a strong balsamic scent, and
perfumes the air to a great distance.

The Montpelier Gum Cistus, a native of Narbonne and
Valencia: white flowers, open from June to August. —
This species exudes a gum, like the last. There is a va-
riety of it, with lemon-coloured flowers.

The Hoary Rock Rose, or Rose Cistus, le ciste ordinaire
of the French : a native of Spain and Narbonne ; purple
flowers.

The Cretan Cistus : a native of the Levant ; flowers red
purple, blowing in June and July. This is frequently

CISTXJS. 93

called the Ladaniferous Cistus, being that from which
the drug called ladanum is obtained : a kind of resin,
which, on account of its fragrant smell, is frequently used
in fumigations.

The White-leaved Cistus, a native of Spain and Nar-
bonne : flowers purple. June and July.

The Sea Purslane-leaved Cistus, a native of Portugal ;
with large bright yellow flowers, which appear in June and
July.

These Cistuses are shrubs, from one foot to five or six
feet high. They must be housed at the approach of win-
ter, and gradually replaced in the open air early in the
spring. The earth should be kept moderately moist.

The Dwarf Cistus, or Little Sunflower, is an indigenous
plant : it is called in France, lajieur du soleil [sun flower] ;
rhysope des Carigues ; Fherbe tfor [golden herb] : and in
Italy, eliantemo [sun flower] \Jior del sole [sun flower]. The
flowers are usually a deep yellow, or pale lemon colour ;
but they are sometimes seen white, and rose-coloured. —
All these varieties, placed together, have an agreeable
effect. This species will live in the open air, all the year
round.

CLEMATIS.

BANUNCULACE.E. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

Called frequently, virgin's bower, or traveller's joy. — French, 1'herbe
an gueux [beggar's herb] ; la viorne ; viorne des pauvres [poor man's
rest] ; la consolation des voyageurs [traveller's consolation] ; in the
villages, vouabla, a corruption of the Latin name vitalba [white vine].
— Italian, vitalba ; clematite.

THESE are, for the most part, climbing plants, needing
support, and should be placed where they may run up a
wall or balcony. They will not flower so strongly in pots
as in the open ground ; but must not, on this account, be

94 FLORA DOMESTICA.

rejected. The Evergreen Clematis would require to be
planted in a tub of some magnitude : it grows to the height
of eight or ten feet, and becomes very thick and bushy.
The flowers are of a greenish colour, and appear in De-
cember or January. It retains its leaves all the year. —
Gerarde gives it the name of Traveller's Joy of Candia ;
Johnson, Spanish Traveller's Joy ; and Parkinson, Spanish
Wild Climber.

Purple Clematis grows naturally in the woods of Spain
and Italy: there are several varieties, the Single Red-
flowered, Blue-flowered, and Purple-flowered, and the
Double Purple ; which flower, in June, July, and August :
and another with white flowers, which appear in May. —
Gerarde gives this species the name of Climbing Ladies'
Bower, " frpm its aptness," he says, " to make bowers or
arbours in gardens."

The Curled Clematis is a native of Carolina, Florida,
and Japan ; the stalks grow near four feet high, and fasten
themselves by their claspers or tendrils, to the neighbour-
ing plants. The flowers are purple, and blow in July.

The Oriental Clematis is a native of the Levant ; it has
flowers of a greenish yellow colour, which are in blossom
from July till October.

The Upright Virgin's Bower, or Clematis Flammula, (in
French, lajlammule; clematite odorante : Italian, Jlammula:)
grows naturally in many parts of Europe. The flowers
are white, and continue in blossom from June till Septem-
ber. This is an acrid, corrosive plant, and inflames the
skin, whence it has been named Flammula.

The Hungarian Clematis has blue flowers, which are in
blossom from June to August. This and the last men-
tioned species have annual stems.

All the kinds here enumerated, which are the hand-
somest, will live in the open air all the year. They should,

CLEMATIS. 95

in general, be watered about three times in a week, but in
very hot and dry weather every evening.

There are some few species of the Clematis which re-
quire artificial heat, but they are by far the least handsome.
The two last mentioned kinds may be increased by parting
the roots, which should be done either in October or Fe-
bruary. The roots may be cut through their crowns with
a sharp knife, taking care to preserve some good buds to
every off-set.

The Clematis is as great a rambler as the Honeysuckle
itself:—

t{ o'errun

By vines,, and boundless clematis, (between
Whose wilderness of leaves, white roses peep'd)
And honeysuckle, which, with trailing boughs,
Dropp'd o'er a sward, grateful as ever sprung

By sprinkling fountains."

BARRY CORNWALL.

Mr. Keats makes mention of the Clematis in a passage,
of which, as it relates entirely to flowers, it may, perhaps,
be allowable to quote the whole. He describes a youth
sleeping in a bower walled with myrtle :

fc Above his head

Four lily-stalks did their white honours wed,
To make a coronal, and round him grew
All tendrils green, of every bloom and hue,
Together intertwined, and trammel 'd fresh :
The vine of glossy sprout ; the ivy-mesh,
Shading its Ethiop berries ; and woodbine
Of velvet leaves, and bugle blooms divine ;
Convolvulus in streaked vases flush ;
The creeper, mellowing for an autumn blush ;
And virgin's bower, trailing airily,

With others of the sisterhood."

ENDYMION, p. 72.

96 FLORA DOMESTICA.

CLETHRA.

ERICINE^. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE Clethra Arborea, or Tree Clethra, will require
shelter from the winter cold, in our climate : it should be
housed about the middle or end of September, according
as the weather is more or less mild; and, during this sea-
son, should be watered about twice a week ; in the summer,
when the weather is dry, it should be watered once in a
day, or in two days, in proportion to the heat of the sun,
or the plant's exposure to it. The earth should not be
suffered to become parched. It is a native of Madeira.

COLCHICUM.

COLCHICACE^E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So called from Colchis, a city of Arminia, where this plant is sup-
posed to have been very common. The English name of meadow
saffron is from its common place of growth, and its resemblance to
the crocus, or saffron flower.

THE Autumnal Colchicum, or Common Meadow Saf-
fron, is named in French, tue chien, mort au cliien, both
signifying dog poison ; in the villages, bovet; in Italian, col-
chico ; and has many varieties : the Yellow-flowered or
Crocus Colchicum, the Purple, Red, White, Rosy, Rosy-
variegated, Purple-variegated, and Double. The flowers
appear in autumn, the leaves not till the following March ;
for which reason the country people call them Naked
Ladies, an appellation bestowed upon many flowers which
blow before they are in leaf.

There are several other species, requiring the same
treatment as this. The roots are bulbous, and a new one

COLCHICUM. 97

is formed every year, as the old one decays. The leaves
begin to wither in May, soon after which the roots should
be taken out of the earth, put in a shady place to dry,
wiped clean from earth, decayed fibres, &c. and put into
a dry place, safe from insects, &c. until the beginning of
August, when they should be planted again, about three
or four inches deep, in a sandy soil.

The pot should be about six inches wide and nine deep.
Water should be given in small quantities, and if the pot
be placed in the shade, exposed to the dews and light
summer showers, it need not be watered at all, until after
the plant has begun to shoot above the earth.

It injures the root of the Colchicum to pluck the flower
when newly blown, as it deprives the new root which
is forming of a part of its nourishment. It will likewise
be improper to delay planting the roots after the beginning
of August, as they will otherwise vegetate, and produce their
flowers without planting, which will greatly weaken them.

COLUMBINE.

AQUILEGIA.

RANUNCULACE.E. POLYANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

Cock's-foot or culverwort. — The botanical name for this plant, Aqui-
legia or Aquilina, is derived from aquila, an eagle, from a notion that
the nectaries resemble an eagle's claws. Our English name, colum-
bine, is derived from the resemblance which, in a wild state, these
parts bear, both in form and colour, to the head and neck of a dove,
for which the Latin name is columba. — French, aiglantine, la colom-
bine, la galantine; gauds de notre dame [our lady's gloves]. — Italian,
achellea, colombina, perfetto amore [true love], celidona maggiore
[great celandine] ; at Venice, galeti.

THE Common Columbine is generally, in its wild state,
of a blue colour, whence it is named the Blue Starry, but
in the neighbourhood of Berne, and in Norfolk, it has

H

98 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

been found both with red and white flowers. It is com-
mon in woods, hedges, and bushes, in most parts of
Europe. They are greatly changed by culture ; become
double in various ways ; and are of almost all colours ; blue,
white, red, purple ; flesh, ash, and chestnut coloured ; blue
and white, and red and white. It is a perennial plant, and,
with us, flowers in June.

Every part of this plant has been considered as a useful
medicine, but Linnaeus affirms that, from his own know-
ledge, children have lost their lives by an over dose of it.
That might, however, be the case with some of our best
medicines.

The Alpine Columbine has blue flowers tipped with a
yellowish green, blowing in May and June. (Biennial).

The Canadian Columbine flowers in April : the flowers
are yellow on the in, red on the owteide. (Perennial).

The Columbines may be increased by parting the roots ;
but, as they are apt to degenerate, are most commonly
raised from seed : these will not grow to flower till the
second year ; and, as you cannot be sure of the kinds they
will produce, it is better to procure the plants from a nur-
sery. They should have a little water, two or three times
a week, in dry weather ; and may remain in the open air.

Gawin Douglas speaks of the Columbine as black, from
the deep purple which some of them take :

" Floure-damas, and columbe blak and blew."

This has been differently expressed in Mr. Fawkes^s
modernized version ; and not happily, for the Columbine
drops its head :

" And columbine advanced his purple head."

W. Browne speaks of it in all its colours :

" So did the maidens, with their various flowers
Decke up their windowes, and make neat their bowers ;

COLUMBINE. 99

Using such cunning, as they did dispose

The ruddy piny with the lighter rose,

The monk's-hood with the bugloss, and intwine

The white, the blewe, the flesh-like columbine

With pinks, sweet-williams ; that, far off, the eye

Could not the manner of their mixtures spye."

He tells us that the King-cup is an emblem of jealousy ;
that—

" The columbine in tawny often taken,
Is then ascribed to such as are forsaken ;
Flora's choice buttons, of a russet dye,
Is hope even in the depth of misery ;
The pansie, thistle all with prickles set,
The cowslip, honeysuckle, violet,
And many hundreds more that grace the meades."

A preparation from the Columbine has been admini-
stered to children, in the same manner as the Syrup of
Poppies ; and Linnaeus says he has seen them die in conse-
quence.

COLUTEA FEUTESCENS.

LEGUMINOS^E. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

Usually called Scarlet bladder-senna.

THIS shrub is a native of the Cape : the flowers are of a
fine scarlet, and, intermingled with its silvery leaves, are
very handsome. If the plant is treated hardily, it seldom
lives more than two years ; but it is much handsomer and
fuller of flower while it does last than such as are treated
in a more tender manner. The best way to manage it, is
to let it remain abroad altogether, till the middle, or, if
tolerably mild, till the end of October. It should then be
housed at night, but placed near to an open window, and
put abroad, in as warm a situation as can be chosen for it,
in the day-time, whenever the weather is not frosty. On
frosty days it should remain in its night's lodging. When

H 2

100 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the frosts are securely over, it may be again left altogether
in its out-door station. The flowers appear in June. The
earth should be kept moderately moist.

CONVOLVULUS.

CONVOLVULACEJE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Commonly known, when wild, by the name of bind- weed, from
some of the species twining their stem round other bodies, which is
also the signification of the Latin name. — French, le liseron. — Italian,
il villuchio.

THIS is a most extensive genus : Martyn's edition of
Millar's Dictionary mentions 110 different species, besides
a great many flowers of different genera, which are inti-
mately connected with it.

The Common Field Bind-weed is one of the greatest
pests to gardeners and farmers. It is yet worse than
the Hedge Bind-weed ; for that, for the sake of climbing,
confines its ravages to the borders of the fields or gardens,
while this wanders over the whole ground, and is with
great difficulty rooted out. And yet it must be acknow-
ledged that this little red and white flower is extremely
beautiful; and, were it but a little more modest, would,
doubtless, be a general favourite. As it is, it must suffer
the consequence of its impertinence, not only in being
avoided, but positively turned out. From the frequent
occurrence of. this beautiful intruder, it has acquired a
multitude of names, as bell-bind, bell-wind, rope-weed,
with-wind. In French, la lizeret, le liseron des champs;
in Provence, courregeolo ; in Languedoc, campanette ; in
Lorraine, oeillet [pink]. In Italian, vilucchio, viticchio ;
correggiola ; campanella ; convolvolo : in the Venetian ter-
ritories, broeca: in the Brescian, tlrangolo.

CONVOLVULUS. 101

There are comparatively few of these plants cultivated
in our gardens. The following are some of the most
esteemed.

The Two-coloured ; white and purple, flowering in
June, July, and August. The Hairy Convolvulus, with
purple flowers, blowing at the same time. These are
natives of the East Indies.

The Five-petaled ; blue, with a yellow centre : native of
Majorca. Flowers from June to August.

The Indigo Convolvulus, which is named from the co-
lour of its flowers : it is a native of America, and considered
one of the handsomest of the genus. The Italians call it
campana azurea [azure-bell], and^or di notte [night-flower],
because its beauty appears most at night. It blows in July
and August.

Of the Major Convolvulus there are three or four va-
rieties ; purple, white, red, and pale blue. It is a native
of America. It requires support, and will grow ten or
twelve feet high; continuing in flower from the begin-
ning of June till the approach of frost.

The Minor Convolvulus is a native of Spain and Por-
tugal; the flowers are sometimes pure white, but more
commonly variegated with blue and yellow, or blue and
white : the most beautiful kind is a bright blue, fading, by
delicate gradations, to a pure white in the centre. It
resembles the blue atmosphere, relieved by fleecy clouds,
on a fine day in summer :

<f when on high,
Through clouds of fleecy white, laughs the cerulean sky."

KEATS.

Nor is the form of this flower less beautiful than the
colour, either when spread out in full beauty to the mid-
day sun, or when, at the approach of night, it closes its
blue eye to sleep.

102 FLORA DOMESTICA.

This flower is too well known to need description ; but
its exquisite loveliness impels one to linger over it with
admiration.

All the kinds here specified are annual plants. The
Five-petaled, the Major, and the Minor, may be raised at
home with little trouble. The seeds may be sown about
an inch asunder. As some may fail, they may at first be
scattered more closely ; and, as they come up, thinned
where they crowd each other. If sown in the autumn,
they will flower in May : those sown in spring will be a
month later. They may be sown in September and
March ; and, for a longer succession, in April and May
likewise. The other kinds must be raised in a hot-bed,
and will not bear the open air in the winter.

The Dwarf Convolvulus is a native of France, Spain,
and Sicily. It has deep rose-coloured flowers, is a
perennial plant, and will live in the open air. It may
be increased by parting the roots, either in spring or
autumn.

The Canary Convolvulus, with pale blue or white
flowers, blowing in June and July, is a native of the
Canary Islands.

The Silvery Convolvulus, with pale rose-coloured flowers,
opening in June, July, and August, is found in Spain, Si-
cily, the Levant, &c.

The Arabian — but there will be no end of enumeration
at this rate. The Canary and Silvery kinds must be
housed in the winter. With respect to the variegated
kinds, if a plain flower appear, care should be taken to
pluck it immediately, in order to prevent the succeeding
blossoms also from degenerating from their natural beauty.
The earth should be kept moderately moist, and the water
given in small quantities at one time. The plants, being
mostly tall and slender, should be sheltered from heavy

CONVOLVULUS. 103

beating rains and violent winds ; but light spring or sum-
mer showers will refresh them.

This genus furnishes to the materia medica two of its
most powerful drugs : scammony, from a species growing
naturally at the Levant; and jalap, from another kind,
which is a native of Xalapa, between Vera Cruz and
Mexico. They are obtained from the roots of the plants.
Most of these flowers close at night ; and many remain
close all day when the weather is wet or cloudy, but open
to the sunshine :

" Qual* i fioretti dal notturno gielo
Chinati e chiusi, poi che '1 sol gl' imbianca,
Si drizzan tutti aperti in loro stelo."

DANTE, INFERNO, Canto II.

" Like flow'rs, which shrinking from the chilly night,
Droop and shut up j but with fair morning's touch
Rise on their stems, all open and upright."

COREOPSIS.

CORYMBIFER.fl3. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA FRUSTANE^E.

The generic name is from the Greek, bug-like, the seed being like
a bug or tick : hence it is called by gardeners the Tick-seeded Sun-
flower.

THE Whorl-leaved Coreopsis has a yellow flower with
a purple centre: it is a showy plant, grows very tall,
and continues long in flower. It begins to blossom in
July. It is a native of North America, where the flowers,
although yellow, are used to dye cloth red.

The Three-leaved has the same coloured flowers, and
is from the same country.

104 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Alternate-leaved, Thick-leaved, and Golden, are
all from North America. The first flowers in October
and November; the other two from August to October.
These are all perennial plants, as are most of the genus.

They may be increased by parting the roots, which
should be done in autumn, when the stalks begin to de-
cay. The two first prefer a light loamy earth, and ex-
posure to the sun ; the others will thrive in almost any
soil or situation. There are other species of this genus,
some of which are raised in a hot-bed ; but their treat-
ment, when grown, is generally the same. The kinds
here named will bear the open air. The earth should be
kept just moist, and the plants be supported by sticks as
they advance in height, or the strong winds of autumn
may be apt to break them.

CORN-FLAG.

GLADIOLUS.

IRIDE/E. TRIANDEIA MONOGYNIA.

The botanical name of this plant is the diminutive of gladius, a
sword, and is given it from the form of its leaves. It is also called
Sword-flag, Corn-sedge, and Corn-gladin. — French, le glayeul ; flambe.
— Italian, ghiaggiuolo ; gladiolo. — In Sicily, spatulidda.

THE Corn-flag is related to the lily, and has a bulbous
root. It is a handsome genus. Of the Common Corn-
flag there are many varieties, differing in colour. These
may be increased by offsets from the roots. About the
end of July, when the stalks decay, the roots may be taken
up, the offsets separated from them, and the whole dried,
cleaned, and carefully preserved in a dry and secure place

CORN-FLAG. 105

till the end of September or the beginning of October,
when they may be re-planted. They will bear the open

air.

The other species are chiefly natives of the Cape, and
require this difference in their treatment, that they must
be kept within doors from October till May, allowing them
fresh air in mild weather.

The Corn-flags must be sparingly watered ; in the win-
ter, not more than once a week. The roots should be
planted separately, in pots about five inches wide, and
should be covered two inches deep.

CORONILLA.

LEGUMINOS^E. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

The name of this plant is derived from corona, a crown, of which it
is the diminutive ; the flowers crowning the branches in a cluster.

THE Coronilla Emerus, or Scorpion Senna, is a native
of most parts of the Continent of Europe. The flowers
are yellow, and blow in April. A dye is obtained from
this plant nearly equal to that of indigo.

This shrub is fond of water.

The Small Shrubby Coronilla has small deep yellow
flowers, blowing in May, June, and July. It has a very
powerful scent, and is a native both of Spain and Italy.

The Great Shrubby Coronilla is very similar to the last;
but this is in flower almost all the year ; and the scent of
it is more powerful in the day-time than in the night.
It is a native of the South of France.

The Cretan Coronilla is a very low shrub, but very
handsome when in full blossom, as it produces an abun-

106 FLOllA DOMESTICA.

dance of yellow flowers. They blow in May, and are very
sweet scented.

The three last kinds are not so fond of water as the
first, but incline to a dry soil. In dry summer weather
they may be slightly watered about three times a week.
In the winter they should be sheltered from the frost, and
then once in a week will suffice to water them. This
treatment will suit most of the species.

COTYLEDON.

CRASSULACE^E. DECANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

Called also Navelwort, which is the signification of the botanic name
in the Greek.

THE Round-leaved, Oval-leaved, and Oblong-leaved,
are properly only varieties of the same species. They
are natives of the Cape, and are in blossom from July to
September. They must be sheltered in the winter. They
are extremely succulent ; and care must be taken to pre-
serve a due medium in watering them. If they have too
much wet, it will rot them: too little will not nourish
them. Observe the leaves, and do not let them shrink for
want of moisture. Give them just sufficient to keep their
vessels distended. It must be shed on the roots only.

There are many species of Navelwort. Those which
do not require a stove may be treated in the same manner
as those already mentioned. They are all very succulent,
and should have a poor, dry soil. They may be sown
either in spring or autumn.

The flower called Venus's Navelwort has no affinity
with these, but is the cynoglossum linifolium. It is an

COTYLEDON. 107

annual plant. The seeds may be sown pretty thick, either
in spring or autumn ; and, if they all grow, they should
be thinned where too close. Those sown in autumn will
flower in May and June. The spring-sown seeds will
come to flower a month later. The earth should be
moderately moist.

COWSLIP.

PRIMULA VERIS.

PRIMULACE^E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The Cowslip, i. e. cow's lip, is of the same genus as the primrose.
The Yorkshire people call the Cowslip Cow-stripling. It is also called
Herb- Peter, and Paigles. — French, la primevere, primerole ; herbe de
la paralysie [palsy herb] ; fleur de coucou ; bavillon. — Italian, prima-
vera. — In the Venetian territory, primola. — Some of these are also
used for the primrose.

THE Common Cowslip, or Paigle, is common in Europe,
both in moist sand and upland pastures, and on the borders
of fields. In a clayey or loamy soil it thrives best, and
prefers an open situation. It flowers in April and May.
Though respected both for its beauty and utility, the
Cowslip, in pastures where it is very common, becomes an
injurious weed. The leaves are eaten in salads, and re-
commended -for feeding silk-worms before the mulberry-
leaves make their appearance. The flowers are very
fragrant; and a pleasant and wholesome wine is made
from them, approaching in flavour to the muscadel wines
of the South of France. It is said to be an inducer of

sleep.

— " For want of rest,

Lettuce and cowslip-wine : probatum eat."

POPE.

108 FLORA DOMESTICA.

These flowers have a rough and somewhat bitter taste,
which, with their agreeable odour and yellow colour, they
impart both to water and spirit. A pleasant syrup is
made from them ; and a strong infusion, drank as tea, is
considered antispasmodic. The colour, as is well known,
is usually a bright yellow, dashed with deep orange, some-
times approaching to crimson. — Thus lachimo describes
Imogen as having

-" on her left breast

A mole cinque-spotted, like the crimson drops
I' the bottom of a cowslip."

But there is a variety with red flowers. They will some-
times flower again in November and December. Mr.
Martyn speaks of some in his own gardens which always
blew at that season when the winter was mild.

The light stalk of the Cowslip, gently bending with its
weight of flowers, is elegantly described by Milton, who
takes advantage of this drooping appearance to select it,
with some others, to adorn the tomb of Lycidas :

" Bring the rathe-primrose that forsaken dies,
The tufted crow-toe, and pale jessamine,
The white pink, and the pansy freak'd with jet,
The glowing violet,

The musk-rose, and the well-attired woodbine,
With cowslips wan that hang the pensive head,
And every flower that sad embroidery wears :
Bid amaranthus all his beauty shed,
And daffodillies fill their cups with tears,
To strew the laureat hearse where Lycid lies."

And again, in the song of Sabrina, how beautifully does
the unbending flower, and the airy tread of the goddess,
each express the lightness of the other :

" By the rushy fringed bank,
Where grow the willow and the osier dank,

COWSLIP. 109

My sliding chariot stays,,

Thick set with agate and the azure sheen

Of turkis blue, and emerald green,

That in the channel strays ;

Whilst from off the waters fleet

Thus I set my printless feet,

O'er the cowslip's velvet head,

That hends not as I tread ;

Gentle swain, at thy request,

I am here."

The oxlip is by no means so common as the Cowslip :
it is considered as a link between that and the primrose.
It has been called the great primrose: but though the
oxlip flower spreads wider, the Cowslip has the advantage
in height. On this account Shakspeare selects the latter
for the courtiers of the Fairy Queen, in allusion to the
tall military courtiers called Queen Elizabeth's Pensioners :

" The cowslips tall her pensioners be,
In their gold coats spots we see;
Those be rubies, fairy favours,
In those freckles live their savours ;
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear."

The single Cowslip is rarely admitted into gardens, but
the double flowers are common : they have a good effect
by the side of the dark polyanthus, or shaded by a bunch
of glowing wallflowers. The roots may be purchased
almost for nothing. They who desire to have the single
flowers may transplant the wild roots, which should be
done about Michaelmas, and they will have time to gain
strength for flowering in the spring. But it must be ob-
served, that although these plants, in their wild state, are
entrusted to Nature's care, and though we must confess
that she deserves this confidence, we must no longer de-

110 FLORA DOMESTICA.

pend entirely upon her care of them, after we have re-
moved them from her own great garden.

Cowslips love a moist soil ; and when we plant them in
a pot, the small portion of earth which it contains will
naturally dry much faster than in the open ground : there-
fore, as we do not remove the brooks and springs with
them, we must supply this deficiency by giving water to
the potted plants in dry weather ; in return for which, if
we will find artists to manufacture it, they will furnish us
with honey in abundance : for —

" rich in vegetable gold

From calyx pale the freckled cowslip born,
Receives in amber cups the fragrant dews of morn."

COWSLIPS OF JERUSALEM.

PULMONARIA.

BORRAGINE^. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Also called Sage of Jerusalem, Sage of Bethlehem, Spotted Com-
frey, and Common Lungwort, as being esteemed in complaints of the
lungs. — French, la grande pulmonaire; les herbes aux poumons;
F herbe du cceur [heart wort] ; 1' herbe au lait de Notre Dame [Our
Lady's milk- wort] ; pulmonaire d' Italic. — Italian, polmonaria mag-
giore.

THIS is a perennial plant, very much resembling the
cowslip in form. The colours are many; not only on the
same cluster, but even on the individual blossom, ap-
pearing various shades of red and blue, and these shades
continually changing. Drayton places this flower in such
honourable company, as gives us good reason to believe
that he held it in great esteem :

f{ Maids, get the choicest flowers, a garland, and entwine,
Nor pinks, nor pansies, let there want; be sure of eglantine.

COWSLIPS OF JERUSALEM. Ill

See that there be store of lilies,

(Called of shepherds daffodillies)

With roses damask, white, and red, the dearest flower-de-lis,
The cowslip of Jerusalem, and clove of Paradise."

DRAYTON'S PASTORALS.

CRINUM.

HEMEROCALLIDE^E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE Crinums most cultivated in this country are the
American. The Great American Crinum flowers in July
and August : the small species will flower three or four
times in the year. They will thrive very well in a room
generally inhabited in the winter; and their flowers at
that time will be particularly valuable, so few being then
in blossom. In the summer they shonld be placed abroad
where they can enjoy the sunshine. The roots should be
transplanted every year in March or October, and the
offsets taken off and planted in separate pots, about six
inches in diameter and eight or nine inches deep, filled
with a light rich earth. Do not scruple to deprive the
mother of her children, for she cannot afford food to so
large a family ; and the unnatural little bulbs will deprive
her of all nourishment, and starve her without mercy, if
they remain. The flowers are white, and sweet-scented.
These plants should be watered ve?y sparingly every se-
cond evening when newly planted; when they begin to
shoot, they may have more water, every evening; but
when they begin to blow, they will continue longer in
blossom if more sparingly watered, as before.

112 FLOKA DOMESTICA,

CROCUS.

IRIDE^E. TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

An unhappy lover, whom the gods in pity were said to have changed
into this flower. — French, safran. — Italian, zafFerano ; gruogo.

THE Autumnal Crocus is supposed to have come ori-
ginally from the East, but is now so common in Europe,
that it is difficult to ascertain with certainty its original
birth-place. The flowers are of a purple, lilac, or pale
blue colour, blowing in October : the leaves grow all the
winter. This species of Crocus is also called Saffron, and
the medicine so called is obtained from it. Saffron was
formerly more esteemed as a medicine than at present ;
but it is still used occasionally : it is often substituted for
eggs in cakes, puddings, See. and to some persons its
flavour is very agreeable. A bag of saffron worn at the
pit of the stomach has been lately said to be an effectual
preventive of sea-sickness.

The first introduction of this plant into the country
was considered so great a national benefit, as to have oc-
casioned much controversy upon the subject. It is com-
monly said that Sir Thomas Smith was the first who
brought it to England, in the reign of Edward the Third,
and that it was first planted at Walden in Essex. That
Walden was noted for the cultivation of it is clear, since
the flower has even bestowed its own name upon that
place, which is commonly called Saffron Walden. In
Hakluyt's Voyages (edit. 1599, vol. ii. p. 165) the first
introduction of Saffron is ascribed to a pilgrim, who, with
the intention of serving his country, stole a head of Saf-
fron, which he hid in his staff: but this is mentioned only

CROCUS. 113

as a thing reported at Saffron Walden*. Mr. Martyn,
after referring to this volume, says he has been informed
that the corporation of Walden bear three Saffron plants
in their arms.

The Spring Crocus is common in many parts of Europe :
there are many varieties ; and as this kind furnishes the
florists with seed, new varieties continually occur. The
most usual are the Common Yellow, the Great Yellow,
Deep Blue, Light Blue, White with Blue Stripes, Blue
with White Stripes, White with a Purple Base, and
Cream-coloured, — all natives of Britain : as also several
from Scotland ; the Black and White Striped, the Cloth
of Gold, &c.

The Spring Crocus flowers in March ; and where there
are plenty of them, they make a magnificent show. If
the season be mild, the flowers will sometimes appear in
February, before the leaves have grown to any length.
The leaves must not be cut off before they decay, or the
root will be deprived of nourishment, and will not pro-
duce handsome flowers the next year. About the end of
May, when the leaves and fibres have decayed, the roots
may be taken up, wiped clean from earth, husk, £c. and
placed in a dry room till September, when they should be
replanted. Care must be taken to preserve them from
mice, and other fond enemies : mice will utterly destroy
them if they can get at them. The bulb should be planted
with the bud uppermost, and the earth an inch deep

* This, however, is probably only a version of the history of the
introduction of silk into Europe : two monks having brought from
China, in the hollow of their walking-canes, the eggs of the silk-worm,
which were hatched at Constantinople under the empress's own eye ;
who had, during the two years' absence of the monks, caused some
mulberry tre3s to be got ready for the food of the young family.

114 FLORA DOMESTICA.

above the top : for one root, a pot three inches wide will
be large enough ; four roots may be planted in a pot of
six inches in diameter. They should be kept moist ; which
will require more or less water, according as they are in
the sun or the shade, the room or the balcony, &c. : they
will continue longer in blossom if watered rather sparingly
after they have begun to blow. These bulbs will like-
wise flower in water : they may be put into the glasses
any time from October to January, and thus be continued
in succession. The water should rise a little above the
widening of the glass ; and from the time the fibres begin
to shoot, should be renewed every four or five days.

The Autumnal Crocus does not increase so fast as the
Spring kinds, nor does it produce seeds in this country.
It should be replanted in August, as it flowers in Sep-
tember or October. These Crocuses will produce hand-
somer flowers if the bulbs be left undisturbed for two or
three years ; but they must not remain more than three.
When it is not intended to remove them every year, more
room must be allowed them for the growth of the offsets.

Virgil speaks of the Crocus as one of the flowers upon
which bees love to feed :

pascuntur et arbuta passim,

Et glaucas salices, casiamque, crocumque rubentem,
Et pinguem tiliam, et ferrugineos hyacinthos."

VIRGIL, GEORGIC 4.

" They feed also at large on arbutes and hoary willows, and cassia,
and glowing saffron, and fat limes, and deep-coloured hyacinths." —
MABTYN'S TRANSLATION, p. 372.

CYCLAMEN. 115

CYCLAMEN.

PRIMULACEjE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This name is of Greek origin, and signifies circular. It alludes
either to the roundness of the leaves, or of the roots. The familiar
name among the country people is Sow-bread. — French, pain du por-
ceau ; in the village dialect, pan de pur, both signifying sow-bread.
Italian, pane porcino ; pane terreno [ground bread.]

THE common Cyclamen is an Austrian. The flowers
are purple, drooping, and sweet-scented. The Ivy-leaved
species is Italian : the flowers appear in August or Sep-
tember, soon after the leaves come out, and continue
growing till May, when they begin to decay, and in June
are quite dried up. There are two varieties ; one with
white, and one with purple flowers.

The Round-leaved Cyclamen is a native of the South
of Europe : it has purple flowers, which blow late in the
autumn.

The Persian Cyclamen, which is the most popular,
flowers in March or April : it is sweet-scented, and varies
in colour from a pure white to white and purple, or some-
times to a beautiful blush-colour. It is, as the name im-
plies, a native of Persia : it has also been found in the
Isle of Cyprus ; and is, indeed, not unworthy of cultivation
in Venus's own garden. It is a pretty flower for the par-
lour or study table ; and the temperature of an inhabited
room is well adapted to it.

The Cyclamen requires shelter from frost ; particularly
the two last-mentioned kinds. During the winter, or
while destitute of leaves, they should have very little
water, and be carefully preserved from damps. In the
summer, they should be placed where they may enjoy the

116 FLORA DOMESTICA.

sun till about eleven o'clock. They do not flower till the
fifth year after they are sown.

CYTISUS.

LEGUMINOS-iE. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

Said to have been first found in the island of Cythnus, whence it
has derived its name. — French, le cytise. — Italian, citiso ; avorniello ;
maggio pendolino.

OF this genus is that most elegant tree, the Laburnum,
which drops its yellow blossoms so invitingly, as if wooing
the beholder to pluck them. There are two varieties of
Cytisus ; one with narrower leaves and longer blossoms
than the other, which is by far the handsomest^ and is
very justly called Golden-chain. I have seen a sprig of
this in a lady's hair, where its bright green leaves, and its
drooping blossoms, intermingling with the rich chestnut
curls, had a very graceful appearance. But unfortunately
it does not long survive the gathering : so that ladies who
are disposed to adorn themselves with it must have re-
course to imitation ; and this, notwithstanding the per-
fection to which artificial flowers have been brought of
late, will not easily equal the real flower.

It is well for the present purpose that the handsomest
of the Laburnums is the smallest tree, and may be grown
in a tub for many years. They ought to be in company
with leafier trees, as they are but sparingly supplied with
green of their own. Who would not have at least one of
them, were it but to place by the side of the Persian lilac,
or the rhododendron ?

It has been recommended to sow the Laburnum in
plantations infested with hares and rabbits ; for so long
as they can find a sprig of it, they will touch nothing else \

CYTISUS. 117

and though it be eaten to the ground in the winter, it will
spring up again the next season, and thus be a constant
supply for them. A whole plantation will be secured at
the expense of a few shillings.

Laburnum-wood is very strong, and is much used for
pegs, wedges, knife-handles, musical instruments, and a
variety of purposes of that nature. Mr. Martyn, in his
edition of Millar's Dictionary, speaks of a table and chairs
made of this wood, which judges of elegant furniture pro-
nounced to be the finest they had ever seen.

Pliny speaks of this wood as next in hardness to the
ebony : it has been thought to make the best bows ; and
it occasionally afforded torches for the Roman sacrifices :

•' ' Tondentur cytisi ; taedas sylva alta ministrat ;
Pascunturque ignes nocturni et lumina fundunt."

VIRGIL, GEORGIC 2.

" The cytisus is cut, the tall wood affords torches, and the nocturnal
fires are fed, and spread their light." — MARTYN'S TRANSLATION, p. 197.

The tree was formerly called Peas-cod-tree, and Bean-
trefoil ; but it is now generally known by its Latin name
Laburnum, which is supposed to have been derived from
the Alpine name L'aubours. The French call it Cytise
des Alps (Cytisus of the Alps), and Faux Ebenien (False
Ebony- tree). It is a native of Switzerland, Austria, and
the Levant, &c. and flowers in May : at this season the
mountains in Italy are hung so richly with its golden
drapery as to obtain for it the name of Maggio, as we
give that of May to the hawthorn.

The Black Cytisus is a shrub, seldom growing higher
in this country than three or four feet : it is very bushy,
and the branches are terminated by bunches of yellow
flowers, four or five inches in length, having a very agree-
able scent. It blossoms in July. This is a native of Si-
lesia, Hungary, Italy, &c.

118 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Winged-leaved Cytisus is a handsome shrub,
scarcely two feet high : the flowers are large, and of a
deep yellow. It is a native of Siberia.

The Common Cytisus is a native of the South of
Europe : it grows seven or eight feet high, is very bushy,
and has bright yellow flowers. These will live all the
year abroad after they are first raised to strength. If the
weather be very dry, they should be watered once or twice
a week.

Virgil recommends the Cytisus as a food for goats :

" At cui lactis amor, cytisos, lotosque frequentes
Ipse maim, salsaque ferat praesepibus herbas."

VIRGIL, GEORGIC 3.

" Those who desire to have milk, must give them with their own
hands plenty of cytisus and water-lilies, and lay salt herbs in their
cribs." — MARTYN'S TRANSLATION, p. 313.

The bright blossoms of the Laburnum have not escaped
the attention of our poets. Mr. Keats, in two distinct
passages of his earliest poetry, each representing the
flowery nook most beautiful to his fancy, gives a place to
the Laburnum :

" A bush of May-flowers with the bees about them ;
Ah, sure no tasteful nook would be without them :
And let a lush laburnum oversweep them,
And let long grass grow roiind the roots to keep them
Moist, cool, and green ; and shade the violets,
That they may bind the moss in leafy nets.

*****

Where the dark-leaved laburnum's drooping clusters
Reflect athwart the stream their yellow lustres,
And intertwined the cassia's arms unite
With its own drooping buds, but very white."

" Laburnum, rich

In streaming gold.*'

COWPER'S TASK.

CYTISUS. 119

It is curious to observe how some plants appear to be
compounded of others. Thus the Camellia Japonica has
been noticed as resembling a bay-tree with roses; the
arbutus is like another species of bay, yielding straw-
berries ; and the Laburnum seems like a tree made up of
large trefoil and garlands of yellow peas. The Geranium
kind seems to delight in this species of mimicry.

When the Laburnum tree is so situated as to be shaded
from the scorching suns of noon, it thrives so much better
as to appear, to a superficial observer, a tree of a different
kind.

DAHLIA.

CORYMBIFER^I. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

THE Dahlia was named in honour of Andrew Dahl, a
Swedish botanist. There are several species, all natives
of the mountainous parts of the Spanish settlements in
South America. The flowers are large and handsome ;
mostly red or purple, and the colours beautifully vivid.
It is a very lofty plant, and the foliage is coarse and rank.
It is thought to grow less luxuriantly, and to flower better,
if planted in a poor and gravelly soil, in the open ground:
they may, however, be obtained in pots. They will bear
open air ; and the roots will live a long time out of the
earth without injury. The best time to plant them is in
April. A recent improvement in the culture of this
beautiful plant is to graft the young buds upon the
tubers. They do not require much water.

This flower, comparatively a stranger in England till
lately, from its great beauty has become very popular.
When in flower, it makes a brilliant figure in the nursery-
gardens, where many are planted together, and of various

120 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

colours. It makes a fine show in a bouquet too, but will
not long survive the gathering. The double flowers are
as magnificent as the peony itself.

The best account of the Dahlia is to be found in the
second part of the Transactions of the Horticultural
Society, by R. A. Salisbury, Esq.

DAISY.

BELLIS.

CORYMBIFER^E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

The botanical name is derived from the Latin word bellus, hand-
some. In Yorkshire called Dog-daisy and Bairnwort. The word
Daisy is a compound of day's and eye, Day's-eye ; in which way,
indeed, it is written by Ben Jonson. — French, la paquerette ; paque-
rette vivace ,• paquette; marguerite [pearl]; petite marguerite ; petite
consire : in Languedoc, margarideta. — Italian, margheritena ; marghe-
rita; pratellina [meadow-flower]; bellide; fiore di primavera [spring-
tide-flower.]

WHO can see, or hear the name of the Daisy, the
common Field Daisy, without a thousand pleasurable as-
sociations ! It is connected with the sports of childhood
and with the pleasures of youth. We walk abroad to
seek it; yet it is the very emblem of home. It is a
favourite with man, woman, and child : it is the robin of
flowers. Turn it all ways, and on every side you will
find new beauty. You are attracted by the snowy white
leaves, contrasted by the golden tuft in the centre, as it
rears its head above the green grass : pluck it, and you
will find it backed by a delicate star of green, and tipped
with a blush-colour, or a bright crimson.

" Daisies with their pinky lashes"
are among the first darlings of spring. They are in flower

DAISY.

almost all the year; closing in the evening and in wet
weather, and opening on the return of the sun :

" The little dazie, that at evening closes."

SPENSER.

" By a daisy, whose leaves spread
Shut when Titan goes to bed."

G. WITHERS.

No flower has been more frequently celebrated by our
poets, our best poets ; Chaucer* in particular, expatiates at
great length upon it. He tells us that the Queen Alceste,
who sacrificed her own life to save that of her husband
Admetus, and who was afterwards restored to the world
by Hercules, was, for her great goodness, changed into a
Daisy. He is never weary of praising this little flower :

-" Whan that the month of May

Is comen, and that I heare the foules sing,
And that the floures ginnen for to spring,
Farewell my booke, and my devotion,
Now have I than eke this condition,
That of all the floures in the mede,
Than love I most these floures white and rede,
Such that men callen daisies in our town :
To them I have so great affectioun,
As I sayd erst, whan comen in the Maie,
That in my bedde there daweth me no daie,
That I nam up, and walking in the mede
To seen this floure ayenst the sunne sprede,
Whan it upriseth early by the morrow,
That blissful sight softeneth my sorow,
So glad am I, when that I have presence
Of it, to done it all reverence,
As she that is of all floures the floure,
Fulfilled of all vertue and honoure,
And every ilike faire, and fresh of hewe,
And ever I love it, and ever ilike newe,
And ever shall, until mine herte die,
All sweare I not, of this I woll not lie.
There loved no wight nothen in this life,
And whan that it is eve I renne blithe,

FLORA DOMESTIC A.

As soone as ever the sunne ginneth west,
To seen this floure, how it woll go to rest,
For feare of night, so hateth she darkenesse,
Her chere is plainly spred in the brightnesse
Of the sunne, for there it woll unclose :

*****
My husie ghost, that thursteth alway new,
To seen this floure so yong, so fresh of hew,
Constrained me with so gredy desire,
That in my haste, I fele yet the fire,
That made me rise ere it were day
And this was now the first morowe of Maie,
With dreadfull herte, and glad devocion
For to been at the resurrection
Of this floure, whan that it should unclose.
Again the sunne, that rose as redde as rose,
That in the brest was of the beast that day
That Angenores daughter ladde away.
And doune on knees anon right I me sette,
And as I coulde, this fresh floure I grette,
Kneeling alway till it unclosed was,
Upon the small soft swete grass,
That was with floures swete embrouded all,
Of such sweteness, and odour over all,
That for to speak of gomme, herbe, or tree,
Comparison may not imaked be,
For it surmounteth plainly all odoures,
And of riche beaute of floures.

*****
And Zephyrus and Flora gentelly
Yave to the floures soft and tenderly,
Hir swete breth, and made hem for to sprede,
As god and goddesse of the flourie mede,
In which me thought I might day by daie,
Dwellen alway the joly month of Maie,
Withouten slepe, withouten meat, or drinke :
Adowne full softly I gan to sinke,
And leaning on my elbow and my side,
The long day I shope me for to abide,
For nothing els and I shall not lie,
But for to look upon the daisie,
That well by reason men it call may
The daisie, or els the iye of the day,

DAISY,

The emprise, and floure of floures all,
I pray to God, that faire mote she fall,
And all that loven floures for her sake :

#*.***

And from a ferre come walking in the mede,
The god of love, and in his hand a queene,
And she was clad in royal habit greene,
A fret of golde she had next her heere,
And upon that a white croune she bare,
With florouns small, and I shall not lie,
For all the world right as a daisie
Icrouned is, with white leaves lite,
So were the florounes of her croune white,
And of a perle fine orientall,
Her white croune was imaked all,
For which the white croune above the grene
Made her like a daisie for to seme,
Considred eke her fret of gold above :
* # # * #

Quod Love * * * *

#*#*•*

Hast thou not a book in thy cheste

The great goodnesse of the Queene Alceste

That turned was into a daisie,

She that for her husband chose to die,

And eke- to gone to hell rather than he,

And Hercules rescued her parde

And brought her out of hell again to bliss ?

And I answerde againe, and said, ' Yes,

Now I knowe her, and is this good Alceste,

The daisie, and mine owne hertes rest ?' " *

Chaucer makes a perfect plaything of the Daisy. Not
contented with calling to our minds its etymology as the
eye of day, he seems to delight in twisting it into every
possible form ; and, by some name or other, introduces it
continually. Commending the showers of April, as bring-
ing forward the May flowers, he adds :

" And in speciall one called se of the daie,
The daisie, a flower white and rede,

* See Chaucer's Prologue to the Legend of Good Wome%

FLORA DOMESTICA.

And in Frenche called La Bel Margarete.
O commendable floure, and most in minde !
O floure and gracious of excellence !
O amiable Margarite ! of natife kind" —

In another poem, describing an arbour, he says :

" With margarettes growing in ordinaunce
To shewe hem selfe as folke went to and fro,
That to beholde it was a great plesaunce,
And how they were accompanied with mo,
Ne momblisnesse and soneness also
The poure pensis were not dislogid there,
Ne God wote ther place was every where."

He tells us that the Queen Alceste was changed into
this flower: that she had as many virtues as there are
florets in it.

" Cybilla made the daisie, and the flour
Icrownid all with white, as man may se,
And Mars yave her a corown red, parde,
In stede of rubies set among the white."

" The daisy scattered on each meade and downe,
A golden tufte within a silver croune.
Fayre fall that dainty flowre ! and may there be
No shepherd graced that doth not honor thee ! "

W. BROWNE.

But the Field Daisy is not an inhabitant of the flower-
garden : it were vain to cultivate it there. We have but
to walk into the fields, and there is a profusion for us. It
is the favourite of the great garden of Nature :

" Meadows trim with daisies pied."

The reader will doubtless remember Burns's Address
to a Mountain Daisy, beginning

" Wee, modest, crimson-tipped flower."
The Scotch commonly call it by the name of Gowan ; a

DAISY. 125

name which they likewise apply to the dandelion, hawk-
weed, &c.:

t{ The opening gowan, wet with dew."

Wordsworth, with a true poet's delight in the simplest
beauties of nature, has addressed several little poems to
the Daisy :

" In youth from rock to rock I went.
From hill to hill, in discontent
Of pleasure high and turbulent,

Most pleased when most uneasy;
But now my own delights I make, —
My thirst at every rill can slake,
And gladly Nature's love partake

Of thee, sweet daisy!

" When soothed awhile by milder airs,
Thee Winter in the garland wears
That thinly shades his few grey hairs ;

Spring cannot shun thee;
Whole summer fields are thine by right ;
And Autumn, melancholy wight,
Doth in thy crimson head delight

When rains are on thee.

" In shoals and bands, a morrice train,
Thou greet'st the traveller in the lane ;
If welcomed once, thou count'st it gain ;

Thou art not daunted,
Nor carest if thou be set at nought :
And oft alone in nooks remote
We meet thee, like a pleasant thought,

When such are wanted.

" Be violets in their secret mews
The flowers the wanton Zephyrs choose ;
Proud be the rose, with rains and dews

Her head impearling ;
Thou liv'st with less ambitious aim,
Yet hast not gone without thy fame ;
Thou art indeed by many a claim

The poet's darling.

126 FLORA DOMESTICA.

<e If to a rock from rains he fly,
Or some bright day of April sky,
Imprisoned by hot sunshine lie

Near the green holly,
And wearily at length should fare ;
He need but look about, and there
Thou art ! — a friend at hand, to scare

His melancholy.

" A hundred times, by rock or bower,
Ere thus I have lain couched an hour,
Have I derived from thy sweet power

Some apprehension ;
Some steady love; some brief delight;
Some memory that had taken flight;
Some chime of fancy, wrong or right;
Or stray invention.

" If stately passions in me burn,
And one chance look to thee should turn,
I drink out of an humbler urn

A lowlier pleasure ;
The homely sympathy that heeds
The common life, our nature breeds ;
A wisdom fitted to the needs

Of hearts at leisure.

" When, smitten by the morning ray,
I see thee rise alert and gay,
Then, cheerful flower ! my spirits play

With kindred gladness :
And when, at dusk, by dews opprest
Thou sink'st, the image of thy rest
Hath often eased my pensive breast

Of careful sadness.

" And all day long I number yet,
All seasons through, another debt,
Which I, wherever thou art met,

To thee am owing ;
An instinct call it, a blind sense ;
A happy genial influence,
Coming one knows not how nor whence,

Nor whither going.

DAISY.

" Child of the Year ! that round dost run
Thy course, bold lover of the sun,
And cheerful when the day 's begun

As morning leveret,

Thy * long-lost praise thou shalt regain ;
Dear shalt thou be to future men
As in old time ; — thou, not in vain,

Art Nature's favourite."

Nor in vain is it a favourite with the poet, who emulates
Chaucer himself in doing it honour. At one time he de-
scribes it as

" A nun demure, of lowly port ;
Or sprightly maiden of Love's court,
In her simplicity the sport

Of all temptations.
A queen in crown of rubies drest ;
A starveling in a scanty vest ;
Are all as seems to suit it best,

Its appellations.

" A little Cyclops with one eye
Staring to threaten and defy,
That thought comes next, — and instantly

The freak is over,

The shape will vanish; and, behold !
A silver shield with boss of gold,
That spreads itself, some faery bold
In fight to cover."

But again we must remember this is not to be a re-
print of Mr. Wordsworth's poems.

Of the Garden Daisy there are many varieties : the
Double White; Red; Red and White Striped; the
Variegated; the Proliferous, or Hen and Chicken, &c.
These, indeed, are but double varieties of the Field
Daisy, but less prolific, and flowering only for a few
months — April, May, and June.

* See in Chaucer and the elder poets, the honours formerly paid to
this flower.

128 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Annual resembles the Common Daisy, but is not
so large : it is a native of Sicily, Spain, Montpelier, Ve-
rona, and Nice.

The Garden Daisy should be planted in a loamy, un-
manured earth, and placed in the shade ; as the full noon-
day sun will sometimes kill it. The roots should be parted
every autumn : they should be taken up in September or
October, parted into single plants, and put in pots about
five inches wide. When in pots, they will require a little
water every evening in dry weather.

Rousseau, in his Letters on Botany, gives a long and
beautiful description of the structure of the Daisy.

BANEWORT.

SAMBUCUS EBULUS.

CAPRIFOLIE-ffi. PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA.

Dwarf Elder, Wallwort, and Walewort. — French, yeble ; hieble ;
petite sureau : in Provence, saupuden. — Italian, ebbio; ebulo.

DANEWORT is a shrub which grows three or four feet
high, and bears a profusion of blossoms, of a dull red
colour. It is a native of England, and many other parts
of Europe ; and was named Danewort among us from a
notion that it had first sprung from the blood of the
Danes. It blows in July, is very hardy, and likes a
moist soil. Its leaves, like those of the common elder, are
strewed to keep away moles and mice, which will not come
near them. The elder tree is supposed to be prejudicial
to persons reclining under its shade.

DAPHNE. 129

DAPHNE.

THYMELE^E. OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This genus is named from the nymph beloved of Apollo : some of
the species greatly resembling the bay.

OF this genus, the most beautiful kind, and the kind
most frequent in our gardens, is the Daphne Mezereon :
also called Spurge-olive, German Olive-spurge, Spurge-
flax, Flowering-spurge, and Dwarf Bay. Most of the
European languages give it a name equivalent to Female
Bay. The French call it laureole femelk ; laureole gen-
tille; boisjoli; bois gentille ; mal-herbe: in the villages,
dzentdliet. — The Italians, Daphnoide; laureolafemina;
biondella [little fair-one] ; camelea, and calmolea.

The Daphne Mezereon is a handsome shrub: the
flowers come out before the leaves, early in the spring ;
they grow in clusters all round the shoots of the former
year. Thus it is as Cowper says :

" Though leafless well attired, and thick beset
With blushing wreaths, investing every spray."

It is a native of almost every part of Europe : with us,
it is very common in the beech woods in Buckingham-
shire. The name Mezereon is said to have been bor-
rowed from the Dutch.

The branches of the Daphne Mezereon make a good
yellow dye. The berries are a powerful poison, but the
bark is a very useful and valuable medicine. The two
principal varieties of this species of the Daphne are the
White-flowered, which has yellow berries, and the Peach-
coloured, of which the berries are red.

The Mezereon is very sweet-scented ; and, where there

130 FLORA DOMESTICA.

are many together, they will perfume the air to a con-
siderable distance. The best time for transplanting this
shrub is the autumn; because, as it begins to vegetate
early in the spring, it should not be then disturbed. It
thrives best in a dry soil: if it has too much wet, it be-
comes mossy, and stinted in its growth, and produces
fewer flowers. It should enjoy the morning sun, and re-
main abroad all the year.

Of the other species of Daphne, the Silvery-leaved, a
native of the South of France, is one of the prettiest.
This will not bear transplanting, and must be sheltered in
severe frost. It should be sparingly watered. The leaves
of this shrub are white, small, soft, and shining like satin :
between these leaves come out thick clusters of white
flowers, bell-shaped, and tinged with yellow on the inside.

The Trailing Daphne grows naturally in many parts of
Europe : it is remarkably sweet-scented, and has purple
or white flowers, which appear very early in spring. It
may be treated like the Mezereon, but that it will not
bear transplanting.

The Spurge-laurel, Daphne laureola — in French, laureole
male ; laureole des Anglois : in Italian, laureola maschio —
has flowers of a yellowish green, which, if the season be
not very severe, come out soon after Christmas. It is
a native of Britain, and many other parts of Europe. This
shrub, like the Mezereon, is very useful as a medicine ;
but, like that also, should be trusted to the skill of expe-
rienced persons only. It is a hardy plant, and may be
treated like the Mezereon. The plants may be removed
from the woods, or elsewhere, in the autumn ; and at that
season may be increased by cuttings.

The Alpine may be treated like the Trailing Daphne.
The Flax-leaved Daphne has flowers like the Mezereon,
only smaller: they blow in June, and are very sweet-

DAPHNE. 131

scented. This is a native of Spain, Italy, and the South
of France: it will sometimes flower twice in the year.
Gerarde gives this shrub the name of Mountain Widow-
wayle. It may be treated in the same manner as the Sil-
very-leaved.

An excellent writing-paper is made from a tree of this
genus, called the Daphne Cannabina, a native of Cochin-
China. There is another, called the Lace-bark Daphne,
of which the inner bark is of such a texture, that it may
be drawn out in long webs like lace, and has been actually
worn as such. Charles the Second had a cravat made of
it, which was presented to him by Sir Thomas Lynch
when governor of Jamaica. It is there principally used
for ropes. This tree is a native of Jamaica, where it is
called Lagetto, or Lace-bark-tree; and of Hispaniola,
where it is known by the name of Bois-dentelle [Lace-
wood], It will not thrive in England, except in a stove.
But this latter plant is now removed by Lamarcke, and
forms a separate genus, Lagetta, which is placed by him,
even in another family, the Eleagnete.

DOG'S-BANE.

APOCYNUM.

APOCINEJE. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA.

So named from a notion that it is fatal to dogs.

THE Tutsan-leaved Dog's-bane is an extremely curious
plant : the flowers are white, or pale red ; bell-shaped, and
the anthers are so constituted within it, as to entangle the
flies who are attracted by the honey-juice it contains : so
that in August, when in full flower, it is usually found

132 . FLORA DOMESTICA.

full of their dead bodies. The French, in Canada, call it
Herbe-a-la-puce [Fleawort], and say it is noxious to some
persons, though harmless to others. Mr. Martyn quotes
an author (Kalm) who mentions having seen a soldier
whose hands were blistered all over merely from plucking
it ; whereas he frequently rubbed his own hands with the
juice without feeling any inconvenience.

Mr. Lambert, in his Travels in Canada and the United
States, affirms that he has seen several persons who have
been confined to the house in consequence of having been
poisoned in the woods by this plant, and that even the
merely treading on it is sufficient to create swellings and
inflammations : " and yet," continues he, " I have seen
other people handle it with safety ; and have myself often
pulled it up by the root, broke the stem, and covered my
hands with the milky juice which it contains, without ex-
periencing any disagreeable effect. What property it is
in the constitution of people which thus imbibes or repels
the poisonous qualities of this plant, I have never been
able to learn, nor can I from observation account for it.

" Many gardens in Lower Canada are full of Dog's-
bane, which occasions it to be considered there as a weed.
The roots appear to spread under ground to a con-
siderable extent; and though the plant may be cut off
every year, it springs up again in another place. It makes
its appearance about the end of May, and runs up like
the scarlet-beans, entwining itself round any tree, plant,
or paling that stands in its way ; and if there is nothing
else upon which the young shoots can support themselves,
they adhere to each other. Their leaves and stems are
of a light green, and they are in full flower in July.
Wherever the Herbe-a-la-puce grows, there is always to
be found a great number of lady-flies [coccinella]. They
are covered with a brilliant gold as long as they are on-

DOG'S-BANE.

the leaf, or retain any particle of its juice. I caught some
of them, and put them into a phial ; but neglecting to add
some leaves of the Herbe-a-la-puce, they had by the next
morning lost their splendid coat, and merely resembled
the common red lady-fly which we have in England. I
then caught a few more, and having supplied them well
with the leaves of that plant, they retained their gold
tinge equally as well as in the open air. In a few days
they had reduced the leaves to mere skeletons, but as
long as there remained a morsel of the stalks or fibres to
feed upon, their beautiful appearance continued. I kept
them upwards of a month in this manner ; giving them
occasionally fresh leaves of the plant, and admitting the
air through some holes that I pricked in the paper with
which I had covered the mouth of the phial. They would
feed upon no other plant than the Herbe-a-la-pucs, from
which alone they derived their beauty. I afterwards gave
them their liberty, and they flew away apparently little
the worse for their confinement*."

The Tutsan-leaved, the St. John's-wort-leaved, and the
Spear-leaved kinds will bear the open air, if not exposed
to too much wet ; which, as they are very succulent, would
rot them. They may be increased by parting the roots,
which should be done in March.

Hemp Dog's-bane, a native of North America, is used
by the Indians for various purposes: they prepare the
stalks as we do hemp, and make twine, fishing-nets and
lines, bags, and linen of them. According to Kalm, this
is the species which the Canadians call Herbe-a-la-puce.

In Mrs. Charlotte Smith's Conversations are some lines
upon the fate of a poor fly, lured to its prison by the de-
ceitful sweetness of the Apocynum.

* Lambert's Travels through Canada, &c. vol. i. p. 435.

134 FLORA DOMESTICA.

DRAGONS-HEAD.

DRACOCEPHALUM.

L.ABIATJE. DIDYNAMIA^ GYMNOSPERMIA.

So named from the form of the flower, which resembles a gaping
mouth.

THE Moldavian Dragon's-head, commonly called Mol-
davian Balm — in French, la melisse de Moldavie ; la Mol-
davique ; la melisse des Turcs [Turk's balm] — is an annual
plant with blue flowers, which appear in July, and con-
tinue till the middle of August. It has a strong scent,
which to some persons is very agreeable. The seeds of
this, and of the other annual kinds, may be sown either
in March or September, in small pots, one seed in each,
or several in a larger pot, and thinned as they may
require it when they come up. Some kinds are more
branched than others.

Balm of Gilead is a perennial plant, a native of the
Canary Islands: it has blue or flesh-coloured flowers,
continuing from July to September. It is called Balm of
Gilead from its fine odour when rubbed. The old writers
call it Camphorosma, and Cedronella, upon the same ac-
count. It should be s,own in September, and kept in the
house during the winter. When grown, it will require
shelter from frost only ; but when first sown, should be
treated rather more tenderly. It may also be increased
by cuttings, which, planted in any of the summer months,
and placed in the shade, will soon take root.

The Virginian Dragon's-head — named by the French,
la cataleptique ; Vherbe dux paralitiques, from its use in
palsy and similar diseases — is a native of North America :
it has purple flowers, blowing from July to September.
This species requires a moist soil, and should have more

DRAGON'S-HEAD. 135

water than the others. It may be increased by parting
the roots in autumn.

The Austrian species is very handsome: the flowers
are violet-coloured. The Hyssop-leaved, a native of Nor-
way, Siberia, &c. has blue flowers, blowing in June.

The Siberian kind has pale blue flowers. The three
last-mentioned species should be sown towards the end
of March : when about two inches high, they should be
removed from where they were first sown into separate
pots, about eight inches wide : this should be done care-
fully, without removing the ball of earth attached to them,
and they should be placed in the shade until they have
taken new root. They will last three or four years, some-
times longer; but will not flower well after that age.
They should all be kept tolerably moist, particularly when
newly planted. The Balm of Gilead is the only kind that
requires shelter in the winter.

DEYAS.

ROSACEJE. ICOSANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

So called by Linnaeus from the Dryades, or nymphs of the oaks :
the leaves bearing some resemblance to those of the oak.

THE Five-petaled Dryas is a native of Siberia: it is
a very small plant, bearing yellow flowers. The Eight-
petaled species is a delicate little evergreen, with snow-
white blossoms, and extremely pretty: it is a native of
Lapland, Denmark, Siberia, Ireland, Scotland, England,
Italy, &c. Thus, like Homer, it may boast that at least
seven different places claim the honour of its birth. It is
a perennial plant, and will not suffer from cold. The
earth should be kept moderately moist. It flowers in June.

136 FLORA DOMESTICA.

EGG-PLANT.

SOLANUM MELONGENA.

80LANEJE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA."

The inhabitants of the British islands in the West Indies call it
Brown- John, or Brown- Jolly. — French, mayenne ; aubergine ; berin-
gene ; verangeane ; plante a ceuf. — Italian, melanzana [mad apple] ;
uovo Turco [Turkish egg] ; petronciano; marignano.

ALL the varieties of the Egg-plant are annual, and
must be raised in a hot-bed : they are cultivated chiefly
for their fruit, which is formed like an egg, and when
white, has exactly the appearance of one : it varies in size
from two to nine or ten inches in length ; and in colour,
from white to yellow, pale red, or purple. Here the fruit
is only regarded as a curiosity; but in the East Indies
they broil it, and eat it with salt and pepper ; or slice it,
pickle it for an hour or two, boil it tender, and eat it
as greens. The Turks, who are fond of it, call it Ba-
dinjan.

It may be placed in the open air at the end of May.
The fruit appears in July ; and then, when the weather is
dry, water should be given liberally every evening.

ERINUS.

RHINANTHACEjE. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA.

French, 1'erine; la mandeline.

THE Alpine Erinus is a pretty little plant, producing
flowers of a lively purple, which are in bloom the greater
part of the summer ; appearing in April or May. It is a
native of Germany, the Swiss Alps, the Pyrenees, and the
South of France. It must not be set in a rich soil : it

ERINUS. 137

prefers a loamy earth, is fond of the shade, and may be
increased by parting the roots in autumn. The Erinus
grows naturally among the rocks, and will thrive well in
the chinks of an old wall : it should have a little water in
dry weather.

EVERLASTING.

GNAPHALIUM.

CORYMBIFER.E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.*

The botanical name is derived from the Greek, and signifies cotton,
or nap : the origin of the familiar name is obvious. — French, gnaphale;
cottoniere. — Italian, gnafalio; elicriso.

THE Common Shrubby Everlasting grows to the height
of about three feet. It has yellow flowers, which, if ga-
thered before they are much opened, and kept from air
and dust, will continue in beauty many years. It is a
native of Germany, France, and Spain. By old writers, it
is called Gold-flower, God's-flower, Goldilocks, Golden-
stoechas, and Cassidony. This species, the Red-flowered,
and the Sweet-scented with yellow flowers, are sufficiently
hardy to live in the open air in mild winters, if placed in
a sheltered situation ; but it is advisable to cover their
roots with straw in frosty weather ; and if very severe, they
must be housed. The French usually call it T immortelle
jaune; but in Languedoc, sauveto.

The Pearly-White Everlasting is a native of North
America, where it is called Life-Everlasting, because its
silvery leaves will long preserve their beauty unchanged.
It grows in extreme profusion in uncultivated fields, glades,
&c. and flowers from July to September. A decoction of
the stalks and flowers is used to foment the limbs for pains
and bruises. The Plantain-leaved is also a North Ame-

138 FLORA DOMESTICA.

rican, and has white flowers. These two kinds will thrive
in almost any soil or situation, and are easily increased by
their roots, which may be transplanted in the autumn.

There are many species from the Cape, requiring winter
shelter, but not artificial heat: their flowers are white,
purple, or yellow. The earth should be kept moderately
moist for all the species.

The Eastern-Everlasting, called Golden-Flower-Gentle,
is one of the Cape kinds : it has been long cultivated in
Portugal, where, in the winter season, the churches are
adorned with its brilliant flowers.

FOX-GLOVE.

DIGITALIS.

PERSONEJE. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA.

This plant is also called Finger- Flower ; the shape of the flower
resembling the finger of a glove ; and Bell- Flower. — French, dogtier
[finger-flower], gantlet; gants de notre dame. — Italian, guantelli;
aralda.

THE common Fox-glove is an extremely handsome
flower, varying in colour from a Roman-purple to a violet-
colour, cream-colour, orange-tawney, blush-colour, or
white. It has a poisonous quality, but in skilful hands
becomes a useful medicine. This species is a native of
Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Great Britain ; and
flowers from June to August or September.

The Iron-coloured Fox-glove is a native of Italy and
Constantinople, and flowers from the beginning of June
to the end of July.

The seeds should be sown in autumn, about four in a
pot seven or eight inches wide: in dry summer weather
they should be watered every evening; but in the winter

FOX-GLOVE. 139

two or three times a week would be sufficient. The
Canary Shrubby Fox-glove has yellow flowers, which
begin to appear in May. The Madeira-Shrubby Fox-
glove is a very handsome plant, flowering in July and
August. These two kinds must be sheltered in the
winter, admitting the fresh air in mild weather. In the
summer they should be placed abroad where they may
enjoy the morning sun ; and in dry weather be plentifully
watered every evening: twice a week will suffice in
winter.

The seedlings, sown in the autumn, and kept in a
room tolerably warm, will be large enough to be trans-
planted early in spring ; when they should be placed se-
parately in small pots, and after they have taken firm
root, should be gradually accustomed to the open air.

It is a pity this plant is poisonous, for it is extremely
beautiful, particularly those kinds which are of a deep
rose-colour. They are all speckled within the bell, which
adds still more to their richness.

Mrs. C. Smith invites the bee to

" Explore the Fox-glove's freckled bell."

Browne uses a similar epithet when he describes Pan as
seeking gloves for his mistress ; a curious conceit :

" To keepe her slender fingers from the sunne,
Pan through the pastures oftentimes hath runne
To pluck the speckled Fox-gloves from their stem,
And on those fingers neatly placed them."

W. BROWNE.

It is not one of his happiest passages ; but he is a true
poet, and deserves in particular the gratitude of the lover
of nature. Cowley has the same conceit, but conceits are
common with Cowley :

" The Fox-glove on fair Flora's hand is worn,
Lest while she gathers flowers she meet a thorn."

COWLEY, ON PLANTS.

140 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

FRITILLAKY.

FRITILLARIA.

LILIACE.E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE Imperial Fritillary, or Crown Imperial, is supposed
to be a native of Persia: there are many varieties, all
handsome, and varying in colour. This species is less
esteemed than its beauty merits, on account of its strong
and disagreeable scent. The earth should be kept mo-
derately moist. About the end of July the bulbs should
be taken up, cleaned, &c. Sec. and kept out of the earth
about two months; but care must be taken in putting
'them by, to lay them all singly, not in heaps. The offsets
should be the first planted, because they are the most apt
to shrink.

This lily requires deep pots, and the bulb should be
laid four inches deep at the least. It will require support,
and will flower in April.

The Persian Fritillary, or Persian Lily — called by the
Italians, glglw di Persia ; giglio di Susa ; and pennacchi
Persiani — bears a spike of deep purple flowers, growing at
the top of the stem in the form of a pyramid : they open
in May, but seldom produce seeds in England.

The Black Fritillary is a native of France and Russia ;
it has yellow flowers, which blow in April or May.

The Common Fritillary, or Chequered Lily, is a native
of England, and most of the southern parts of Europe.
The flowers are chequered with purple and white, or
purple and yellow. " It is for this reason," says Mr.
Martyn, " that it has been named Fritillaria, fromfritillus,
[a draught or chess-board]. Nevertheless, fritillus is not
the board, but the dice-box."

FRITILLARY.

It has many familiar English names, as Turkey-hen-
flower, Guinea-hen-flower, Chequered Daffodil, and
Snake's-head ; from which last name, a meadow between
Kew and Mortlake is called SnakeVhead Meadow. Some
call it Narcissus Caparonius, from Noel Caparon, who
first discovered it: he was an apothecary, then dwelling
in Orleans, but murdered soon after in the massacre of
France. The French call it le damier [the chess-board] :
the Italians, giglio variegato; fritillaria scaccheggiata
[chess-board fritillary].

Gerarde informs us that " the curious and painful herbal-
ist of Paris, John Robin," sent him many of the plants for
his garden, and that " they were greatly esteemed for the
beautifying of our gardens, and the bosoms of the beau-
tiful."

This lily flowers in April and May. The three last
may be preserved and increased in the same manner as
the first ; only they do not take so much room, and the
roots will not keep so long out of the ground. If they
cannot conveniently be planted sooner, they should be
laid in sand, to prevent their shrinking. They should be
removed every second year ; will bear the open air ; and
should have just water enough to prevent drought.

FUCHSIA.

TETRANDKIA MONOGYNIA.

So named in honour of Leonard Fuchs, a noted German botanist.

THIS is a most beautiful little plant ; the leaves are of a
fine green ; their veins tinged with red : the flowers pen-
dulous, and of a brilliant scarlet. " The Scarlet Fuchsia,"
says Mr. Martyn, " is a plant of peculiar beauty, pro-
ducing its rich pendant blossoms during most part of the

FLORA DOMESTICA.

summer : the petals in the centre of the flower are par-
ticularly deserving of notice ; they somewhat resemble a
small roll of the richest purple-coloured riband."

It is a native of Chili. It will not bear the open air in
this country, and in the winter must be kept in a warm in-
habited room ; for it is commonly treated as a stove-plant.
The fresh air should be admitted in the summer, and it
should always be kept moist. This is an elegant plant for
the drawing-room or study.

FUMITORY.

FUMARIA.

FUMARJDEJE. DIADELPHIA HEXANDRIA.

So named from a notion that it affects the eyes like smoke, or
rather because a bed of the common kind when in flower appears at a
distance like a dense smoke. — French, fumiterre ; the common species
by the villagers is called coridalo.

THE Red Canadian Fumitory is a handsome plant with
large flowers. The Evergreen Fumitory has purple
flowers, which bloom all the summer: it is a' native of
North America. They may be sown in the autumn ; two
or three seeds in a pot eight inches wide ; and watered
occasionally in dry weather. The Naked-stalked Fumi-
tory, a native of Canada, has white and yellow blossoms,
and may be increased by offsets from the roots, which
should be planted in the autumn when the leaves have
decayed.

The Great-flowered Siberian, with white and yellow
flowers; blowing in May: and the Bulbous Fumitory,
with purple, blush-coloured, or white flowers, may also
be increased by offsets. The time to transplant these is
between May and August (inclusive), as the leaves die off.

FUMITORY. 143

They are pretty, and very hardy. As they do not Increase
very fast, they should not be parted oftener than once in
three years. They like a light sandy soil, and the earth
should be kept moderately moist. The last species grows
wild in many parts of Europe. It has the scent of the
Cowslip.

The Bladdered Fumitory is rather tender. It is an an-
nual plant, raised in a hot-bed, and not exposed to the
open air till June. The other kinds are hardy, and may
be treated in the same manner as those first mentioned.

GENTIAN.

GENTIANA.

GENTIANE^E. PENTANDRIA DIGYNIA.

So named from Gentius, King of Illyria. — French, la gentiane. —
Italian, la genziana.

THE Gentians are very numerous, and many of them
eminently beautiful. They are generally difficult to pre-
serve in a garden ; and being long-rooted, very few are
adapted for planting in pots. The smaller kinds, how-
ever, may be so cultivated ; as the Swallow-wort-leaved,
which does not exceed a foot in height, and has large light-
blue bell-shaped flowers, blowing in July and August. This
species is a native of many parts of Europe ; it must have
a moist loamy soil, and be placed in the shade. The roots
only are perennial; the stalks decay annually; and of most
of the species, the flowers appear but once in two or three
years. They all like moisture, and should be watered
liberally in dry weather, particularly the March Gentian,
which has also fine blue flowers, though few in number.
They blow in August and September. This species

144 FLORA DOMESTICA.

grows naturally in England and many other parts of
Europe. If it be in strong moist earth, it will flower
every year.

Cowley, taking advantage of the origin of the name, pro-
poses this plant, by the name of Royal Gentian, in answer
to Virgil:

" Die quibus in terris inscripti nomina regum

Nascantur flores."

VIRGIL, Eclogue 3.

" Now tell me first in what new region springs
A flower that bears inscribed the name of kings."

DRYDEN.

Not very aptly, however, for the Gentian is not supposed
to bear a name inscribed on its blossoms. Virgil has been
supposed to allude to the Hyacinth and some of the poe-
tical fictions connected with it.

The Dwarf Gentian, or Gentianella, has a most beau-
tiful blue flower, which blows in April and May : it is a
native of the Alps, requires the same treatment as the
others, and may be increased by parting the roots once in
three or four years. The Fringed-flowered species has
also large blue flowers, appearing in August and Sep-
tember. It is a native of many parts of Europe, and of
Canada, and may be treated in every respect like the last.

The Small Alpine, and the aquatic kinds have also
blossoms of a vivid blue, flowering in May and June.
Linnaeus speaks of the first as adorning the Pyrenees with
its splendid blossoms ; the latter is a native of China and
Japan. These two are annual, and, growing naturally in
wet spongy places, should be sown in a boggy earth, and
placed in the shade. When the plants come up, the sur-
face of the earth should be covered with moss, which
should be kept always moist, or rather — wet. Of most of
the species, there is a variety with white flowers.

The Large Yellow Gentian is a very useful plant, being

GENTIAN. 145

not only a valuable medicine, but also an excellent sub-
stitute for hops in brewing: and before hops had esta-
blished their reputation, this Gentian was commonly used
for that purpose. The roots of this and of the Purple
Gentian strike two feet in depth.

All the kinds here mentioned will bear the open air.

GERANIUM.

GERANIUM, ERODIUM, AND PELARGONIUM.

GERANIACE-ffi. MONADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

The name, Geranium, is derived from the Greek language, and sig-
nifies a crane : the fruit having the form of a crane's bill and head.
The English name is Crane's-bill ; but the plant is more generally
known by its botanical appellations. The Geranium is divided, into
three genera : Erodium is the first, Pelargonium the second, and the
third retains the old name of Geranium, which, indeed, is still fa-
miliarly used for them all, as well as the English name Crane's-bill.
Erodium is from the Greek, and signifies a heron, whose bill is similar
to that of the crane ; Pelargonium is from the same language, and
signifies a stork, whose bill is equally long. — French, le geranion ; la
geraine ; bee de grue ; bee de cicogne. — Italian, geranio, becco di gru.

THERE is no end to the varieties of Geranium, and as
new ones continually occur, there most probably never
will be an end to them. It were idle to attempt a general
description of a plant so well known as any common species
of Geranium ; since there is scarcely a street, or even an
alley in London, but is adorned with one or more of them.
But there are many plants bearing this title which have no
kind of resemblance to these in their general appearance,
and which the most passionate lover or attentive observer
of these beautiful plants, unskilled in the mysteries of bo-
tanical science, would never discover to belong to them,

146 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Erodiums, with very few exceptions, may be in-
creased— the annual kinds from seed, the perennial by
parting the roots in autumn, — and will thrive in the open
air. The principal exceptions are the Crassifolium, or
Upright Crane's-bill, the Incarnatum, or Flesh-coloured,
the Glaucophyllum, or Glaucous-leaved, and Chamsedry-
oides, or Dwarf Geranium, which must be treated as the
Pelargoniums.

The Geranium, specifically so called, may be treated in
the same manner as the Erodiums, and will thrive in
almost any soil or situation. The Pelargoniums, which
constitute the principal division of this great genus, require
more care. They may be easily raised from seed ; but a
person desiring large and early flowers will procure a
plant which h?" been raised in a hot-bed.

The Shrubby African Geraniums are commonly in-
creased by cuttings, which, planted in June or July, and
placed in the shade, will take root in five or six weeks.
In September, or in October, as the weather is more or
less mild, they must be housed : even when grown, the
Pelargoniums must be housed in winter ; at which time
they should be gently watered twice a week, if the weather
is not frosty. In May they may be gradually accustomed
to the open air, and about the end of that month be
placed abroad entirely in the day; but should still for
the next two or three weeks be under cover at night,
though fresh air must be admitted. After that time they
must be defended from strong winds, and be so placed as
to enjoy the sun till eleven o'clock in the morning.

As the shrubby kinds grow rather fast, they will some-
times fill the pot with their roots, and push them through
the opening at the bottom ; they must therefore be moved
every two or three weeks in the summer, and the fresh roots
which are seen pushing through must be cut off. They

GERANIUM. 147

should also be newly potted twice in the course of the
summer : once about a month after they are placed abroad,
and again towards the end of August. When this is
done, all the roots on the outside of the ball of earth
should be carefully pared off, and as much of the old
earth removed as can be done without injuring the plants.
If they then require a larger pot, they should be planted
in one about two inches wider than that from which they
have been removed. Some fresh earth should first be
placed at the bottom, and on that the plant should be
placed in such a manner, that the ball of earth adhering to
it may be about an inch below the rim of the pot: it
should then be filled up, and the pot a little shaken to
settle the earth about the roots : the earth must then be
gently pressed down at the top, leaving a little space for
water to be given without running over the rim: finally,
the plant should be liberally watered, and the stem fastened
to a stake, to prevent the winds from displacing the roots
before they are newly fixed.

As the branches advance in growth, and new leaves are
formed at the tops of them, the lower ones constantly
decay : these should be plucked off every week or fort-
night ; as they are not only unsightly, but injurious to the
air about the plants.

The tube-rooted kinds may be increased by parting the
roots, which should be done in August : every tuber that
has an eye to it will grow. Such as are raised from slips
should be planted in May, June, or July, taking only the
last year's shoots, from which the lower leaves must be
stripped. When planted, give them water, and place
them in the shade. In four or five weeks they will have
taken root, when they may be so placed as to enjoy the
sun till eleven in the morning, and there remain until re-
moved to their winter quarters. The slips chosen for

L 2

148 FLORA DOMESTICA.

cutting should not be such as bear flowers; and they
should be inserted about half their length in the earth.

Many of the Geraniums are annual ; and as they are so
numerous, it would be well, where there is room but for a
few, to select such as are perennial. The cuttings of dif-
ferent species of the Pelargoniums do not all strike root
with equal readiness. The following may be readily in-
creased in this manner :

The Multifid-leaved or Pelargonium Radula.

The Clammy Glutinosum.

The Heart-leaved Cordatum.

The Prickly-stalked Echinatum.

The Square-stalked Tetragonum.

The Birch-leaved Betulinum.

The Ternate Ternatum.

The shrubby kinds are the most tender ; the others re-
quire shelter from frost only, and should have free air
admitted to them whenever the weather is not very severe :
in mild weather, the shrubby kinds also may be permitted
to enjoy the fresh air.

In sultry weather the Geraniums should all be watered
liberally every evening, with the exception of some few of
the Pelargoniums, which are of a succulent nature. Those
must be watered sparingly. The succulent ones may be
discerned by merely plucking a leaf from them. The
season for flowering is generally from April to August.

Those who are curious in Geraniums may see them
figured in most of their known varieties, in a very beau-
tiful work, published in numbers, entitled Andrews's Mo-
nograph on the Genus Geranium. This work represents
them in their full beauty ; and, being very finely-coloured,
gives you as good an idea of them, as if you had seen the
plants themselves- The Elegant, the Magnificent, and the
Handsome kinds fully justify their titles. The Geranium

GERANIUM. 149

Tricolor Arboreum, or Three-coloured Tree Geranium, is
similar, both in the form of the leaves and the flowers, to
the Hearts-ease : the flowers are white and red, and un-
commonly beautiful. In appearance, it is neither more nor
less than a large red and white Hearts-ease. The Oval-
leaved Three-coloured Geranium bears a flower somewhat
smaller, but of the same form and colour. The Birch-
leaved, in all its varieties, is remarkably handsome, with
brilliant red flowers. The Wrinkly-leaved has very large
and beautiful blossoms : the Sea-green-leaved is an ex-
ceedingly elegant and delicate plant: the Heart-leaved
particularly luxuriant.

Mr. Andrews observes, that the varieties of the Ge-
ranium Citriodorum, or Citron-scented Geranium, are the
only ones which make a powerful appeal to the olfactory
nerves, without rubbing the leaves. Most of them emit an
agreeable odour when lightly rubbed with the finger; and
a person approaching a Geranium, almost mechanically
rubs or plucks a leaf for its perfume ; or, with some species,
for its soft velvety surface :

" And genteel Geranium
With a leaf for all that come,"

seldom fails of obtaining notice and admiration, however it
may be surrounded by the most curious or brilliant exotics.
The Thick-stemmed Geranium is a very singular plant.
" This species," says Mr. Andrews, " was found (by Mr.
Antoni Pantaleo Hove, in 1785, while Botanical Collector
to his Majesty) near five feet high, in the bay of Angra
Peguena, on the south-western coast of Africa, in the
chasms of a white marble rock, apparently without any
earth; for, on pulling up the plant, the roots were several
yards in length, naked, and as hard as wire ; and appeared
to have received nourishment solely from the moisture

150 FLORA DOMESTICA.

lodged there during the rainy season, assisted by a little
sand drifted by the wind into the cavities. The heat was
so intense on these rocks as to blister the soles of the feet ;
and yet all the Geraniums there were in perfection, being
just then their flowering season, about the middle of
April*."

The Lance-leaved and Ivy-leaved species are extremely
elegant. As there are many kinds of Geranium in esti-
mation, and they differ in being more or less hardy, it may
be well to subjoin a little table of those most commonly
cultivated here, with these distinctions :

The Geranium Divaricatum or Divaricated Geranium.
Carolinianum Carolina.

These two are annual, should be raised in a hot-bed, kept
in the open air during the summer, and will then decay.

The Maculatum or Spotted-leaved Geranium.

Sanguineum Blood-coloured.

Pratense Meadow.

Phaeum Black red-flowered.

Striatum Streaked-flowered.

Lancastriense Lancashire-striped.

Macrorhi zum Long-odorous-rooted.

Palustre Marsh.

Sylvaticum Sylvan.

Argenteum Silvery-leaved.

Nodosum Knotty.

These are hardy perennial kinds, which, unless in very
severe winters, will bear the open air: they should be
gently watered every evening in the summer ; and three
times a week, when not frosty, in the winter. Of the
Pelargoniums, demanding winter shelter as directed, are
the following :

The Pelargonium Cortusi-folium or Cortusa-leaved Pelargonium.
Australe Botany-bay.

* Andrews' Monograph, on the Genus Geranium, No. 21.

GERANIUM.

151

The Pelargonium Barringtonium or
Beaufortianum
Betulinum
Bicolor
Blattarium
Citronium
Cordifolium
Crenatum
Formosum
Fragrans
Grandiflorum
Speciosum
Tricolor
Tomentosum
Elegans
Hybridum
Heterogamum
Zonale
Peltatum
Inquinans
Cucullatum
Penicillatum
Glutinosum
Angulosum
Nummulifolium
Papilionaceum
Echinatum
Radula
Asperum
Ternatum
Graveolens
Vitifolium
Capitatum
Balsameum
Incisum
Tetragonum
Gibbosum
Acetosum
Denticulatum
Quercifolium
Fulgidum
Reniforme
Fragile

Barrington Pelargonium.

Beaufort's.

Birch-leaved.

Two-coloured.

Hoary-leaved.

Citron-scented.

Heart-leaved.

Cape Scarlet.

Handsome.

Fragrant.

Great-flowering.

Beautiful.

Three-coloured.

Downy.

Elegant.

Bastard.

Lady Coventry's.

Horse-shoe.

Peltated.

Scarlet.

Hooded.

Pencilled.

Clammy.

Marsh- Mallow-leaved.

Coin-leaved.

Butterfly.

Prickly-stalked.

Multifid-leaved.

Rough-leaved.

Ternate.

Rose-scented.

Vine-leaved, Balm-scented.

Rose-scented.

Balsamic.

Gashed.

Square-stalked.

Gouty.

Sorrel.

Toothed.

Oak-leaved.

Celandine-leaved.

Kidney-leaved.

Brittle.

152 FLORA DOMESTICA.

These are chiefly natives of the Cape of Good Hope.

The Geranium which first became familiar to us, that
with plain red flowers, is still, and deservedly, a favourite.
It may be brought to grow very large by care and atten-
tion, and bears an abundance of blossoms. Cowper speaks
of it, in describing the inhabitants of the greenhouse :

Geranium boasts

Her crimson honours."

Mrs. Charlotte Smith, in her Conversations on Natural
History, introduces some lines to a Geranium, which had
been carefully nursed.

GERMANDER.

TEUCRIUM.

LABIATJB. DIDYNAMJA GYMNOSPERMIA.

From Teucer, son of Scamander, and father-in-law of Dardanus,
king of Troy.

OF the numerous species of Teucrium, it will suffice to
select a few of the most desirable ; as,

1. The Many-flowered; red flowers; na-

tive of Spain.

2. The Canadian ; yellow ; blowing in August and September.

3. The Virginian; red; July and August.

4. The Betony-leaved ; Persian ; August to October.

5. The Water-leaved ; pink, or pale pur-

ple ; Europe ; July and August.

€. The Common, or Wall; red-purple;
Europe, Palestine, and Islands of
the Archipelago.

7. The Shining; yellow; Mount Atlas,

South of Europe ; June to September.

8. The Pyrenean; purple and white.

9. The Poley ; yellow or white; South of

Europe ; June to July.

GERMANDER. 153

The second, third, and fifth kinds will, in mild winters,
thrive abroad, even in pots ; the fifth must have a very
moist soil, and will require more water than the others.
The other six kinds must be sheltered from the frosts of
winter, and be kept moderately moist.

Most of them may be raised from cuttings planted early
in April, and shaded till they have taken root.

Mr. H. Smith, enumerating a variety of flowers which
have their origin in the metamorphosis of lovers, &c., adds,

-" that baptized

With Phrygian Teucer's name."

GLOBE-FLOWEK.

TROLHUS.

RANUNCULACE^I. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

The botanical name is supposed to be of German origin, and to sig-
nify a Magic-flower. It is also called Globe-Ranunculus, and Globe
Crow-foot, from the coloured lobes of the calyx being always inflected
at the tip, and never expanded, so that they, constantly form a com-
plete globe. — French, le renoncule de montagne.

THE European Globe-flower is a native of most parts
of Europe, growing in moist shady places. It is very
common in the north of England ; in the south it is found
only in gardens. In the northern counties, it is called
Locker-goulans, which Mr. Martyn supposes to be a cor-
ruption of the Lucker-gowan (Cabbage -daisy) of the Scots.
Allan Ramsay makes his young laird seek a chaplet of it
for his Katy's brow.

"This splendid flower," says Linnaeus, "adorns the
pavement of the rustics on festival days." It is a bright
yellow flower, blowing in May and June. " In Westmore-

154 FLORA DOMESTICA.

land these flowers are collected with great festivity, by the
youth of both sexes, at the beginning of June ; about
which time it is usual to see them return from the woods
in an evening, laden with them, to adorn their doors and
cottages with wreaths and garlands *.

The Globe-flower may be increased by parting the roots
in September, when the leaves begin to decay; but they
must not be parted very small, nor oftener than every third
year.

The Siberian Globe-flower has paler flowers, and more
open, than those of the European species : this also blows
in May and June, and may be increased in the same man-
ner ; but it requires a soil yet more moist than that does ;
and the best way to keep it flourishing is to cover the
earth with moss, and to water it frequently. They both
love the shade ; exposure to the sun, and want of water,
will soon destroy them. They will bear the open air at
all seasons.

GLOBULARIA.

GLOBULARIE^E. TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So named by Tournefort, from the flowers growing many together
in the form of a little globe, or ball.

THE Montpelier Globularia— in French, T 'arbrisseau
terrible; Globulaire turbith; but in Languedoc, loupichot
fern — is a leafy little shrub, the leaves resembling those of
the myrtle: the flowers blue. From its medicinal pro-
perties it has been named Herb terrible. It flowers from
August to November. This plant may be increased by

* Martyn's edition of Miller's Gardener s Dictionary.

GLOBULARIA. 155

cuttings, which should be taken in April, just before
it begins to make new shoots. They are usually put
into a hot-bed until they have taken root; but, if kept in
the house, they will strike very well without. When rooted,
they should be inured by degrees to the open air ; but
must be housed again towards winter, admitting fresh air
when not frosty.

The Common Globularia, Globe-daisy, or Blue-daisy, is
a native of most other parts of Europe, but not of Eng-
land: it is called in France, la boulette. In Gerarde's,
and even in Parkinson's time, it was rarely seen in our
gardens. The flower is a beautiful blue, and appears in
May and June. This species, the Prickly-leaved, the
Wedge-leaved, and the Naked-stalked, may be increased
by parting the roots in the September of every second
year. They like a moist loamy earth, and will bear the
open air.

The Long-leaved Globularia, and the Oriental, may be
increased in the same manner, but in other respects must
be treated like the first. They all agree in liking the
shade, and a frequent supply of water, but they must not
have much at a time. All the kinds have blue flowers.

GOATS-KUE.

GALEGA.

DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

French, rue de chevre; lavanese. — Italian, capraggine; ruta ca-
praria ; lavanna ; lavanese ; lavamani ; sarracena : in Piedmont, bava-
rosce.

THE Common Goat's-rue grows naturally in Africa, and
in many parts of Europe. It has usually blue flowers ;

156 FLORA DOMESTICA.

but there are varieties with white and with variegated
blossoms. It flowers in June. Some give this species the
name of Italian Vetch. It will live in the open air, and
must be kept moderately moist.

The Virginian species has red flowers, is less hardy,
and must be housed in the winter, admitting fresh air in
mild weather. Most of the species are natives of the
East or West Indies, and are therefore hot-house plants.
Some of these are very handsome. Among them is one
called Galega Tinctoria, from which the inhabitants of
Ceylon prepare their indigo ; and another called Galega
Toxicaria, of which the leaves and branches, pounded
and thrown into a river or pond, affect the water in such
a manner as to intoxicate the fish, and make them float on
the surface as if dead. Most of the larger ones recover
after a short time, but the greater part of the small fry
perish. On account of its intoxicating qualities it is much
cultivated in America.

GOLDEN-LOCKS.

CHllYSOCOMA.

CORYMBIFER^E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA

The botanical name is derived from two Greek words of the above
signification. By country-people the English name is corrupted into
'Goldy-locks. — French, crisocome. — Italian, crisocoma.

MOST of these plants are natives of the Cape of Good
Hope, and must therefore be housed during the winter
season. They should, however, enjoy the fresh air in
mild weather, since they require protection from frost
only. They may be increased by cuttings, which should
be planted in the summer months, shaded from the sun,

GOLDEN-LOCKS. 157

and kept moist, and they will easily take root. It will
forward them to cover them with a hand-glass while
rooting.

The German Golden-locks — called in French crisocome
de Dioscoride, crisocome liniere — is usually propagated by
parting the roots, which should be done in autumn, soon
after the roots decay, in order that they may have time
to establish themselves in their new stations before the
winter. This species will live in the open air. It must
be sparingly watered. When touched, it gives out a fine
aromatic scent.

The shrubby kinds are in blossom nearly all the year
round. The flowers are yellow in all the species.

GOURD.

CUCURBITA.

CUCURBITACEjE. MONOECIA SYNGEXESIA.

French, la courge — Italian, la zucca: at Rome, cucuzza: in the
Brescia, suca_, co, melona.

THE Orange Gourd, and other small varieties, which
can be trained round a stake and kept within bounds, will
have a pretty effect in a balcony in the summer. They
may be sown towards the close of April, and should be
watered every evening in dry summer weather. They are
annual plants.

The larger species of Gourd are very useful to
their countrymen. The Bottle Gourd — named by the
French la calebasse ; la gourde; leflacon; la calebasxe
d'herbe; and by the Italians la zucca lotiga; la mazza
d'Ercole [Hercules's club]— which the Arabians call char-
rah, is, by the poor, boiled in vinegar and eaten. Some-

158 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

times they make it into a kind of pudding, by filling the
shell with rice and meat. In Jamaica the shells are in
general use as water cups, and frequently serve the negroes
and poorer sort of white people for bottles. The largest
variety of this species is cultivated for the sake of the
shells, which will sometimes contain five, six, or seven
gallons. The War ted Gourd — called by the French le
potiron a verrues; la barbarine — is gathered when half-
grown by the Americans, and boiled as a sauce to their
meat. The Water Melon — in French, la pasteque; le
melon d'eau; citronelle ; concombre citrin : in Italian, coco-
mero; mellone: in Venice, anguria: in the Brescian,
sorgtiel — serves the Egyptians for meat, drink, and medi-
cine, from the beginning of May to the end of July.
They are eaten abundantly. When they are very ripe,
their juice, mixed with a little rose-water and sugar, forms
the only medicine which the common people take in the
most ardent fevers.

The Pompion, or Pumpkin, — called in France le poti-
ron; le pepon; la citronille: in Italy, zucca bernoccoluta ;
popone ; poponoino — which in Europe is considered hard
of digestion, is reckoned in the Eastern countries as the
most wholesome of all the Gourds. In North America,
China, &c. the Squash Gourd — in French, le pastisson ;
le bonnet d' elect eur — also is considered as an article of
food; arid, as it will keep fresh and sweet for several
months, is very useful in long voyages. The fruit of the
Gourds, when unripe, is generally of a green colour, and,
if such a phrase may be allowed, a very green green.

" Then gan the shepherd gather into one
His straggling goats, and drave them to a foord,
Whose caerule stream, roinbling in pihble-stone,
Crept under moss, as green as any goord."

SPENSER'S VIRGIL'S GNAT.

GOURD. 159

" Sometimes a poet from that bridge might see
A nymph reach downwards, holding by a bough
With tresses o'er her brow ;
And with her white back stoop
The pushing stream to scoop
In a green gourd cup, shining sunnily."

HUNT'S NYMPHS.

Cowper appears in the following passage to have con-
founded the Gourd with the cucumber :

<f To raise the prickly and green-coated gourd,
So grateful to the palate, and, when rare,
So coveted ; else base and discs teemed,
Food for the vulgar merely * ; is an art
That toiling ages have but just matured."

GREEK VALERIAN.

POLEMONIUM CJERULEUM.

POLEMONIACE^E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Jacob's Ladder ; Ladder to Heaven.

»

THIS plant has no affinity to the valerian : it has only
some little resemblance in the shape of the leaves. The
flowers are pretty, blue or white, and open about the end
of May. It is a native of Asia and the North of Europe.
The seeds may be sown in spring, in a fresh light soil, not
very rich. At Michaelmas they may be transplanted into
separate pots, of a middle size: or they may be in-

* A new species of Gourd has been very lately introduced from
Persia under the name of vegetable marrow ; the flesh, when not fully
ripe, having a peculiar softness, and, when peeled and boiled, re-
sembling the buttery quality of the beurre pears. It is easily culti-
vated, aad promises to be a great acquisition to our tables.

160 FLORA DOMESTICA.

creased by parting the roots in autumn. The earth
should be moderately moist, but never wet.

GUELDER-ROSE.

VIBURNUM OPULUS.

CAPRIFOLIE2E. PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA.

Elder-rose; Rose-elder; Snowball-tree.

THIS elegant shrub is a variety of a species of viburnum
called Water-elder, and delights in a moist soil. The
name of Snowball-tree is so appropriate as naturally to
suggest itself to the mind ; and I have more than once
heard it remarked by persons who knew it only by its
more general title of Guelder-rose, that it should have
been called the Snowball-tree.

It has, at first sight, the appearance of a little maple-
tree that has been pelted with snowballs ; and we almost
fear to see them melt away in the sunshine. This beauti-
ful snowball of summer continues, however, to adorn the
green leaves, which so finely contrast with its whiteness,
for two or three successive months, first appearing to-
wards the end of May.

When kept in pots, the Guelder-rose will require water-
ing every evening in dry summer weather. Being a native
of North America, it will bear our climate very well ; but
it will be important, when in blossom, to shelter it from
heavy rains, which would be apt partially to thaw these
delicate flowers.

Cowper, who loved his garden, and found new pleasure

GUELDER-ROSE. 161

in transplanting his flowers into his poems, describes the
Guelder-rose as

-« tall,

And throwing up into the darkest gloom
Of neighbouring cypress, or more sable yew,
Her silver globes, light as the foamy surf
That the wind severs from the broken wave/

HAWTHORN.

CRAT^GUS OXYACANTHA.

ROSACE^E. ICOSANDRIA DIGYNIA.

French, Taubepine ; 1'e'pine-blanche ; la noble e'pine ; le senellier. —
Italian, bianco-spino ; amperlo; bagaia. — English, Hawthorn, from
the Anglo-Saxon, haegthorn ; Whitethorn; Quick; May-bush.

FEW trees exceed the Common Hawthorn in beauty,
during the season of its bloom. Its blossoms have been
justly compared to those of the myrtle : they are ad-
mirable also for their abundance, and for their exquisite
fragrance. This shrub usually flowers in May ; and being
the handsomest then, or perhaps at any time, wild in our
fields, has obtained the name of May, or May-bush. The
country-people deck their houses and churches with the
blossoms on May-day, as they do with holly at Christmas.

" Youth's folk now flocken everywhere,
To gather May-buskets and smelling breere;
And home they hasten the posts to dight,
And all the kirk-pillars ere day-light,
With hawthorne buds, and sweet eglantine,
And girlonds of roses, and sops-in-wine."

SPENSER'S SHEPHERD'S CALENDAR.

There are many species of Hawthorn. India has its
Hawthorn: America, China, Siberia, have each their
Hawthorn: several are Europeans: but our own British

M

162 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

shrub yields to none of them. It is very common in every
part of England ; is to be seen in every hedge :

" And every shepherd tells his tale
Under the hawthorn in the dale."

MILTON, L'ALLEGRO.

We must not, however, let our fancies run so riot, as to
suppose that the poet here intends that we should con-
ceive a beautiful and youthful nymph sitting by the shep-
herd's side, to whom he is pouring forth his fond tale of
love; for, in very truth, the real image present in the
poet's mind was simply that of a shepherd telling his tale,
or, in unpoetic language, counting his sheep, as he lies
extended in the shade of this tree ; and to those who take
pleasure in a country life, and rural associations, perhaps
this image will appear scarcely less poetical, or less pleas-
ing, than the former interpretation, which many readers
give to this passage at first sight.

This tree not only delights our senses with its beauty
and perfume, and affords a cooling shade in sunny fields,
a benevolence for which it has been celebrated by many
of our best poets, but it also harbours the little birds
which cheer us with their joyous music. The thrush,
and many others, feed in winter on its berries, the bright
scarlet haws. A decoction of the bark yields a yellow
dye: the wood is used for axle-trees and tool-handles.
" The root of an old Thorn," says Evelyn, " is excellent
for boxes and combs. When planted single, it rises with
a stem big enough for the use of the turner ; and the
wood is scarcely inferior to box."

The Glastonbury variety, commonly called the Glaston-
bury Thorn, usually flowers in January or February ; but
it is sometimes in blossom on Christmas-day. In many
countries the peasants eat the berries of the Hawthorn ;
and the Kamschatkadales make a wine from them.

HAWTHORX. 163

The Hawthorn will grow many years in a pot or tub,
and require no other care than watering it occasionally in
dry weather, and removing it into a larger pot as it out-
grows the old one.

The scent of the May-blossom is proverbially sweet.
How much is said in praise both of its beauty and sweet-
ness in the following couplet !

fc A bush of May-flowers with the bees about them ;
Ah, sure no tasteful nook would be without them !"

KEATS.

Chaucer frequently speaks of the Hawthorn :

" There sawe I growing eke the freshe hauthorne
In white motley, that so sote doeth ysmell."

COMPLAINT OF THE BLACK KNIGHT.

In the celebration of May-day, in the Court of Love,
he says:

'' And furth goth all the Courte both most and lest
To fetche the flouris freshe, and braunch and blome,
And namely hauthorne brought both page and grome,
With fresh garlandis, party blew and white,
And than rejoysin in their grete delight."

" Amongst the many buds proclaiming May,
(Decking the fields in holiday's array,
Striving who shall surpasse in bravery)
Marke the faire blooming of the hawthorne-tree ;
Who, finely cloathed in a robe of white,
Feeds full the wanton eye with May's delight ;
Yet for the bravery that she is in
Doth neyther handle carde nor wheele to spin,
Nor changeth robes but twice, is never scene
In other colors than in white or greene.
Learn then content, young shepherd, from this tree,
Whose greatest wealth is Nature's livery."

" All the trees are quaintly tyred
With greene buds of all desired ;
And the hauthorne every day
Spreads some little show of May.

M 2

164 FLORA DOMESTICA.

See the primrose sweetly set

By the much-loved violet,

All the bankes doe sweetly cover

As they would invite a lover

With his lass, to see their dressing,

And to grace them by their pressing."

W. BROWNE,

" 'Tis May, the Grace,— confess'd she stands
By branch of hawthorn in her hands :
Lo ! near her trip the lightsome dews,
Their wings all tinged in iris hues ;
With whom the powers of Flora play,
And paint with pansies all the way." <,

WART ON.

Philips, in his Letter from Copenhagen, beautifully
describes the appearance of the Hawthorn in the winter :

" In pearls and rubies rich the hawthorns show,
While through the ice the crimson berries glow."

There is a beautiful address to the Hawthorn in the
poems of Ronsard. The following version*, which is
from the pen of the Rev. Mr. Gary, is so faithful, and so
happy, that the French poet will suffer no injustice if we
quote the translation only :

" Fair hawthorn flowering,

With green shade bowering
Along this lovely shore;

To thy foot around

With his long arms wound
A wild vine has mantled thee o'er.

(C In armies twain,

Red ants have ta'en
Their fortress beneath thy stock :

And in clefts of thy trunk

Tiny bees have sunk
A cell where honey they lock.

* See " Notices of the Early French Poets/' in the London Maga-
zine, vol. v. p 511.

HEART'S-EASE. 165

" In merry spring-tide,

When to woo his bride
The nightingale comes again,

Thy boughs among

He warbles his song,
That lightens a lover's pain.

" 'Mid thy topmost leaves

His nest he weaves
Of moss and the satin fine,

Where his callow brood

Shall chirp at their food,
Secure from each hand but mine.

" Gentle hawthorn, thrive,

And, for ever alive,
Mayst thou blossom as now in thy prime ;

By the wind unbroke,

And the thunderstroke,
Unspoiled by the axe of time."

The following lines by another French poet, Olivier de
Magny, addressed to Ronsard's servant, present a most
delightful picture :

" And if he with his troops repair

Sometimes into the fields,
Seek thou the village nigh, and there

Choose the best wine it yields.
Then by a fountain's grassy side,

O'er which some hawthorn bends,
Be the full flask by thee supplied,
To cheer him and his friends."

LONDON MAGAZINE, vol. v. p. 159.

HEARTS-EASE.

VIOLA TRICOLOR.

SYNGENESIA MONOGYNIA.

French, herbe de la Trinite ; pensees [thoughts].— Italian, flammola
[little flame] ; viola farfalla [butterfly violet] ; viola segolina [winged
violet]; nor della Trinita; suocera e nuora [mother-in-law and
daughter-in-law]. The Greeks have named it phlox I flame].

THIS beautiful flower is a native of Siberia, Japan, and

166 FLOIIA DOMESTICA.

many parts of Europe. It is a general favourite, as might
be supposed from the infinity of provincial names which
have been bestowed upon it from its beautiful colours : —

Love in Idleness. Jump up and kiss me.

Live in Idleness. Look up and kiss me.

Call me to you. Kiss me ere I rise.

Cull me to you. Kiss me behind the Garden-gate.

Three Faces under a Hood. Pink of my John.

Herb Trinity. Flower of Jove.

And Flamy, because its colours are seen in the flame of wood.

It is a species of violet, and is frequently called the
Pansy-violet, or Pansy, a corruption of the French name,
penstes.

The smaller varieties are scentless, but the larger ones
have an agreeable odour. Drayton celebrates its perfume
by the flowers with which he compares it in this respect ;
but then, to be sure, his is an Elysian HeartVease :

" The pansy and the violet, here,

As seeming to descend
Both from one root, a very pair,
For sweetness do contend.

" And pointing to a pink to tell

Which bears it, it is loth
To judge it; but replies, for smell
That it excels them both.

" Wherewith displeased they hang their heads,

So angry soon they grow,
And from their odoriferous beds
Their sweets at it they throw."

The Heart's-ease has been lauded by many of our poets ;
it has been immortalised even by Shakspeare himself;
but no one has been so warm and constant in its praise as
Mr. Hunt, who has mentioned it in many of his works.
In the Feast of the Poets, he entwines it with the Vine and
the Bay, for the wreath bestowed by Apollo upon Mr. T.
Moore. In the notes to that little volume, he again speaks

HEART'S-EASE. 167

of this flower, and I do not know that I can do better than
steal a few of its pages to adorn this.

<e It is pleasant to light upon an universal favourite, whose merits
answer one's expectation. We know little or nothing of the common
flowers among the ancients ; but as violets in general have their due
mention among the poets that have come down to us, it is to he con-
cluded that the Heart' s-ease could not miss its particular admiration,
— if indeed it existed among them in its perfection. The modern Latin
name for it is Jlos Jovis, or Jove's flower, — an appellation rather too
worshipful for its little sparkling delicacy, and more suitable to the
greatness of an hydrangea or to the diadems of a rhododendron.

" Quaeque per irriguas quaerenda Sisymbria valles
Crescunt, nectendis cum myrto nata coronis ;
Flosque Jovis varius, folii tricoloris, et ipsi
Par violae, nulloque tamen spectatus odore.

RAPINI HORTORUM, lib. i.

<f With all the beauties in the vallies bred,

Wild mint, that 's born with myrtle crowns to wed,
And Jove's own flower, that shares the violet's pride,
Its want of scent with triple charm supplied.

" The name given it by the Italians \sjlammola, the little flame; —
at least, this is an appellation with which I have met, and it is quite
in the taste of that ardent people. The French are perfectly aimdble
with theirs:— they call it pensee, a thought, from which comes our
word Pansy : —

' ' ' There 's rosemary,' says poor Ophelia ; ' that 's for remembrance ;
— pray you, love, remember; — and there is pansies, — that's for
thoughts.' Drayton, in his world of luxuries, the Muse's Elysium,
where he fairly stifles you with sweets, has given, under this name of
it, a very brilliant image of its effect in a wreath of flowers; — the
nymph says,

" Here damask roses, white and red,

Out of my lap first take I,
Which still shall run along the thread ;

My chiefest flow'r this make I.
Amongst these roses in a row,

Next place I pinks in plenty,
These double-daisies then for show ;

And will not this be dainty ?

168 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The pretty pansy then I '11 tye,

Like stones some chain enchasing;
The next to them, their near ally,

The purple violet placing. .

NYMPHAL 5th.

" Milton, in his fine way, gives us a picture in a word,
" • the pansy freak' d with jet.

" Another of its names is Love-in-idleness, under which it has been
again celebrated by Shakspeare, to whom we must always return, for
any thing and for every thing ; — his fairies make potent use of it in
the Midsummer-Nights' Dream. The whole passage is full of such
exquisite fancies, mixed with such noble expressions and fine sug-
gestions of sentiment, that I will indulge myself, and lay it before the
reader at once, that he may not interrupt himself in his chair : —

O.BERON. My gentle Puck, come hither : — thou rememberest,
Since once J sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid, on a dolphin's back,
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea grew civil at her song,
And certain stars shot madly from their spheres
To hear the sea-maid's music ?

PUCK. I remember.

OBERON. That very time I saw (but thou couldst not,)
Flying betwixt the cold earth and the moon,
Cupid all arm'd : — a certain aim he took
At a fair vestal, throned by the west,
And loosed his love-shaft smartly from his bow,
As it should pierce a hundred thousand hearts :
But I might see young Cupid's fiery shaft
Quench'd in the chaste beams of the watery moon ;
And the imperial votaress pass'd on,
In maiden meditation, fancy free.
Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell : —
It fell upon a little western flower, —
Before, milk-white,— now purple with love's wound, —
And maidens call it Love-in-idleness.
Fetch me that flower, — the herb I show'd thee once :
The juice of it, on sleeping eyelids laid,
Will make or man or woman madly dote
Upon the next live creature that it sees.

HEART'S-EASE. 169

Fetch me that herb ; and be thou here again
Ere the leviathan can swim a league.

PUCK. I '11 put a girdle round about the earth
In forty minutes.

Act II. Sc. 2.

" Besides these names of Love-in-idleness, Pansy, Heart's-ease, and
Jump-up-and-kiss-me, the tri-coloured violet is called also, in various
country places, the herb Trinity, Three-faces-under-a-hood, Kiss-me-
behind-the-garden-gate, and Cuddle-me-to-you, which seems to have
been altered by some nice apprehension into the less vivacious request
of Cull-me-to-you.

" In short, the Persians themselves have not a greater number of
fond appellations for the rose, than the people of Europe for the
Heart's-ease. For my part, to whom gaiety and companionship are
more than ordinarily welcome on many accounts, I cannot but speak
with gratitude of this little flower, — one of many with which fair and
dear friends have adorned my prison-house, and the one which out-
lasted all the rest."

Mr. Hunt again mentions this flower with great praise
in his Descent of Liberty ; where, after sketching in vivid
colours a number of beautiful flowers, he thus finishes the
floral picture :

" And as proud as all of them
Bound in one, the garden's gem,
Heart's-ease, like a gallant bold,
In his cloth of purple and gold."

In his enumeration of the flowers in blossom, in his
History of the Months, too fond of the Heart's-ease even
to name it without a passing commendation, he calls it the
Sparkler ; a name which it so truly deserves, that it might
well be added to those it now bears ; in which it already
surpasses a Spanish grandee.

Spenser includes the Heart's-ease among the flowers to
be strown before Queen Elizabeth :

" Bring hither the pink and purple columbine,

With gilliflowers :
Bring coronations and sops-in-wine,
Worn of paramours.

170 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Strow me the ground with daffadowndillies,
And cowslips, and king-cups, and loved lilies :

The pretty pawnee,

And the chevisaunce,
Shall match with the fair floure-de-lice."

Pansies make a part of the wreaths brought by the
grateful shepherds to the nymph Sabrina,

" That with moist curb sways the smooth Severn stream.

the shepherds at their festivals

Carol her goodness, loud in rustic lays,

And throw sweet garland wreaths into her stream

Of pansies, pinks, and gaudy daffodils."

" The delicacy of its texture, and the vivacity of its purple, are
inimitable," says the Countess, in La Spectacle de la Nature. " The
softest velvets, if set in competition with this flower, would appear to
the eye as coarse as canvas."

Yet, in another part of this work, the same flower is
represented as an humble one which makes no figure, but
diffuses an agreeable odour.

It has already been observed, that only the larger kinds
have any scent: thus many persons, judging from the
smaller, have thought them all scentless. The difference
of opinion on this point may be seen in several of the
above quotations.

Dryden, in his translation of a passage in Virgil's Pas-
torals where the poet speaks of sweet herbs in general,
introduces the Pansy ; but expressly to distinguish it from
a fragrant plant :

" Pansies to please the sight, and cassia sweet to smell."

There is a species of Heart's- ease called the Great
Flowering — a native of Switzerland, Dauphiny, Silesia,
and the Pyrenees — which is very similar to the common
kind, but that it has more yellow in it ; and another, called
the Yellow Mountain Heart's-ease, of British growth,

HEATH. 171

which, notwithstanding the name it bears, is as often
purple and yellow, or even purple alone, as all yellow.

It would be an impertinence to attempt to describe the
HeartVease; therefore let us proceed at once to the
treatment of this little favourite. The roots may be pur-
chased so cheaply, and the flowers of these will be so
much finer than any that are sown at home, that this will
be much the best way of procuring them. At a nursery,
or at Covent-Garden flower-market, six or more may be
had for a shilling, all of them covered with flowers and
buds. They love the sun, but must be liberally watered
every evening to replenish the moisture, which it will
consume.

It is said somewhere that the Heart's-ease is sacred to
Saint Valentine. It must be confessed to be a choice
worthy of that amiable and very popular saint ; for the
flower, like love, is painted in the most brilliant colours, is
full of sweet names, and grows alike in the humblest as
well as the richest soils. Another point of resemblance,
too, may be added, that where once it has taken root, it
so pertinaciously perpetuates itself, that it is almost im-
possible to eradicate it.

HEATH.

ERICA.

ERICINE^E. OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

In some parts of England Heath is called Ling, probably from the
Danish, lyng : in Shropshire, Grig, from the Welsh, grug : in Scot-
land, Hather, or Heather; which, like the English Heath, is derived
from the Anglo-Saxon, hesth. — French, la bruyere ; lande ; la brande ;
le petrole. — Italian, Erica, Macchia.

" THIS genus," says Mr. Martyn, " has, within the com-
pass of a few years, risen from neglect to splendour.
Every one remembers that Mr. Pope marks it with con-

172 FLORA DOMESTICA.

tempt, at the same time that he celebrates the colour of
the flowers :

c E'en the wild heath displays its purple dyes/

" Mr. Millar, so late as the year 1768, makes mention
of no more than five ; four of which, as being wild, he
consigns to oblivion."

There are now some hundred species ; of which many
require the heat of a stove, and very few of them are
hardy enough to bear this climate unsheltered. The
species from the Cape are many of them very beautiful.

All Europe, and the temperate parts of the vast Russian
empire, abound with Heath. The Common Heath, which
is little regarded in warmer climates, is used for a variety
of purposes in the bleak and barren Highlands of Scot-
land, and in other northern countries. The poor people
use it as thatch for the roofs of their huts, and construct
the walls with alternate layers of heath, and a kind
of cement made of black earth and straw. The hardy
Highlanders frequently make their beds with it. In the
Western Isles it affords a dye. Woollen cloth boiled
in alum water, and afterwards in a strong decoction
made from the green tops and flowers of this plant, be-
comes of a beautiful orange-colour. Brettius relates, that a
kind of ale brewed from these young tops was much used
by the Picts : and it is said to be still an ingredient in
the beer in some of the Western Isles. In many parts of
Great Britain besoms are made of this Heath ; and it is
an excellent fuel. The flowers are either a kind of rose-
colour slightly tinged with purple, or they are quite
white. Bees collect a great quantity of honey from them.
This kind, the Fine-leaved, the Cornish, the Ciliate-
leaved, the Many-flowered, the Irish, and the Cross-leaved,
are hardy, and will bear the open air. The latter is very
handsome, and blows twice in the year.

HEATH. 173

The White Three-flowered Tree Heath, the Portugal,
and the Purple Mediterranean, are not very tender, but
must be sheltered in severe frost.

The following kinds may stand in the open air in the
summer, and be housed about the end of September :

The Banksii.

The Donnea.

The Ventricosa.

Linnaeana.

Monsoniae.

Patersoni.

Caffra.

Mammosa.

Incarnata.

Cerinthoides.

Vestita.

Cubica.

Coccinea.

Tiaraeflora.

Nudiflora.

Comosa.

Humeana.

Mucosa.

Formosa.

Colorans.

Sparrmanni.

Grandiflora.

These are all beautiful; but an attempt to enumerate
all that are so would be vain. The earth about the roots
of a Heath should be as little stirred as possible ; and they
should be seldom and sparingly watered.

" The Erica here,

That o'er the Caledonian hills sublime
Spreads its dark mantle, (where the bees delight
To seek their purest honey) flourishes,
Sometimes with bells like amethysts, and then
Paler, and shaded like the maiden's cheek
With gradual blushes — other while, as white
As rime that hangs upon the frozen spray.
Of this, old Scotia's hardy mountaineers
Their rustic couches form; and there enjoy
Sleep, which, beneath his velvet canopy,
Luxurious Idleness implores in vain."

MRS. C. SMITH.

The Highland Heath-bed is pleasantly described in the
novel of Rob Roy : — " While the unpleasant ideas arising
from this suggestion counteracted the good effects of ap-
petite, welcome, arid good cheer, I remarked that Rob
Roy's attention had extended itself to providing us better
bedding than we had enjoyed the night before. Two of
the least fragile of the bedsteads, which stood by the wall
of the hut, had been stuffed with heath, then in full

174 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

flower, so artificially arranged that the flowers, being up-
permost, afforded a mattress at once elastic and fragrant.
Cloaks, and such bedding as could be collected, stretched
over this vegetable couch, made it both soft and warm."
— ROB ROY, chap. 20.

HELIOTEOPE.

HELIOTEOPIUM.

HELIOTROPES. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The word Heliotrope is derived from two Greek words, signifying
the sun, and to turn : the leaves or flowers of this plant having been
supposed to turn with the sun. For the same reason it is called Turn-
sole, which is, indeed, only a French translation of the Greek name.
The Italians call the common European species, orologio dei corte-
giani [courtiers' dial]; eliotropio; verrucaria. — French, 1' heliotrope
commun ; 1' herbe aux verrues ; le verrucaire, from its use in taking
off warts ; le tournesol.

THE Peruvian Heliotrope is chiefly admired for its
fragrance : it is an elegant and delicate plant, but not
showy. The blossom is very small, of a pale blue, often
inclining to white, and shedding an almond-like perfume,
which has gained the plant general favour. It should be
housed in autumn, before the weather becomes sharp. If
in a pure atmosphere, it will flower great part of the
winter : but, though carefully guarded from cold, it must
be placed where the air is refreshed by frequent venti-
lation. In dry summer weather it should have a little
water every evening: in winter, not more than twice or
thrice a week, and very little at a time.

The Indian, Glaucous, and Small-flowered kinds are
annual plants — natives of the West Indies — flowering in
June, July, and August ; and may be treated in the same
manner as the Peruvian.

HELIOTROPE. 175

The Canary Heliotrope (to which the gardeners, it is
not known for what reason, have given the name of Ma-
dame de Maintenon) is not so tender*: it must be shel-
tered from frost, but should have plenty of fresh air in
mild weather. Cuttings from this species, planted in
summer, placed in the shade, and regularly watered, will
take root in five or six weeks in the open air.

The Trailing Heliotrope, from the Cape of Good Hope,
and the European, are hardy annual plants, which may
be sown in September or October, kept in the open air,
watered as the others, and will flower in July and August.

The Heliotrope is said to owe its existence to the death
of Clytie, who pined away in Jiopeless love of the god
Apollo :

" She with distracted passion pines away,
Detesteth company ; all night, all day,
Disrobed, with her ruffled hair unbound,
And wet with humour, sits upon the ground :
For nine long days all sustenance forbears ;
Her hunger cloy'd with dew, her thirst with tears :
Nor rose ; but rivets on the god her eyes,
And ever turns her face to him that flies.
At length, to earth her stupid body cleaves :
Her wan complexion turns to bloodless leaves,
Yet streak'd with red : her perish'd limbs beget
A flower, resembling the pale violet ;
Which with the sun, though rooted fast, doth move ;
And being changed, changeth not her love."

SANDYS' s OVID, Fourth Book.

* If the name, " Madame de Maintenon," is of French origin, it
was perhaps a piece of flattery to Louis the Fourteenth, as the sun to
which his favourite lady always turned her eyes.

176 FLORA DOMESTICA.

HELMET-FLOWEK.

SCUTELLARIA.

LABIATJE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

The common European species is also called the hooded willow
herb ; skull cap. — French, la toque [skull cap] ; centauree bleue [blue
centaury]; tertianaire, from its use in curing the tertian ague. — Italian,
terzanaria; scodelletta [skull cap].

THE kinds of Helmet-flower most generally cultivated
in our gardens, are, the Oriental, with yellow flowers,
blowing in May, June, and July ; the Alpine, which has a
violet-coloured flower with a white lip — a native of Cochin-
China, and of several parts of Europe ; the Florentine,
with large violet-coloured flowers ; and the Tall Helmet-
flower, with purple blossoms, from the Levant. They
may be sown in autumn, in separate pots, in a dry, poor
earth ; must be sparingly watered, and stand in the open
air. They will not last many years : the Oriental kind
will not bear transplanting.

HELONIAS.

MELANTHACE.E. HEXANDRIA TRIGYNIA.

THE Helonias is a native of North America. The
flowers are handsome ; their colour white or red, according
to the species: they may be increased by offsets taken
from the roots in autumn. They like a light, fresh soil,
and are hardy enough to thrive in the open air. The
roots must not be removed oftener than every third year.
The earth should be moderately moist.

HEPATICA. 177

HEPATICA.

ANEMONE HEPATICA.

RANUNCULACE^E. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

Called formerly the noble liverwort. — French, 1' anemone hepa-
tique; 1'hepatique des jardins. — Italian, anemone fegatella.

THE Hepatica is a Swiss species of the anemone : there
are many varieties, both single and double, varying in co-
lour, and generally blowing in great profusion in February
and March. The flower lies a year within the bud, com-
plete in all its parts. The double flowers last longer than
the single, and are much handsomer. They thrive best
when exposed only to the morning sun; cold does not
injure them. They should be kept moderately moist, and
may be increased by parting the roots, which should be
done in March, when they are in flower ; but not oftener
than every third or fourth year. Frequent removal weakens,
and sometimes destroys them.

A remarkable instance is recorded of change of colour
in these flowers. Some roots of the Double Blue He-
patica being sent from a garden in Tothill-fields to another
at Henley upon Thames, when they came to blossom pro-
duced white flowers, owing to the difference of the soil :
but it is yet more curious, that being returned to their
former station, they resumed their original blue colour.

N

178 FLORA DOMF.STICA.

HIBISCUS.

MALVACEAE. MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

THE China Rose and the Changeable Rose are species
of jthe Hibiscus ; and the former is reckoned the most
beautiful of this handsome genus. It is called by the In-
dians the Gem of the Sun. With them it grows to a mo-
derately-sized tree ; here it is but a shrub. Its native
country has not been correctly ascertained, but it is very
common both in China and Cochin-China for garden-
hedges, as well as in their gardens, and in those of the
East Indies. The Indians make these beautiful flowers
into festoons and garlands on all occasions of festivity, and
even in their sepulchral rites. They are also put to a very
different and humble use : that of blacking shoes, whence
it has been named the Shoe-flower. The women blacken
their hair and eye-brows with these roses, which blow
nearly all the year round. There is a variety with white
flowers.

The Hibiscus Mutabilis, or Changeable Rose, has leaves
as large as those of the vine. The flower first opens white,
from which it changes to rose-colour, and finally to purple.
In the West Indies, all these changes take place in the
same day ; but here they occupy the space of a week.
This plant is a native of the East Indies ; from whence
the French, who call it la fleur d'um heure} carried it to
their settlements in the West Indies. It blows in No-
vember.

A third species of Hibiscus is the Venice Mallow, or Hi-
biscus Trionum, one of the very few species belonging to
this beautiful genus which maybe raised and preserved with-

HIBISCUS. ] 79

out the aid of a stove. It is a native of Italy and Austria,
bears a purple and yellow flower, and has long been known
in our English gardens by the name of the Venice Mallow,
Mallow of an Hour, Bladder Ketmia, Bladder Hibiscus,
or Good Night at Noon. " But," says Gerarde, " it should
rather be Good Night at Nine ; for this beautiful flower
opens at eight in the morning, and, having received the
beams of the sun, closes again at nine."

" Ovid," continues he, " in speaking of the Adonis
flower, is thought to describe the Anemone, or Wind-
flower, which we rather deem to be this quick-fading Mal-
low ; for it is evident that Adonis flower, and all under
the title of Wind-flower, last more than one day ; but this
is so frail that it scarcely lasts an hour. Bion of Smyrna,
an ancient poet, says in his epitaph on Adonis, that the
Wind-flower sprung from Venus's tears while she was
weeping for Adonis; but, doubtless, the plant was mis-
taken by the poet, considering the fragility of the flower
and the matter whereof it sprung, that is a woman's tears,
which last not long; as this flower, Jios 7ior&, or Flower of
an Hour."

Notwithstanding the facetiousness of the good Gerarde,
however, the Venice Mallow must be contented with her
own natural parentage, for that of the Anemone is too well
established to allow of her being superseded.

Miller says, " that in fine sunny weather this flower will
remain open the whole day ; that in wet weather it will not
open at all ; but, when very fine, has been observed not to
close until half-past six in the evening."

The first two plants must have very little water in
winter, and not a great deal in summer : they are tender,
and will always be better in the house, placed near an
open window in the summer, and kept pretty warm in

180 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the winter. An inhabited room will answer very well for
them.

The Venice Mallow, or Bladder Ketmia, being more
hardy, may be sown about the end of March ; and, when
three or four inches high, may be potted separately, and
occasionally watered ; often, if the weather be very dry.

HOLLYHOCK.

ALTILEA.

MALVACEAE. MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

This plant is sometimes called the Garden Mallow — French, Rose-
d'outre-Mer, or Bey ond-sea- Rose ; sometimes corrupted into la rose
treniere, or la rose tremiere ; la mauve rose ; la passe rose. — Italian,
alcea rosea ; rosa Cinese.

THE Double Chinese Hollyhock is a very handsome
plant, and continues in beauty during July, August, and
September. The seeds may be sown early in April, half
an inch deep. When the plants have put out six or eight
leaves, they should be transplanted into separate pots, and
they will require them pretty large, at least a foot in
diameter. Until they are well-rooted, they must be wa-
tered daily ; afterwards, three times a week will suffice.
They should be housed in winter, admitting fresh air in
mild weather ; and, while in the house, should have only
water enough to keep the earth from parching. They
will last two or three years. They must be supported with
stakes to prevent the wind from breaking the stems. These
plants may also be raised from cuttings of the young stalks,
taken in summer, about six inches in length ; they should
be inserted half their depth, and if a glass be placed over

HOLLYHOCK. 181

them, it will facilitate their rooting : plants so raised will
flower early in the following summer. The Hollyhock is
used, in some parts of France, as we use Hawthorn and
Privet, to divide gardens and vineyards. The flowers are
said to furnish a large portion of honey-juice to bees :

" And from the nectaries of Hollyhocks

The humble bee, e'en till he faints, will sip."

H. SMITH.

HONESTY,

LUNAHIA.

CRUCIFER.E. TETRADYNAJIIA SILICULOS-iE.

French, la lunaire [moon- wort] ; satinee, satin-blanc [white satin] ;
passe-satin [slip satin] ; medaille [the medal] ; and herbe aux lu-
nettes [spectacle herb]. — Italian, lunaria. — German and Dutch, a
variety of names, most of which have a signification equivalent to sil-
ver-bloom.— English, Honesty; Moon- wort; Penny- flower; Money-
flower; White Satin-flower; and Silver-plate. •

THE Italian name Lunaria, and the English name Moon-
wort, were given to this plant from the form of the seed-
vessel, which resembles that of the full moon. Honesty
has a reference to the transparency of the partition of the
seed-vessel; Silver-bloom, Satin-flower, &c. to its smooth-
ness and glossiness. The French name, Herbe aux Lu-
nettes, is very appropriate, for this part of the plant is cer-
tainly very like the oval glass of a pair of spectacles.

The lower flowering stalks of this plant have few flowers
and some leaves ; but the upper ones have many flowers
and not any leaves. The plant is chiefly remarkable for
the partition of the seed-vessel from which it is named ;
and, when this is perfectly ripe, the branches are fre-
quently dried, and placed with Amaranths, Xeranthe-
mums, &c. over the chimney-piece in the winter-time.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

The perennial Honesty grows naturally in many parts
of Europe: the biennial kind is a native of Germany.
They flower in May and June ; the blossoms are purple
or white, usually without scent; but there is one variety of
which the scent is very agreeable. The annual species is
a native of Egypt.

They may be raised from seed, which should be sown
in the autumn, singly, and should not be afterwards trans-
planted. They will grow in any soil, and in the open air,
and love the shade.

This is mentioned by Chaucer as one of the plants used
in incantation :

" And herbes coude I tell eke many on,
As egremaine, valerian, and lunarie,
And other swiche, if that me list to tarie,
Our lampes brenning bothe night and day,
To bring about our craft if that we may,
Our fourneis eke of calcination,
And of wateres albification."

Drayton also speaks of its magical virtues :

" Enchanting Lunary here lies,
In sorceries excelling."

HONEY-SUCKLE.

LONICERA.

CAPRIFOLIE.iE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This botanical name was given by Plumier, in honour of Adam
Lonicer, a physician of Frankfort. — French, chevre feuille des bois
[wood honeysuckle] ; maire sauvage ; pantacouste sauvage ; both sig-
nifying wild honey-suckle. — Italian, caprifoglio; madreselva; vinci-
bosco; legabosco; -penclimeno.— English, Honey-suckle; Suckling;
Caprifoly ; Woodbine, or Woodbind.

FEW flowers have been more admired or cultivated than

HONEY-SUCKLE. 183

the Honey-suckle. The European languages seem to vie
with each other in the number of names bestowed on this
beautiful favourite ; but the German has outstript all the
rest, in reference to this plant as well as most others ; the
greatest part of them having in that language at least a
dozen common names. There are many species of Honey-
suckle, and of most of the species several varieties ; but as
they are invariably beautiful, any that can be reared with
success in a pot will be valuable. They will live in the
open air, and in dry summer weather should be liberally
watered every evening.

The common English Honeysuckle is also called Wood-
binde, or Woodbine :

" So doth the woodbine, the sweet honeysuckle
Gently entwist."

" Shakspeare seems here to have distinguished the
Honeysuckle from the Woodbine," says Mr. Martyn. Yet,
in Much Ado About Nothing, he uses either name in-
discriminately :

" And bid her steal into the pleached bower
Where honeysuckles ripened by the sun
Forbid the sun to enter."

# * * * *

' ' Beatrice, who e'en now

Is couched in the woodbine coverture/'

" Milton," observes Mr. Martyn, " seems to have mis-
taken it, when he gives it the name of Eglantine, and
distinguishes it from Sweet-briar, since the Sweet-briar is
itself the Eglantine :

" Through the sweet-briar, or the vine,
Or the twisted eglantine."

Shakspeare justly distinguishes the two :

" I know a bank whereon the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlip, and the nodding violet grows ;

184 FLORA DOMESTICA.

O'ercanopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses, and with eglantine."

In Cornus, Milton speaks of it by its proper name.

" I sat me down to watch upon a bank
With ivy canopied, and interwove,
And flaunting honeysuckle."

And by the name of Woodbine in his Paradise Lost :

" Let us divide our labours, thou where choice
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind
The woodbine round this arbour, or direct
The clasping ivy where to climb, while I,
In yonder spring of roses, intermixed
With myrtle, find what to redress till noon."

The rambling nature of the Honeysuckle is usually its
chief character in poetry :

" You'll find some books in the arbour : on the shelf
Half hid by wandering honeysuckle."

BARRY CORNWALL'S FALCON.

— cc the poplar there

Shoots up its spire, and shakes its leaves i'the sun
Fantastical, while round its slender base

Rambles the sweet-breathed woodbine ."

BARRY CORNWALL.

<c And there the frail-perfuming woodbine strayed
Winding its slight arms 'round the cypress bough,
And, as in female trust, seemed there to grow,
Like woman's love midst sorrow flourishing."

BARRY CORNWALL.

Cowper evidently alludes here to the wild Woodbine in
our hedges, which is sometimes nearly white :

" Copious of flowers, the woodbine pale and wan,
But well compensating her sickly looks
With never cloying odours, early and late/'

Chaucer repeatedly introduces the Woodbine, for ar-
bours, garlands, &c. ; and in one passage makes it an em-
blem of fidelity, like the violet;

HONEY-SUCKLE. 185

" And tho' that were chapelets on their hede
Of fresh wode-bind be such as never were
To love untrue in word, in thought, ne dede,
But ay stedfast, ne for plesaunce ne fere,
Tho' that they shudde their hertis all to tere,
Woud never flit, but evir were stedfast
Till that ther livis there assunder hrast."

THE FLOURE AND THE LEAFE.

The Honeysuckle varies in colour, not only the different
species, but even different blossoms on the same tree:
some are beautifully dashed with white and crimson;
others are variegated with shades of purple, or yellow, or
both : thus its colour is seldom described. Philips notices
its colour in one of his pastorals :

" And honeysuckles of a purple dye."

Varying as it does in colour, all the different kinds are
brought at once before us by this half line — from the story
of Rimini :

« the suckle's streaky light."

HOTTENTOT CHEEKY.

CASSINE MAUROCENIA.

RIIAMNE^B. PENTANDRIA TRIGYNIA.

Named Maurocenia by Linnaeus, in honour of Franc. Morosini, the
Venetian senator; who had a fine garden at Padua.

THIS shrub bears a white blossom, which opens in July
and August, and is succeeded by a fruit of a deep purple
colour, from which the plant takes its familiar name. This
shrub retains its leaves all the year ; they are crisp and of
a fine green, and when full of fruit, the plant is extremely
handsome. Being a native of the Cape of Good Hope, it
will not bear our winters abroad, but should be housed

186 FLORA DOMESTICA.

towards the end of September, and placed abroad again
towards the middle or end of May. It must be sparingly
watered; once a week in winter, but in dry summer weather
three times.

HOUSELEEK.

SEMPERVIVUM.

I

CRASSULACE.E. DODECANDRIA DODECAGYNIA.

French, joubarbe des toits [roof Jove's beard] ; la grande joubarde
[great Jove's beard] ; jombarde ; artichaut sauvage [wild artichoke].
— Italian, sempervivo. — English, Houseleek; Jupiter 's-beard; Ju-
piter's-eye; Bullock's-eye ; Sengreen; Aygreen; Live-ever; in the
northern parts, Cyphel; perhaps from the Anglo-Saxon, Sinfulle.

THESE plants appear like a collection of large, glossy,
green roses, of a heavy, leathery substance. Some per-
sons admire and are very curious in them ; others despise
them as clumsy weeds. Linnaeus informs us, that in Smo-
land, Houseleek is a preservative to the roofs of houses.
The Common Houseleek may easily be made to cover the
roof of a building, whether tile, thatch, or wood, by stick-
ing the offsets upon it with a little earth.

The species vary in the colour of their flowers, and
time of flowering ; but they are most commonly red or
yellow, appearing from June to August. The juice of
the Houseleek, either alone or mixed with cream, affords
immediate relief in burns and other external inflamma-
tions ; and is considered an excellent remedy for the heat
and roughness of the skin, sometimes attendant upon the
changes of the seasons.

The most hardy kinds are the Common Houseleek,
which is a native of most parts of Europe ; the Globular,
the Starry, the Cobweb, the Rough, the Mountain, and

HOUSELEEK. 187

the Stone-crop-leaved. These will all thrive in the open
air, and increase fast by offsets. They love a dry soil,
and will spread very fast upon rocks or walls. A head
dies soon after it has flowered ; but it is soon supplied by
offsets. If the common sort be planted in a little earth,
upon a building or an old wall, it will thrive without any
further attention. They are very succulent, and when
planted in pots, must be very seldom, and very sparingly
watered.

The Canary Houseleek must be housed in winter,
admitting fresh air in mild weather ; in the summer it must
be so placed as to enjoy the morning sun.

The other kinds, with few exceptions, require the pro-
tection of a stove in the winter.

HYACINTH.

HYACINTHUS.

ASPHODELE^E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Fabled to have sprung from the blood of Hyacinthus., when he was
accidentally slain by Apollo with a quoit. Some derive the name
from the Greek name of the violet,, <«, and Cynthus,, one of the names
of Apollo. — French, Jacinthe des fleuristes ; [Florist's Hyacinth] ;
Jacinthe Orientale [Oriental Hyacinth]. — Italian, il giacinto; diacinto.

HYACINTHS may be blown either in earth or water; if
in water, they may be set in the glasses any time between
October and March, and by setting several in succession,
may be continued for several months. The water should
come a little above the neck of the glass, so that the bot-
tom of the bulb may just sink below the surface. It will
be well to place it in a part of the room where the sun

188 FLORA DOMESTICA.

can reach it, and it should have as much air as can con-
veniently be admitted into an inhabited room. The bulb
will soon send out strong fibres below, and the stem will
shoot above: these fibres form no mean portion of the
beauty of the Hyacinth, and plead for its being placed in
water rather than in earth. After it has begun to shoot,
the water should be changed once a week, and before the
stem is bent by the weight of the flower, it should be tied
with a bit of green worsted to a stick, which some of the
bulb- glasses are purposely made to admit.

Some persons have an earthenware vessel with a cover
perforated with holes to admit the bottom of the bulbs :
this being filled with water up to the cover, and a bulb
placed upon each hole, with the bottom just dipping into
the water, a number of flowers may be blown together,
which will make a handsome display. The beauty of the
fibrous roots is here as entirely lost as if the bulbs were
planted in earth, an objection which would be obviated by
using a vessel of glass in preference to one of earthenware,
and their beauty would be seen to even greater advantage.
Some persons put a little nitre in the water, which is said
to improve the brightness of the colours in the flower.

When the bulbs are planted in earth, it should be done
between November and February, and they should be
placed within sight of the sun. A soil proper for them
may be obtained from a nursery-man in the habit of fur-
nishing plants, &c. The pot should be about seven inches
in depth ; the crown of the bulb about an inch and a half,
or two inches deep, according to the size. When the
plant begins to appear, the earth should be gently watered
twice or thrice a week, as may be requisite to keep it
rather moist. Fresh air may be admitted when conve-
nient, as directed for those in water.

The flowers will blow in a shorter or longer time from

HYACINTH. 189

planting, in proportion to the warmth of their situation :
such as are designed for later flowering, may be gradually
accustomed to the open air in April ; but when so treated,
must be raised in a room without fire, or the change may
be too* great. These must enjoy the morning and evening
sun, but be screened from the scorching heat of noon.
They must likewise be sheltered from heavy rains ; gentle
showers will not be prejudicial to them; and such plants
as are abroad will not require any other watering, except
in a long continuance of dry hot weather.

When the plants have ceased flowering, the stalks,
leaves, and fibres will decay ; the principle of vegetation
in the bulbs will be for a short time dormant : they should
then be taken up, and laid in the open air, and in the
shade, to dry. After a few days they may be removed
into an airy room, and having remained uncovered until
they are moderately hardened, the decayed parts, the
loose skin, earth, Sec. should be cleaned away, the offsets
taken off, and the bulbs be put into a basket, or some dry
place, where they may be secure from mice, &c. They
may be preserved in this manner until it is time to replant
them, when the old ones may be planted as before, and
the offsets, two, three, or more in a pot, according to their
size. Should any of the bulbs put out fibres while out of
the earth or water, it will be necessary to plant or set
them immediately, or they will be weakened, and will
not flower with vigour. The leaves should never be
plucked until they decay, or the bulb will thereby be de-
prived of a large portion of its proper nourishment.

The Grape Hyacinth, sometimes called Grape-Flower,
is hardy, and will thrive in the open air. It is a native of
the south of Europe, and blows in April or May. The
flowers are blue, purple, white, or ash-coloured, and have
an agreeable scent. The Purple Grape Hyacinth is

190 FLORA DOMESTICA.

called Tassel-Hyacinth. " The whole stalk," says Parkin-
son, " with the flowers upon it, doth somewhat resemble
a long purse-tassel, and thereupon divers gentlewomen have
so named it." — French, Jacinihe a toupet [Tufted Hya-
cinth] ; le vacinet de pres [meadow myrtle] ; in Lorraine,
ail de loup [wolf's garlic] ; in Anjou, ail de chien [dog's
garlic] ; poireau bdtard [bastard leek] ; atRochelle/oJgveow
sauvage [wild onion] ; herbe du serpent [snake wort] ; in
Provence, lou congnou [wolf's onion]. — Italian, cipolle
canine [dog onion].

But so many beautiful varieties have been raised from
seed by attentive culture of the Eastern Hyacinth, that all
the other species are comparatively neglected. The
Eastern, or Garden Hyacinth, is a native of the Levant : it
grows in abundance about Aleppo and Bagdad, where it
flowers in February. With us, when not forced, it usually
flowers in March or April. In Russia it has been found
with yellow flowers. Culture has produced very large
and double varieties of this Hyacinth. It is very sweet-
scented, and much valued for the variety of its colours,
which makes a number of them together appear very
magnificent.

Mr. Miller says that we had formerly no other varieties
of this Hyacinth in the English gardens than the single
and double white, and blue : from the seeds of these, a
few others were raised in England, and also by the Flemish
gardeners, who came over annually with their flower-roots
to vend in England : but the gardeners in Holland, within
the last fifty years before his time, raised so many fine
varieties, as to render the former of little or no value.
Long after the Hyacinth had attracted the attention of
florists, the double flowers seefti to have been held in little
esteem.

Peter Foorlem, of Haarlem, a rioted cultivator of Hya-

HYACINTH. 191

cinths, was accustomed to throw the double flowers out of
his collection; till once that he had been prevented by
illness from visiting his flowers till just as they were going
off, there happened to be one double flower remaining.
It fixed his attention ; not for any superior excellence, for
it was small, and not particularly handsome ; but, perhaps,
because it was alone. He cultivated it, and increased it
by offsets ; florists saw, admired, and offered him a good
price for it. He then became as zealous in cultivating his
double flowers, as he had hitherto been in casting them
away. The first double flower he raised was named
Mary ; this variety, and the next two that were produced,
have been lost. The King of Great Britain is now con-
sidered as the oldest double Hyacinth. When it first
appeared, it was preferred above all the other varieties
then known ; and the price of it was considerably above
one thousand guilders. From that time great attention
has been paid to the culture of this beautiful flower : and
such has been the rage for it, that from one to two thou-
sand guilders have been given for a single root. That is,
from one to two hundred pounds sterling.

" The Haarlem gardeners have nearly two thousand
varieties of the Hyacinth," says Mr. Martyn, " of which
they generally publish a catalogue every year. New ones
are annually produced, and in the circuit of that town
alone, whole acres together are covered with these
flowers.1'

The common Hyacinth, in French, Jacinthe des bols
[Wood Hyacinth], is a native of Persia, and of many parts
of Europe. In the spring it is very common in our woods,
hedges, &c. and on this account, our old botanists have
given it the name of the English Hyacinth. It is fa-
miliarly called the Harebell :

192 FLOllA DOMESTICA.

" In the lone copse,, or shadowy dell,
Wild clustered knots of harebells blow :"

MRS. C. SMITH.

" The harebell for her stainless azured hue.,
Claims to be worn by none but those are true."

W. BROWNE.

The fresh roots of this plant are said by Dr. Withering
to be poisonous. Gerarde tells us that the juice which
they contain answers the purposes of gum, and that with
the exception of the Wake-Robin, it makes the best
starch. This gum was used by fletchers to fix the feathers
to arrows. The Harebell is sometimes white, or flesh-
coloured, but much more commonly blue, or violet-co-
loured.

" The fanciful term of Hyacinthus non-scriptus, by
which it is botanically distinguished," says Mr. Martyn,
" was applied to this plant by Dodoneus, because it has not
the Ai on the petals, and therefore is not the poetical
Hyacinth."

It is not, indeed, supposed to be the Hyacinth of the
ancient poets ; but a flower which has been celebrated by
Milton and Shakspeare possesses a just claim to the
epithet poetical. They have stamped immortality on the
Hyacinth of modern times.

" With fairest flowers,

Whilst summer lasts, and I live here, Fidele,
I '11 sweeten thy sad grave : thou shalt not lack
The flower that 's like thy face, pale primrose, nor
The azured harebell, like thy veins ; no, nor
The leaf of eglantine, whom not to slander,
Outsweeten'd not thy breath."

The true poetical Hyacinth of the ancients is supposed
to be the Red Martagon Lily. Mr. Martyn observes that
most of the Martagons are marked with many spots of a
darker colour than the flower itself; which often so run

HYACINTH. ] 93

together as to form the letters Ai — as the ancient Hya-
cinth is represented.

Our modern Hyacinth has celebrity enough to stand
upon its own ground, and, though it bears the same name,
needs not to usurp the birth-right of its elder brother, of
whose origin we are told :

" Apollo with unweeting hand,

Whilome did slay his dearly loved mate,
Young Hyacinth, the pride of Spartan land ;
But then transformed him to a purple flower."

It is always of the purple Hyacinth the poets speak :
the modern purple is a deep blue; the Roman purple
more resembled a light crimson. The flower which we
now call the Hyacinth is often of a blue-purple colour,
but is very seldom seen at all approaching to a Roman
purple. A flower fabled to have sprung from blood, we
may naturally suppose to have been of a somewhat similar
colour.

Virgil, in speaking of the Hyacinth, uses an epithet
peculiarly applicable to the M artagon Lily :

" et ferrugineos Hyacinthos."

GEORGIC. 4.

And any one who is acquainted with the Martagon
Lily will immediately recognise the kind of iron-red here
described ; although the flower is often of a bright crimson,
and the spots nearly black.

The very different manner in which our English poets
describe the colour of the Hyacinth, proves it to be a dif-
ferent flower : who can confound a Roman purple with
sapphire ?

" Shaded Hyacinth, alway

Sapphire queen of the mid- May."

KEATS.

194. FLORA DOMESTICA.

c< Hyacinth, with sapphire bell
Curling backward."

HUNT'S MASK.

(e Some deep empurpled as the Hyacinth,
Some as the Rubin laughing sweetly red,
Some like fair Emeraudes, not yet well ripened."

Here Spenser, speaking of the various colours of the
grapes according to their ripeness, expressly distinguishes
the purple of the Hyacinth from the red, which was very
similar to the Roman purple.

It has been common to compare the Hyacinth to curls ;
and the curling of its petals is common to both flowers ;
though perhaps the modern Hyacinth, in its form, bears
<nore resemblance to a cluster of hair-curls :

and hyaeinthine locks

Round from his parted forelock manly hung
Clustering."

Collins has the same simile in his Ode to Liberty :

ft The youths whose locks divinely spreading,
Like vernal Hyacinths in sullen hue."

It occurs again in Sir Philip Sidney's Arcadia :

•" It was the excellently fair Queen Helen, whose jacinth hair curled
by nature, but intercurled by art, like a fine brook through golden sands,
had a rope of fair pearl, which now hiding, now hidden by the hair,
did, as it were, play at fas,t and loose each with other, mutually giving
and receiving richness."
'•'• ..•'. •. •r».<~ •;;. .'./ Vj-k »i\ .*,;; .• ; ' -•'*»'

The Persian poet, Hafiz, also compares the dark Hya-
cinth to the locks of his mistress *. Lord Byron makes
the same comparison, as also does Sir W. Jones re-

* S|ee the notes to Moore's Lalla Rookfc

HYACINTH. 195

peatedly. Lord Byron says the idea is common to the
Eastern as well as to the Grecian poets.

Allusions to the letters ai, supposed to be seen upon
the ancient Hyacinth, are made by many of the poets. It
requires but little assistance from the imagination to read
them on the Martagon lily.

ff Del languido giacinto, che nel grembo
Porta dipinto il suo dolore amaro."

" The languid hyacinth, who wears

His bitter sorrows painted on his bosom."

Mr. Hunt, in his Calendar of Nature, after dwelling
a little upon the question, whether the Martagon lily is
the true Hyacinth, quotes a passage from Moschus, which
he thus renders in English :

" Now tell your story, hyacinth ; and show
Aiy ai, the more amidst your sanguine woe."

One of our modern poems, also, has an allusion to this
circumstance :

" While I with grateful heart gather him yellow
Daffodils, pinks, anemonies, musk-roses,
Or that red flower whose lips ejaculate
Woe, — and form them into wreaths and posies."

AMARYNTHUS.

The description of the Hyacinth in Ovid exactly answers
to the Martagon lily:

" Sweet flower, said Phoebus, blasted in the prime
Of thy fair youth : thy wound presents my crime.
Thou art my grief and shame. This hand thy breath
Hath crush'd to air : I, author of thy death !
Yet what my fault? unless to have played with thee,
Or loved thee, (oh, too well !) offences be.
I would, sweet boy, that I for thee might die !
Or die with thee ! but since the fates deny

196 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

So dear a wish, thou shalt with me abide:
And ever in my memory reside.
Our harp and verse thy praises shall resound ;
And in thy flower my sorrow shall be found.

* # * * *

Behold ! the blood which late the grass had dyed
Was now no blood : from whence a flower full blown
Far brighter than the Tyrian scarlet shone :
Which seemed the same, or did resemble right
The lily, changing but the red to white.
Nor so contented (for the youth received
That grace from Phoebus) ; in the flower he weaved
The sad impression of his sighs : which bears
Ai, ai, displayed in funeral characters."

SANDYS'S OVID, Book X.

There have been great disputes and differences about
the Hyacinth : all were agreed that our modern Hyacinth
was not the Hyacinth of the ancients ; but the difficulty
was to determine what was. The larkspur has laid claim
to this honour, and some have supposed it to be the gla-
diolus, or corn-flag; but the best arguments have been
urged in support of the Martagon lily, which is now
pretty generally acknowledged to be the true heir to this
ancient and illustrious race.

HYDRANGEA.

SAXIFRAGES? DECANDRIA DIGYNIA.

The name is of Greek origin, and signifies a water-vessel.

ONE of the most common plants seen in our balconies,
windows, &c. is the Shrubby Hydrangea. It is very
handsome ; not only for its great balls of blossom, but
perhaps yet more for its large luxuriant leaves. It is a

HYDRANGEA. 197

native of North America, and flowers in July, August,
and September.

The Garden Hydrangea, or Chinese Guelder-rose, is a
much smaller plant. The flower-balls ,of this are not
larger than the European Guelder-rose. They are of a
beautiful rose-colour, much deeper than the blossoms of
the Shrubby Hydrangea, which are sometimes almost
white, faintly tinged with pink; and sometimes, as faintly
with blue. It is said that the blossom of this plant
will take the colour of any thing by which it is shaded ;
but it is more probable that its colour is modified by soil,
air, age, health, &c. The Garden Hydrangea is much
valued for its profusion of bright rosy clusters. Its birth-
place is unknown ; but it is very commonly cultivated in
the gardens of China and Japan. If placed where it may
enjoy the air, and the light and warmth of the sun, this
plant will flower better in a room than in the open air.

The Shrubby Hydrangea will live through our winters
very well. If a severe frost destroys the stalks, the root
will put out new ones in the spring : but if it is desired
to preserve the stalks, that the plant may become larger,
it will be safer to house it during the severity of the
winter. It may be increased by parting the roots, which
should be done late in October. When it is not intended
to part the roots, and they have outgrown the pot they
have been lodged in, this is the best time to remove them
to a larger. The Hydrangea likes a rich soil, and is one
of the most thirsty of plants : to which circumstance, no
doubt, it owes its name. It is not, however, to be called
intemperate, since its thirst is entirely constitutional ; and
it desires no richer draught than pure water. This must
be given liberally. In winter, when there are no leaves to
nourish, a small quantity thrice a week will be sufficient ;
but in the summer it must be lavishly watered every

198 TLOKA DOMESTICA.

evening, and, if the weather be very hot, in the morning
also. If this is neglected, the plant will droop with a
kind of magical quickness ; and a large draught of water
will as suddenly revive it : but a frequent repetition of
such changes would materially weaken the plant.

" So have I often seen a purple flower,
Fainting through heat, hang down her drooping head,
But soon, refresh her with a gentle shower,
Begin again her lively beauties spread,
And with new pride her silken leaves display,
And while the sun doth now more gently play,
Lay out her swelling bosom to the smiling day."

P. FLETCHER.

" Like as a tender rose in open plain
That with untimely drought nigh withered was,
And hung the head ; soon as few drops of rain
Thereon distil and dew her dainty face
Gins to look up, and with fresh wonted grace
Dispreads the glory of her leaves gay."

SPENSER.

Some of the gardeners have metamorphosed the word
Hydrangea into head-ranger, as if it had been named
after the chief officer of a park. The misnomers of plants
are often as amusing as those of ships. The poplar has
become a popular tree ; the elm is called ettum ; acacia is
twisted into casher,- nasturtium into stertian ; the jonquil
is termed John-kill; and the pyracantha, pia-camphor.
Asparagus has so long been sparrow-grass, that it is now
often deemed sufficient to term it grass alone. London
in his Encyclopaedia of Gardening, lately published, has
strongly recommended the formation of these misnomers
to gardeners, as a means of enabling them to recollect the
true names of plants : and has given some very amusing
and ludicrous instances, as cheese-monger for casumunar,
MqfoccJw for mioga.

HYPE1UCUM. 199

HYPEKICUM.

HYPERICE^E. POLYADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

French, la toute-saine [all-heal]. — Italian, androsemo; erba rossa.
English, Tutsan, evidently a corruption of the French name ; and
Park-leaves, because it is often found in parks.

THERE are a great number of Hypericums, all of easy
culture. The following are the most generally cultivated
in our gardens :

The Warted Hypericum. ^

* The Olympian.

The Shining. \ ^ these must be sheltered

The Canary. in winter.

The Chinese. j

* Great-flowered Hypericum,

or Tutsan.

Tall Hypericum.

The Proliferous.

Ascyron.

Common Tutsan, or Hyperi-
cum.

•- All these are very hardy.

Those marked with an asterisk may be readily increased
by parting the roots, in September or October. The flowers
are yellow, generally in bloom from July to September;
but the Chinese species will continue in blossom nearly all
the year. The earth should be kept moderately moist.

The leaves of the Common Tutsan were formerly ap-
plied to fresh wounds, whence it obtained the French
name, la toute-saine, and our name, Tutsan. It is a na-
tive of this country, and most other parts of Europe.

The Perforated Hypericum, or St. John's Wort, — in
French, le millepertius [the many-pierced] ; Fherbe de St.
Jean; letrucheran; le trescalanjaune : i

200 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

iperico ; perforata — is common in woods, hedges, &c. in
almost every part of Europe. On account of its balsamic
qualities it is useful in medicine : an infusion of it is made
in the manner of tea ; and the leaves given in substance
are said to destroy worms. An infusion of the flowers
and young tops of this plant in oil is used externally in
wounds, &c. The flowers tinge spirits and oils with a
fine purple colour ; and the dried plant boiled with alum
dyes wool yellow.

Mistaking the meaning of some of the medical writers,
who, from a supposition of its utility in hypochondriacal
disorders, have given it the fanciful name of fuga damo-
num [devil's flight], the common people in France and
Germany gather it with great ceremony on St. John's-
day, and hang it in their windows as a charm against
storms, thunder, and evil spirits. In Scotland, also, it is
carried about as a charm against witchcraft and enchant-
ment; and they fancy it cures ropy milk, which they
suppose to be under some malignant influence. As the
flowers, rubbed between the fingers, yield a red juice, it
has also obtained the name of sanguis hominis [human
blood] among fanciful medical writers.

Cowper speaks of the Hypericum as remarkably full of
blossom : the species vary in this particular :

" Hypericum all bloom, so thick a swarm
Of flowers, like flies clothing her slender rods,
That scarce a leaf appears."

INDIAN-CORN.

INDIAN COKN.

ZEA.

GRAMINEJ3. tfONOECIA TRIANDRIA.

Called also Maize ; Turkey Corn. — French., le mais ; mayz ; ble de
Turquie; ble d'Espagne [Spanish corn]; ble de Guinee [Guinea
corn] ; ble d'Inde [Indian corn] ; gros millet des Indes [great Indian
millet]. — Italian, gran Turco, furmento Turco [Turkey wheat] ; for-
mentone ; grano d'India.

THIS corn should be sown early in April, in large deep
pots. It may be sown, at first, several in one pot, and
afterwards removed ; transplanting them into separate pots
about the end of May. It will not grow so high in a pot
as in the open ground, but is worth raising in this manner
for the sake of its long elegant leaves. It should stand in
the open air, and, in dry weather, be watered every even-
ing. If there is convenient room for it in-doors, the seed
may be sown a month earlier, and kept under cover till
the beginning or middle of April. The plant will decay
in the autumn.

INDIAN PINK.

DIANTHUS CHINENSIS.

Called also China Pink. — French, Toeillet de la Chine.

THE Indian Pink is generally considered as an annual
plant, and therefore the roots are not often preserved;
but, if they are planted in a dry soil, they will often pro-
duce finer flowers the second year than the first, and in
greater number. It is a very ornamental plant, from the

202 FLOIIA DOMESTICA.

various and beautiful colours of its blossoms. It may be
sown early in April ; if in a pot six inches wide, only one ;
but they look better sown in a box, many together, about
six inches apart. They may stand abroad : in dry weather
they should be watered three times a week. They will
flower from July till the approach of frost ; if they are
then cut down, the root will generally put out new stalks,
and flower well the next year.

IPOMCEA.

•CONVOLVULACE^E. PENTANDR1A MONOGYNIA.

This genus is very nearly allied to the Convolvulus, and the name
is derived from Greek words, expressive of its similarity to that flower.

THE Ipomcea is very beautiful, but unfortunately very
tender, being chiefly Indian. One species in particular
would be desirable. The Ipomcea Quamoclit — in French,
Jasmin rouge de V Inde [Red Indian Jasmine] ; Fleur de
Cardinal [Cardinal-flower]. — Italian, Quamoclito — which
is the most beautiful of them all, in colour and in form, in
leaf and in flower. " It is a beautiful climber," says Sir
W. Jones ; " its blossoms are remarkably elegant and of a
rosy red." It has the scent of cloves. It is called by the
Indians Camalata, or Love's-creeper.

There are two kinds which may be procured at a
nursery, and preserved through the summer in an in-
habited room: the Coccinea, or Scarlet-flowered Ipomoea,
and the Nightshade-leaved, the blossoms of which are of
a pale rose colour. The earth must be kept moderately
moist, but water must be given but in small quantities at
one time. The plant will require support.

There is a species of the Ipomcea, which, from one root,
may be carried over an arbour three hundred feet in

IPOMOEA. 203

length : it is a perennial species, and is called in Jamaica,
the Seven-year-vine, or Spanish Arbour-vine.

" The Camalata," says Sir W. Jones, " is the most
lovely of its order, both in the colour and form of its
flowers ; its elegant blossoms are ' celestial rosy red,
Love's proper hue,1 and have justly procured it the
name of Camalata, or Love's-creeper. Camalata may also
mean a mythological plant, by which all desires are granted
to such as inherit the heaven of India ; and if ever flower
was worthy of Paradise, it is our charming Ipomcea."

IRIS.

IRIDEjE. TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So named for its variety of colours. It is also named Flower-de-
luce.— French, fleur-de-lys ; iris ; flambe ; and glaieule ; in the vil-
lage dialect, gle ; baguettes. — Italian, iride ; giaggiolo ; giglio.

THIS flower claims the whole world as her country:
some few species are from America ; several are natives of
the colder regions of Asia ; still more, of Europe ; and
most of all, of the Cape of Good Hope.

Some of the species have very large flowers, which, from
their colours being very vivid, and several uniting in the
same blossom, are extremely showy. Many of them are
bulbous-rooted ; and of these the most esteemed is the
Persian Iris ; for the beauty and fragrance of its flowers,
and for their early appearance ; for it is generally in full
perfection in February, or early in March. A few of these
flowers will perfume a whole room : their colours are a
mixture of pale sky blue, purple, yellow, and sometimes
white. This kind, the Tuberous-dwarf, and the Spanish
bulbous Iris, may be blown in water-glasses, as directed

204 FLORA DOMESTICA.

for the Hyacinth ; only that these will not so well bear to be
reserved for late planting, because they are apt to shrink.
It is better on this account to plant them in October, or
soon after ; at any rate by the end of the year. But they
are thought to flower stronger in pots : they like a light
sandy earth, and take delight in the morning sun : the
more fresh air they have allowed them, when not frosty, the
better they will thrive. The earth should be kept always
moist; and, when the flowers and leaves have decayed,
the bulbs should be treated as those of the Hyacinth.
After they have lain out of the ground about a month,
they should be frequently examined ; for if they begin to
shrink, they must be planted immediately. The bulbs
should be set two inches deep, from the surface of the earth
to the top of the crown.

The Chalcedonian Iris — in French, Tiris de Suse, or
de Constantinople — has also very large flowers, and is the
most magnificent of them all; but the petals are very thin,
and hang in a kind of slatternly manner, which makes it
appear, to some persons, less handsome than others which
are smaller. It likes a loamy earth, and sunny exposure ;
this species must be very sparingly watered: moisture
favours the growth of all the other kinds ; but it will in-
jure this to give it more than will preserve the earth from
absolute drought. It may be increased by parting the
roots in autumn ; and during the winter months it will be
safer to give it house-room. This flower is called, by old
writers, the Turkey Flower-de-luce.

The Snakes-head Iris may be increased in the same
manner, but must be kept moist, and needs no winter
shelter : the flower is dark purple, approaching to black.

The Twice-flowering Iris — in French, Tiris des deux
saisons — (so called because it flowers both in spring and

IRIS. 205

autumn) the Various-coloured, the Pale-yellow, the Grass-
leaved, and the Siberian, may be treated as the Snakes-
head species : they like an eastern aspect.

To these may be added the Florentine Iris, White
Fleur-de-luce, or Flower-de-luce of Florence — in French,
laflambe blanche — and the Crocus-rooted Iris, or Spanish
Nut : these should be housed in winter, but merely to pro-
tect them from frost. The root of the former, corruptly
called orrice, is used to communicate a violet scent to hair-
powder, oils, and syrup.

But it is useless to enumerate more : these already
named are the best adapted for pots, and the Persian Iris
is far preferable to all the others. Irises may be removed
every year, or second year, as most convenient. The
Persian may be kept till the third.

The Common Yellow Iris is called Water-flag ; Yellow-
flag; Water-sedge; in Scotland, Water-skeggs ; Lugs — -
in French, le glayeul des marais [marsh-flag] ; la flambe
batarde [false iris] ; lefaux acore [false acorus] ; lajlambe
aquatique [water iris] ; le glayeul a fleur jaune [yellow
flag] : — Italian, iride gialla. — This and several other kinds
have valuable medicinal properties : the root may be used
instead of galls, in making ink, or black dye. The seeds
are the best substitute for coffee, hitherto discovered.
The juice is sometimes used as a cosmetic for removing
freckles, &c., and a most beautiful colour for painting has
been prepared from the flowers.

" Many of the African kinds," says Mr. Martyn, (t are
eaten both by men and monkeys ; and the roots, when
boiled, are esteemed pleasant and nourishing."

Although the Iris is not considered as a Lily, the
French have given it the name of one ; it is the Fleur-de-
lys, which figures in the arms of France. The Abbe la

206 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Pluche, in La Spectacle de la Nature, gives the following
conjectural origin of this name :

" The upper part of one leaf of the Lily, when fully
expanded, and the two contiguous leaves beheld in profile,
have," he observes, " a faint likeness to the top of the
Flower-de-luce : so that the original Flower-de-luce, which
often appears on the crowns and sceptres in the monu-
ments of the first and second race of kings, was most pro-
bably a composition of these three leaves. Lewis the
Seventh engaged in the second crusade; distinguished
himself, as was customary in those times, by a particular
blazon, and took this figure for his coat of arms ; and as
the common people generally contracted the name of
Lewis into Luce, it is natural," says the Abbe, " to
imagine that this flower was, by corruption, distinguished
in process of time by the name of Flower-de-luce." But
some antiquaries are of opinion, that the original arms of
the Franks were three toads ; which, becoming odious,
were gradually changed, so as to have no positive resem-
blance of any natural object, and named Fleur-de-lys.

Shakspeare appears to consider this flower as a Lily
only by courtesy :

" lilies of all kinds,

The Flower-de-luce being one."

G. Fletcher gives a pretty picture of this flower :

" The Flowers-de-Luce, and the round sparks of dew
That hung upon their azure leaves did shew
Like twinkling stars, that sparkle in the evening blue."

Drayton expressly distinguishes the Flower-de-luce
from the Lily.

" The Lily, and the Fleur-de-lis,

For colour much contenting ! ' ^
For thai I them do only prize,
They are but poor in scenting."

IRIS. 207

The poet seems not to have been acquainted with the
Persian Iris, which has so fine a perfume.

Spenser also distinguishes the Flower-de-luce from the
Lily, though acknowledging the connexion :

" The Lilly, lady of the flowering field,
The Flower-de-luce, her lovely paramour,
Bid thee to them thy fruitless labours yield,
And soon leave off this toilsome weary stour:
Lo ! lo ! how brave she decks her bounteous bower
With silken curtains, and gold coverlets,
Therein to shroud her sumptuous balamour ;
Yet neither spins, nor card, ne cares, nor frets,
But to her mother Nature all her cares she lets."

Mrs. C. Smith gives a lively picture of the Yellow, or
Water Iris.

" Amid its waving swords, in flaming gold
The Iris towers ."

I X I A.

GLADIOLE.E. TRIANDRIA MONOGYNFA*

THERE are many species of Ixia, varying in colour r
they have bulbous roots, and may be increased by their
offsets ; but they will not flower well if parted oftener than
every third year. In the autumn the stalks and leaves de-
cay ; the roots should then be put under shelter for the
winter, unless it is designed to remove them ; in which
case they may be treated in the same manner as the Hya-
cinth, and bulbs in general, and may be replanted any time
between October and January. They may stand abroad
in the summer, and should then have a little water every
evening : they should be sparingly watered in winter, when
left in the earth. Pots three inches in diameter, and five

208 FLORA DOMESTICA.

in depth, will be large enough for these plants : the bulbs
should be covered about an inch deep.

JERUSALEM-SAGE.

PHLOMIS.

LABIATE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

Called also Tree-sage. — French, bouillon blanc de Sicile [white
mullein of Sicily] ; sauge en arbrisseau ; sauge en arbre.

THIS shrub retaining its leaves all the year, and its
bright yellow flowers the greater part of the summer, is
very desirable. It should be sheltered from severe frost ;
but in mild winters, if not convenient to house it, a little
saw-dust laid over the roots will be a sufficient protection.
In dry summer weather it may be allowed a little water
every evening : once or twice a week will suffice in the
winter, and none during frost.

JESSAMINE,

JASMINUM.

JASMINES. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The name of this plant is derived from the Greek, and signifies an
agreeable odour. Nearly all the European languages have the same
name for it. — In French, it is jasmin : in Italian, gelsomino: Spanish,
jasmin : Dutch, jasmyn, &c. &c. In English it is sometimes fami-
liarly called Jessamy, Jessima, and Gesse.

THE kinds of Jessamine most frequently grown in pots
are the Yellow Indian, and the Spanish or Catalonian.

JESSAMINE. 209

The first grows to the height of eight or ten feet ; the
leaves continue green all the year, and the blossoms are
of a bright yellow, very fragrant, and blowing from July
till October or November. They are frequently succeeded
by oblong berries, which turn black when ripe.

The Spanish Jessamine, so named because it came to
us from Spain, is a native of the East Indies. The flowers
are of a blush-red outside, and white within; blowing at
the same time as the Indian kind. From the middle of
May to the middle of October they may stand in the open
air ; but must then be housed, having as much fresh air
as possible in mild weather. They should have but little
water at a time, but that should be given often, so that
the earth may be always moist. In spring, the decayed
branches should be pruned ; and of the Spanish kind the
sound ones should be pruned to the length of two feet,
which will cause them to shoot strong, and produce many
flowers. But this liberty must not be taken with the In-
dian kind.

The Common White Jessamine is an exceedingly elegant
plant for training over a wall, where that support can be
allowed, and after its first infancy will bear our winters
very well. It is a delicate and fragrant shrub, not sur-
passed in beauty by any of the species. It is of this
Cowper speaks in the following passage :

" The jasmine throwing wide her elegant sweets,
The deep dark green of whose unvarnished leaf
Makes more conspicuous, and illumines more,
The bright profusion of her scattered stars."

The Hindoos, who use odoriferous flowers in their sa-
crifices, particularly value the Jessamine for this purpose,
and the flower which they call Zambuk.

210 FLOKA DOMESTICA.

Jessamine is one of the shrubs of which Milton forms
the bower of Adam and Eve in Paradise :

" Thus talking, hand in hand alone they pass'd
On to their blissful bower : it was a place
Chosen by the sovereign Planter, when he framed
All things to man's delightful use; the roof
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade,
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub,
Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower,
Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine,

Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought
Mosaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone
Of costliest emblem."

Mr. T.Moore speaks of the Jessamine as more fragrant
by night than by day :

" 'Twas midnight — through the lattice, wreathed
With woodbine, many a perfume breathed
From plants that wake when others sleep ;
From timid jasmine buds, that keep
Their odour to themselves all day,
But, when the sun-light dies away,
Let the delicious secret out
To every breeze that roams about."

" The jessamine, with which the queen of flowers,
To charm her god, adorns his favourite bowers ;
Which brides by the plain hand of Neatness drest>
Unenvied rival ! wear upon their breast ;
Sweet as the incense of the morn, and chaste
As the pure zone which circles Dian's waist."

CHURCHILL.

Jessamine abounds in Italian gardens. In the East it
is cultivated for the stems, of which pipes are made.

JUNIPER. 211

JUNIPER.

JUNIPERUS.

CONIFERS. DIOECIA MONADELPHIA.

French, le genevrier ; le genievre ; le petron : in the old writers,
jupicelle; genibretos; cadenelo: in Languedoc, lou geniebre: in Pro-
vence, genibre. — Italian, il ginepro : in the Brescian, zenever : at Ve-
nice, brusichio.

THE Common Juniper is well adapted for potting, and
is the more desirable as being an evergreen. It is com-
mon in all the northern parts of Europe, in rich or bar-
ren soils, in open sandy plains, or in moist close woods :
it will bear the severest cold in our climate, and will re-
quire no other attention than to keep it clear from weeds,
and to give it a little water in a continued drought.

This shrub is celebrated for its medicinal properties : a
sweet decoction is made from the berries, from which a
quantity of sugar may be obtained. The bark may be
made into ropes. A spirit impregnated with the essential
oil of the berries is known by the name of Holland gin,
or Hollands. The common English gin also derives part
of its flavour from these berries, but is a very compound
liquor. We are told by Linnaeus that the Swedes pre-
pare a beer from them, which they consider very efficacious
in scorbutic cases ; and that, for the same purpose, the
Laplanders drink an infusion of them, as we do tea or
coffee. Juniper wine is sometimes made, and is said to
be a very wholesome one.

Who would suppose that the word Gin has most likely
a common origin with a female name famous in poetry
and romance — Ginevra, or Gineura? The Italian word
for Juniper is Ginebro, or Ginepro, which, by an alteration

FLORA DOMESTICA

common to the South, becomes Ginevro. The French
word is Genevre, corrupted into our word Geneva. The
name of Ariosto's favourite lady was Gineura, which gave
him occasion to immortalize the Juniper-tree, as Petrarch
did the laurel. He says, in one of his sonnets, that with
the leave of Apollo and Bacchus he will be crowned with
Juniper, and not with the bay or the ivy:

<( Quell' arboscel, che in le solinghe rive

A T aria spiega i rami orridi ed irti,

Ed' odor vince i pin, gli abeti, e i mirti,

E lieto e verde al caldo, e al ghiaccio vive.
II nome ha di colei, che mi prescrive

Termine e leggi a* travagliati spirti

Da cui seguir non potran Settle o Sirti,

Ritrarmi, o le brumali ore, o lo estive :
E se benigno influsso di pianeta

Lunghe vigilie, od amorosi sproni

Son per condurmi ad onorata meta;
Non voglio (e Febo, e Bacco mi perdoni)

Che lor frondi mi mostrino poeta,

Ma che un Ginebro sia che mi coroni."

AIIIOSTO, SOXN. 7.

" The shrub that on solitary shores spreads to the air its dark and
bristled branches, outscenting pines, and firs, and myrtles ; still green
in summer's heat, and winter's cold ; bears the name of her who pre-
scribes terms and laws to my troubled soul : laws that I will not be
turned from following, either by rocks, or whirlpools ; either in the
wintry season, or the summer. And if the benign influences of the
planet, long watchings, or amorous zeal, are to conduct me to that
height of honour, I will not (Phoebus and Bacchus pardon me) that
their leaves should declare me for a poet, but that a Juniper should
crown my brow."

Tasso, in his miscellaneous poems, has two sonnets to
a similar purpose.

Before the use of carpets in Europe, the richest people
used to strew their apartments with dried leaves and
rushes. Queen Elizabeth walked on no better floor.
The gentlemen and ladies in Boccaccio are luxurious

JUNIPER. 213

enough to walk on flowers of Juniper. " This jocund
company," says an old translation, " having received li-
cence from their queen to disport themselves, the gentle-
men walked with the ladies into a goodly garden, making
chaplets and nosegays of divers flowers, and singing si-
lently to themselves. When they had spent the time
limited by the queen, they returned into the house, where
they found that Parmeno had effectually executed his
office ; for when they entered into the hall, they saw the
tables covered with delicate white napery, and the glasses
looking like silver, they were so transparently clear ; — all
the room besides strewed with flowers of Juniper."

As the passage has to do with gardens and flowers, and
is a very elegant one besides, the reader will not object to
a quotation of the whole of it :

"When the queen and all the rest had washed, ac-
cording as Parmeno gave order, so every one was seated
at the table : the viands, delicately dressed, were served
in, and excellent wines plentifully delivered: none at-
tending but the three servants, and little or no loud table-
talk passing among them. Dinner being ended, and the
table withdrawn, all the ladies, and the gentlemen like-
wise, being skilful both in singing and dancing, and play-
ing on instruments artificially, the queen commanded that
divers instruments should be brought; and as she gave
charge, Dioneus took a lute, and Fiametta a viol-de-
gamba, and began to play an excellent dance : whereupon
the queen, with the rest of the ladies, and the other two
young gentlemen (having sent their attending servants to
dinner), paced forth a dance very majestically, and when
the dance was ended, sung sundry excellent canzonets, out-
wearing so the time until Parmeno commanded them all to
rest, because the hour did necessarily require it. The gen-

FLORA DOMESTICA.

tlemen having their chambers severed from the ladies, cu-
riously strewed with flowers, and their beds adorned in
exquisite manner, as those of the ladies were not a jot
inferior to them. The silence of the night bestowed sweet
rest on them all. In the morning, the queen and all the
rest being risen, accounting overmuch sleep to be very
hurtful, they walked abroad into a goodly meadow, where
the grass grew verdantly, and the beams of the sun heated
not over violently, because the shades of fair-spreading
trees gave a temperate calmness, cool and gentle winds
fanning their sweet breath pleasingly among them." The
company then sit down, and the celebrated novels com-
mence.

It is still a common custom in Sweden to strew the floors
with sprigs of Juniper *.

KALMIA.

RHODORACE.33. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So named by Linnaeus in honour of Peter Kalm, professor at Abo
in Sweden.

THE Kalmias are handsome shrubs, bearing flowers in
clusters, of a rose or peach colour. The Broad-leaved
species grows much higher than the others : they must be
obtained from a nursery, and will require to be watered
pretty liberally. They are natives of North America.

* See Clarke's Travels, vol. iii.

LARKSPUR. 215

LARKSPUR.

DELPHINIUM.

RANUNCULACEJE. POLYANDHIA TRIGYNIA.

The Latin name was given to this plant from an idea that the buds
had some resemblance to a dolphin. — French, pied-d'alouette ; 1'eperon
de chevalier [knight's spur]; la consoude royale [royal comfrey];
1'herbe Sainte Othilie. — Italian, speronella [little spur]; sperone di
cavaliere; consolida reale; fior regio [king flower]. — English, lark-
spur; lark's-claws ; lark's-heel; lark's-toe, on account of the spur-
shaped nectary at the back of the flower.

THE Branching or Wild Larkspur grows naturally in
many parts of Europe : it varies in colour. From the
flowers, when blue, a good ink has been made, with the
addition of a little alum.

All the Larkspurs are hardy, and may be easily raised
from seed ; but as the perennial kinds do not flower the
first year, it is better to procure them from a nursery.
The annual kinds, by sowing in succession in September,
October, March, and April, may be had in blossom from
the beginning of June to the end of September : one seed
in a pot of at least eight inches. They do not well bear
transplanting.

Those sown in the autumn will produce the strongest
flowers. They should stand abroad, and in dry summer
weather be watered a little every evening ; but water must
be given sparingly in the winter.

Linnaeus and some others are of opinion that the Lark-
spur is the hyacinth of the poets ; but this opinion is con-
sidered as unfounded. Professor Martyn has determined
the Martagon lily to be the ancient hyacinth, and the
learned Heyne coincides with him. (See Hyacinth^)

216 FLORA DOMESTICA.

LAUREL.

PRUNUS LAURO-CERASUS.

ROSACE.3S. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, le laurier-cerise.—Italian, lauro regio ; lauro di Trebisonda.

THE Laurel, which has been frequently confounded
with the Laurus Nobilis, or Sweet Bay, does not even be-
long to the same genus. Among the species of Laurus
are many valuable trees, as the camphor, sassafras, cassia,
cinnamon, &c. ; but the common Laurel is not one of that
family.

This Laurel was formerly called the Cherry-bay, or
Bay-cherry, and was preserved in green-houses in the
winter. The only protection against the climate now af-
forded it, is in planting it in a warm aspect, or against a
warm wall, to preserve it from frost. In warm countries,
the Laurel will grow to a great size ; so that in some parts
of Italy there are large woods of them. Where they are
numerous, and near together, they defend each other, and
are not liable to injury by frost : but when in pots, the
roots should be covered with a little straw in severe win-
ters. In dry winter weather, when not frosty, it may be
watered once a week ; in the summer, every evening when
there is no rain.

The Portugal is much hardier than the Common
Laurel. They may be increased by cuttings of the same
year's shoots, which should be planted in September. If
a small part of the former year's wood be left at the bot-
tom, they will root faster. They should be planted five
or six inches deep, in a soft, loamy earth, and the earth
pressed close to them.

Evelyn says, that if the Lauro-cerasus, or Cherry-

LAVATERA. 217

laurel, were not always suffered to run so low and shrubby,
it would make a handsome tree on a stem, with a head
resembling the orange. The way to have this tree of a
handsome shape, with an upright stem, and the boughs
regularly disposed, is to raise it from the berry. This is
also the case with the bay, the orange, and many others.

LAVATERA.

MALVACEAE. MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

So named from Lavater, a physician at Zurich.

THE Lavateras are large, handsome flowers, in form
resembling the mallow, but considerably larger. In colour
they vary from a pure white to blue, flesh-colour, &c.

The annual kinds should be sown in autumn, in small
pots ; one in each. Towards the end of October they
should be removed into the house, and, being defended
from frost, will abide the winter very well. Early in April
they may be shaken out of their pots, and planted in
larger ; where they may remain to flower, which they will
do in July.

The perennial kinds are not so well adapted for pot-
ting ; and the annual will furnish a sufficient variety of
these elegant flowers for any house, balcony, &c. In dry
summer weather they may be gently watered every even-
ing. If perennial kinds are obtained, they must be shel-
tered in the winter, and be sparingly watered in that
season. Most of the species require sticks to support
them.

218 FLORA DOMESTICA.

LAVENDER,

LAVANDULA.

LABIATE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

So named from its use in fomentations and baths. — French, la la-
vande : in Provence, aspic ; espic, whence the foreign oil of lavender
is usually called oil of spike. — Italian, lavendola ; lavanda ; spigo.

THE Common Lavender is increased by cuttings, which
should be planted in March, and placed in the shade
until they have taken root : they may then be exposed to
the sun. These plants will live much longer, and endure
the most severe cold, if planted in a dry, gravelly soil.
They grow faster in summer if the soil be rich and moist;
but then they are generally destroyed in the winter, nor
are they so strongly scented as those which grow in a
barren soil.

Lavender was formerly used for edgings, as we now
use box, thrift, &c. ; but it grows too high for this pur-
pose, and the practice is generally discontinued. The
agreeable scent of Lavender is well known, since it is an
old and still a common custom to scatter the flowers over
linen, as some do rose-leaves, for the sake of this sweet
odour :

" Pure lavender, to lay in bridal gown."

Lavender-water, too, as it is usually called, although it
is really spirit of wine scented with the oil of lavender, is
one of our most common perfumes. This plant has been
much celebrated for its virtues in nervous disorders, and
is an ingredient in some of the English-herb teas now in
such general use. This species of Lavender is common

LAVENDER. 219

to Europe, Asia, and Africa. It flowers from July to
September.

French Lavender (also called Purple Stoechas, from
being found in the islands named the Stoechades) may be
sown in March; several seeds together in a light, dry
soil. When the plants are two inches high, they may be
separated, and planted into pots seven inches wide : they
must be placed in the shade till they have taken root, and
be gently watered every second day. If the winter prove
severe, they should be housed ; but in a dry soil they will
bear our common winters very well. This species may
also be raised from cuttings, like the Common Lavender.
It is a native of the South of Europe, and is in bloom
from May to July.

The other kinds of Lavender may be increased either
by cuttings or seeds ; but they do not all ripen seeds in
this country. They require winter shelter ; and the Thick-
leaved species, which is a native of the East Indies, must
be preserved in a hot-house.

They should have but just water enough to prevent
drought ; especially in the winter.

The stalks of the Lavender, even when the flowers have
been stripped away, have an agreeable scent ; and if burnt,
will diffuse it powerfully and pleasantly : they form an
agreeable substitute for pastiles, and will burn very well
in the little vessels made for that purpose. To a Londoner
it becomes a kind of rural pleasure to hear the cry of —
" Three bunches a penny, sweet Lavender."

' ( And lavender, whose spikes of azure bloom
Shall be erewhile in arid bundles bound,
To lurk amidst her labours of the loom,
And crown her kerchiefs clean with mickle rare perfume."

SHENSTONE'S SCHOOL-MISTRESS.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

LEMON-TKEE.

CITRUS- LIMON.

AURANTIACE-E. POLYADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

French, le limonier ; T arbre du liraon. — Italian, limone.

THE Lemon may be treated like the Orange-tree ; and
as the treatment is given at great length under that head,
it would be useless to repeat it. The only difference is,
that the Lemon, being rather hardier, may be placed in
the more airy part of the room in winter, and may have
rather more water ; though the orange must be frequently
supplied, even in winter, unless it be a bitter frost.

The Lemon is a variety of the citron, which was first
known in Europe by the name of the Median-apple, being
brought from Media. Virgil terms it the " happy apple :"
" probably," says Mr. Davidson, " on account of its great

" Media fert tristes succos, tardumque saporem
Felicis mail ; quo non praesentius ullum,
Pocula si quando saevae infecere novercae,
Miscueruntque herbas, et non innoxia verba,
Auxilium venit, ac membris agit atra venena."

GEORGIC 2.

" Nor be the citron, Media's boast, unsung,
Though harsh the juice, and lingering on the tongue :
When the drugg'd bowl, mid witching curses brew'd,
Wastes the pale youth by step-dame hate pursued,
Its powerful aid unbinds the mutter'd spell,
And frees the victim from the draught of hell."

DR. PARIS' s TRANSLATION.

Martyn, in his Notes, cites a story related by Athenseus
of the use of citrons against poisons, which he had from a

LEMON-TREE.

friend of his, who was governor of Egypt. This governor
had condemned two malefactors to death by the bite of
serpents. As they were led to execution, a person,
taking compassion on them, gave them a citron to eat.
The consequence of this was, that though they were ex-
posed to the bite of the most venomous serpents, they re-
ceived no injury. The governor being surprised at this
extraordinary event, inquired of the soldiers who guarded
them, what they had eaten or drank that day, and being
informed that they had only eaten a citron, he ordered
that the next day one of them should eat citron, and the
other not. He who had not tasted the citron died pre-
sently after he was bitten ; the other remained unhurt.

LILAC.

SYRINGA.

JASMINES. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, lilas commun ; lilas ; queue de renard de jardin [garden
fox-tail]. — Italian, siringa : in Sicily, alberu di pacenzia.

THE name Syringa is of Greek origin, and signifies
a pipe. The old English name is Pipe-tree. Caspar
Bauhin supposes Syringa to be an African wood. Lin-
naeus was inclined to trace the name to the nymph Syrinx,
who, to escape the pursuit of the god Pan, was, at her
own request, changed by the gods into a reed ; of which
Pan formed a musical instrument, and gave it the name
of his favourite nymph :

" Among the Hamadryade Nonacrines,
(On cold Arcadian hills) for beauty famed,
A Nais dwelt ; the nymphs her Syrinx named,

FLORA DOMESTICA.

Who oft deceived the satyrs that pursued,

The rural gods, and those whom woods include.

In exercises, and in chaste desire,

Diana-like ; and such in her attire.

You either in each other might behold,

Save that her bow was horn — Diana's, gold :

Yet oft mistook. Pan, crown'd with pines, returning

From steep Lycaeus, saw her; and love-burning,

Thus said : ' Fair virgin, grant a god's request,

And be his wife.' Surcease to tell the rest ;

How from his prayers she fled, as from her shame,

Till to smooth Ladon's sandy banks she came :

There stopp'd ; implored the liquid sister's aid

To change her shape, and pity a forced maid.

Pan, when he thought he had his Syrinx clasp'd

Between his arms, reeds for her body grasp'd.

He sighs : they, stirr'd therewith, report again

A mournful sound, like one that did complain.

Rapt with the music — ' Yet, oh sweet !' said he,

' Together ever thus converse will we.'

Then of unequal wax-join'd reeds he framed

This seven-fold pipe : of her 'twas Syrinx named."

SANDYS' OVID, book 1.

Lilac, or Lilag, is a Persian word, signifying a flower.

Of the Common Lilac there are three varieties : the
Blue, the Violet, and the White. The second is gene-
rally known by the name of the Scotch Lilac : this has
the fullest flowers.

" The Lilac," says Mr. Martyn, " is very commonly seen
in English gardens, where it has long been cultivated as
a flowering shrub. It is supposed to grow naturally in
some parts of Persia ; but it is so hardy as to resist the
greatest cold of this country.

" The Scotch Lilac," continues he, " is the most beau-
tiful of the three ; and is probably so called because it
was first mentioned in the catalogue of the Edinburgh
garden."

LILAC. 223

Gerarde and Parkinson cultivated the Blue and the
White kinds under the name of Pipe-tree, or Pipe-privet.
Gerarde says, "I have them growing in my garden in
great plenty." (1597.) This shows it to have been at that
time comparatively rare; and the beautiful Lilac now so
common in our gardens and shrubberies was far more so.

The flowers appear towards the end of April, or early
in May, and usually last about a month. Although called
a shrub, the Lilac will grow to the height of eighteen or
twenty feet; and the leaves growing very luxuriantly,
it may be considered as a tree of very respectable di-
mensions.

The species of Lilac best adapted for pots is the Per-
sian, which seldom exceeds six feet in height. The flowers
blow some weeks later than those of the Common Lilacr
and last longer in beauty ; but do not produce ripe seeds
in England. It is a light and elegant shrub, of a more
lady-like delicacy than the Common kind ; compared to
which, it is as the light and crisp Chinese-rose compared
to the full-blown beauty of the Cabbage-rose. This shrub
was formerly known among the nurserymen by the name
of the Persian Jasmin.

The Common Lilac thrives best upon a rich, light soil,
such as the gardens in the neighbourhood of London are
chiefly composed of; and there they grow much larger
than in any other part of England. In a strong loam, or
a chalky soil, they make little or no progress. The best
time to transplant them is in the autumn. The Common
Lilac is a native of Persia, as well as the Persian, speci-
fically so called ; but the latter was brought to this country
about half a century later.

It may not be altogether useless to mention, that the
flowers of the Lilac are always produced upon the shoots

FLORA DOMESTICA.

of the former year ; and below the flowers, on the same
shoot, other shoots come out to succeed them ; for that
part upon which the flowers stand decays down to the
shoots below every winter. Therefore, if it is desired to
preserve the tree in full beauty, care should be taken in
plucking the flowers, not to take with them those young
shoots which are to produce the flowers of the following
season, or the blossoms will be comparatively few.

The earth should be kept moderately moist, and the
Persian Lilac should be sheltered from frost.

When the Lilac blossom has attained its full beauty, it
begins to fade gradually, until it becomes at last of a red
colour. Thus Cowper speaks of them as sanguine :

" The lilac, various in array, now white,
Now sanguine, and her beauteous head now set
With purple spikes pyramidal, as if
Studious of ornament, yet unresolved
Which hues she most approved, she chose them all."

COWPER'S TASK.

" shrubs there are

Of bolder growth, that at the call of spring
Burst forth in blossom'd fragrance ; lilacs robed
In snow-white innocence, or purple pride."

THOMSON'S SPRING.

LILIES. 225

LILIES.

LILIUM.

LILIACE^E. HEXANDR1A MONOGYNIA.

French, le lis; lys. — Italian, giglio: in the Brescian, zei.

ALTHOUGH we usually associate the idea of extreme
whiteness with the lily, so that it is common to express a
pure white by comparison with this flower, as with snow,
and as white as a lily is an old and common proverb, yet
lilies are of almost every variety of colour : perhaps there
is no other flower that varies so much in this respect.

" The Common White Lily," says Mr. Martyn, " has
been cultivated in England time immemorial." The stem
is usually about three feet high. The flowers are bril-
liantly white, and glossy on the inside. It is from the
East; and in Japan the blossom is said to be nearly a
span in length. This Lily flowers in June and July.
The roots, which are mucilaginous, are sometimes boiled
in milk or water, and employed in emollient poultices ;
but they have not much reputation. An oil for the same
purpose was also prepared by infusing the roots in olive
oil.

There are several varieties of the White Lily: as, that
with the flowers striped or blotched with purple ; that
with the leaves striped or edged with yellow ; one with
double, and one with pendulous flowers. The double
flowers are less fragrant than the single ; and the common
kind is generally held in higher estimation than any of
the others.

This Lily may easily be increased by offsets, which the
bulbs furnish in great plenty. They should be taken off

226 FLORA DOMESTICA.

every second year. The best time to remove it is about
the end of August, soon after the stalks decay. It will
thrive in almost any soil or situation, is very hardy, and
not liable to injury by frost. Few plants are more easily
increased or preserved than the Lily, so remarkable for
the beauty and fragrance of its flowers.

The bulbs, when removed, may be treated as other
bulbs ; but the sooner these are re-planted the better, as
they do not keep so well out of the ground as many
others.

This Lily is considered as an emblem of purity and
elegance; and

" The lady lily, looking gently down/'

is scarcely less a favourite with the poets than the rose
itself:

" The lily, of all children of the spring
The palest — fairest too where fair ones are."

BARRY CORNWALL'S FLOOD or THESSALY.

" Thus passeth yere by yere, and day by day,
Till it felle ones in a morwe of May,
That Emelie, that fayrer was to scene
Than is the lilie upon his stalke greene,
And fresher than the May with floures newe,
For with the rose color strof hire hewe ;
(I n' ot which was the finer of them two)
Er it was day, as she was wont to do,
She was arisen and all redy dight ;
For May will have no slogardie a-night."

CHAUCER.

-" In virgin beauty blows

The tender lily languishingly sweet."

ARMSTRONG.

Hevinlie lyllyis with lokkerand toppis quhyte,
Opynnit and schew thare istis redemyte."

GAWIN DOUGLAS.

LILIES.

" Queen of the field, in milk-white mantle drest,
The lovely lily waved her curling crest."

MODERNISED BY FAWKES.

Catesby's Lily was named in honour of Mr. Catesby,
who first found it in South Carolina. It is one of the
smallest of the lilies cultivated in this country ; the whole
plant, when in bloom, being little more than a foot high.
The flower is variously shaded with red, orange, and
lemon colours, and has no scent. It blows in July and
August. This lily does not produce offsets very fast. It
must be carefully sheltered from frost, and be kept mode-
rately moist.

The Orange-Lily has a large and brilliant flower, of a
glowing flame-colour, figured and dotted with black and
fiery red. There are several varieties of this species :
one of which, called the Bulb-bearing Fiery Lily, puts
out bulbs from the axils of the stalks ; which, when the
stalks decay, being taken off, and planted, will produce
new plants.

The Orange-Lily will thrive in any soil or situation,
and is readily increased by offsets. The bulbs should
be removed every second year, and planted again before
Christmas. It may stand abroad, and should be kept
moderately moist.

Of the Martagon Lilies there are several species, and
many varieties of each. These are not calculated for
pots, but cannot be passed over without notice, since it is
one of these Lilies called the Chalcedonian, or Scarlet
Martagon, which has been determined to be the poetical
hyacinth. (See Hyacinth.) The Red, and Yellow Mar-
tagons are commonly known by the name of Turk's-cap
Lilies.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

LILY OF THE VALLEY.

CONVALLARIA.

SMILACEJE. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

These flowers are so named from growing in valleys.

OF the Lily of the Valley, called also Lily Convally,
and May Lily, and in some country villages, Ladder
to Heaven; — in French, le muguet; Us des valltes ;
muguet de Mai : in the village dialect, gros mouguet : in
Italian, il mughetto ; giglio convallio [lily convally] ; giglio
delle convalli — there are three species: the Sweet-scented,
the Grass-leaved, and the Spiked. The first is a native
of Britain and many other parts of Europe. It flowers in
May : whence it has been named by some the May Lily.
Gerarde calls it Convall Lily, and says that in some places
it is called Liriconfancie. It is also called May-blossom.

" The Lily of the Valley," says Mr. Martyn, " claims
our notice both as an ornamental and a medicinal plant.
As an ornamental one, few are held in higher estimation :
indeed, few flowers can boast such delicacy, with so much
fragrance. When dried they have a narcotic scent, and,
reduced to powder, excite sneezing. A beautiful and de-
sirable green colour may be prepared from the leaves
with lime." The distilled water is used in perfumery.

There are several varieties of this species : one with
red flowers, one with double red, and one with double
white blossoms. There is also a variety much larger than
the common sort, and beautifully variegated with purple.
It was brought from the Royal Garden at Paris, and
flowered several years in the Chelsea Garden: but the
roots do not increase so much as the other varieties.

LILY OF THE VALLEY.

The Lily of the Valley requires a loose sandy soil and
a shady situation. It is increased by parting the roots
in autumn, which should be done about once in three
years. They may be gently watered every evening in
dry summer weather. When the roots of this plant are
confined in a pot it may also be increased by its red berry ;
but in the woods, where the roots are allowed to spread, it
seldom produces the berry *.

The other species of the Lily of the Valley are natives
of Japan.

" No flower amid the garden fairer grows
Than the sweet lily of the lowly vale,
The queen of flowers."

-" And valley-lilies whiter still

Than Leda's love."

KEATS'S ENDYMION, p. 10.

Of the Solomon's-seal — called in French h sceau de
Salomon ; le signet de Salomon ; Vherbe de la rupture [rup-
ture-wort] ; le genouillet : Italian, il ginocchietto ; sigillo di
Salomone — there are seven species, and varieties of each :
the Narrow-leaved, the Single-flowered, the Broad-leaved,
the Many-flowered, the Cluster-flowered, the Star-flowered,
and the Least Solomon's-seal, or One-blade.

" The root of the Single-flowered species," says Mr.
Martyn, " is twisted and full of knots. On a transverse
section of it, characters appear that give it the resemblance
of a seal : whence its name of Solomon's-seal." It is also
called White-root.

The roots of this and the Broad-leaved kind have, in
times of scarcity, been made into bread ; and the young
shoots of the latter species are eaten by the Turks as we
eat asparagus. All the species are elegant plants. They

* See Rousseau's Letters on Botany.

230 FLORA DOMESTICA.

are hardy ; and, in a light soil and a shady situation, in-
crease very fast by the roots. The best time to trans-
plant them, and to part the .roots, is in autumn, soon after
the stalks decay. They should not be removed oftener
than every third year; but should have fresh earth, as
deep as it can be changed without disturbing the roots,
every spring. The earth should be kept moderately
moist.

There is something delightfully fresh and cool in the
appearance of these Lilies ; of which the flowers are so
pleasantly shaded by their large light-green leaves, that
one wishes one's-self a fairy to lie in them, like Ariel in
the bell of the cowslip :

" Where the bee sucks, there lurk I,
In a cowslip's bell I lie."

It is to these Mr. Hunt alludes in one of his poems,
where he seems revelling to his heart's delight among
all the sweets of spring :

" Lilacs then, and daffodillies.
And the nice-leaved lesser lilies,
Shading, like detected light,
Their little green-tipt lamps of white."

LUPINE.

LUPINUS.

LEGUMINOS^E. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

The name of this plant is derived from lupus, a wolf, and is given
it on account of its exhausting qualities. — French, le lupin. — Italian,
lupino.

THE Lupines are, with one exception, annual plants;
and that one strikes so deep a root, that it cannot be
grown in a pot. The others may be raised without any
difficulty, and are very pretty when in flower ; indeed,

LUPINE. 231

their leaves are by no means destitute of beauty, growing
in a kind of starry form, and, in most of the species, being
of a downy velvet softness. The flowers are blue, white,
rose-coloured, pale or deep yellow.

The Blue Lupines have usually more flowers ; but the
Common Yellow Lupine is often preferred for its sweet
scent. The flowers of this Lupine are of very short
duration, especially if the season be warm ; therefore, to
have a succession of them, the seed should be sown at
several times ; for they will continue to flower until checked
by frost ; and those which blow in the autumn will last
longer than the earlier ones.

Lupines may be sown from the beginning of February
to the end of June : they may be sown six or seven in a
pot of as many inches diameter. Towards the end of
June they will begin to flower. It is safer to keep such
as are sown in February, in the house, until the frosts are
securely over ; but this precaution will not be necessary if
the season be mild. They should be watered three times
a week in the spring ; but, as the weather becomes warmer,
they may, when there is no rain, be watered every evening.
About sun-set the leaves will droop as if dying, in the
same manner as those of the balsam. This must not be
mistaken for a want of water, as with the hydrangea :
they will again display their starry foliage in the morn-
ing sun.

" Virgil calls Lupines tristes lupini" says Mr. Martyn,
" because their bitterness contracts the muscles, and gives
a sorrowful appearance to the countenance." One might
rather have suspected it to have been from the drooping
of the leaves, since the poets have always taken advantage
of these peculiarities in flowers, to make them expressive
of a sentiment, imputing a conscious timidity to the violet ;
and even the cowslip has, from its gentle drooping, been
called in by Milton as a mourner for Lycidas. The in-

FLORA DOMESTICA.

stances of this use of flowers are without number ; but
there are not many more interesting than the following :

' f Bowing adorers of the gale,
Ye cowslips, delicately pale,

Upraise your loaded stems ;
Unfold your cups in splendour, speak !
Who deck'd you with that ruddy streak,
And gilt your golden gems ?"

CLARE.

Notwithstanding their bitterness, Lupines were formerly
used as a food in some parts of Italy; particularly the
White Lupine, which is a native of the Levant, and was
then known also by the German name, Fig-bean. It was
also called the Tame Lupine. In Tuscany and the South
of France, where there is a want of manure, the Lupine is
ploughed into the land, and is thought to improve it : it is
used particularly for land intended for vineyards.

The Lupines are from Africa, America, and many parts
of Europe. The Great Blue Lupine has been supposed
to be a native of India. Parkinson says it is from Kara-
mania; Linnaeus brings it from Arabia: but, whether it
comes from any, or from all of these countries, it is very
hardy, and sustains the changes of our climate manfully.

LYCHNIS.

CARYOPHYLLEjE. DECANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

The origin of this name is not known. Some say it signifies a torch,
and that the , plant was so named from its flame-coloured flowers :
others derive it from lucerna, a lamp, and suppose it to have been
given from the lamp-like shape of the capsule.

THE Scarlet Lychnis, which is the handsomest of these
plants, does not thrive well in a pot, because the roots
naturally spread to a great distance, and do not like con-
finement. It may, however, be grown in a very large pot,
and often is.

LYCHNIS. 233

The double-flowered variety of the Common Meadow
Lychnis is often cultivated for the beauty of the flowers.
The single flowers are very common in our hedges, which
are sometimes absolutely illuminated by them, in May,
June, and July. They are generally known by the name
of Rose-campion, but have a variety of other names ; as
Meadow-pink, Wild-william, Crow-flower, Cuckoo-flower,
Ragged-robin, March-gilliflowers, Wild-campion, Meadow-
campion, Gardener's-delight, or Gardener's-eye. This
species may be increased by slipping the roots in autumn.
They are of a bright rose-colour ; sometimes white.

The Scarlet Lychnis has also many names ; as, indeed,
have most of the species. It is called by the old writers
Flower of Constantinople ; Flower of Bristow ; Campion
of Constantinople; and Nonesuch. The French call it
croix de Jerusalem ; croix de Maltha ; Jleur de Constan-
tinople: the Italians, croce di Cavalieri: the Spaniards,
cruces de Jerusalem : and the Portuguese, cruz de Malta.

The Wild Lychnis, also called Wild Campion, of which
the double-flowered varieties, both red and white, are
known in gardens by the name of Bachelor's-buttons, are
very ornamental, continue long in flower, and blow at the
same time with the Meadow Lychnis. This is increased
in the same manner: the roots must be removed and
parted every year. This kind, also, is sometimes called
Rose-campion ; but the true Rose-campion is a species of
Agrostemma.

They may be kept moderately moist.

The Scarlet Lychnis is increased by cuttings, which,
however, are very uncertain, and frequently fail. The
cuttings should be taken from the young side-shoots,
without flowers. They should have three or four joints,
and be inserted to a depth half-way between the second
and third. A hand-glass will facilitate their rooting.

234 FLORA DOMESTICA.

MALLOW.

MALVA.

MALVACEAE. MONADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

Gerarde supposes the Latin name of this genus to be derived from
the Hebrew, in which tongue it is called Malluach, from its saltness
(Melach, salt) because the Mallow grows in salt places,, among rub-
bish, &c., where saltpetre abounds. " I am persuaded," says he,
" that the Latin word Malva comes from the Chaldee name Malluach,
the ch being left out for the good sound's sake ; so that in the Malua
we should pronounce the u as a vowel, Malua, which comes near to the
English word Mallow." — French, mauve. — Italian, malva.

THE Whorl-flowered Mallow is a native of China : it
has pale red flowers, blowing in June and July.

The Syrian or Curled Mallow has white flowers, veined
with red or purple, and is in flower from June to August.
These two kinds are annual.

The Vervain and the Musk-mallow are natives of many
parts of Europe, and the latter is sometimes found wild in
this country.

They may be sown about the end of March, several
together; and when they are three or four inches high,
they may be removed into separate pots, which should be
nine or ten inches wide. They may also be sown in the
autumn, for they will bear the cold very well, if not too
much watered; and will flower earlier, and even stronger,
than those sown in the spring. In dry summer weather they
may have a little water every evening, or second evening,
according to the heat of the sun, the plant's exposure to
it, &c. : but in cold weather, once a week, or twice in ten
days, will be sufficient.

MALLOW. 235

A species of Mallow was used among the Romans as
an esculent vegetable. Horace mentions it as one of his
ordinary dishes. We are informed that a tree of the Mal-
low kind furnishes food to the Egyptians, and the Chinese
also use Mallows in their food. A kind of paste, called
by the French name of pate de mauve, was prepared from
the root, which is thought to be efficacious in allaying the
irritation produced by violent coughing; but at present
the Mallow is omitted, that the composition may have a
fine white colour ; it is therefore now made only of the
finest white gum-arabic, the white of eggs, sugar, and
orange-flower water.

The Mallow was formerly planted, with some other
flowers, the Asphodel in particular, around the graves of
departed friends *. It was probably this circumstance which
led to the following reflections, in the epitaph on Bion,
by Moschus :

" Raise, raise the dirge. Muses of Sicily.
Alas ! when mallows in the garden die,
Green parsley, or the crisp luxuriant dill,
They li ve again, and flower another year ;
But we, how great soe 'er, or strong, or wise,
When once we die, sleep in the senseless earth
A long, an endless, unawakeable sleep."

HUNT'S FOLIAGE.

* See Asphodel.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

MARSH-MAKYGOLD.

CALTHA PALUSTBIS.

RANUNCULACE^. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

The name Caltha signifies in Greek a basket, and refers to the ap-
pearance of the flower when not fully expanded. — French, le populage;
le souci d 'eau [water marygold] ; le souci tie marais ; souchet d 'eau,
Italian, calta palustre; sposa del sole [spouse of the sun]; popu-
laggine.

THE Marsh-marygold makes a brilliant appearance in
the meadows in March and April, and sometimes even as
early as February. The flower-buds, gathered before they
expand, are said to be a good substitute for capers ; and
their juice, boiled with alum, stains paper yellow. On
May-day the country people strew these flowers before
their doors, and twine them in their garlands. In Lapland
it is the first flower that announces the approach of spring,
although it does not there appear till the end of May.
The double variety is preserved in flower gardens for its
beauty, which lasts longer than in the single flowers,
although blowing later. It blooms throughout May and
June. This plant is increased by parting the roots in
autumn: it likes the shade, and must be allowed more
water than other Marygolds; for its natural place of
growth is —

Not the sunny plain,

But where the grass is green with shady trees,
And brooks stand ready for the kine to quaff."

AMARYNTHUS.

MARVEL OF PERU 287

MARVEL OF PERU.

MIRABILIS.

NICTAGINEjE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So named from the wonderful diversity of colours in the flowers.
" Every thing from the New Continent," says Mr. Martyn, te was at
first esteemed wonderful." — French, helle de nuit [heauty of the night];
admirable de Perou ; merveille de Perou ; jalap faux [false jalap]. —
Italian, n'or di notte [night flower] ; maraviglia del Peru ; sciarappa.
Spanish, Don Diego de noche.

THE Marvel of Peru, though first brought to us from
that place, is also a native of Africa, China, the East and
West Indies. The colours vary from white to red, pur-
ple, yellow, red and yellow, purple and yellow, purple and
white, &c.; sometimes all these colours are seen in the
same plant ; which, being very full of blossom, has a hand-
some appearance. It flowers in July, August, September,
and, in mild seasons, October. In warm weather the
flowers do not open till the evening ; but when the weather
is cool, or the sun obscured, they will open in the day-
time ; its hours of rest being exactly the reverse of —

" Those flowers that turn to meet the sun-light clear,
And those which slumber when the night is near."

H. SMITH.

The Japanese ladies prepare, from the meal of the
seeds, a white paint for their faces.

The Forked Marvel of Peru is a native of Mexico ; it
is very similar to the former species, but the flowers are
smaller, and do not vary in their colour, which is a red-
purple, or rather a purple-red. It is very common in all
the islands of the West Indies, where it is called Four-
o'clock-flower, from the flowers opening at that time of the
day.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Sweet-scented Marvel of Peru has white flowers ;
which, as in the other two kinds, close during the day, and
expand when the sun declines, like the Indian Night-
flower, which its countrymen have named Sephalica, be-
cause they believe the bees sleep upon its blossoms.

The Sweet-scented species is not, however, agreeable
to every one, since its scent is of musk, which many per-
sons dislike. It is a native of Mexico, and flowers from
June to September.

The Clammy Marvel of Peru has violet-coloured flowers,
which blow from August to December.

These plants should be raised in a hot-bed ; but if the
roots are taken up when they have done flowering, laid in
dry sand all the winter, secure from frost, and planted
again in the spring, they will flower very well. Towards
the end of May they may be set abroad. The first and
third kinds are the most hardy. The earth must be but
just kept moist.

If placed in a warm situation, they may be raised with-
out a hot-bed, but will not flower till late in the season.
The seeds should be sown in April, separately, in eight
inch pots : when the roots are planted the second year,
the pot should be rather larger.

Rousseau, in speaking of the name of this plant, says —
" Upon the first discovery of the New World, as America
was boastingly called, every thing found there was repre-
sented as wonderful. Strange stories were related of the
plants and animals they met with, and those which were
sent to Europe had pompous names given them. One of
these is the Marvel of Peru, the only wonder of which is,
the variety of colors in the flower." — ROUSSEAU'S LETTERS
ON BOTANY.

MARYGOLD. 239

MARYGOLD.

CALENDULA.

CORYMBIFER^. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA NECESSARIA.

The derivation of Calendula is uncertain : some say it is from the
Calends. In English the old name for these flowers is Golds, or Rudds.
Golds, or Gouldes, is a name given by the country people to a variety
of yellow flowers ; and the name of the Virgin Mary has been added
to many plants which were anciently, for their beauty, named after
Venus, of which the Marygold is one : Costmary, the Virgin Mary's
Costus, is another. The French name it, souci du jardin [garden
marygold] ; in Provence they call it gauche fer [left-hand iron] ; per-
haps from its round form, like a shield which is borne on the left arm,
in contradistinction to the sword, used in the right. The Italians call
it calendula ortense, fiorrancio, a corruption of fiore arancio (orange
flower) and fiore d'ogni mese, or flower of every month ; which latter
name gives countenance to the derivation of Calendula from the
Calends.

THE Field Marygold is a native of most parts of Europe,
and differs but little from the Garden Marygold, except
in being altogether smaller.

The Garden Marygold grows naturally in the vineyards
of France, the cornfields of Italy, and the orchards, fields,
and gardens of Silesia. It was esteemed for its dazzling
splendour long before its uses were discovered : it is a
common ingredient in soups; and is said, as the old
authors express it, " greatly to comfort the heart and the
spirits." It has also been recommended as a medicine,
but has not obtained much reputation in this way. For-
merly it was considered as a wholesome ingredient in
salads, but there is an acrimony in the whole plant which
has even caused it to be commended as a destroyer of
warts. Infused in vinegar, the Marygold is supposed to
prevent infection, even that of the plague itself; and, so
infused, both the leaves and flowers are found a powerful
sudorific. It is, however, very probable that the efficacy

240 FLORA DOMESTICA.

of the infusion, in cases of infection, is more in the vinegar
than in the flower infused in it. It has been asserted that
the sting of a wasp, or a bee, is effectually cured by rub-
bing the part affected with a Marygold-flower.

Linnaeus has observed, that the Marygold is usually
open from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.
The circumstance attracted early notice, and on this ac-
count the plant has been termed solisequa (Sun-follower) ;
and solis sponsa, Spouse of the Sun.

There is an allusion to this daily closing of the Mary-
gold in the poems of Chatterton :

" The mary-budde that shutteth with the light."
Another in the Pastorals of W. Browne :

' ' But, maiden, see the day is waxen olde,
And gins to shut in with the marygold."

And a most beautiful one in Shakspeare's Winter Tale :

" The marygold, that goes to bed with the sun,
And with him rises weeping."

And again in Cymbeline :

" Hark ! hark ! the lark at heaven's gate sings

And Phoebus 'gins arise,
His steeds to water at those springs

On chaliced flowers that lies.
And winking marybuds begin

To ope their golden eyes
With every thing that pretty bin,
My lady sweet arise,
Arise, arise."

There are many varieties of the Garden Marygold;
one of which, the Proliferous, called by Gerarde the Fruit-
ful Marygold, is, as he says, " called by the vulgar sort of
women, Jack-an-apes-on~horseback."

Although this Marygold is generally yellow, there is a

MARYGOLD. 241

variety with purple flowers. The Cape Marygolds, spe-
cifically so called, as well as some others, natives of the
Cape, have a deep purple centre or disk ; and the florets
around it, which are called the rays of the flower, are of a
violet colour without, and a pure white within.

These kinds, like our common Garden Marygold, open
when the sun shines, and close in the evening, and in
cloudy weather. Two of these, the Grass-leaved, and the
Shrubby, are perennial plants : the others are annual.

The Garden Marygold, and the Great, the Little, and
the Naked-stalked Cape Marygolds, may be sown in
April or in March ; the first singly ; the others, four of
them, or five, in a pot ten inches wide. If they all come
up, the two most promising should be preserved, and the
rest rooted out ; they will not bear transplanting. The
Grass-leaved kind is best raised by a gardener; and should
be housed, but not kept too warm, in the winter. The
Shrubby Marygold is increased by cuttings planted in any
of the summer months, and shaded from the sun until they
have taken firm root, which will be in five or six weeks.
In winter, this must be treated as the last.

The Marygolds must not be suffered to remain dry, but
must have but little water at a time. Most of them flower
from June till August; but the Garden Marygold con-
tinues in bloom till stopped by the frost.

ff Open afresh your round of starry folds
Ye ardent marigolds !
Dry up the moisture of your golden lids,
For great Apollo bids

That in these days your praises shall be sung
On many harps, which he has lately strung ;
And when again your dewiness he kisses,
Tell him, I have you in my world of blisses :
So haply when I rove in some far vale,
His mighty voice may come upon the gale."

KEATS.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

It has been observed that these flowers were formerly
called Golds, a name by which Chaucer repeatedly men-
tions them : we are told, in the glossary, that Gold means
a Sun-flower, but it has been remarked that this title also
was formerly bestowed upon the Marygold : and the fol-
lowing passage is an additional argument for supposing
Chaucer to have intended this flower rather than the enor-
mous Sun-flower, now so called :

" Eke eche at other threwe the flouris bright,
The prymerose, the violete, and the gold."

COURT OF LOVE.

He also bestows a garland of them upon Jealousy, yel-
low being the colour emblematical of that passion :

-" and Jalousie,

That wered of yelwe goldes a gerlond,
And had a cuckowe sitting in her hand."

THE KNIGHT'S TALE.

MAURANDIA SEMPERFLORENS.

SCROPHULARIEJB. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPEBMIA.

THIS shrub is a native of Mexico, and requires winter
shelter. It should be housed at Michaelmas, or, if the
season be cold, somewhat earlier; and should remain
within, till the end of May, or the beginning of June. In
April and in October the earth should be removed as deep
as can be done without disturbing the roots, and fresh
earth substituted. If it requires new potting, it must be
carefully removed with the ball of earth about the roots :
all the matted, decayed, or mouldy roots on the outside,
should be pared away; and, when fresh planted, it should
be gently watered, and placed in the shade. April is the
best time for transplanting this shrub, that it may have

MAURANDIA SEMPERFLORENS.

time to fix its roots before the time of its removal into the
open air. In winter it will not require water oftener than
once in five days or a week ; and then, unless in very mild
weather, at the roots only. In dry summer weather it may
be watered every evening, or second evening, according to
its situation and the heat of the sun.

MESEMBRYANTHEMUM.

FICOIDE^E. ICOSANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

The name of this genus is derived from three Greek words, and sig-
nifies a flower with the embryo in the middle: it was originally named
Mesembrianthemum, or Noon-flower, because most of the species close
in the absence of the sun, and disclose themselves in broad sunshine.
The familiar name is Fig-marygold. — French, ficoi'de ; fleur du midi
[noon-flower]. — Italian, ficoide.

THIS genus is very large : it will be necessary only to
select a few of the more desirable or general kinds.

One of the most popular kinds of the Mesembryanthe-
mums is the M. Crystallinum, Ice-plant, or Diamond-fig
Mary^old, of which the leaves, stems, and buds are ap-
parently covered with ice. — French, la glaciale: Italian,
erba crystallina. — It comes from the neighbourhood of
Athens. This plant must be raised in a hot-bed; but, if
not intended for seeding, may be placed abroad in May,
and will preserve its beauty till late in the autumn. It is
chiefly for the ice-like surface that it is admired: the
flowers are trivial. It must be very cautiously watered,
and only often enough to preserve the earth from becoming
an absolute dust.

The M. Frequentiflora is, as its specific name implies,
a frequent flowerer, but it must not be kept too warm, or
it will not satisfy this expectation ; it must merely be shel-
tered from frost and wintry winds.

244 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

The M. Variabile flowers in June, July, and August.
It frequently changes its colour; on first opening, it is
orange or saffron-coloured, then yellow, which fades al-
most to a white, with a tinge of red^ and a red midrib, and
at last a fleshy white, and rubicund on the outside. The
M. Versicolor is rubicund in the morning, pale silvery in
the middle of the day, and rubicund again in the evening.

M. Polyanthon makes a brilliant show in August. M.
Emarginatum flowers from June to August. M. Spe-
ciosum is one of the most beautiful of them all, and flowers
freely. M. Floribundum flowers from May to October in
a most exuberant manner. M. Striatum blossoms also
from May to October very liberally ; and so great is the
demand for this species, that a nursery-florist, near Ham-
mersmith, has been said to sell 7000 pots of it annually.

M. Bracteatum flowers from August to January; M.
Stellatum from August to November; M. Inclaudens
flowers in July : the flowers are always expanded, and
very handsome.

M. Decumbens, from May to October ; M. Glomeratum
from June to July ; and M. Falciforme from July to
August ; are very full of blossom. The flowers of M. Cau-
lescens smell like new hay : this flowers in May.

These plants should be housed in the winter, and care-
fully sheltered from the frost ; but fresh air must always
be allowed them in mild weather. They are very succu-
lent, and must have but just water enough to keep them
alive : the less moisture is given them, the better they will
bear the winter cold.

M. Lacerum is more tender than most of the genus, and
must therefore be sooner housed, and set further from the
windows when open, in the winter. The flowers of this
kind are of a pale rose-colour, large and showy, and do not
close at night. It flowers in June.

MESEMBRYANTHEMUM. 245

M. Tenuifolium has pale red flowers; which, in the
sunshine, appear sprinkled with gold-dust: they blow
very abundantly in June. Most of the species have pur-
ple or yellow flowers.

It may be observed, as a general rule, to water the
shrubby kinds twice, the more succulent, once a week,
during the summer ; but, towards the end of autumn, it
must be given less frequently : once a week to the shrubby
kinds, when the weather is not frosty; and in severe wea-
ther, the succulent should have no more water than just to
prevent their leaves from shrivelling.

They are best raised by a gardener. The pots should
be frequently examined at the bottom, to see if the roots
run through, in which case they must be cut off. Those
perennial kinds which grow pretty fast should be shifted
once or twice in the course of the summer, to pare off their
roots, and, if necessary, remove them into larger pots ; but
they should be always kept in as small pots as possible,
particularly those of the more succulent kind.

They should generally be housed in September, and
placed abroad in May, in a sheltered, warm, sunny situ-
ation. In very wet weather, the most succulent kinds
should be screened from it.

This is a handsome and admired genus, and compre-
hends a great variety. They are chiefly natives of the
Cape. Few green-houses, however small, are without the
Ice-plant ; which is also, from its glittering surface, called
the Diamond-plant, Diamond-ficoides, and Spangled-beau :

— " Geranium boasts

Her crimson honours, and the spangled beau,

Ficoides, glitters bright the winter long.

All plants of every leaf, that can endure

The winter's frown, if screened from his shrewd bite,

Live there and prosper."

COATTEK.

246 FLORA DOMESTICA.

MIGNONETTE.

RESEDA ODORATA.

RESEDACE^. DODECANDRIA TRYGYNIA.

THIS plant is supposed to be an Egyptian, and to have
been brought hither from the South of France, where it is
called reseda d 'Egypte, and herbe d"1 amour [love flower], A
French appellation, derived from the Spanish, minoneta,
prevails here over its classical one. It is a favourite plant,
very fragrant, and has well justified this affectionate name,
Mignonette, or Little-darling : its sweetness wins all hearts.

" The luxury of the pleasure-garden," says Mr. Curtis,
" is greatly heightened by the delightful odour which this
little plant diffuses ; and as it grows more readily in pots,
its fragrance may be conveyed into the house. Its per-
fume, though not so refreshing perhaps as that of the
Sweet-briar, is not apt to offend the most delicate olfac-
tories. It flowers from May to the commencement of
winter."

People have not been satisfied, however, with growing
this little-darling in pots; it is more frequently seen
cradled in the sunshine, in boxes the whole length of the
window it is placed in.

<f the sashes fronted with a range
Of orange, myrtle, or the fragrant weed,

The Frenchman's darling."

COWPER.

The seeds may be sown in April, and will grow very
well in the open air, although it will not flower so early as
when raised in a hot-bed ; they will, however, be much
stronger. If sheltered in the winter, it will continue flower-
ing most part of the year, but will not be so strong the
second year as the first. It is generally an annual. The
earth should be kept moderately moist.

MILK-WORT. 247

MILK-WORT.

POLYGALA.

POLYGALEjE. DIADELPHIA OCTANDRIA.

Polygala is from the Greek, and signifies much milk : the plants,
when eaten by cattle, being supposed to make them yield much milk.
French, I' herbe a lait; laitier. — Italian, poligala; all of a similar
signification.

THE Polygala-myrtifolia, or Myrtle-leaved Milk-wort,
is a shrub growing three or four feet high. It produces
at the ends of the branches, red flowers, white on the out-
side, and of a bright purple within ; and, as it is in blos-
som most part of the summer, is much esteemed to adorn
drawing-rooms, balconies, &c.

This shrub must be housed at the approach of winter,
about the middle or end of October. It must be con-
stantly but sparingly watered; less in the winter, than
when exposed to the open air in summer.

The Spear-leaved kind, which, like the former, is a na-
tive of the Cape, is a very pretty plant, flowering from
May to July, and may be treated in the same manner.

MIMOSA.

LEGUMINOSiE. POLYGAMIA MONOECIA.

Commonly called the Sensitive-plant. — French, herbe vive [live
herb] ; herbe sensible ; herbe sensitive ; acacia. — Italian, sensitiva.

SOME few species of the Mimosa may be preserved in a
warm inhabited room ; but they are mostly kept in a stove,
and few of them will bear the open air even in summer.
Like human beings, they are more sensitive in proportion

248 FLORA DOMESTICA.

to the tenderness of their nursing : like them, by living
hardily, they may be fitted to bear the common chances of
life. In the plant, this nervous sensibility is encouraged
for its singularity ; it is pity there should not be the same
reason for encouraging it in the human species.

If the roots shoot through the pot at the bottom, the
plant should be turned out, the roots be pared close, and
then replaced in the same pot, or a larger, if necessary ;
but they do not thrive so well in large pots. Great cau-
tion must be observed in watering them; they must have
little water at a time, but must not be suffered to remain
quite dry.

Many persons have endeavoured to ascertain the cause
of the sensibility of these plants, but it has never yet been
clearly explained. The degree varies in the different
kinds : some will only contract their leaves on being
touched ; others will bend and recede, as it were courte-
ously to acknowledge your approach ; as that which is
termed the Humble-plant.

that courteous tree

Which bows to all who seek its canopy."

T. MOORE.

" Looke as the Feeling-plant, which learned swaines
Relate to growe on the East Indian plaines,
Shrinkes up his dainty leaves if any sand
You throw thereon, or touch it with your hand."

W. BROWNE

The most irritable part of the plant is in the foot-stalk,
between the stem and the leaflet. During the night they
remain in the same state as when touched in the daytime ;
yet, if touched then, will fold their leaves still closer.

When any of the upper leaves are touched, if in falling
they touch those below them, these also will contract and
fall ; so that by touching one another, they will continue
to fall for some time. Mimosas are very common in the

MIMOSA, 249

woods of Brazil : of one of the species, of which the wood
is very light, the Indians make their canoes *.

A species of the Mimosa, called the Egyptian Mimosa,
or Egyptian Acacia, produces the gum-arabic. It is a
native of Egypt and Arabia, and, in its own countries,
grows to a considerable size. This tree was called by
Theophrastus, an Acanthus ; and is spoken of by Virgil
under the same name, in the second Georgic :

" Quid tibi odorato referam sudantia ligno
Balsamaque, et baccas semper frondentis acanthi ?"

GEORGIC 2.

" Why should I mention the balsam which sweats out of the fra-
grant wood, and the berries of the ever-green acanthus?"

MARTYN'S TRANSLATION.

In this passage he is supposed to refer to the Egyptian
Mimosa.

In the fourth Eclogue, where anticipating a golden age,
he speaks of the Acanthus as one of the plants which the
earth is to bear without trouble :

" At tibi prima, puer, nullo munuscula cultu,
Errantes hederas passim cum baccare tellus,
Mistaque ridenti colocasia fundet acantho."

" Meanwhile the earth, sweet boy, as her first offerings, shall pour
thee forth every where, without culture, creeping ivy with ladies-glove,
and Egyptian beans with smiling acanthus intermixed."

DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

In the third, where he wreathes the Acanthus round the
handles of Alcimedon's cups, and in the fourth Georgic,
where he places it in the Corycian's garden, he alludes to
the herb Acanthus, commonly called, from its roughness,

* See Prince Maximilian's Travels in Brazil. This author speaks
of these Mimosas as growing to a size even colossal, and diffusing a
delicious perfume ; which, together with that of the magnificent creep-
ing plants generally interwoven with their branches, attracts a great
number of butterflies and humming-birds, which hover about them
like bees.

950 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Branca-ursi, or Bear's-breech. This Dryden has trans-
lated Bear's-foot, which is a very different plant ; a species
of Helleborus.

As this last passage applies, in a general as well as par-
ticular manner, to the work now before us, we will quote
some lines from Dryden's translation. It immortalizes an
old acquaintance of the poet's, who was a gardener :

" Now did I not so near my labours end,
Strike sail,, and hastening to the harbour tend,
My song to flowery gardens might extend.
To teach the vegetable arts, to sing
The Paestan roses, and their double spring ;
How succory drinks the running streams, and how
Green beds of parsley near the river grow ;
How cucumbers along the surface creep,
With crooked bodies, and with bellies deep.
The late narcissus, and the winding trail
Of bear's-foot, myrtles green, and ivy pale :
For where with stately towers Tarentum stands,
And deep Galaesus soaks the yellow sands,
I chanced an old Corycian swain to know,
Lord of few acres and those barren too,
Unfit for sheep or vines, and more unfit to sow :
Yet, labouring well his little spot of ground,
Some scattering pot-herbs here and there he found,
Which cultivated with his daily care,
And bruised with vervain, were his frugal fare.
Sometimes white lilies did their leaves afford,
With wholesome poppy-flowers to mend his homely board :
For, late returning home, he supped at ease :
The little of his own, because his own, did please.
To quit his care, he gathered first of all
In spring the roses, apples in the fall :
And when cold winter split the rocks in twain,
And ice the running rivers did restrain,
He stripped the bear's-foot of its leafy growth,
And calling western winds, accused the spring of sloth.
He therefore first among the swains was found
To reap the product of his laboured ground,
And squeeze the combs with golden liquor crowned.
His limes were first in flower ; his lofty pines
With friendly shade secured his tender vines^

MIMOSA. 251

For every bloom his trees in spring afford,
An autumn apple was by tale restored.
He knew to rank his elms in even rows,
For fruit the grafted pear-tree to dispose,
And tame to plums the sourness of the sloes.
With spreading planes he made a cool retreat,
To shade good fellows from the summer's heat ;
But, straitened in my space, I must forsake
This task, for others afterwards to take."

The Acanthus was one of the most favourite ornaments
of the Greeks ; and, as is well known, makes the princi-
pal figure in the capital of the Corinthian column; the
idea of which is said to have been suggested by the ac-
cidental sight of a basket overgrown by Acanthus, with
a tile on it.

Martyn's notes to Virgil's Georgics contain some very
interesting remarks on both the kinds of Acanthus men-
tioned by that poet ; and he quotes a passage from Vi-
truvius, on the origin of the use of the Acanthus in archi-
tecture : " This famous author tells us, that a basket
covered with a tile having been accidentally placed on the
ground, over a root of acanthus, the stalks and leaves
burst forth in the spring, and spreading themselves on the
outside of the basket, were bent back again at the top by
the corners of the tile. Callimachus, a famous architect,
happening to pass by, was delighted with the novelty and
beauty of this appearance ; and, being to make some pil-
lars at Corinth, imitated the form of this basket, sur-
rounded with acanthus, in the capitals. It is certain there
cannot be a more lively image of the capital of a Co-
rinthian pillar than a basket covered with a tile, and sur-
rounded by leaves of brank-ursine, bending outward at
the top." — Others say that the acanthus of the architects
is a different species, though of the same genus with the
brank-ursine.

Virgil again mentions an Acanthus as forming the pat-

FLORA JDOMESTICA.

tern upon a mantle which had belonged to Helen ; and
Theocritus, as a relievo upon a pastoral prize-cup :

<e And all about the cup a crust was raised
Of soft acanthus."

But these Acanthuses either will not bear our climate, or
they strike their roots too deep for potting ; so that, how-
ever interesting they are rendered by classical association,
it is in books we must enjoy them, if we would enjoy them
at home.

MINT.

MENTHA.

LABIATJK. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

Supposed to be named from Mentha., a daughter of Cocytus., who
was changed into this herb by Proserpina in a fit of jealousy. (See
Anemone.)

MINT may seem to belong rather to a kitchen or a
physic, than to a flower garden ; but besides its medicinal
and culinary uses, Spear-mint is esteemed by many per-
sons for the scent; and for this scent, and the quick-
ness of its growth, it is often grown in pots, although as a
flower it is of no value. This mint is called in French,
menthe verte [green mint] ; menthe d* Angleterre [English
mint] ; menthe Romaine [Roman mint] ; menthe de Notre
Dame [Our Lady's mint] : in Italian, erba Santa Maria
[the Holy Mary's herb]. The flower, such as it is, is of
a dark purple ; the leaves are handsome, and, when they
grow luxuriantly, have a cool and refreshing appearance.
Preparations from several of the species are used in me-
dicine ; as Pepper-mint, Spear-mint, Pennyroyal, &c.

An infusion of Spear-mint is used as a substitute for
tea ; the young leaves are eaten in salads, and some eat
them in the same manner as the leaves of sage, with bread
and butter.

MINT.

All the Mints are easily increased by parting the roots
in the spring, or by planting cuttings in any of the sum-
mer months ; keeping the earth very moist until they have
taken root.

Mint to be used as tea, should be cut when just begin-
ning to flower, and dried in the shade.

It is said that Corn-mint — in French, le pouliot thym
[thyme pennyroyal] — prevents the coagulation of milk j
and " when cows have eaten it," says Withering, " as they
will do largely at the end of summer, when pastures are
bare, their milk can hardly be made to yield cheese ; a
circumstance which puzzles the dairy-maids."

MONK'S-HOOD.

ACONITUM.

HANUNCULACEJE. POLYANDRIA TRIGYNIA,

Called also Wolf's-bane; Aconite. — French, Taconit: in some places,
toutchoz. — Italian., aconito.

THE Monk's-hoods are hardy perennials, very hand-
some ; their flowers growing in spikes or rods, which, in
some of the species, are nearly two feet long. They may
be increased by parting the roots, every piece of which
will grow. This should be done soon after they have
done flowering; and the stalks should be cut down at
the same time. They like shade, and moisture. Most
of them have blue flowers, but there are also white and
yellow.

The ancients, who were not acquainted with chemical
poisons, regarded the Aconite as the most violent of all ;
and fabled it to be the invention of Hecate, and sprung
from the foam of Cerberus :

" And now arrives unknown ^Egeus' seed,
Who, great in name, had two-sea'd Isthmos freed ;

254 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Whose undeserved ruin Phasias * sought

By mortal aconite, from Scythia brought :

This from th' Echidnean dog dire essence draws.

There is a blind steep cave, with foggy jaws,

Through which the bold Tyrinthian herot strain'd,

Dragg'd Cerberus, with adamant enchain'd;

Who backward hung, and scowling, look'd askew

On glorious day, with anger rabid grew ;

Thrice howls, thrice barks at once with his three heads,

And on the grass his foamy poison sheds.

This sprung : attracting from the fruitful soil

Dire nourishment, and power of deathful spoil.

The rural swains, because it takes delight

In barren rocks, surnamed it aconite."

SANDYS'S OVID.

The real virulence of the Aconite has been proved by
fatal experience. Some persons, only by smelling the full-
blown flower, are said to have been seized with swooning
fits, and to have lost their sight for two or three days.
The root is the most powerful part of the plant ; and a
criminal has been put to death by being made to swallow
one drachm of it. Dodonaeus mentions an instance, recent
in his time, of five persons at Antwerp who ate of the
root by mistake, and all died. Instances have also been
recorded of persons who have died from eating of this
in a salad, instead of celery ; and some experiments upon
animals have been made with it, which are too horrible to
repeat.

Yet, when used with skill and caution, this plant has
been found in some cases a useful medicine. Those with
blue flowers are considered as the most powerful.

There is a species called the Wholesome Aconite — in
French, maclou— which has been recommended as an an-
tidote to the poisonous kinds. This, however, is poisonous,
though not so powerfully so as the others. All the kinds
have rather deep roots, which render them unfit for grow-
* Medea. t Hercules.

MOTHERWORT. 255

ing in pots. They are here mentioned rather to speak
of their dangerous tendency than to recommend their in-
crease.

MOTHERWORT.

LEONURUS.

LABIATE. DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.

The common kind is called in French, 1'agripaume ; la cordiale. —
Italian, agripalma ; cardiaca.

THE Common Motherwort, and the Curled, when the
seeds are once sown in the spring, require no further care
than occasionally to water them, and to keep them clear
of weeds. The roots last many years: they are usually
of a pale red in the first, pure white in the latter kind.

The Small-flowered, Tartarian, and Siberian, require no
more care than the other kinds, but to sow them oftener..
They do not blow till the second year, and blow but
once. Their colours are flesh-coloured, yellow, and red r
blowing from June to August.

In a garden they sow their own seeds ; and, when once
introduced, give no further trouble.

In Japan, the Motherwort is in great estimation. It
seems there was formerly, to the north of the province of
Nanyo-no-rekken, a village situated near a hill covered
with Motherwort flowers. At the foot of the hill was a
valley, through which ran a stream of pure water, formed
by the dew and rains that trickled down the sides of the
hill. This water was the ordinary beverage of the villagers,
who generally lived to the age of a hundred, or a hundred
and thirty. To die at seventy was considered as a pre-
mature death. Thus the people have still an idea that

256 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the Motherwort has the property of prolonging life. At
the court of the Dairi, the ecclesiastical sovereign of Ja-
pan, they amuse themselves with drinking zakki*, prepared
from these flowers.

The Japanese have five grand festivals in the course of
the year. The last festival, which takes place on the 9th
of the ninth month, is called the Festival of Motherwort ;
and the month itself is named Kikousouki, or Month of
Motherwort-flowers. It was formerly the custom to gather
these flowers as soon as they had opened, and to mix
them with boiled rice, from which they prepared the
zakki used in celebrating this festival. In the houses of
the common people, instead of this beverage, you find a
branch of the flowers fastened with a string to a pitcher
full of common zakki ; which implies, that they wish one
another a long life. The origin of this festival is as
follows :

It is related by several authors, that a Chinese emperor,
who succeeded to the throne at seven years of age, was
distressed by a prediction that he would die before he
attained the age of fifteen. An immortal having brought
to him, from Nanyo-no-rekken, a present of some of the
beautiful yellow flowers of the Motherwort, he caused
zakki to be made from them, which he drank every day,
and lived upwards of seventy years.

This immortal had been in his youth in the service of
the emperor, under the name of Zido. Being banished
for some misdemeanour, he took up his residence in the
valley before-mentioned, drinking nothing but the water
impregnated with these flowers, and lived to the age of
three hundred years; whence he obtained the name of
Sien-nin-foso.

The Japanese are, indeed, very fond of flowers in ge-

* Zakki is a kind of strong beer ; the common beverage in Japan.

MOTHERWORT. 257

neral ; and the houses of respectable people have always
pots of flowers in the windows. They have a great esteem
for plum and cherry trees, and for the beauty of their
blossoms. Some dwarf trees of these kinds are cultivated
in boxes behind the houses almost invariably ; and persons
in easy circumstances have in their apartments one or
more branches, when in flower, in a porcelain vase *.

MYRTLE.

MYRTUS.

MYRTE.E. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

So named from Myrsine, an Athenian damsel, and favourite of Mi-
nerva, who was metamorphosed into this shrub, which is consecrated
to Venus. The connexion between Minerva's favourite and Venus is
not clear ; but nothing can be fitter for rendering sacred to Venus than
the myrtle. It is the perfection of neatness and elegance, and leaf and
flower are alike worthy of each other. — French, le myrthe ; myrte. —
Italian, mirto.

THE Myrtle is a native of Asia, Africa, and the South
of Europe; and though not very tender, is not quite
hardy enough to bear our winters without some pro-
tection, except in the most southern and western parts of
the island.

The beauty and fragrance of the flower are exquisite :
it blossoms in July and August, but does not bear fruit in
England.

The Common Broad-leaved or Roman Myrtle does not
grow higher in England than eight or ten feet; but in
Italy it grows much higher, and is the principal under-

* See Titsingh's Illustrations of Japan, translated from the French
by F. Shoberl.

258 FLORA DOMESTICA.

wood of some of the forests. The flowers of this are
larger than those of the other species, and it is by some
called the Flowering Myrtle, because it flowers more
freely in this country than most others.

There are many varieties of the Common Myrtle ; as
the Italian, the Orange-leaved, the Bay-leaved, the Broad-
leaved Dutch, the Box-leaved, the Thyme-leaved, the
Double-flowering, &c. The Box-leaved has very small
blossoms, which blow late in the summer.

All the varieties of this Myrtle may be increased by
cuttings. The most straight and vigorous young shoots
should be selected: they should be six or eight inches
long, and the leaves should be stripped off two or three
inches high. The part which is put into the earth should
be a little twisted: they should be planted two inches
apart, the earth pressed close to them, and a little water
given them. They must be shaded from the noon-day
sun, and be kept always moderately moist.

These cuttings should be planted in July: they are
generally placed in a hot-bed, but will take root very well
without that assistance, though not so quickly as where
it can be allowed them. They should, however, be re-
moved within doors, admitting fresh air. With the ex-
ception of the Orange-leaved and the Nutmeg Myrtles,
which are somewhat tenderer than the rest, they may
have air given them in mild weather throughout the win-
ter : only requiring protection from frost.

During the winter, they should be gently watered twice
or thrice a week, when not frosty. If any decayed leaves
appear, they should always be pinched off.

The young plants should be carefully taken up in the
spring, with the ball of earth adhering to their roots, and
parted into separate pots ; watered well, and kept in the
house till they have again fixed their roots. About the

MYRTLE. 259

middle of May they should be gradually accustomed to
the open air, but placed where they may be defended
from strong winds.

During the summer, Myrtles require plenty of water,
especially the young plants, which, being in small pots,
are sooner dry. They should be so placed as to receive
the morning sun only ; for if they are exposed to the me-
ridian heat, the moisture contained in these small pots
will soon be exhaled, and the growth of the plants much
retarded.

In August, if the roots have made their way through
the bottom of the pot, the plant must be removed into
one a size larger : the cultivator paring off the decayed
and matted roots, and with the hand loosening some of the
earth adhering to them, that they may find an easier pass-
age into the fresh earth. When newly planted they must
always be well watered, and placed in the shade. If the
branches grow in an irregular and unsightly manner, this
is a good time to trim them. But the sort with double
flowers should not be clipped, because the chief beauty
consists in the blossoms, and the cropped branches will
not produce any.

Myrtles should be first planted in very small pots, and
removed into larger, as the increase of the roots may re-
quire ; but large pots will not only weaken, but sometimes
destroy them ; so that they must not be removed into
larger than they really want. The best seasons for re-
moving them are in April and in August. About the
middle, or, if the season be mild, the end of October,
Myrtles should be removed into the house, both old and
young ; and gradually returned to their out-door station in
April or May.

In Cornwall and Devonshire, where the winters are
milder than in most other parts of England, Myrtles will

260 FLOllA DOMESTICA.

endure the open air all the year round; and there are
Myrtle hedges which have grown to a considerable height,
and are very strong and healthy. Mr. Keppel Craven
describes the hedges in Naples to be as commonly com-
posed of Myrtles and orange trees, as ours are of thorn
and privet. Their fragrance, when in blossom, must sur-
pass even our own hawthorn.

The Myrtle was formerly used in medicine : it was a
great favourite with the ancients ; and either on account
of its beauty, or because it thrives best in the neighbour-
hood of the sea, it was held sacred to Venus — as the olive
to Minerva, the poplar to Hercules, the ivy and the vine
to Bacchus, the hyacinth and the bay to Apollo, &c.

Myrtle-berries were used in cookery ; and both those
and the branches put into wine. Evelyn speaks of a de-
coction of Myrtle-berries for dying the hair black.

Myrtle was the symbol of authority for magistrates at
Athens ; bloodless victors were crowned with Myrtle ; and
hence the swords of Harmodius and Aristogiton were
wreathed with Myrtle, when they set forth to free their
country from hereditary monarchy. Thus when the young
hero is contemning the indolent and effeminate luxury
around him, he breaks out in enthusiastic admiration of
the Greeks :

" It was not so, land of the generous thought,
And daring deed ! thy godlike sages taught ;
It was not thus, in bowers of wanton ease,
Thy Freedom nursed her sacred energies ;
Oh ! not beneath the enfeebling, withering glow
Of such dull luxury did those myrtles grow
With which she wreathed her sword when she would dare
Immortal deeds ; but in the bracing air
Of toil, of temperance, of that high, rare,
Etherial virtue, which alone can breathe
Life, health, and lustre into Freedom's wreath."

MOORE'S LALLA ROOKH.

MYRTLE. 261

The Myrtle's fondness for the sea-shore is noticed by
Virgil in his Georgics :

nee sera comantem

Narcissum, aut flexi tacuissem vimen acanthi,
Pallentesque hederas, et amantes litora myrtos."

GEORGIC 4.

" Nor had I passed in silence the late-flowering daffodil, the stalks
of the flexile acanthus, the pale ivy, or the myrtle that loves the
shore." DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

And again :

" Litora myrtetis laetissima."

The same poet, in his Pastorals, alludes to the fragrance
of the Myrtle-blossom :

" Et vos, 6 lauri, carpam, et te, proxima myrte ;
Sic positse quoniam suaves miscetis odores."

" And you, ye laurels, I will crop ; and thee, O myrtle, next in
dignity to the laurel; for thus arranged, you mingle sweet perfumes."

So Davidson translates this passage : the words in Italics
marking an interpolation, or rather a necessary explanation
of the preceding adjective.

It was impossible that Spenser should omit the Myrtle
in the garden of Adonis :

" Right in the middest of that paradise

There stood a stately mount, on whose round top

A gloomy grove of myrtle-trees did rise,

Whose shady boughs sharp steel did never lop,

Nor wicked beasts their tender buds did crop ;

But like a garland compassed the height.

And from their fruitful sides sweet gum did drop,

That all the ground with precious dew bedight,

Threw forth most dainty odours and most sweet delight.

And in the thickest covert of that shade
There was a pleasant arbour, not by art,
But by the trees' own inclination made ;

FLORA DOMESTICA.

Which knitting their rank branches part to part,

With wanton ivy-twine entrail'd athwart ;

And eglantine and caprifole among,

Fashion'd above within their inmost part,

That neither Phoebus' beams could through them throng,

Nor jEolus' sharp blast could work them any wrong."

FAIRY QUEEN, b. iii. c. 6.

The Myrtle and the bay are continually coupled to-
gether by the poets, like the lily and the rose. And not
even the bay itself has been more sweetly sung than this
beautiful shrub :

" And in the midst of all, clustered about
With bay and myrtle, and just gleaming out,
Lurk'd a pavilion, — a delicious sight,
Small, marble, well-proportion'd, mellowy white,
With yellow vine-leaves sprinkled, but no more,
And a young orange either side the door."

STORY or RIMINI.

" Never look'd the bay so fit
To surmount two eyes of wit,
Nor the myrtle to be seen
Two white kerchief 'd breasts between,
Nor the oak to crown a sword
For a nation's rights restored."

DESCENT OF LIBERTY.

<( A sacred hedge runs round it ; and a brook,
Flowing from out a little gravelly nook,
Keeps green the laurel and the myrtle trees,
And odorous cypresses."

HUNT'S FOLIAGE : from Theocritus.

There is another most exquisite passage about this
shrub in Keats's Sleep and Poetry :

a myrtle, fairer than

E'er grew in Paphos, from the bitter weeds
Lifts its sweet head into the air, and feeds
A silent space with ever-sprouting green.
All tenderest birds there find a pleasant screen,

MYRTLE. 263

Creep through the shade with noisy fluttering,
Nibble the little cupped flowers, and sing.
Then let us clear away the choakmg thorns
From round its gentle stem ; let the young fawns,
Yeaned in after-times, when we are flown,
Find a fresh sward beneath it, overgrown
With simple flowers."

" Like a myrtle tree in flower
Taken from an Asian bower,
Where with many a dewy cup
Nymphs in play had nursed it up."

HUNT : from Catullus.

It has been observed, that the Myrtle is consecrated to
Venus. Drayton, in his Muses' Elysium, has assembled a
number of emblematical wreaths :

" The garland long ago was worn,

As Time pleased to bestow it :
The laurel only to adorn

The conqueror and the poet.
The palm his due, who, uncontroll'd,

On danger looking gravely,
When fate had done the worst it could,

Who bore his fortunes bravely.
Most worthy of the oaken wreath

The ancients him esteem'd,
Who in a battle had from death

Some man of worth redeem'd.
About his temples grace they tie,

Himself that so behaved,
In some strong siege by th' enemy

A city that hath saved.
A wreath of vervain heralds wear,

Amongst our garlands named,
Being sent that dreadful news to bear,

Offensive war proclaim'd.
The sign of peace who first displays

The olive wreath possesses ;
The lover with the myrtle sprays

Adorns his crisped tressee.

264 FLORA DOMESTICA.

In love the sad forsaken wight

The willow garland weareth,
The funeral man, befitting night

The baleful cypress beareth.
To Pan we dedicate the pine,

Whose slips the shepherd graceth
Again the ivy, and the vine,

On his swoln Bacchus placeth."

NARCISSUS.

NARCISSE.E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Named from the youth Narcissus, who, as the poets tell us, was
changed into this flower. Also named Daffodil. Some of the species
are called Jonquils.

THE Two-flowered Narcissus, Pale Daffodil, or Prim-
rose-peerless, is of a pale cream-colour, with a yellow cup
in the centre. It grows wild in England and many other
parts of Europe, and flowers in April.

Of the Common Daffodil there are many varieties :
with a white flower, and yellow cup ; a yellow flower, and
deep golden cup ; a double flower, with several cups, one
within the other ; Tradescant's Daffodil, " which," says
Mr. Martyn, " may well be entitled the Prince or Glory
of Daffodils ;" the Great Nonsuch ; the Great Yellow In-
comparable Daffodil, which, when double, is called by
gardeners, Butter-and-egg Narcissus. It is called in the
Dutch catalogues, the Orange Phcenix, and is considered
the handsomest of all the varieties. There are many
others, which it is not necessary to specify. They mostly
flower in April. This in France has many names : as, le
narcisse sauvage ; le faux narcisse ; campane jaune [yellow

NARCISSUS. 265

bell] ; aiau ; aioult. In Italian, narcisso giallo [yellow
narcissus].

The Sweet-scented Narcissus, "or Great Jonquil, is a
native of the South of Europe. Most of the species are
fragrant ; but this is the most powerful, and is often found
too much so to be endured in a room.

There is a species called the Hoop-petticoat Narcissus,
of which the cup is two inches long, very broad at the brim,
and is said to be formed like the old bell-hoop-petticoat
formerly worn by ladies in this country.

The Polyanthus Narcissus — called in France la narcisse
de Constantinople; in Languedoc, pissaukich: in Italy,
tazetta — grows naturally in the East, and in many parts
of Europe. There are more varieties of this than of any
other species. That which is generally called the Cyprus
Narcissus, with very double flowers, the outer petals white,
the inner, some white and some orange, is the most beauti-
ful of them all, and the most esteemed for blowing in
glasses in a room. Its scent is very agreeable, and less
powerful than that of the Jonquil.

The White, or Poetical Narcissus, — called by the
French janebte des contois — has a snow-white flower, with
a yellow cup in the centre, fringed on the border with a
circle of bright purple. It is sweet-scented, a native of
many parts of Europe, and flowers in May. There is a
variety with double flowers.

There is a species of Narcissus which is called the Late-
flowering, and does not blow till autumn. The Common
Jonquil is altogether yellow, as is also the Sweet-scented ;
but the latter has the cup somewhat deeper coloured
than the petals.

The preferable kinds are the Polyanthus Narcissus, the
Jonquil, and the Poetical Narcissus ; but any of them
may be blown, either in glasses or pots, without difficulty,
and may be readily increased by offsets.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

Although it has been observed that most of these flowers
blow in April and May, this only applies to such as are
left in the earth to blow at their own season ; but, accord-
ing to their time of planting and their situation, they may
be continued for many months in succession. Those
planted in pots should be covered an inch over the top of
the bulb ; and the pot should not be less than seven inches
in depth. According to the size of the bulb, one or more
may be planted in each pot. They may be planted any
time from September to February. Careful admissions of
air in mild weather will be beneficial; and they must
on no account be denied the enjoyment of daylight and
sunshine, towards which they will lean with an almost
animal yearning, which it were a sort of cruelty not to
indulge.

Water must not be given them until the green begins
to appear : they should then be gently watered once or
twice a week. In a warm inhabited room they may be
blown even in the midst of winter.

Such as are blown in glasses should have fresh water
about once in ten days. The leaves should never be
plucked off before they decay, or the root will be thereby
deprived of much of its natural nourishment. When they
have decayed, the bulbs should be taken up, laid in the
shade to dry, cleaned, and put in a dry secure place till
wanted to re-plant. The offsets should be taken off, and
sorted according to their size. When planted, they may
be put two or three together, until they have grown large
enough for flowering.

When the plants are somewhat advanced in height they
will require a stick to support them. Such plants as are
kept in the open air in the spring must be defended from
strong winds, which would otherwise be apt to break the
stems, particularly after rains; when their cups, being
filled with water, will be more heavy :

NARCISSUS. 267

" All as a lily pressed with heavy rain,

Which fills her cups with showers up to the brinks,

The weary stalk no longer can sustain

The head, but low beneath the burden sinks."

P. FLETCHER.

They will thrive best in a south-eastern exposure, where
the morning sun may dry off the moisture which has lodged
upon them during the night ; and they will better preserve
their beauty there than in the shade, or in the scorching
heat of the afternoon sun.

The poetical origin of this flower, and its own beauty,
have conspired to obtain for it the notice of some of the
greatest poets. The story told at length in Ovid's Meta-
morphoses, of the transformation of Narcissus into a flower,
is too well known to need, and too long to admit of, in-
sertion.

The Naiades, lamenting the death of Narcissus, prepare
a funeral pile, but his body is missing :

" Instead whereof a yellow flower was found,
With tufts of white about the button crown'd."

SANDYS'S OVID.

" What first inspired a bard of old to sing
Narcissus pining o'er the untainted spring ?
In some delicious ramble he had found
A little space, with boughs all woven round ;
And in the midst thereof a clearer pool
Than e'er reflected in its pleasant cool
The blue sky here and there serenely peeping
Through tendril wreaths fantastically creeping.
And on the bank a lonely flower he spied,
A meek and forlorn flower with nought of pride,
Drooping its beauty o'er the watery clearness,
To woo its own sad image into nearness.
Deaf to light Zephyrus, it would not move ;
But still would seem to droop, to pine, to love.
So, while the poet stood in this sweet spot,
Some fainter gleamings o'er, his fancy shot ;
Nor was it long ere he had told the tale
Of young Narcissus, and sad Echo's bale."

KEATS.

268 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The poets have celebrated this flower also by its hum-
bler name of Daffodil :

" Bid Amaranthus all his beauty shed,
And daffodillies fill their cups with tears,
To strew the laureat hearse where Lycid lies."

MILTON.

There is a beautiful allusion to the early flowering of
the Daffodil in the Winter's Tale :

-" Daffodils,

That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty."

There is a species of the Daffodil which is very com-
monly seen by brooks and rivulets with some of the Iris,
or Flag-flowers :

there

Spring the little odorous flowers,
Violets, and lilies white
As the slender streams of white
Gathering about the moon,
On a lovely eve in June.
Narcissus hanging down his head,
And Iris in her watery bed,
Round about the silver streams,
Sparkle out like golden beams
Scattered from Apollo's hair,
When springing to the morning air
From the frothy sea, he shook
Some crystal drops into the brook."

The cup in the centre of the flower is supposed to con-
tain the tears of Narcissus ; to which Milton alludes in
the passage cited above; and Virgil in the following,
where he is speaking of the occupations of the bees :

" pars intra septa domorum

Narcissi lacrymam, et lentum de cortice gluten,
Prima favis ponunt fundamina, deinde tenaces
Suspendunt ceras."

VIRGIL, GEORGIC 4.

NARCISSUS. 269

' ' Some within the house lay tears of daffodils, and tough glue from
the barks of trees, for the foundations of the corahs, and then suspend
the tenacious wax." — MARTYN'S TRANSLATION.

Thomson celebrates the sweetness of the Jonquil, or
Sweet Narcissus :

" No gradual hloom is wanting ; from the bud,
First-born of Spring, to Summer's musky tribes ;
Nor hyacinths, of purest virgin white,
Low bent, and blushing inward ; nor jonquils,
Of potent fragrance ; nor Narcissus fair,
As o'er the fabled fountain hanging still."

THOMSON'S SPRING.

Virgil, in one passage in the fifth pastoral, speaks of
the Narcissus as purple ; and Mr. Davidson, in a note on
that passage, observes that Dioscorides also speaks of a
species of Narcissus which is purple. Several of them
have a ring of purple :

" Pro molli viola, pro purpureo narcisso."

" In lieu of the soft violet, in lieu of the empurpled narcissus." —
DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

NASTURTIUM.

TROPJEOLUM.

TROPJEOLE-dE. OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Called also Indian-cress. — French, la capucine. — Italian, fior cap-
pucino; caprivola. The botanical name of this plant is the diminutive
of trop&um, a trophy.

THE Nasturtium is a Peruvian plant; yet, in warm
sheltered situations, will grow and flower in the open air,
which is extraordinary in a native of so warm a country.
They will, however, flower earlier and better when raised
in a hot-bed. Where this aid cannot be allowed them,
the seed may be sown in autumn, one in a pot; and
should be kept in the house till spring. Early in spring

270 FLORA DOMESTICA.

they may be gradually inured to the open air. They are
esteemed annual plants, but may, with care, be preserved
through the winter: they only require protection from
frost. There are the Great and the Small Nasturtium,
and a double-flowered variety of each. Their colour is
a pale yellow, or a deep orange, inclining to red.

The Great Nasturtium, being, from its size, much
handsomer than the other, has caused that to be com-
paratively neglected ; and, for a time, it was almost lost to
English gardens.

This plant begins to flower in July, and continues till
the approach of winter. The blossoms are frequently
eaten in salads, and are used for garnishing dishes : the
seeds are pickled, under the false name of capers, and, by
some persons, are much esteemed. The stalks of the
Great Nasturtium will sometimes grow six or eight feet
high, and should be trained to some kind of frame for
support, if there are several together : where there is only
one, a simple stick will suffice.

We are told by Linnaeus, that his daughter, Elizabeth
Christina, observed the flowers of the Great Nasturtium
to emit spontaneously, at certain intervals, sparks, like
electric ones, visible only in the evening.

Notwithstanding the glowing and sunny beauty of this
well-known flower, it has, I believe, been almost over-
looked by those immortal bestowers of immortality, the
poets: yet it deserves their attention, no less from the
elegance of its foliage, than from the brilliancy of its
blossoms, and a certain originality, as it were, in its whole
character. Many agreeable things might be said about
it, with an allusion, by the way, to the very poetical
discovery of Linnaeus' s daughter. Singular leaves, fire-
coloured flowers, a lady, sparks of light, and an evening,
— what might not a poet make of all these !

NIGELLA. 271

NIGELLA.

RANUNCULACEiE. POLYANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

Called also Fennel-flower. — Nigella is a corruption of Nigrella, a
name given to this plant from the blackness of its seeds. It is also
familiarly called Gith ; Bishop's- wort ; Devil-in-a-bush ; St. Kathe-
rine's-flower ; Love-in-a-mist. — French, la nielle Romaine [Roman
nigella]; nielle des jar dins [garden nigella] ; cumin noir [black cu-
min]; faux cumin [false cumin]; toute epice [all-spice]. — Italian,
nigella Romana ; nigella odorata ; melantio ; melantro ; both from the
Greek, and denoting the blackness of its seeds, like the Latin, nigella.

THE kinds of Nigella most esteemed and cultivated in
English gardens are the double varieties of the Common,
and the Spanish species. They are annual plants : the
seeds may be sown in March, three or four in a middle-
sized pot. It may stand abroad, and the earth should be
kept tolerably moist. It will begin to flower in June or
July, and continue till September. The colour varies, but
is generally blue or white.

OLEANDER.

NERIUM.

APOCINE^. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Called also Rose-bay. — French, laurier-rose; le laurose commun;
le laurose d 'Europe. — Italian, rosa-lauro; oleandro; nerio; mazza di
S. Giuseppe [St. Joseph's staff] ; ammazza 1'asino [ass bane].

THE Oleanders are nearly allied to the Rhododendrons,
but are less hardy : the Common Oleander, indeed, bears
the name of Rhododendron also, though not belonging to
that genus. It grows by the side of streams, and by the

FLORA DOMESTICA.

sea-shore, in the Levant, the South of Europe, and in the
island of Crete, where it grows very large. In this coun-
try its height seldom exceeds eight or ten feet. The
colour of the flowers, which, like the Rhododendrons com-
monly so called, come out in large magnificent bunches at
the ends of the branches, varies from purple to a dusky
white, a brilliant scarlet, or a deep rich crimson. There
are also double-flowered varieties.

This is a beautiful evergreen shrub, requiring the same
treatment as the Myrtle ; that is, shelter from September
to April, a liberal watering every evening in hot weather,
and a more sparing draught twice or thrice a week in the
winter.

The White-flowered variety is rather more tender, and
is usually kept within doors till June.

Most of the Oleanders are East Indians, and require a
stove in this country. Some of these are beautiful beyond
expression, particularly the Sweet-scented species. The
Common Oleander, in addition to the names already men-
tioned, is also called Rhodo-Daphne. The Hindoos, as
we are told by Sir W. Jones, bestow on this handsome
shrub a name somewhat less elegant, and most singularly
resembling one of its Italian appellations. " They call
it," says he, " Horse-killer, from a notion that horses, in-
advertently eating of it, are killed by it: most of the
species, especially their roots, have strong medicinal, pro-
bably narcotic, powers."

OLIVE-TREE. 273

OLIVE-TREE.

OLEA.

OLEINEJE. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, 1'olivier. — Italian, ulivo; olivo; when wild, olivastrello
salvatico.

OLIVES are evergreen trees or shrubs, and some of the
species are common in drawing-rooms, balconies, &c. In
this country they require winter shelter, from Septem-
ber till May, in common seasons. The earth should not
be suffered to remain dry, but water should be given in
small quantities. The blossoms are white, and very small.

The unripe fruit of the Olive, pickled, of the Provence
and Lucca kinds in particular, is to many persons ex-
tremely grateful, and is often eaten after dinner with
wine : it is supposed to promote digestion, and excite
appetite. The oil expressed from the fruit is one of the
purest of all the vegetable oils : it is the kind commonly
used for culinary purposes ; and with the exception of the
oil of almonds is the most frequently directed for me-
dicinal preparations.

The Olive is common to all the quarters of the earth ;
it is celebrated in scriptural history, the dove, which
Noah sent out from the ark, returning with an Olive-
branch in his bill.

According to poetical history, the Olive was presented
to the world by Minerva. We are told that a contest
arose between that goddess and Neptune for the right of
giving a name to the city of Athens ; and that Jupiter de-
creed that the right should belong to whichever of them
should confer the most beneficial gift upon mankind.

" The sea-god stood, and with his trident strake
The cleaving rock, from whence a fountain brake ;

T

274 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Whereon, he grounds his claim. With spear and shield
Herself she arms : her head a murrion steild :
Her breast her Egis guards. Her lance the ground
Appears to strike ; and from that pregnant wound
The hoary Olive, charged with fruit, ascends.
The Gods admire : with victory she ends *."

SANDYS'S OVID, Book Sixth.

The more general belief is, that the stroke of Neptune's
trident produced a horse. Whichever it may have been,
there seems, notwithstanding the great utility of the Olive,
to be some ground of suspicion that Minerva owed her
victory chiefly to the gallantry of the gods assembled.

The virtues of the Olive, however, are partly em-
blematical : it is considered as the symbol of peace ; and
if, in the character of the Goddess of Wisdom, she so far
overcame her warlike propensities as to dispose mankind
to peace, she cannot be sufficiently honoured for so esti-
mable a benefit.

Spenser tells the story differently, and in a manner
more according with the general belief: he describes
Minerva as representing the contest in embroidery :

" She made the story of the old debate,
Which she with Neptune did for Athens try ;
Twelve gods do sit around in royal state,
And Jove in midst, with awful majesty,
To judge the strife between them stirred late :
Each of the gods by his like visnomy
Eathe to be known, but Jove above them all,
By his great looks and power imperial.

Before them stands the god of seas in place
Claiming that sea-coast city as his right,
And strikes the rocks with his three-forked mace ;
Whenceforth issues a warlike steed in sight,
The sign by which he challengeth the place.
That all the gods, which saw his wondrous might,

* " Pliny says the olive-tree, produced on that occasion by Minerva,
was to be seen in his time at Athens."

SEE 1S7OTES OF MARTYN'S VIRGIL.

OLIVE-TREE. 275

Did surely deem the victory his due :

But seldom seen, forejudgment proveth true.

Then to herself she gives her JEgide shield

And steel-head spear, and morion on her head,

Such as she oft is seen in warlike field :

Then sets she forth how with her weapon dread

She smote the ground, the which straightforth did yield

A fruitful olive-tree, with berries spread,

That all the gods admired ; then all the story

She compassed with a wreath of olives hoary."

MUIOPOTMOS.

It was formerly a custom, especially in Athens, for am-
bassadors to bear an Olive-branch, as an expression of
their pacific intentions :

" Yet might they see the Cretans under sail

From high-built walls; when with a leading gale
The Attic ship attained their friendly shore :
Th' YEacides him knew (though many a day
Unseen), embrace, and to the court convey.
The goodly prince, who yet the impression held
Of those perfections which in youth excelled,
Enters the palace, bearing in his hand
A branch of Attic olive."

SANDYS'S OVID, Book Seventh.

Peace is always represented with either a branch or
a crown of Olive. Mr. Hunt, in his Mask, expressively
twines Myrtle with the Olive of Peace. Milton also puts
a Myrtle sprig in her hand :

" But he her fears to cease,
Sent down the meek-eyed Peace ;

She, crowned with olive green, came softly sliding
Down through the turning sphere,
His ready harbinger,

With turtle-wing the amorous clouds dividing,
And waving wide her myrtle wand,

She strikes an universal peace through sea and land."

Virgil makes frequent mention of the Olive, and of the
situation in which it best thrives :

276 FLORA DOMESTICA.

" Difficiles primum terrae, collesque maligni,
Tenuis ubi argilla ! et dumosis calculus arvis,
Palladia gaudent silva vivacis olivae.
Indicio est tractu surgens oleaster eodem
Plurimus, et strati baccis silvestribus agri."

VIRGIL, Georgic 2.

" In the first place, stubborn lands, and unfruitful hills, where the
bushy fields abound with lean clay and pebbles, rejoice in a wood of
long-lived Palladian olives. You may know this soil by wild olives
rising thick, and the fields being strewed with wild berries,"

MARTYN'S TRANSLATION.

ORANGE-TKEE.

CITRUS AURANTIUM.

AURANTIACEJ2. POLYADELPHIA ICOSANDRIA.

The derivation of the word Citrus is unknown : some say it is the
name of a place in Asia ; others will have it of African origin ; some
fix it on the Arabian. — French, 1'oranger. — Italian, melarancio ; aran-
cio; melangolo.

THE Orange most known in England is the China or
Portugal Orange, so called from its having been brought
from China by the Portuguese. There are several other
varieties in the English gardens; as the Turkey-orange^
the Double-flowering, the Dwarf or Nutmeg-orange, the
Seville, &c.

The leaves of the Dwarf-orange are very small, and
grow in clusters ; the flowers grow very close together and
appear like a nosegay, the branches being completely co-
vered with them. This species is very ornamental ; and,
when in blossom, will perfume a room most delightfully.
The blossom is white, and begins to appear in June.

Towards the middle of September Orange-trees should
be housed; and it would be well to keep them in an in-
habited room, but not too near a fire. When it is not

ORANGE-TREE. 277

frosty, they should be frequently, but sparingly, watered.
About April the earth should be removed as deep as can be
done without disturbing the roots, and fresh earth supplied.
Early in June they may be replaced in the open air ; but
must be sheltered from keen winds, and from the noon-day
sun, which would be hurtful to them. The morning sun
will be very beneficial, as also the gentle dews of morning :

" E quale annunziatrice degli albori
L ' aura di Maggio muovesi e olezza
Tutta impregnata dall ' erba e da ' fieri."

DANTE PURGATORIO, 24.

" when to harbinger the dawn, springs up

On freshened wing the ah- of May, and breathes
Of fragrance, all impregned with herb and flowers."

GARY'S TRANSLATION.

Every second year the plants should be newly potted at
this season ; all the roots, on the outside of the ball of
earth attached to them, should be cut off; as much of the
old earth taken away as can be done without tearing the
roots ; and the plants set in a tub of water for a quarter
of an hour, to soften the lower part of the ball. The stem
and leaves should be cleansed with water and a soft
woollen cloth. Some stones should be placed at the bot-
tom of the pot, and on these some earth, purposely ob-
tained for Orange plants, to the depth of three or four
inches. The plant should then be placed upright in
the middle, and the pot filled up, within an inch of the
top, with the same earth, being pressed hard down with
the hands. The plant should then be watered all over,
the watering-pot having the rose on. After this trans-
planting, the plants should remain in the house a week or
two later than on the intervening year, that they may
take firm root before they are exposed to the air. In dry
summer weather, they should be watered every even-
ing, both roots and leaves ; observing to shed water on

278 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the leaves, from a rose finely perforated on the spout of
the watering-pot. This must not be done until after sun^
set, or it will cause the leaves to scorch. This caution will
apply to plants in general. Water should not be allowed
to remain in the saucers : it is injurious to most plants, but
to Orange-trees in particular. Another thing to be obr
served with respect to these plants is, not to put them in
pots or boxes too large for them. The largest size used
for them should not exceed twenty-four inches in diameter,
and much smaller will suffice for the first eight or nine
years.

The Seville Orange is the most hardy, and has the
largest and most beautiful leaves. The China Orange
rarely produces good fruit in England : the varieties with
striped leaves never produce it good, nor do they bear so
many blossoms as the plain ones.

To have Oranges in perfection, it is considered neces-
sary to graft the trees, even in the warm countries of which
they are natives : — " We rode deeper into the wood, and
refreshed ourselves with wild Oranges (laranja da terra),
which have a mawkish, sweet taste. Oranges, to be good,
must be grafted ; even in Brazil, if suffered to grow wild,
the fruit is flat and rather bitter. Their flowers emitted a
delicious smell, and attracted a great number of humming-
birds."— PRINCE MAXIMILIAN'S TRAVELS IN BRAZIL, page
76.

In another part of his work, the same author says :—
" The heat was intense ; we therefore refreshed ourselves
with cold punch and excellent Oranges, which in many
parts may be had gratis. This excellent fruit can be eaten
without injury to the health, even when a person is over-
heated ; but in the evening it is said not to be wholesome.
Much more caution is necessary in eating cocoa-nuts and
other cooling fruits." — Page 61.

The Brazilians are probably the only people who think

ORANGE-TREE. 279

so much caution necessary in eating oranges, as to refrain
from their use in the evening.

The following passage may be found in a note in
Koster's Brazil : — " Labat says, ' On employe Is sue des
oranges aigres avec un succes merveilleux et infaillible a
guerir les ulceres quelque vieux et opiniatres qu' ils puis-
sent etreV The orange is cut into two pieces, and is
rubbed violently upon the wound." — Vol. ii. page 196.

" The first China Orange," says Evelyn, " which ap-
peared in Europe, was sent a present to the old Conde
Mellor, then prime minister to the king of Portugal ; but
of the whole case sent to Lisbon, there was but one plant
which escaped the being so spoiled and tainted, that, with
great care, it hardly recovered to be since become the pa-
rent of all those flourishing trees of that name, cultivated
by our gardeners, though not without sensibly dege-
nerating. Receiving this account from the illustrious son
of the Conde, I thought fit to mention it for an instance
of what industry may produce in less than half an age."

Mickle, in the History of the Portuguese Empire in
Asia, prefixed to his translation of the Lusiad, informs us
" that the famous John de Castro, the Portuguese con-
queror in Asia, was said to have been the first who brought
the Orange-tree to Europe, and to have esteemed this gift
to his country as the greatest of his actions." He adds,
" that Orange-trees are still preserved at Cintra, in me-
morial of the place where he first planted that valuable
fruitage."

The Orange-tree is thought to produce more fruit, if
deprived of some of its blossoms. Rapin, in his Poem on
Plants, recommends that the nymphs should be allowed,
unchecked, to pluck the silvery blossoms, to adorn their
bosoms and their vases. " Let your wife, your children,

* They employ the juice of sour oranges with wonderful and in-
fallible success in the cure of ulcers, however old and obstinate.

280 FLORA DOMESTICA.

your whole family be there," says he, " and let them bear
away a portion of the fragrant spoils."

The Orange is supposed to be the golden apple pre-
sented to Jupiter by Juno on the day of their nuptials.
These apples could be preserved nowhere but in the gar-
dens of the Hesperides, where they were protected by
three nymphs bearing that name, the daughters of Hes-
perus; and by a more effectual and appalling guard, a
never- sleeping dragon. It was one of the labours of Her-
cules to obtain some of these golden apples : he succeeded,
but, as they could not be preserved elsewhere, it is said
they were carried back again by Minerva.

These, too, were the golden apples by means of which
Hippomenes won the Arcadian Atalanta ; who halted in
the race to pick them up, when he artfully dropped them
at three several times, in the hope of her so doing : he
having received them for that purpose from the goddess
Venus.

And probably this may be the golden apple, the bestowal
of which first gave origin to the Grecian war.

The Orange-tree is mentioned both by Cowley and
Rapin ; but the poems being originally written in Latin,
and the translations very poor, they will not admit of
quotation. It has been celebrated by poets ancient and
modern ; and well has it deserved its fame, not only for its
fine fruit, but also for its handsome leaves, exquisite blos-
soms, and delicious perfume.

Mr. Moore gives a pleasant picture of the Orange-tree,
in his Paradise and the Peri.

" Just then beneath some orange-trees,
Whose fruit and blossoms in the breeze
Were wantoning together, free,
Like age at play with infancy ."

The Orange-tree is one of the very few which at once
delight us with the promise of spring, and the ripe luxu-

ORANGE-TREE. 281

riance of summer. The poet tells us in his notes, that
from the Orange-trees of Kauzerobn the bees cull a cele-
brated honey.

" in short

All the sweet cups to which the bees resort,
With plots of grass, and perfumed walks between,
Of citron, honeysuckle, and jessamine,
With orange whose warm leaves so finely suit,
And look as if they 'd shade a golden fruit."

STORY OF RIMINI.

-" thus was this place

A happy rural seat of various view :

Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm ;

Others whose fruit, burnished with golden rind,

Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true,

If true, here only, and of delicious taste.

PARADISE LOST, Book Fourth.

Cowper places the Orange in his green-house :

" The golden boast

Of Portugal and western India there,
The ruddier orange, and the paler lime,
Peep through their polished foliage at the storm,
And seem to smile at what they need not fear."

COWPER'S TASK.

" The garden of Proserpina this hight,
And in the midst thereof a silver seat
With a thick arbour goodly overdight,
In which she often used from open heat
Herself to shroud, and pleasures to entreat.
Next thereunto did grow a goodly tree,
With branches broad dispread, and body great,
Clothed with leaves that none the wood mote see,
And loden all with fruit, as thick as thick might be.

" The fruit were golden apples glistering bright,
That goodly was their glory to behold,
On earth like never grew, ne living wight
Like ever saw, but they from hence were sold,
For those which Hercules with conquest bold
Got from great Atlas' daughters, hence began,
And planted there, did bring forth fruit of gold,
And those with which th' Eubcean young man wan,
Swift Atalanta, when through craft he her outran.

FLORA DOMESTICA.

" Here also sprang that goodly golden fruit,
With which Acontius got his lover true,
Whom he had long time sought with fruitless suit,
Here eke that famous golden apple grew,
The which emong the gods false Ate threw
For which th' Idaean ladies disagreed,
Till partial Paris dempt it Venus' due,
And had (of her) fair Helen for his meed,
That many noble Greeks and Trojans made to bleed."

SPENSER'S FAIRY QUEEN.

-" her lover's genius formed

A glittering fane, where rare and alien plants
Might safely flourish : where the citron sweet
And fragrant orange, rich in fruit and flowers,
Might hang their silver stars, their golden globes,

On the same odorous stem ."

MASON'S ENGLISH GARDEN.

Mrs. C. Smith speaks of the Orange-tree in her lines
addressed to the humming-bird ; a beautiful little creature,
which, when stript of its plumage, is not bigger than a
bee ; and, like the bee, it delights in hovering over the
sweetest flowers, and sipping their juice, without doing
them the least injury by its visit. Mr. Lambert, in his
Travels in Canada, says, " that they may be seen there in
great numbers, and that their plumage is as beautiful as
fhat of the peacock." It is frequently called the bee bird ;

" There, lovely bee-bird ! may 'st thou rove
Through spicy vale, and citron grove,
And woo and win thy fluttering love

With plume so bright ;
There rapid fly, more heard than seen,
Mid orange-boughs of polished green,
With glowing fruit, and flowers between

Of purest white."

PEONY. 283

PEONY.

P^ONIA.

RANUNCULACE^E. POLYANDRIA DIGYNIA.

From Paeon, an eminent physician of antiquity. It is also a name
given both to Apollo and to Esculapius. — French, la pivoine j pione :
in the village dialect, herbe de mallet ; flor de mallet. — Italian, rosa
de' monti [mountain rose] .

THE Peony, from the nature of its roots, requires very
deep pots. There are many and beautiful varieties. The
White-flowered Peony is a native of Siberia : it is a hand-
some flower, with the scent of the Narcissus.

The Daurians boil the roots in their broth, and grind
the seeds to put into their tea : they call it Dschina.

The Common Peony is purple or red : there are single
and double flowers. It is a native of many parts of Eu-
rope, of Mount Ida, China, and Japan. A variety which
Miller calls the Foreign, Gerarde calls Turkish, and says
it originally came from Constantinople. The Portugal
variety is a single flower, but very sweet : this requires a
lighter soil and a warmer situation than the other kinds.
Although the Peony is better adapted for the open ground,
it is too beautiful to be dispensed with, where room can be
allowed : the Jagged kind is the least fit for pots, and by
far the least desirable.

The immense crimson flower of the Double-red Peony
is scarcely more magnificent than its luxuriant foliage.

They may be increased by parting the roots, observing
to preserve a bud on the crown of each offset, and not to
divide them very small: they should be planted three
inches deep. It is a hardy plant, and will grow in any
soil or situation. They should be kept moderately moist.
The Common Peony flowers in May ; the White Peony
a month later.

284 FLORA BOMESTICA.

PASSION-FLOWEK.

PASSIFLORA.

PASSIFLORE&. GYNANDRIA PENTANDRIA.

The Passion-flower derives its name from an idea, that all the in-
struments of Christ's passion are represented in it. — French, le grena-
dille; fleur de la passion. — Italian, granadiglia; fiore della passione.

MOST of the Passion-flowers are natives of the hottest
parts of America, and require a stove in this country. It
is a beautiful genus. The rose-coloured Passion-flower
is a native of Virginia, and is the species which was first
known in Europe. It has since been in great measure
superseded by the blue Passion-flower, which is hardy
enough to flower in the open air, and makes an elegant
tapestry for an unsightly wall. The leaves of this, in the
autumn, are of the most brilliant crimson ; and, when the
sun is shining upon them, seem to transport one to the
gardens of Pluto.

The Rose-coloured, however, is better adapted for pots ;
and, if sheltered from frost, will thrive without artificial
heat. In mild weather it may be allowed fresh air, and in
the summer will enjoy a full exposure to it. The flowers
are purple and white ; very handsome, and sweet, but very
short-lived ; opening in the morning, and fading in th$
evening.

The fruit is about the size of an Orlean-plumb : when
ripe, it is of a pale orange-colour, and encloses many rough
seeds, lying in a sweet pulp. The fruit of some kinds is
eatable, and in the West Indies much esteemed. It varies
in size from that of an olive to that of a large melon.

The fruit of the Laurel-leaved Passion-flower, or Water-
lemon, contains a sweet and tasteful .juice, which is ex-
tremely fragrant. The West Indians suck this juice
through a hole in the rind. The French call this species

PASSION-FLOWER. 285

•pomme de liane [bindweed apple], and English Honey-
suckle.

The Passion-flower should be raised in a hot-bed; and
should be housed in October, carefully screening it from
frost, but admitting air in mild weather. In summer, the
earth must be kept tolerably moist, but water must be
given very sparingly in winter.

PEKWINKLE.

VINCA.

VINCE^E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, pervenche ; pucellage ; violette des sorciers [magician's vio-
let] ; vence. — Italian, pervinca ; centocchio [hundred eyes].

\
THE Perwinkle is a lovely plant : its blue flowers are in

bloom all the summer, and its fine glossy green leaves,
like large Myrtle-leaves, flourish through the winter. It
spreads so fast, and in consequence requires so much
room, that it is seldom grown in pots ; but it may be pre-
served very well in that manner, if room can be allowed
for it. In a moist soil, and enjoying the morning sun, it
thrives and flowers best.

The Madagascar Perwinkle is a beautiful plant, with
an upright stem, three or four feet high : the flowers are
crimson or peach-coloured on the upper surface, and a
pale flesh-colour on the under: it varies with a white
flower, having a purple eye. This plant is usually kept
in the stove, but the temperature of a warm inhabited
room will preserve it very well. Unless the summer prove
warm and fine, it must not be set abroad even then ; for, if
exposed to much wet or cold, it will soon perish. Very
little water will suffice this plant.

Chaucer repeatedly mentions the Perwinkle : it makes
one of the ornaments of the God of Love :

286 FLORA DOMESTICA.

(C His garment was every dele
Ipurt-raied, and wrought with floures,
By divers medeling of coloures ;
F.loures there were of many gise
Iset by compace in a sise ;
There lacked no floure to my dome,
Ne not so moche as floure of brome,
Ne violet, ne eke pervinke,
Ne floure none that men can on thinke ;
And many a rose lefe full long
Was intermedlid there emong ;
And also on his hedde was set
Of roses redde a chapilet."

THE ROMAUNT or THE ROSE.

Again in the same poem, the poet, in describing a gar-
den where flowers of all seasons are met together, gives a
place to the Perwinkle :

" There sprange the violet al newe,
And fresh pervinke, rich of hewe,
And flouris yelowe, white, and rede ;
Suche plente grewe there ner in mede :
Ful gaie was all the grounde and queint,
And poudrid as men had it peint,
"With many a freshe and sondry floure,
That castin up ful gode savour."

Rousseau has, to his admirers, given the Perwinkle a
double interest. He tells us, that walking with Madame
Waren, she suddenly exclaimed, " There is the Perwinkle
yet in flower." Being too short-sighted to see the plant
on the earth without stooping, he had never observed the
Perwinkle: he gave it a passing glance, and saw it no
more for thirty years. At the end of that period, as he
was walking with a friend, " having then begun," he
says, " to herborise a little, in looking among the bushes
by the way, I uttered a cry of joy : f Ah, there is the Per-
winkle P and it was so." He gives this as an instance of
the vivid recollection he had of every incident occurring
at a particular period of his life. The incident is so na-
tural, and told with so much simplicity, that, trifling as it

PERWINKLE. 287

is, it cannot fail to interest ; especially as the Perwinkle
is in France esteemed as the emblem of sincere friendship,
in their mystic language of nosegays, when sent as pre-
sents between lovers and friends. The country people in
Italy make garlands of it for their dead infants, for which
reason they call \tjior di morto [death's flower].

PHILLYREA.

CASSINE CAPENSIS.

RHAMNEJE. PENTANDRIA TRYGYNIA.

THIS is an evergreen shrub, bearing white blossoms,
which blow in July or August. It should be housed in
September, and placed abroad again in May. In the open
ground it will thrive well without shelter; and Evelyn
says, " is as hardy as the Holly itself." It must be
sparingly watered.

This shrub is very similar to the Alaternus, from
which it may be distinguished by the position of the leaves;
which are opposite on the Phillyrea, alternate in the Ala-
ternus.

The Alaternus is not well adapted for pots, on account
of its far-spreading roots ; or it would be particularly de-
sirable to a lover of plants, as being one which the taste-
ful Evelyn prided himself upon bringing into proper
notice.

PHLOX.

POLEMONIACEjE. PENTANDRTA MONOGYNIA.

Called also Lychnidea.

THESE plants are chiefly North American, and most of
them tolerably hardy. They are small, the blossoms pur-

288 FLORA DOMESTICA.

pie ; blowing at different seasons, from April to Septem-
ber, according to their species. They like a moist soil,
and must be liberally watered : should be housed in Octo-
ber, and, placed abroad again early in May. The usual
colour of the blossoms, called by the gardeners purple, is
in truth rather a purple-tinged flesh-colour, like that of
Venus's Looking-glass. They are numerous and hand-
some.

In Captain Franklin's Narrative of a Journey to the
shores of the Polar Sea, he speaks of a species of Phlox,
which, from his unfortunate friend Lieutenant Hood, he
names Phlox Hoodii. " This beautiful species," says he,
" is a striking ornament to the plains in the neighbour-
hood of Carlton House, forming large patches, which are
conspicuous at a distance."

PINK.

DIANTHUS.

CARYOPHYLL.E. DECANDRIA DIGYNIA.

The nameDianthus is of Greek origin, and signifies the flower of Jove;
which noble name is, according to some, bestowed upon the flower for
its beauty ; others say from its fragrance. That distinction is surely
just, which excites a doubt only for which of its good qualities it is
conferred. — French, oeillet. — Italian, garafano; gherosano; garofolo.

THE Bearded Pink, or Sweet- William — French, oeillet
de poete — is a native of Germany. Gerard e mentions it as
being, in his time, highly esteemed " to deck up gardens,
the bosoms of the beautiful, garlands, and crowns for plea-
sure." The narrow-leaved kinds are called Sweet-Johns :
the broad-leaved, unspotted kinds are by some named
Tolmeiners and , London-tufts ; and the small speckled
kind, London-pride.

There are many varieties of the Sweet- William, single

PINK. 289

and double-flowered, varying in colour from a pale blush-
colour to a deep crimson : some are entirely white. They
blow in June : they must be sparingly watered, but never
left dry.

Of the Clove-pink — in Italian, garofano ortense — the
varieties are endless: the larger kinds are called Carna-
tions— in French, oeillet des Jleuristes : — the smaller, Clove-
gilliflowers. Some suppose this latter name to have been
corrupted from July-flower, July being its flowering time.
Drayton so names it :

" The curious choice clove July-flower,
Whose kinds hight the carnation,
For sweetness of most sovereign power
Shall help my wreath to fashion ;
Whose sundry colours, of one kind,
First from one root derived,
Them in their several suits I'll bind,
My garland so contrived."

FIFTH NYMPHAL.

It is more generally believed to be from the French
name, girqflier, which is also the name of the Clove-tree,
from the similarity of the perfume: Besides the names
already mentioned, Gerarde gives several others, Horse-
flesh, Blunket, and Sops-in-wine.

Modern florists have, by their careful culture of these
flowers, increased the varieties beyond enumeration. Pinks
also, commonly so called, are infinitely varied. Pinks,
Carnations, and Sweet-Williams are increased in various
ways ; but, as their culture demands much attention and
experience, the better way of securing handsome varieties
will be to purchase them in the pot, which may be done
at a small expense ; and, as they are chiefly perennial,
even that need not often be incurred.

These plants, when in blossom, should be sheltered
from the noon-day sun; but suffered to enjoy it in the

290 FLORA DOMESTICA.

early part of the day. In dry weather, they should be
watered every evening. If the buds on the sides of the
stalks are removed, and the top ones only left to blow, they
will be much handsomer: should they incline to break
through the pod on one side in an unsightly manner, it
should be notched in two other places, at equal distances,
with a pair of fine scissars, to give them freedom.

When the bloom is past and the leaves decay, the stalks
should be cut down ; water should then be given but twice
a week, observing by no means to use raw spring water.
They should be sheltered from frost, and in the spring will
again shoot forth in full beauty : they must not be placed
very near to a wall, which would tend to draw them up
weakly.

The Carnations, Maiden-pinks, &c. have been cele-
brated both for their beauty and fragrance ; in the latter
they are equalled by few plants, exceeded perhaps by
none. As the rose for her beauty, the nightingale for his
song, so is the pink noted for its sweetness.
' ' And the pink of smell divinest "

is seldom or ever forgotten, when the poets would cele-
brate the charms of Flora. Spenser's works are conti-
nually sprinkled with them : both Milton and Shakspeare
have done them honour :

PER. Sir, the year growing ancient, —
Not yet on summer's death, nor on the birth
Of trembling winter, — the fairest flowers o' the season
Are our carnations, and streaked gillyflowers,
Which some call nature's bastards : of that kind
Our rustic garden 's barren ; and I care not
To get slips of them.

POL. Wherefore, gentle maiden,

Do you neglect them ?

PER. For I have heard it said,

There is an art, which, in their piedness, shares
With great creating nature.

PINK. 291

POL. Say there be,

Yet nature is made better by no mean,
But nature makes that mean.

WINTER'S TALE, Act 4, Scene 3.

Spenser continually speaks of this flower by the name
of Sops-in-wine. Drayton also uses this name for them :

te Sweet- Williams,, campions, sops-in-wine,
One by another neatly."

It has been observed that the word Dianthus signifies
Jove's flower ; but in English the name is generally con-
fined to the Pink, commonly so called ; which gives oc-
casion to Cowley to make a facetious remark upon the
distinction :

(( Sweet- William small has form and aspect bright,
Like that sweet flower that yields great Jove delight ;
Had he majestic bulk, he'd now be styled
Jove's flower ; and, if my skill is not beguiled,
He was Jove's flower when Jove was but a child.
Take him with many flowers in one conferr'd,
He 's worthy Jove, e'en now he has a beard."

COWLEY ON PLANTS, Book IV.

POLYANTHUS.

PRIMULA VULGARIS.

PRIMULACEJE. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

THE Polyanthus bears a great resemblance to the Au-
ricula, and is a variety of Primrose. The roots may be
purchased for a trifle, and will live several years: they
should be removed and parted every year, and the earth
renewed : this may be done in August. The Polyanthus
delights in the same rich soil as is recommended for the
Auricula, but is a much hardier plant; and needs pro-

u 2

29% FLORA DOMESTICA.

tection rather from drought and heat, than cold and
moisture. It will survive the coldest and the wettest sea-
sons. The Polyanthus, like all of the genus, is an early
blower : one of the first flowers which announce spring.

' ' Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace ;
Throws out the snow-drop and the crocus first ;
The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue,
And polyanthus of unnumbered dyes ;
The yellow wallflower stained with iron brown,
And lavish stock that scents the garden round."

FLOOD OF THESSALY, page 3.

POPPY.

PAPAVER.

PAPAVERACE.E* POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Papaver is said to be derived from papa, or pap, because the juice
of the flowers was used in pap to produce sleep. — French) pavot.—
Italian, papevero, or papavero, rosoni.

THE red-flowered species, confounded under the name
of Corn-poppy, are natives of every part of Europe, the
Levant, Japan, &c. ; these are with us the most common of
all the species, growing in corn-fields, on walls, and on dry
banks. They blow in June and July. They are likewise
called Red-poppy, Corn-rose, Wind-rose; in Yorkshire,
Cup-rose; and in some of the eastern counties, Canker-
rose ; Red-weed ; Head-wark. Gerarde says the country
people call them Cheese-bowls. In France, la pavot
rouge des champs ; le pavot sauvage ; coquelicot ; coqueli-
coq; coque ; ponceau ; corifanon ; maudui ;graousette; rouzele;
and in the village dialect, cabosseta. In Italy, papevero
erratico ; papevero salvatico ; rosolaccio.

The petals of this Poppy give out a fine colour when in-

POPPY. 293

fused : and a syrup prepared from this infusion is kept in
the chemists' shops, but it is not supposed to possess any
great medical properties. There is a variety with an oval,
black shining spot in the centre : there are likewise some
with double flowers, white, red, variegated, &c. ; but none
are handsomer than the common kind, of a bright scarlet,
with a deep purple eye in the centre.

The double flowers, however, are more fit for the pre-
sent purpose ; limited room making it desirable to rear
such plants as are of longer duration than the Single^
poppy ; and these should be sheltered by some tall shrub
from the sharp winds, which will otherwise carry them off
without mercy.

The Common Black Poppy grows three feet high : it
is named from the blackness of its seeds ; the flowers are
purple. Of this species there are many varieties ; some
with large double flowers ; others variegated with several
colours, red and white, purple and white, or finely spotted
like some of the Carnations. They are very handsome,
but their scent is offensive. They require no shelter,
and should be sparingly watered.

The Common White Poppy — called by the French, le
pavot des jar dins ; and in Italian, papavero domestico — from
which chiefly the opium is extracted, is a native of Asia :
it grows five or six feet high.

It is chiefly from the seed-vessels of the White Poppy
that opium is obtained ; but some persons have proposed
to substitute the double Red Garden-poppy for the pro-
duction of this juice ; which is come into such frequent
use, that the average quantity consumed in Great Britain
is no less than 1 4,400 Ib. yearly of Turkey opium. This
juice is collected from the White Poppy, grown at about
six or eight inches distance from each other, and well
watered, until the capsules are half-grown, when the

294 FLOKA DOMESTICA.

watering is stopped, and the opium is begun to be col-
lected by making at sunset two cuts on the surface of
the capsules from below upwards, without penetrating
into the cavity, with an instrument that has two points
as fine as those of lancets; this is repeated for three
or four evenings, when the capsules are then allowed to
ripen their seeds. The juice that exudes is collected in
the morning, and dried in the sun. An inferior kind of
opium is made from the Poppy in the East Indies, and the
monopoly of buying it up from the cultivators constitutes
the third source of the territorial revenue of the English
East India Company, to whom this monopoly produces a
million sterling.

Several attempts have been made to collect opium from
Poppies grown in England or Scotland. Mr. Young
sowed his Poppies for this purpose in April, and found
them ready for bleeding in July. The cuts are made by
two knives tied together, with guards on their blades that
they may not cut deeper than about the sixteenth part of
an inch. The juice that exudes is immediately wiped
off with a small painter's brush, called by them a sash-tool,
rounded a little at the point. When this brush is suf-
ficiently charged, the juice is scraped off by rubbing it on
a slip of tin fixed in the mouth of a tin flask. The opium
thus collected is then slowly dried without heat, and formed
into balls. Mr. Young found that an acre of Poppies thus
treated, at five successive bleedings to each head, would
yield 56 Ib. of opium; and that the Poppy-seeds, on being
pressed, yielded 375 pints of salad oil*.

The solution of opium in spirit of wine is now called
laudanum, or loddy, so much used instead of tea by the
poorer class of females in Manchester and other manufac-

* Transactions of the Society of Arts, vol. xxxvii.

POPPY. 295

turing towns, and not unknown to the same class in London
as a gentle sedative, and the inducer of oblivious delirium
from the cares of life. Another preparation of opium,
employed, not only for this purpose, but also for quiet-
ing the cries of starving children by throwing them into
a forced sleep, is that called Godfrey's Cordial, being a
coarse syrup made of treacle, flavoured with anise or some
similar seed, in which opium is dissolved. Another fa-
vourite preparation of this juice is the syrup of poppies,
which should be made by boiling the dried capsules (with-
out the seeds) in water, and adding sugar ; but as this is
a very troublesome process, the syrup is more usually
made by dissolving a little opium in a syrup of treacle.

The use of these as stimulants and narcotics, especially
in children, without proper care, is highly to be depre-
cated, and lays in their little frames the foundation of many
disorders, besides putting numbers to their last sleep.
Opium may be regarded as a gift of heaven itself in some
extreme cases, and regulated by the physician ; but the
danger of its abuse is in proportion.

The author of the Confessions of an English Opium-
Eater has so impressively portrayed the fascinations and
the terrors of this treacherous drug, and his work has been
so popular, that it is unnecessary to enlarge upon the
subject here. The reader who takes an interest in it,
either will have read, or will choose to read, the book itself.

In Batavia opium is added to tobacco in smoking ; a true
Dutch improvement.

The Poppy is noted chiefly for its power of inducing
sleep, which all the kinds are supposed to possess in some
degree.

Thus Virgil, in his Georgics, calls it the Lethaean Poppy,
directing it to be offered by way of funeral rite to Orpheus.

296 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Mr. Davidson tells us, in a note to his translation, that
it was the custom to offer Poppies to the dead, especially
to those whose manes they designed to appease.

Spenser gives it the epithets " dull" and " dead-sleep-
ing:"

" Dull poppy, and drink-quickening setuale."

Speaking of the plants in the Garden of Mammon, he
says:

" There mournful cypress grew in greatest store,
And trees of bitter gall, and heben sad,
Dead-sleeping poppy, and black hellebore,
Cold coloquintida,"

— " not poppy, nor mandragora,
Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,
Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep
Which thou ow'dst yesterday."

SHAKSPEARE.

" Here henbane, poppy, hemlock here,
Procuring deadly-sleeping ;
Which I do minister with fear ;
Not fit for each man's keeping."

DRAYTON.

" And thou, by pain and sorrow blest,
Papaver, that an opiate dew
Conceal'st beneath thy scarlet vest,
Contrasting with the corn-flower blue ;
Autumnal months behold thy gauzy leaves
Bend in the rustling gale amid the tawny sheaves."

MRS. C. SMITH.

Mr. Hunt, in his Mask, calls it the " Blissful Poppy,'*
from its soothing and sleep-inducing qualities.

O gentle sleep !

Scatter thy drowsiest poppies from above;
And in new dreams, not soon to vanish, bless
My senses with the sight of her I love.''

H. SMITH.

POPPY. 297

" Near the Cimmerians lurks a cave, in steep
And hollow hills, the mansion of dull Sleep :
Not seen by Phoebus when he mounts the skies,
At height, nor stooping ; gloomy mists arise
From humid earth, which still a twilight make":
No crested fowle's shrill Growings here awake
The cheerful morn : no barking sentinell
Here guards, nor geese, who wakeful dogs excell :
Beasts tame, nor salvage, no wind-shaken boughs,
Nor strife of jarring tongues, with noises rouse
Secured ease. Yet from the rock a spring,
With streams of Lethe softly murmuring,
Purles on the pebbles, and invites repose :
Before the entry pregnant poppy grows;
With numerous simples, from whose juycie birth
Night gathers sleep, and sheds it on the earth."

SANDYS' OVID.

" Sleep-bringing poppy, by the plowmen late,
Not without cause, to Ceres consecrate :
For being round and full at his half-birth,
It signified the perfect orb of earth ;
And by his inequalities when blowne
The earth's low vales and higher hills were showne ;
By multitude of grains it held within,
Of men and beasts the number noted bin ;
Or cause that seede our elders used to eate,
With honey mixt (and was their after meate);
Or since her daughter that she loved so well,
By him that in th' infernal shades does dwell,
And on the Stygian banks for ever raignes,
(Troubled with horrid cries and noise of chaines)
Fairest Proserpina, was rapt away ;
And she in plaints the night, in tears the day,
Had long time spent : when no high power could give her
Any redresse, the poppy did relieve her:
For eating of the seeds, they sleep procured,
And so beguiled those griefs she long endured."

W. BROWNE, vol. ii. 97.

By the ancients the seeds of the White Poppy were
served up in their desserts ; and they are now used by the
Germans to sprinkle over cakes: we use them by their

298 FLORA DOMESTICA.

German name of maw-seed, as a cooling food for singing
birds.

The statues of Ceres are commonly adorned with Pop-
pies, they being ever the faithful companions of corn.

Virgil has a fine comparison, which was copied by
Ariosto, of a beautiful youth dying, to a Poppy surcharged
with rain :

-" Sed viribus ensis adactus

Transadigit costas, et Candida pectora rumpit.
Volvitur Euryalus leto, pulchrosque per artus
It cruor, inque humeros cervix collapsa recurabit.
Purpureus veluti cum flos succisus aratro
Languescit moriens; lassove papavera collo
Demisere caput, pluvia cum forte gravantur."

VIRGIL, Book IX.

' ' But the sword, strongly driven, pierces through his side, and rends
his white bosom. Euryalus falls to the earth. The blood streams
over his beauteous limbs, and his head droops upon his shoulder. Like
a purple flower cut down by the plough, he languishes in death ; or as a
poppy on its weary neck bows down its head when overcharged with
rain."

" Come purpurea fior languendo more,
Che T vomere al passar tagliato lassa,
O come carco di superchio umore
II papaver nell' orto il capo abbassa ;
Cosi, qui della faccia ogni colore
Cadendo, Dardinel di vita passa;
Passa di vita, e fa passar con lui
L' ardire, e la virtu di tutti i sui."

ARIOSTO, Canto 18, Stanza 153.

" Like the red flower which in its languor lies,
Left by the plough-share not to rise again ;
Or as the poppy bows its head, and dies
Beneath the silver burthen of the rain ;
So with his colour fled, and closing eyes,
Dardinel's soul is gone ; he clasps the plain;
His soul is gone ; and with it, gone and fled
The life and soul of all the men he led."

POPPY. 299

But Ariosto was not, it seems, the first copyist of this
simile ; Virgil himself copied it from Homer :

" As full-blown poppies, overcharged with rain,
Decline the head, and drooping kiss the plain ;
So sinks the youth : his beauteous head, depress'd
Beneath his helmet, drops upon his breast."

POPE'S HOMER, Book VIII.

PRIMROSE.

PRIMULA GRANDIFLORA.

PRIMULACE-ffi. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, primevere; olive. — Italian, prima-vera.

THIS little flower, in itself so fair, shows yet fairer from
the early season of its appearance ; peeping forth even
from the retreating snows of winter : it forms a happy
shade of union between the delicate Snow-drop and the
flaming Crocus, which also venture forth in the very dawn
of spring.

There are many varieties of the Primrose, so called (the
Polyanthus and Auricula, though bearing other names, are
likewise varieties) ; but the most common are the Sulphur-
coloured and the Lilac. The Lilac Primrose does not
equal the other in beauty : we do not often find it wild ; it
is chiefly known to us as a garden-flower. It is indeed the
Sulphur-coloured Primrose which we particularly under-
stand by that name : it is the Primrose : it is this which
we associate with the cowslips and the meadows : it is this
which shines like an earth-star from the grass by the brook-
side, lighting the hand to pluck it. We do indeed give the
name of Primrose to the Lilac flower, but we do this in
courtesy : we feel that it is not the Primrose of our youth ;

300 FLORA DOMESTICA.

not the Primrose with which we have played at bo-peep
in the woods ; not the irresistible Primrose which has so
often lured our young feet into the wet grass, and procured
us coughs and chidings. There is a sentiment in flowers:
there are flowers we cannot look upon, or even hear
named, without recurring to something that has an interest
in our hearts: such are the Primrose, the Cowslip, the
May-flower, the Daisy, &c. &c.

A few Primrose-roots may be transplanted from their
native woods or banks; or, should not these be within
reach, may be purchased for the value of a few pence at
Covent-Garden flower-market. They are perennial ; but,
being so cheap, it is scarcely worth while to be encum-
bered with the unsightly roots in winter, when they may
be so easily replaced; unless, indeed, we have an in-
dividual affection for them, as the gift of a friend, &c. ; in
such cases they may keep their station, observing now and
then to give them a little water, when there is no frost.
While in a growing state, they must be plentifully supplied
with water, and shaded from the mid-day sun. They like
a strong soil, but will thrive in almost any.

The poets have not neglected to pay due honours to
this sweet spring-flower, which unites in itself such de-
licacy of form, colour, and fragrance : they give it a for^
lorn and pensive character:

" Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies."

LYCIDAS.

- - « pale primroses
That die unmarried, ere they can behold
Bright Phoebus in his strength."

WINTER'S TALE.

•ff The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose."

MILTON'S MAY MORNING.

PRIMROSE. 301

" What next ? a tuft of evening primroses,
O'er which the mind may hover till it dozes j
O'er which it well might take a pleasant sleep,
But that 'tis ever startled by the leap
Of buds into ripe flowers."

KEATS.

" The Primrose, when with sixe leaves gotten grace,
Maids as a true-love in their bosoms place."

W. BROWNE.

The following lines give a pleasant picture of a kind of
idly-musing tranquillity :

" As some wayfaring man passing a wood
Goes jogging on, and in his minde nought hath,
But how the primrose finely strew the path,
Or sweetest violets lay downe their heads,
At some tree's roote on mossie featherbeds."

W. BROWNE.

The poems of Clare are as thickly strown with Prim-
roses as the woods themselves ; the two following passages
are from the Village Minstrel :

" O, who can speak his joys when spring's young morn

From wood and pasture opened on his view,
When tender green buds blush upon the thorn,
And the first primrose dips its leaves in dew I"

" And while he plucked the primrose in its pride,

He pondered o'er its bloom 'tween joy and pain ;
And a rude sonnet in its praise he tried,
Where nature's simple way the aid of art supplied."

In another poem, after describing the village children
rambling over the fields in search of flowers, he continues :

" I did the same in April time,
And spoilt the daisy's earliest prime;
Robbed every primrose-root I met,
And oft-times got the root to set ;
And joyful home each nosegay bore ;
And felt— as I shall feel no more*."

* Village Minstrel, &c. vol. i. page 76.

30£ FLORA DOMESTICA.

PRIVET.

LIGUSTRUM.

OLEINE.E. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

In England it was formerly called Prim-print; Prime-print; or
Prim. — French^ troene ; fresillon ; puine blanc [white young-one]. —
Italian, ligustro ; rovistico ; ruistico ; olivella : in Venice, conestrela :
in the Brescian, cambrosen ; cambrosel.

THE Privet shrub deserves a place among the most ele-
gant : the leaves are handsome, and the old ones remain
on till driven off by new: it bears an abundance of
white pyramidal blossoms, which blow in July, and are
succeeded by bunches of black berries. It is hardy, and
will give little trouble. It must be watered occasionally in
dry weather, and must be removed into a roomier lodging,
when it has, like the giant in the Castle of Otranto, out-
grown its old one.

This elegant tree has been rendered classical by the
pen of Virgil :

" Alba ligustra cadunt, vaccinia nigra leguntur."

VIRGIL, Pastoral 2.

" White privets fall neglected, the purple hyacinths are gathered."
—DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

The Privet blossom has been frequently celebrated for
its whiteness :

" Amarilli, del candido ligustro
Piu Candida e piu bella,
Ma dell' aspido sordo
E piii sorda, e piu fera, e piu fugace."

GUARINI, PASTOR FIDO, Act 1, Scene 2.

" Amaryllis, yet more fair,
More white than whitest privets are,
But than the cruel aspic still
More cruel, wild, and terrible."

PRIVET. 303

The blossom of the Privet, when exposed to the noon-
day sun, withers almost as soon as it blows : in the shade
it not only lasts longer, but is much larger. The leaves,
too, like those of the Laburnum, are much larger and finer
when so placed.

PROTEA.

PROTEACE^. TETRANDBIA MONOGYNIA.

From Proteus ; so named from the great variableness in the fructi-
fication.

THE Proteas are elegant shrubs, chiefly natives of the
Cape, and requiring protection from our winters. The
placing them within doors at that season will generally be
sufficient; but care must be taken to water them very
sparingly at that time, and to preserve them from damps.

Many of the species are in estimation ; among the hand-
somest are the Grandiflora, the Speciosa, the Cynaroides,
the Linearis, the Nana, &c. ; the flowers of the latter very
much resemble a rose.

EANUNCULUS.

RANUNCULACE^B. POLYANDRIA POLYGYNIA.

Ranunculus is the diminutive of Rana, a Frog, some of the species
growing in the water. It is also familiarly called Gold-cup.

SINCE the introduction of the Persian Ranunculus, the
other kinds have been generally neglected; and it has
been so much improved by culture, as to vie with the Car-
nation itself in beautiful varieties. These are of every
colour, and combination of colour, that Flora paints with.

304* FLORA DOMESTICA.

As this plant strikes very deep roots, it must be allowed
room ; though not so much as it will take when in the
open ground, where it will often run to the depth of three
or four feet. On this account it is better to plant several
in one vessel : they may be four or five inches apart, and
two deep. The best time to plant them is in October ;
but, for a succession, they may be continued at intervals
even till February. Those first planted will flower in
May. When planted in pots, they should be housed in
the winter; the roots should be removed every year,
cleaned, and dried, and put in a dry place till wanted :
they should be removed immediately after the leaves have
decayed. A proper soil should be obtained for them, which
should be renewed every year. They must be often, but
sparingly watered in dry weather.

Many species of the Ranunculus are also familiarly
called Crowfoot.

The Aconite-leaved is often cultivated in gardens by
the name of White Bachelors'-buttons, or Fair Maid of
France ; and the Upright Meadow-crowfoot, with double
flowers, by the name of Yellow Bachelors'-buttons.

The double-flowered variety of the white ones are very
delicate and pretty : they blow in May ; the yellow in June
and July. They may be increased by parting the roots
in autumn.

Shakspeare's Cuckoo-buds of yellow hue are supposed
to be the Butter-cup, or King-cup — called by the French,
renoncule ; grenouillette ; bassinet; pied de coq [cock's foot];
pied de corbin [crowfoot] ; bouton d'or [gold button] : in
the village dialect, piapau ; Jlor de buro [butter-flower] :
by the Italians, ranuncolo; boton d^oro ; pie corvino — which
belongs to this genus : as also does Wordsworth's Celan-
dine, which has been noticed by that name.

The King-cup is frequently introduced in Clare's poems ;

RANUNCULUS. 305

he delights in celebrating wild flowers. It is a curious
fact, that notwithstanding the polished beauty of garden
flowers, poetry generally prefers to celebrate the wild.
The following is a pretty rustic picture :

" Before the door, with paths untraced,
The green-sward many a beauty graced ;
And daisy there, and cowslip too,
And butter-cups of golden hue,
The children meet as soon as sought,
And gain their wish as soon as thought;
Who oft I ween, the children's way,
Will leap the threshold's bounds to play,
And, spite of parent's chiding calls,
Will struggle where the water falls,
And 'neath the hanging bushes creep
For violet-bud and primrose-peep.
And sigh with anxious eager dream
For water-blobs * amid the stream ;
And up the hill-side turn anon,
To pick the daisies one by one;
Then, anxious, to their cottage bound,
To show the prizes they have found,
Whose medley flowers, red, white, and blue,
As well can please their parents too ;
And, as their care and skill contrive,
In flower-pots many a day survive."

VILLAGE MINSTREL, &c. vol. i. page 76.

He has, in the same volume, another pretty description
of flower-gathering, which may find a place here :

" Some went searching by the wood,

Peeping 'neath the weaving thorn,
Where the pouch-leaved cuckoo-bud f
From its snug retreat was torn.

* Marsh Marygolds.

f Clare's cuckoo-buds are neither the lady's-smock nor the king-
cup ; neither does he mean the ragged-robin, for that is here expressly
distinguished from them : probably he means the arum, or lords and
ladies.

306 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Where the ragged robin stood

With its piped stem streaked with jet,
And the crow-flowers, golden-hued,

Careless plenty easier met."

Page 137.

In his descriptions of Rural Life and Scenery, he gives
this flower for a goblet to the fairies :

" And fairies now, no doubt, unseen

In silent revels, sup,

With dew-drop bumpers toast their queen
From crow-flower's golden cup."

RHODODENDRON.

RHODODENDRUM.

RHODORACEJE. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This name is of Greek origin, and signifies Rose-tree.

THE Rhododendrons are handsome flowering shrubs,
hardy enough to bear the open air in this country. When
in pots, however, if the winter be severe, it may be well to
cover the roots with a little moss ; and some keep them
always so covered, to shelter them from frost in the winter,
and to preserve the earth moist in the summer. The kind
most commonly cultivated here is a native of North Ame-
rica. The flowers are generally rose-coloured or purple ;
there is a variety with yellow, and one with white flowers.

There is a shrub called Rhodora, a native of Newfound-
land, very similar to this, which may be treated in the
same manner.

The best time for transplanting these shrubs, when they
require removal into a larger pot, is in September or
April ; and when they do not need this removal, it will be

RHODODENDRON. 307

well, at that season, to renew the earth as far as can be
done without disturbing the roots ; or even occasionally to
take them out of the pot, and pare away the decayed roots
on the outside of the ball of earth adhering to them.

Mr. Moore quotes a passage from Tournefort, in his
notes to Lalla Rookh, informing us that about Trebizond
there is a kind of Rhododendron, on the flowers of which
the bees feed, and that their honey drives people mad :

<( E'en as those bees of Trebizond, —
Which from the sunniest flowers that glad
With their pure smile the gardens round,
Draw venom forth that drives men mad."

ROBINIA.

LEGUMINOS^S. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

THE Rose-acacia, so called from the colour of its blos-
soms, is a beautiful shrub : it is a native of Carolina, where
it will grow twenty feet high : here it does not exceed six
or eight, and will produce flowers when not more than a
foot high: the flowers are large, showy, and numerous,
and the shrub is of ready growth. It is not very nice as
to soil and situation, but prefers a light, moist soil, and a
situation rather sheltered than exposed. It blossoms in
June.

The Siberian species of Robinia have mostly yellow
flowers. The Salt-tree Robinia, of which the blossoms
are purple, is an exception. This, and the Thorny Ro-
binia are, at their full growth, about six feet high ; the
Shrubby, ten feet ; the Shining, five ; the Daurian and the
Dwarf, three feet.

The Salt-tree grows naturally in salt fields, and will

308 FLORA DOMESTICA.

not flower but in a saline soil. These shrubs will bear this
climate very well, with the exception of the Rose-acacia,
which must be sheltered from frost and keen winds. They
may be kept moderately moist.

ROCKET.

HESPERIS.

CRUCIFERjE. TETRADYNAMIA SILIQUOS^E.

Hesperis is from the Greek^ and signifies evening ; the flowers are
so called because they smell sweetest at that time. — English, Rocket ;
Dame's- violets ; Damask- violets ; Queen's-gillowflowers ; Rogue's-gil-
liflowers ; Winter-gilliflowers ; and Close-sciences. — French, la Juli-
enne ; la Juliana ; la cassolette [smelling-bottle] ; la giroflee musquee
[musk pink] ; la giroflee des dames [ladies' pink] ; la violette des dames
[dame's violet] ; la Juliane de nuit [night Juliana]. — Italian, esperide ;
Giuliana; viola matronale [housewives' violet]; bella Giulia [pretty
Julia].

THE species called the Night-smelling Rocket is much
cultivated for the evening fragrance of the flowers, which
induces the ladies in Germany to keep it in pots in their
apartments, whence it obtained the name of DameV
violets.

These flowers are generally biennial, and flower but
once; they must therefore be frequently supplied. A
strong root of each kind desired should be set apart, not
suffered to flower ; but when the flower-stems have shot
up six inches high, they should be cut down close to the
bottom : these stalks may each be cut into two pieces, and
both halves planted in a soft loamy earth and placed where
they may enjoy the morning sun. They should then be
well-watered and covered with glasses, round the rims of
which the earth should be drawn close, to exclude the air.
When the sun is hot, these glasses should be shaded. Once

11OCKET. 309

a week the cuttings should be watered, and again carefully
covered. With this management they will put out roots
in five or six weeks, and begin to shoot above : then the
glasses should be a little raised on one side, to admit the
air, and gradually to harden them. When they have taken
good root, replant them in pots about ten inches in dia-
meter, observing to shade them till they have taken good
root, and to water them as when first planted.

The roots so cut down will send out more stalks than
before, and these may be cut down and treated in the same
manner ; so that, if the roots are sound, two or three crops
of cuttings may be taken from them, and there may always
be a good supply of these flowers.

They blow in June ; and, after the flowers have de-
cayed, young plants may be raised from the stalks as before
directed ; but not so strong as from the fresh roots, nor
are they always sure to grow.

Their colours are purple or white ; single and double
of each; they must not be over- liberally watered, nor
planted in a very rich soil, or they will be liable to rot. In
dry, hot weather, when they are in flower, they may be
watered every evening, but it must be very sparingly.

This beautiful plant is rather scarce in this country, as
the cuttings treated in the ordinary way do not succeed
well ; but the following method will be found a never-fail-
ing method of propagating it. After the flower has begun
to fade, cut down the stalks and divide them into cuttings,
strip off the leaves and smooth the ends, then make three
slits with a knife in the rind lengthways, so as to raise
it for about half an inch in length. By this means,
when the cutting is inserted into the ground, the loose
rind curls up, and thus a greater tendency to throw out
roots is produced, so that not one in twenty will fail. The
same method is equally efficacious in cuttings of stock-gil-
liflowers and double wall-flowers.

310 FLORA DOMESTICA.

ROSE-BUSH.

ROSA.

ROSACEJE. ICOSANDKIA POLYGYNIA.

French, le rosier j flowers, la rose: in has Breton, res. — Italian,
rosajo : rosa : in the Brescian, larrosa.

IT is not intended to set down here a catalogue of
the various kinds of Roses, but to speak of a few of the
most eminent, and particularly such as are best adapted
for the present purpose. Unfortunately it happens with
many of them, as with some other valuable plants, of
which the Laurustinus is one, that they will not thrive
well in the vicinity of London.

The Single Yellow Rose is a native of Germany, Italy,
and the South of France. The Austrian Rose is con-
sidered as a variety of this : it is of a sulphur-colour out-
side, and a bright scarlet within. The Double Yellow
Rose is full and large, as the Provins Rose : it is a native
of the Levant.

These kinds are principally mentioned for their rarity,
being some of those which will not grow near London.

The Cinnamon Rose — French, rose candle — is one of
the smallest and earliest of the double garden roses : it is
supposed to be named from the scent of the leaves, some
say of the flowers. Mr. Martyn says he can discover no-
thing in the scent of either, at all resembling that spice.

The Dog-Rose is well known as the blossom of the
Common Briars, growing wild in almost every part of
Europe; here called the hip-tree, hep-tree, and in De-
vonshire, canker, and canker-rose : the name of dog-rose
probably arises from the heps or fruit being eaten by dogs,
whence the Tartars call the heps by a name signifying

HOSE-BUSH.

dog-fruit. In French these roses are called rosier sauvage,
wild rose-bush ; rosier des haies, hedge rose-bush ; rose de
chien, dog rose; rose cochonniere, swine rose; eglantier;
eglantine: in Italian they are called rosa salvatica ,- rosa
canina.

The Scotch Rose is also common to most parts of Eu-
rope ; the petals are white, or cream-coloured ; yellow at
the base and sometimes striped with red: the fruit is a
dark purple, and the pericarp contains a fine purple juice,
which, diluted with water, dyes silk and muslin peach-
colour : the addition of alum will make it a deep violet
dye. The fruit, when ripe, is eaten by children : the leaves
are small and elegant : the whole plant seldom exceeds a
foot in height : it likes the shade and a moist soil.

The Common Provins Rose — French, rose de Provins —
is one of the most beautiful yet known in the English gar-
dens : it is very large and full, folded close in the manner
of a cabbage ; some call it the Cabbage-Rose on this ac-
count. It is the most fragrant as well as the handsomest
kind we have : it will grow seven or eight feet high. The
petals, which are deep red and of a powerful scent, may
be kept for a year or eighteen months by being pressed
close. It takes its name not from Provence, as is com-
monly supposed, but from Provins, a small town about
fifty miles from Paris, where it is largely cultivated : and
where it was first introduced from the east.

There are two small varieties of the Provins which are
much esteemed, the Rose de Meaux and the Pompone
Rose : if the old wood of these kinds be cut down every
year after they have done blowing, it will cause them to
shoot more vigorously, and to flower more freely.

The Moss-rose, or Moss Provins-rose, is well known as
an elegant plant ; the flowers are deeply coloured, and the
rich mossiness which surrounds them gives them a luxuriant
appearance not easily described ; but it is familiar to every

312 FLORA DOMESTICA.

one. It is a fragrant flower : its country is not known to
us, and we know it only as a double flower.

The Red Provins-rose is smaller than the Common
Provins, and deeper-coloured ; there is also a Blush, and
a White Provins.

The Damask-rose is a pale red : it is not very double,
but is sweet-scented, and extremely handsome. It is a
native of the South of France : there are, many varieties, the
Monthly, the Striped Monthly, which is red and blush-
coloured, and the York and Lancaster, so called because
it is striped with both red and white. Miller believes this
Rose to have been brought originally from Asia ; a syrup
is prepared from it.

The Frankfort-rose is full and handsome, but scentless.
This and the Damask-rose grow about the same height as
the Provins.

The Monthly Roses do not thrive well near London
but are not so peremptory in this point as the Yellow
Roses, which it is said will not flower within ten miles of
it. Of the other kinds which have been mentioned, the
dead wood should be cut out every year, and the suckers
taken off: this should be done in the autumn.

The Red Rose is large, but not very double ; it is of a
rich crimson colour, and particularly fragrant. Parkinson
calls this the English Rose, because the first known in this
country, and more cultivated here than elsewhere ; and be-
cause it was assumed by some of our kings as a symbol of
royalty. There is a variety of this kind, with white and
red stripes. This rose is used in medicine for conserves,
infusions, honeys, syrups, &c., and was much valued by
Arabian physicians.

Gerarde says, " that in Leylande fields, in Lancashire,
this Garden-rose doth grow wild in the ploughed fields
among the corn in such abundance, that many bushels of
them may be gathered there, equal with the best Garden-

ROSE-BUSH. SIS

roses in every respect ; but what is yet more surprising/'
continues he, " is that in one of the fields, called Glover's
field, every year that it is ploughed for corn, it will be
spread over with roses ; but when not ploughed, then there
shall be but few roses to be gathered :" and this he has " by
the relation of a curious gentleman there dwelling."

" I give this improbable tale," says Mr. Martyn, after
quoting this passage, " as an instance of the dependence
that is to be placed upon the information of curious gen-
tlemen." Johnson has set it right by informing us, he
had heard that the roses which grow in such plenty in
Glover's-field are no other than the Corn-rose, or Red
Poppy.

The Hundred-leaved-rose is a native of China : they are
very double, deeply-coloured, with little scent. This is a
most beautiful species : the varieties are numerous ; it is
often confounded with the Damask-rose, from which it is
quite distinct. This Rose is used in medicine, and a fine
distilled water of an exquisite perfume is prepared from it ;
but the oil, or rather butter, that swims on the water has
no scent. The water which is prepared from the Common
Dog-rose is by many considered as more fragrant than
when distilled from any of the Garden-roses. The leaves,
too, of this wild kind are used as a substitute for tea ; and
the fruit when ripe, and mellowed by the frost, is often
eaten, and thought very agreeable : it is a great delicacy
to some kinds of birds, to pheasants in particular : it is also
mixed with sugar and sold under the name of conserve of
heps, and forms a good vehicle for many nauseous medi-
cines.

The Evergreen-rose is a native of the South of Europe:
it is white, small, single, but very sweet : in appearance it
much resembles our Eglantine. It is this rose that yields
the fine scented oil called attar of roses, which is imported
from the Barbary coast, Egypt, and the East Indies ; a

314 FLORA DOMEST1CA.

few drops of this oil, dissolved in spirit of wine, form the
esprit de rose of the perfumers ; and the same, dissolved in
fine sweet oil, their huile antique de rose.

The Eglantine, or Sweet-briar-rose, is a native of all
Europe, in woods, thickets, hedges, &c., chiefly in a gra-
velly soil. The varieties with double flowers are very
elegant shrubs.

The Musk-rose is common in every hedge in Tunis : it
is white, smells strongly of musk, and blows in August :
there are single and double varieties. This Rose requires
plenty of room.

The Red China Rose is semi-double : it is admired for
its fine rich crimson colour, and for its fragrance. It blows
in succession all the year, but more sparingly in the winter
months. There is also a Blush, and a Pale China Rose.

The White Rose is a native of China and most parts of
Europe : it grows to a height of nine or ten feet, is very
full of blossom, and extremely beautiful, but has little
or no smell.

Roses in general delight in an open free air, and will
bear the cold well ; but, when in pots, it is better to place
them in-doors during the winter, particularly such as flower
at that season. The earth should be always kept mo-
derately moist.

The Rose is pre-eminently the flower of Love and
Poetry, the very perfection of floral realities. Imagination
may have flattered herself that her power could form a
more perfect beauty; but, it is said, she never yet dis-
covered such to mortal eyes. This, however, she would
persuade us to be a mere matter of delicacy, and that she
had the authority of Apollo for her secret success :

-" no mortal eye can reach the flowers,

And 'tis right just, for well Apollo knows,
'Twould make the poet quarrel with the rose."

It is however determined, that until the claim of such veiled

ROSE-BUSH. 315

beauty, or beauties, shall rest upon better foundation,
the Rose shall still be considered as the unrivalled Queen
of Flowers.

" I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields,
A fresh-blown musk-rose."

The Rose, as well as the Myrtle, is considered as sacred
to the Goddess of Beauty. Berkeley, in his Utopia, de-
scribes lovers as declaring their passion by presenting to
the fair beloved a rose-bud just beginning to open; if the
lady accepted and wore the bud, she was supposed to fa-
vour his pretensions. As time increased the lover's affec-
tion, he followed up the first present by that of a half-
blown rose, which was again succeeded by one full-blown ;
and if the lady wore this last, she was considered as en-
gaged for life *.

In our country, in some parts of Surrey in particular,
it was the custom, in the time of Evelyn, to plant roses
round the graves of lovers f. The Greeks and Romans
observed this practice so religiously, that it is often found
annexed as a codicil to their wills, as appears by an old
inscription at Ravenna, and another at Milan, by which
roses are ordered to be yearly strewed and planted upon
the graves.

It is the universal practice in South Wales to strew roses
and other flowers over the graves of departed friends.

Morestellus cites an epitaph, in which Publia Cornelia
Anna declares that she had resolved not to survive her hus-
band in desolate widowhood, but had voluntarily shut her-
self up in his sepulchre, still to remain with him with whom
she had lived twenty years in peace and happiness : and
then orders her freed-men and freed-women to sacri-

* See Gaudentio di Lucca. t Evelyn's Sylva,

316 FLORA DOMESTICA.

fice there to Pluto and Proserpine, to adorn the sepulchre
with roses, and to feast upon the remainder of the sacra-
fice.

We have seen, within these few years, the body of a
child carried to a country church for burial, by young
girls dressed in white, each carrying a rose in her hand.

Poetry is lavish of roses ; it heaps them into beds, weaves
them into crowns, twines them into arbours, forges them
into chains, adorns with them the goblet used in the
festivals of Bacchus, plants them in the bosom of beauty.
— Nay, not only delights to bring in the rose itself upon
every occasion, but seizes each particular beauty it pos-
sesses as an object of comparison with the loveliest works of
nature ; — As soft as a Rose leaf; As sweet as a Rose ;
Rosy-clouds ; Rosy-cheeks ; Rosy-lips ; Rosy-blushes ;
Rosy-dawns, &c. &c. It is commonly united with the lily :

' ' A bed of lilies flower upon her cheek,
And in the midst was set a circling rose."

P. FLETCHER.

" Rosed all in lovely crimson are thy cheeks,
Where beauties indeflourishing abide,
And as to pass his fellow either seeks,
Seem both to blush at one another's pride."

G. FLETCHER.

" Tell me have ye seen her angel-like face,
Like Phoebe fair ?

Her heavenly 'haviour, her princely grace
Can you well compare ?
The red-rose medled with the white y-fere,
In either cheek depeinten lively chear :
Her modest eye,
Her majesty,
Where have you seen the like but here ?"

SPENSER.

" The rois knoppis, te tand furth thare hede,
Gan chyp, and kyth thare vernale lippis rede ;

ROSE-BUSH. 817

Crysp skarlet levis sum scheddand baith attanis,
Rest fragrant smel amyd fra.goldin granis."

GAWIN DOUGLAS.

" Its velvet lips the bashful rose begun
To show, and catch the kisses of the sun ;
Some fuller blown, their crimson honors shed ;
Sweet smelt the golden chives that graced their head."
MODERNISED BY FAWKES.

" Had I a cheek like Rhodope's

In midst of which doth stand
A grove of roses such as these,

In such a snowy land :
I would make the lily, which we now

So much for whiteness name ;
As drooping down the head to bow,
And die for very shame."

DRAYTON.

te A stream of tears upon her faire cheeks flowes,
As morning dewe upon the damask-rose,
Or crystal-glasse vailing vermilion ;
Or drops of milk on the carnation."

W. BROWNE'S PASTORALS.

-" cui plurimus ignem

Subjecit rubor, et calefacta per ora cucurrit.
Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro
Si quis ebur ; aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multa
Alba rosa ; tales virgo dabat ore colores."

VIRGIL, JENEID, book xii.

" — Lavinia, in whom profound modesty lighted up a burning flush,
and diffused it over her inflamed face. As if one had stained the
Indian ivory with ruddy purple ; or as white lilies mingled with
copious roses blush : such colors the virgin in her image showed." —
DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

" The lady lily paler than the moon,
And roses, laden with the breath of June."

BARRY. CORNWALL.

' { Sometimes upon her forehead they behold
A thousand graces masking with delight,
Sometimes within her eye-lids they unfold
Ten thousand sweet belgards, which to their sight
Do seem like twinkling stars in frosty night :

318 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

But on her lips, like rosie buds in May,
So many millions of chaste pleasures play.

SPENSER.

' f The rose, the flower of love,
Mingle with our quaffing ;
The rose, the lovely leaved,
Round our brows be weaved,
Genially laughing.

' ' O the rose, the first of flowers,
Darling of the early bowers,

E'en the gods for thee have places ;
Thee too Cytherea's boy
Weaves about his locks for joy,

Dancing with the graces.

" Crown me then ; I '11 play the lyre,

Bacchus, underneath thy shade :
Heap me, heap me, higher and higher,
And I '11 lead a dance of fire

With a dark deep bosomed maid."

HUNT, from Anacreon.

" Her face so fair, like flesh it seemed not,
But heavenly portrait of bright angel's hue
Clear as the sky withouten blame or blot,
Through goodly mixture of complexions due ;
And in her cheeks the vermeil red did shew
Like roses in a bed of lilies shed,
The which ambrosial odours from them threw,
And gazer's sense with double pleasure fed,

Able to heal the sick, and to revive the dead."

SPENSER.

The Red-Rose is said to have been indebted for its
color to the blood which flowed from the thorn-wounded
feet of Venus, when running through the woods in despair
for the loss of Adonis : as the White-Rose is also said to
have sprung from the tears which the goddess shed upon
that occasion. Ample reasons these for dedicating them
to her.

" White as the native rose before the change,
Which Venus' blood did in her leaves impress."

SPEKSER.

ROSE-BUSH. 319

So universally as the Rose has been celebrated in full
blown beauty, few have done justice to its infant love-
liness.

' ' Of the rose full lipped and warm,
Round about whose riper form
Her slender virgin train are seen
In their close fit caps of green."

DESCENT OF LIBERTY.

" And they that set at ease

The sheath-enfolded fans of rosy bushes,
Ready against their blushes."

NYMPHS.

These two last lines seem to bring the opening leaves
of the Rose-bush immediately before our eyes.

( Ah ! see the virgin rose, how sweetly she
Doth first peep forth with bashful modesty,
That fairer seems, the less ye see her may ;
Lo ! see soon after, how more bold and free
Her bared bosom she doth broad display ;
Lo ! see soon after, how she fades and falls away."

SPENSER.

Perhaps the most beautiful season of the Rose is when
partly blown ; then too she still promises us a continuance
of delight ; but when full-blown, she inspires us with the
fear of losing her. The following lines refer to a Rose
plucked from its stem.

" Look as the flower which lingeringly doth fade,
The morning's darling late, the summer's queen ;
Spoiled of that juice which kept it fresh and green,
As high as it did raise, bows low the head."

DRUMMOND.

No true poet can describe a garden, or a bouquet,
without telling us that —

" There was the pouting rose, both red and white."
Apollo would no longer acknowledge him if he overlooked
this flower.

320 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The reader will remember that the Red-Rose has
from its long dwelling with us been named the English-
Rose ; doubtless it is to this flower Brown alludes in the
following lines, where speaking of the rivulets, he says,

" Some running through the meadows, with them bring
Cowslip and mint : and 'tis another's lot
To light upon some gardener's curious knot
Whence she upon her breast (Love's sweet repose)
Doth bring the queen of flowers, the English-rose."

The bed of roses is not altogether a fiction. " The
Roses of the Sinan Nile, or garden of the Nile, attached
to the Emperor of Morocco's palace, are unequalled ;
and mattresses are made of their leaves, for men of rank
to recline upon*."

The Eastern Poets have united the Rose with the
nightingale ; the Venus of flowers with the Apollo of
birds : the Rose is supposed to burst forth from its bud
at the song of the nightingale.

" You may place a handful of fragrant herbs and
flowers before the nightingale ; yet he wishes not in his
constant heart for more than the sweet breath of his be-
loved Rose." — JAMI-(-.

" Oh ! sooner shall the rose of May
Mistake her own sweet nightingale,
And to some meaner minstrel's lay
Open her bosom's glowing veil,
Than Love shall ever doubt a tone,
A breath of the beloved one."

-" though rich the spot

With every flower this earth has got,
What is it to the nightingale
If there his darling rose is not ?"

LALLA ROOKH.

A festival is held in Persia, called the feast of Roses,
which lasts the whole time they are in bloom.

See notes to Moore's Lalla Rookh.

ROSE-BUSH.

" And all is ecstasy, for now
The valley holds its feast ,of roses ;
That joyous time,, when pleasures pour
Profusely round, and in their shower
Hearts open, like the season's rose, —
The flowret of a hundred leaves,
Expanding while the dew-fall flows,
And every leaf its balm receives !"

LALLA ROOKH.

Persia is the very land of Hoses :

" On my first entering this bower of fairy land," say Sir Robert
Kerr Porter, speaking of the garden of one of the royal palaces of Persia,
ff I was struck with the appearance of two rose-trees full fourteen feet
high, laden with thousands of flowers, in every degree of expansion,
and of a bloom and delicacy of scent that imbued the whole atmosphere
with exquisite perfume. Indeed, I believe that in no country in the
world does the rose grow in such perfection as in Persia ; in no country
is it so cultivated and prized by the natives. Their gardens and courts
are crowded by its plants, their rooms ornamented with vases filled
with its gathered bunches, and every bath strewed with the full-blown
flowers plucked with the ever replenished stems. .... But in
this delicious garden of Negaaristan, the eye and the smell are not the
only senses regaled by the presence of the rose. The ear is enchanted
by the wild and beautiful notes of multitudes of nightingales, whose
warbjings seem to increase in melody and softness with the unfolding
of their favorite flowers. Here indeed the stranger is more power-
fully reminded, that he is in the genuine country of the nightingale
and the rose." — PERSIA IN MINIATURE, vol. 3.

Lord Byron has taken advantage of the various fictions
and customs connected with the Rose ; and has made it
spring and flourish over the tomb of Zuleika : while the
nightingale soothes his beloved with his sweet and plaintive
notes :

" A single rose is shedding there

Its lonely lustre meek and pale :
It looks as planted by despair —

So white, so faint — the slightest gale
Might whirl the leaves on high ;

And yet though storms and blight assail,

FLORA DOMESTJCA.

And hands more rude than wintry sky

May wring it from the stem — in vain —

To-morrow sees it bloom again !
The stalk some spirit gently rears,
And waters with celestial tears ;

For well may maids of Helle deem
That this can be no earthly flower.
Which mocks the tempest's withering hour,
And buds unsheltered by a bower ;
Nor droops though spring refuse her shower,

Nor wooes the summer beam :
To it the livelong night there sings
A bird unseen, but not remote :
Invisible his airy wings,
But soft as harp that Houri strings

His long entrancing note."

BRIDE OF ABYDOS.

There is in this poem another passage on the same
subject; a passage which instantly brings before our eyes
that lovely design by Stothard, of the kneeling Zuleika :

" She saw in curious order set

The fairest flowers of eastern land —
He loved them once ; may touch them yet,

If offered by Zuleika's hand.
" The childish thought was hardly breathed
Before the rose was plucked and wreathed ;
The next fond moment saw her seat
Her fairy form at Selim's feet :

This rose to calm my brother's fears
A message from the Bulbul * bears ;
It says to-night he will prolong
For Selim's ear his sweetest song ;
And though his note is somewhat sad,
He'll try for once a strain more glad,
With some faint hope his altered lay
May sing these gloomy thoughts away."

Some suppose that Syria takes its name from Suri, a
beautiful species of Rose, for which that country has been
always famous •)*.

* The nightingale. t See notes to Lalla Rookh.

ROSE-BUSll. 323

" And if at times a transient breeze

Break the blue crystal of the seas,

Or sweep one blossom from the trees,

How welcome is each gentle air

That wakes and wafts the odours there !

For there — the Rose o'er crag or vale,

Sultana of the Nightingale,

The maid for whom his melody,

His thousand songs are heard on high,

Blooms blushing to her lover's tale :

His queen, the garden queen, his Rose,

Unbent by winds, unchill'd by snows,

Far from the winters of the west,

By every breeze and season blest,

Returns the sweets by nature given

In softest incense back to heaven ;

And grateful yields that smiling sky,

Her fairest hue, and fragrant sigh."

LORD BYRON'S GIAOUR.

We must not dismiss the subject of the Rose, without
recalling to the minds of our readers those beautiful lines
from Milton:

" Eve separate he spies,

Veiled in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood,
Half spied, so thick the roses blushing round
About her glowed ; oft stooping to support
Each flower of tender stalk, whose head, though gay
Carnation, purple, azure, or speck'd with gold,
Hung drooping unsustained ; them she upstays
Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while
Herself, though fairest unsupported flower,
From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh."

Chaucer delights in garlanding his heads with roses :
not the daisy itself delights him more than a garland of
flowers ; Roses in particular. In the Flower and the Leaf
he has crowns of Roses, laurel, oak, woodbine, &c. and
of all various flowers mingled together, he perfectly revels
in them :

" And all they werin, aftir ther degrees
Chappelets new, or made of laurir green ;

324 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Or some of oke, or some of othir trees ;
Some in their hondis havin boughis shene,
Some of laurin, and some of okis bene,
Some of hawthorne, and some of the wodebind,
And many mo which I have not in mind.

" And everich had a chapelet on her hed,
(Which did right wele upon the shining here)
Makid of goodly flouris white and red,
The knightis eke that they in honde led
In sute of them ware chaplets everichone ;
And before them went minstrels many one.

" As harpis, pipis, lutis, and sautry,
Alle in grene, and ther hedis bare
Of diverse flouris made full craftily.
All in a sute, godely chaplets they ware,
And so dauncing into the mede they fare,
In mid the which they found a tuft that was
All ovirsprad with flowris in compas."

In two different poems where Venus is represented, she
has a crown of white and red flowers :

" I saw anone right her figure
Nakid yfletyng in a se,
And also on her hedde parde
Her rosy garland white and redde."

In the KnightVTale he again describes the goddess
floating in the sea ;

" And on hire hed, ful semely for to see
A rose gerlond fresh and wel-smelling
Above hire hed hire doves fleckering."

" She gathereth floures, partie white and red,
To make a sotel gerlond for hire hed."

St. Cecilia receives a miraculous crown of Roses and
lilies ; and Gupid is crowned with Roses. In the Romaunt
of the Rose, he describes himself as selecting from many
Roses the one which shall best please him :

ROSE-BUSH. 325

" Of knoppis close some sawe I there,
And some well better woxin were,
And some there ben of othir moison,
That drowe nigh to ther seson,
And spedde 'hem faste for to spredde :
I love well suche rosis redde,
For brode rosis and open also
Ben passid in a day or two,
But knoppis wollin freshe be
Two daies at lest, or ellis thre ;
The knoppis gretely likid me,
For fairer maie there no man se ;
Who so might hav in one of all,
It ought him ben ful lefe withall :
Might I garlonde of 'hem getten
For no richesse I wolde it letten.

" Amonges the knoppis I chese one
So faire, that of the remenaunt none
Ne preise I half so well as it
Whan I avisin in my wit.
It so well was enluminid
With color red, as well finid
As nature couth it makin faire,
And it hath levis wel foure paire
That kind hath set through his knowing
About the redde rosis springing
The stalke was as rishe right,
And thereon stood the knop upright,
That it ne bowed upon no side :
The sote smel ysprong se wide
That it died all the place about.

" I saAve the rose when I was nigh,
Was greater woxin, and more high,
Freshe and roddy and faire of hewe,
Of colour ever iliche newe :
And when I had it longe sene,
I sawe that through the levis grene,
The rose spred to spannishing,
To sene it was a godely thing ;
But it ne was so sprede on brede
That men within might knowe the sede,
For it coverte yvvas and close
Bothe with the leves, and with the rose ;

326 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The stalke was even and grene upright,
It was thereon a godely sight."

The short-lived beauty of the Rose hasgiven rise to many
reflections and comparisons ; as in Crashaw's lines on the
death of Mr. Herrys: an instance occurs also in Mr.
Bowring's translation from the Russian of Kostrov :

" The rose is my favorite flower :

On its tablets of crimson I swore,

That up to my last living hour

I never would think of thee more.
" I scarcely the record had made,

Ere Zephyr, in frolicsome play,

On his light airy pinions conveyed

Both tablets and promise away."

BOWRING'S RUSSIAN ANTHOLOGY.

And a beautiful one in Tasso :

" Deh mira, egli canto spuntar la rosa
Dal verde suo modesta e vcrginella,
Che mezzo aperta ancora e mezzo ascosa,
Quanto si mostra men, tanto e piu bella.
Ecco poi nudo il sen gia baldanzosa
Dispiega : ecco poi langue, e non par quella ;
Quella non par, che desiata avanti
Fu da mille donzelle e mille amanti.

" Cosi trapassa al trapassar d'un giorno
Delia vita mortale il fiore, e '1 verde."
LA GERUSALEMMA LIBERATA DI TASSO : Canto 16.

" The gentle budding rose, quoth she, behold,
That first scant peeping forth with virgin beams,
Half ope, half shut, her beauties doth upfold
In its fair leaves, and, less seen fairer seems ;
And after spreads them forth more broad and bold,
Then languisheth, and dies in last extremes :
Nor seems the same, that decked bed and bower
Of many a lady late, and paramour :

** So, in the passing of a day, doth pass
The bud and blossom of the life of man."

FAIRFAX'S TRANSLATION.

" Turn pater Anchises magnum cratera corona
Induit, implevitque mero."

VIRGIL, ENEJP, book 3.

ROSE-BUSH. 327

" Then father Anchises decked a capacious bowl with a garland,
and filled it up with wine." — DAVIDSON'S TRANSLATION.

" To crown the bowl," says Mr. Davidson : " sometimes
signifies no more than to fill the cup to the brim, but here
it is to be taken literally for adorning the bowl with
flowers, according to the ancient custom. Otherwise,
implevitque merof would be mere tautology." Horace
repeatedly speaks of crowning the bowl with Roses.

It is said that the Turks cannot endure to see a rose-leaf
fall to the ground, because, says Gerarde, " some of them
have dreamed that the first Rose sprang from the blood
of Venus:'

It may, perhaps, be worth while to quote Gerarde's
translation of a passage from Anacreon, rather for its
curiosity than beauty :

" The rose is the honor and beauty of flowers,
The rose is the care and the love of the spring,
The rose is the pleasure of th' heavenly powers :
The boy of fair Venus, Cy thera's darling,
Doth wrap his head round with garlands of rose,
When to the dances of the Graces he goes."

This is scarcely to be recognised for the same passage
given a few pages back, in the translation of one of our
living poets.

Roses, when they are associated with a moral meaning,
are generally identified with mere pleasure ; but some
writers, with a juster sentiment, have made them emblems
of the most refined virtue. In the Orlando Innamorato,
the famous Orlando puts Roses in his helmet, which
guard his ears against a syren ; and in Lucian, a man who
has been transformed into an ass recovers his shape upon
eating some Roses.*

Many species of the Rose preserve their sweet perfume

* Orlando Innamorato, Canto 33, Stanza 33. and Francklin's Lucian,
vol. iii. page 236.

328 FLORA DOMESTICA.

even after death; as the poet observes in the following
passage :

" And first of all, the rose; because its breath
Is rich beyond the rest ; and when it dies,
It doth bequeath a charm to sweeten death."

BARRY CORNWALL'S FLOOD OF THESSALY, page 2.

But nothing has yet been said to prove the assertion
that poets forge chains of Roses; and were this to be
omitted, many persons, considering their apparent fra-
gility, might doubt the fact: to avoid so unpleasant a
catastrophe, Tasso shall appear and speak for himself.

" Di ligustri, di gigli, e delle rose

Le quai fiorian per quelle piagge amene,
Con nuov' arte congiunte indi compose
Lente, ma tenacissime catene :
Queste al collo, alle braccia, a i pie gli pose."

TASSO, Canto 14.

" Of privet, lilies, and of roses sweet,
Which proudly flow'red through that wanton plain,
All platted fast, well knit, and joined meet,
She framed a soft, but surely holding chain,
Wherewith she bound his neck, his hands, and feet."

FAIRFAX'S TRANSLATION.

Fairfax translates ligustri woodbines : but when a foreign
witness is brought into court, as Tasso is upon this
occasion, it is but common justice to see that he is cor-
rectly interpreted. Suppose it had pleased the English
poet to change Roses into turnips, what would have be-
come of our cause ?
We must indulge in one more quotation :

" Ye lilies, and ye shrubs of snowy hue,
Jasmin as ivory pure,
Ye spotless graces of the shining field,
And thou, most lovely rose,
Of tint most delicate,
Fair consort of the morn ;
Delighted to imbibe
The genial dew of heaven,
Rich vegetation's vermeil-tinctured gem ;

ROSE-BUSH. 329

April's enchanting herald,
Thou flower supremely blest,
And queen of all the flowers,
Thou formest around my locks
A garland of such fragrance,
That up to Heaven itself
Thy balmy sweets ascend."

ANDREIN'S ADAM.

Our delicate Eglantine has been scarcely less honoured
by the poets than the more luxuriant Roses. It is usually
coupled with the Woodbine, as the Lily with the Rose,
the Myrtle with the Bay, or Beaumont with Fletcher.
Shenstone, in describing the delights of a country walk
after long confinement in sickness, makes particular men-
tion of this fragrant pair :

" Come gentle air ! and while the thickets bloom,

Convey the jasmine's breath divine ;
Convey the woodbine's rich perfume,
Nor spare the sweet-leafed eglantine."

" Yonder is a girl who lingers
Where wild honeysuckle grows,
Mingling with the briar-rose ;
And with eager outstretched fingers,
Tip-toe standing, vainly tries
To reach the hedge-enveloped prize."

H. SMITHI

" Wound in the hedge-row's oaken boughs
The woodbine's tassels float in air,
And, blushing, the uncultured rose
Hangs high her beauteous blossoms there."

MRS. C. SMITH.

The two latter passages equally apply to the Common
Wild Rose ; which can boast the praise of Chaucer :

" As swete as is the bramble floure
That bereth the red hepe."

FLORA DOMESTICA.

Chaucer, in the Flower and the Leaf, describes a plea-
sant arbour formed by Sycamore and Eglantine :

" And I, that all these plesaunt sightis se,
Thought suddainly I felt so swete an air
Of the eglentere, that certainly
There is no hert (I deme) in such despair,
Ne yet with thoughtis forward and contraire,
So overlaid, but it should sone have hote
If it had onis felt this savour sote."

Keats alludes more than once to the sweet perfume
of the Eglantine, when moist with rain or dew :

ff Its sides I'll plant with dew-sweet eglantine
And honeysuckles full of clear bee- wine/'

ENDYMION, p. 193.

" rain-scented eglantine

Gave temperate sweets to that well-wooing sun."

ENDYMION, p. 8.

ROSEMARY.

ROSMARINUS.

l^ABIATJE. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The botanical name of this plant is compounded of two Latin words,
signifying Sea-dew; and indeed Rosemary thrives best by the sea. —
French, romarin; encensier [incense- wort]. — Italian, rosmarino; ra-
merino; ramarino.

ROSEMARY is common in the South of Europe, Barbary,
and the Levant, and in the open ground will bear the win-
ter in this climate ; but, when in pots, it is necessary to
afford it the protection of a roof during the winter season.

It has been held in high esteem as a " comforter of the
brain," and a strengthener of the memory ; and on the
latter account is an emblem of fidelity in lovers. Formerly
it was worn at weddings, and at funerals also : in some
parts of England, Mr. Martyn says, " that in his time it

ROSEMARY. 331

was still customary to distribute it among the company at
a funeral, who frequently threw sprigs of it into the grave."
It was also planted near tombs, like Mallow and the
Asphodel.

Spirit of wine, distilled from Rosemary, produces the
true Hungary-water ; but this is more generally made by
merely dissolving the oils of rosemary and of lavender in
spirit of wine. By many persons Rosemary is used as tea,
for headaches and nervous disorders.

Slips or cuttings taken in the spring, just before they
shoot, and planted in a pot of light fresh earth, will soon
take root. When accidentally rooted in a wall or crevice
of a building, it will thrive, and endure the greatest cold
of our winters, however exposed to the wind.

Mr. T. Moore alludes to its character as a mourner in
the following passage :

' ' •" the humble rosemary,

Whose sweets so thanklessly are shed
To scent the desert* and the dead."

Shenstone expresses great indignation at the little re-
spect shown to the Rosemary in modern times :

" And here trim rosmarin, that whilom crowned

The daintiest garden of the proudest peer;

Ere driven from its envied site, it found

A sacred shelter for its branches here ;

Where edged with gold its glittering skirts appear.

Oh wassel days ! O customs meet and well !

Ere this was banished from its lofty sphere :

Simplicity then sought this humble cell,
Nor ever would she more with thane and lordling dwell."

SCHOOL MISTRESS.

Shakspeare and others of our old poets repeatedly speak
of Rosemary as an emblem of remembrance ; and as being

* In the Great Desert are found many stalks of lavender and rose-
mary.— Asiat. Res.

332 FLORA DOMESTICA.

worn at weddings, to signify the fidelity of the lovers.
Thus Ophelia says :

" There's rosemary for you, that's for remembrance ; pray you
love, remember."

Again, Perdita, in the Winter's Tale :

" For you there's rosemary and rue; these keep
Seeming and savour all the winter long :
Grace and remembrance be with you both !"

Rue is the herb of grace, commonly so called in the
dictionaries of Shakspeare's time.

The following passage occurs in Drayton's Pastorals :

" He from his lass him lavender hath sent,
Showing her love, and doth requital crave ;
Him rosemary his sweetheart, whose intent
Is that he her should in remembrance have."

~<e will I be wed this morning,

Thou shalt not be there, nor once be graced with
A piece of rosemary."

RAM ALLEY, OR MERRY TRICKS.

" I meet few but are stuck with rosemary : every one asked me who

was to be married."

NOBLE SPANISH SOLDIER.

In the notes to Steevens's edition of Shakspeare, many
passages of this kind are quoted.

SAGE. 333

SAGE.

SALVIA.

LABIATE. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Salvia, from salvere to heal ; on account of the healing qualities of
these plants. Sage, from the French name, la sauge. Many of the
species are also called Clary, or Clear-eye ; because the seeds, pow-
dered and mixed with honey, were supposed to clear the sight. —
French, la sauge: at Montpellier, saoubie. — Italian, sal via.

MANY of the Sages are cultivated for ornament. The
following are some of the handsomest :

1. The Apple-bearing. 6. The Fulgid.

2. The Two-coloured. T. The Shining-leaved.

3. The Indian. 8. The Scarlet-flowered.

4. The Nubian. 9. The Gold-flowered.

5. The Mexican. 10. Salvia Involucrata.

The first of these has blue flowers : on the branches
protuberances as large as apples are produced frequently
by the puncture of an insect : these are also formed on
the Common Sage in the island of Crete, where they are
carried to market under the names of Sage-apples.

The second is a native of Barbary ; a handsome plant,
with blue and white flowers. The third, which Mr. Curtis
terms a magnificent plant, has also blue and white flowers ;
blowing from May to July. The Nubian and the Mexican
have blue flowers, blowing also from May to July. The
sixth, a native of Mexico ; the seventh, a Peruvian ; and
the eighth, from East Florida, have beautiful scarlet
•flowers, blowing most part of the summer. The ninth, a
native of the Cape, has silver leaves and golden flowers ;
which are very large, and blow from May to November.

334 FLORA BOMESTICA.

The tenth, a native of Mexico, produces an abundance of
rose-coloured blossoms.

The Indian species should be in a very poor soil ; so
also should the seventh. The roots of the Indian Sage
may be parted in spring or autumn, and both these must
be sparingly watered.

The other kind may be increased by cuttings planted in
spring or summer, and covered with a glass, which should
be shaded from the mid-day sun. When they have taken
root, they should be carefully removed into a pot of fresh
earth, (a loamy soil is the best,) and again covered with the
glass ; as they take firmer root, the glass may be raised on
one side to admit the air, and gradually withdrawn. They
must all be housed in October. The Mexican kinds, in
particular, must be guarded from damp. The earth should
be kept moderately moist, — barely so in the winter months.

SAXIFRAGE.

SAXIFRAGA.

SAXIFRAGES. DECANDRIA DIGYNIA.

French, la saxifrage. — Italian, sassifragia ; sassifraga.

OF the Pyramidal Saxifrage there are many varieties :
the flowers are mostly white, dotted with red ; and when
the roots are strong, they will produce large and handsome
pyramids of them, blowing in June, and making a showy
appearance. If placed in the shade, and screened from
wind and rain, they will longer preserve their beauty.
This species is from the Alps and Pyrenees.

The Saffron-coloured Saxifrage grows on the mountains
in Switzerland, Carniola, and Italy. They produce plenty

SAXIFRAGE. 335

of offsets on the sides of the old roots, which should be
planted in a fresh light earth : they should stand in the
shade in the summer, and in the sun in winter. All
the offsets should be removed, which will cause them to
shoot a stronger flowering stem. These being planted in
small pots, and removed the next year into larger, will
then be in a condition to flower : the old roots perish after
flowering. The Saffron-coloured must be sheltered from
frost.

The Thick-leaved Saxifrage bears purple flowers : the
stem changes every year into root ; losing its leaves in the
winter after flowering, turning to the ground, and changing
black, where it puts out fibres for the succeeding plant.
The foliage of this species is remarkably handsome : it is
a native of Siberia, and flowers in April and May. A
variety of this, called the Heart-thick-leaved, produces
larger flowers. This species prefers a rich moist soil..
The roots may be parted in spring or autumn : if the
winds are cold when it is in flower, it should be removed
into the house.

The species called None-so-pretty is a native of Ireland^
and, as it is said, of England : but it was not known to be
indigenous till long after it had been cultivated in our gar-
dens, where it was much admired for its flowers, for which
it obtained its familiar name. It has also been called
London-pride, from thriving well in the smoke of London,
which some of the Alpine Saxifrages will not do. The
flowers are white or flesh-coloured, dotted with yellow and
dark red : they blow in June and July.

The Purple-flowered Saxifrage grows naturally upon
rocks, which, with its numerous trailing branches, it clothes
with a rich tapestry, in the months of April and May. In
gardens it blows in February or March. The flowers
are large and handsome, and the more exposed the situ-

336 FLORA DOMESTICA.

ation, the greater number they produce. There is a variety
of this kind called the Biflora, or Two-flowered ; which,
as this name implies, produces only two flowers on one
stem, but those are of a beautiful rose-red. Towards the
end of March divide a plant, which has filled the pot the
year before, into many small pieces, observing that each
piece has two or three fibres : plant half a dozen of these
in the middle of a small pot, filled with bog-earth and
loam, equal parts of each : water it, and place it in the
shade for a week; then expose it to the morning sun,
water it once a day in dry weather, and in the spring the
pot will be covered with a profusion of bloom.

This should be treated every year in the same manner.
It is very hardy, and disdains all tender treatment.

The Round-leaved Saxifrage is a native of Austria,
Switzerland, Piedmont, &c. " We know of no species,"
says Mr. Curtis, " belonging to this beautiful genus, whose
flowers, in point of prettiness, can vie with these."

The roots should be parted in autumn: they require
a stiff loamy soil and a shady situation, and must be kept
moist.

White Saxifrage produces its flowers in April and May :
the Double-flowered variety is very commonly planted in
pots, to adorn halls, windows, &c. in the spring. It pro-
duces plenty of offsets ; and in July, after the leaves have
decayed, these should be taken off* and planted in fresh
unmanured earth. Till autumn it should be placed in the
shade, then removed into the sun, where it should remain
till the end of winter.

SCABIOUS. 337

SCABIOUS.

SCABIOSA.

DIPSACE.E. TETRANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, la scabieuse des Indes ; regardez moi [look at me] ; fleur
de veuve [widow's flower]. — Italian, scabbiosa gentile; fior della ve-
dova.

INDIAN or Sweet-scabious is chiefly valuable for its ex-
ceeding sweetness; yet its colours are often extremely
rich. It is sometimes of a pale purple, sometimes so dark
as to be almost black, but its finest hue is a dark Mulberry
red.

If Scabious is sown in March, it blows in the autumn ;
but it will produce stronger flowers if sown in May, placed
in the shade, and, when come up, removed into fresh earth ;
if well watered and shaded till it is again rooted, and always
kept moderately moist, it will flower in the beginning of
the summer ; and by this management may be preserved
in beauty from June till September.

Though this is frequently called the Indian Scabious,
botanists are uncertain of its native country; hesitating
between Spain, Italy, and India.

Many persons transplant Scabious a second time at
Michaelmas, for it is one of those plants which are thought
to be benefited by removal.

338 FLORA DOMESTICA.

SCARLET-BEAN.

PHASEOLUS MULTIFLORUS.

LEGUMINOS^. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

Called also Scarlet-runners.

THE species of bean, commonly called the Scarlet-runner,
will thrive well in a deep pit or box ; and is well worthy
of attention for the beauty of its blossoms. It will clothe
whole walls or fences, for a time, with a luxuriant green
and red tapestry. If sown in pots, one seed will suffice
for each ; but the better way is to have a box of some
length, placed against the wall of a court, area, &c., and
there to sow the seeds, about six inches apart and an inch
deep : this should be done towards the end of April, or
early in May. Sprinkle the earth with water on sow-
ing the seed ; after which, be sparing of it till the plants
begin to shoot: they should then, in dry weather, be
watered three times a week. When the plants have risen
six or eight inches, sticks should be placed to support
them ; unless they are against a wall, which may serve for
that purpose, and they will quickly spread over it in luxu-
riant beauty. Before Miller's time, it was cultivated
less for its fruit than for the beauty and durability of its
blossoms, which the ladies put into their nosegays and
garlands. He brought it into general use for the table ;
and, because it has been found so useful, people seem
to think it can no longer be ornamental, which is surely
a vulgar mistake.

SEA-LAVENDER.

SEA-LAVENDER.

STATICE.

PLUMBAGINE^. PENTANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

THE Scolloped-leaved Sea-lavender has a yellow flower
with a handsome blue calyx, handsomer than the flower
itself. It retains its beauty when dry, and is so pre-
served with other flowers in winter.

The Rough-leaved, a native of Barbary and the South
of Europe, has pale blue flowers. The Plaintain-leaved,
a Russian, has white flowers : these three kinds are bien-
nial.

The Triangular-stalked, from the Canary islands ; the
Narrow-leaved-shrubby, from Siberia; and the Broad-
leaved-shrubby, from Sicily, are perennials : these may be
increased by cuttings planted in July.

They should be kept moderately moist ; and, with the
exception of the third, must be sheltered in the winter, ad-
mitting fresh air in mild weather.

Thrift, which was the predecessor of Box as an
edging for flower-borders, is of this genus: the bright
scarlet variety is very pretty. It is named Thrift from its
readiness to thrive in any soil, situation, climate, air, fog,
or smoke. It is also called Mountain-pink, Sea-pink,
Lady's-cushion, and Sea-gilliflower : it may be increased
by parting the roots in autumn. The French call it, ga-
zon d'Espagne [Spanish turf] ; gazon ft Olympe [turf of
Olympus] ; oeillet de Paris [Parisian pink] ; herbe a sept
tiges [herb with seven stalks] : the Italians, statice ; pianta
da settefusti [plant with seven stalks].

340 FLORA DOMESTICA.

S E D U M.

CRASSULACE^. DECANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

THE Sedums include the Stonecrops and Orpines:
many persons are very curious in these plants, which are
adapted principally for veiling unsightly walls, enriching
cottage-roofs, or wall-tops, or dropping from the eaves.
Some of them are very splendid.

The Orpine Stonecrop is also called Live-long, because a
branch of it hung up will long retain its verdure ; but this
is common to most very succulent plants, which will feed for
a long time on the moisture they have previously imbibed.
It is common in Europe, Japan, and Siberia j and is called
in France, la reprise-, grassette; feve epaisse [thick bean] ;
Joubarbe des vignes [vine Jupiter's beard] ; feuille gras
[thick leaf] ; herbe magique [magical herb] : and in Italy,
sopravivolo ; telefio ; fava grassa ; favogello ; pignuola.

The Thick-leaved species with white flowers makes a
beautiful appearance all the year round, and spreads fast :

" Cool violets, and orpine growing stilL"

The Sedum Reflexum, Trip-madam, or Yellow Stone-
crop — called by the French, trippe madame — is common
all over England, on walls, and thatched roofs, where it
spreads a continual vegetable sunshine : it flowers in July.
Haller says this kind is eaten in salads.

The Biting Stonecrop, Pepper-crop, or Wall-pepper, so
called from its pungency, is also very common in England.
It is either planted on walls, or in pots, placed in a lofty
situation, from whence it hangs over the sides of the pots,
and grows to a considerable length. It is called by the
French, la vermiculaire brulante [burning wormwood];

SEDUM. 341

pain tfoiseau [bird bread] ; in the village dialect, p^rratin :
and by the Italians, erbi pignuola ; pinocchiella.

The Orpines may be readily increased by cuttings in
the summer months. The flowers are generally white or
purple. The Evergreen kind, with purple flowers, spreads
very fast. They require a dry soil, and prefer the shade.

Any of the perennial Stone-crops planted in a little
soft mud or earth, in the manner of the House-leeks, on a
wall or roof, will spread its roots, and cover the whole
place in a short time. Of the annual kinds, the seeds
sprinkled over the place where they are designed to grow
will easily root. When planted in pots, they should
always be placed high from the ground. They are very
succulent plants, and will not require watering.

SHADDOCK TREE.

CITRUS DECUMANA.

AURANTIACEJ5. POLYADELPHIA POLYANDRIA.

French, la pampelmouse. — Italian, pamplemusa ; these names are
from the Dutch. The Italians also call it pompa di genova.

THIS plant may be treated in the same manner as the
Orange ; under which head, directions are given at full
length.

The Shaddock is a native of India ; it was taken to the
West-Indies, in an East-India Ship, by Captain Shaddock
from whom it was named. There are many varieties;
one, bearing a fruit five inches in diameter, ve,ry sweet, is
called in China Sweet-Ball. In Japan, the Shaddock is
said to be as large as the head of a child.

The trees imported from Italy, and sold at the Italian

342 FLORA DOMESTICA.

warehouses in London for Orange-trees, without any
peculiar name, are for the most part either Shaddock or
Citron-trees, as these sorts make stronger shoots and
more showy plants than the true Orange.

SNOW-DKOP.

GALANTHUS.

NAKCISSEJE. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Galanthus is of Greek origin, and signifies Milk-Flower : the flower
being very white. Its name of snow-drop expresses the same thing,
and is, at the same time, applicable to the time of its appearance,
often when snow is on the ground. In mild seasons it will blow in
January, but it usually appears in February, on which account it has
also been named Fair-Maid of February. — French, la galantine ; —
Italian, galanto.

THE Snowdrop is a native of Switzerland, Austria,
Silesia, and England, in meadows, and orchards; but
doubts are entertained whether it is really indigenous, or
whether it is a relic of cultivation. Every third year, the
roots should be taken up in June, when the leaves have
decayed, and kept in a dry place till August ; they should
then be replanted ; and the best way to make them look
well, is to plant twenty or more together in a clump, which
has a very pretty effect when they blow. They should
not however be less than an inch and a half apart, and
should be set two inches deep.

There is a flower called the Leucojum, or great Snow-
drop, very similar to this, but twice its size. Of this there
are three kinds, commonly called the Spring, the Summer,
and the Autumnal Snow-drop. Some to distinguish them
better, being of a different genus, have named them Snow-

SNOW-DROP,

flakes Bothers Bulbous White-Violets ; but the kind which
one calls the early-flowering Bulbous White-Violet, in
reference to a kind flowering later, another calls the late-
flowering, in reference to one blowing earlier, which occa-
sions infinite confusion. These are what the French call,
perce neige [snow piercer] ; the Spring kind being also
called violette de Fevrier [February Violet] ; violier bulbeux,
[bulbous stock] ; campane blanche, cloche blanche [both
signifying white bell] ; baguenadier cThiver.

These flowers are very pretty and delicate, and look
well like the common Snow-drop when planted several
together, but it must not be close ; for they require a
distance of five inches from each other, and must be set
four or five inches deep. Thus they require more room
than will often be afforded them, except in the open
ground ; and, after all, they are deficient in one of the
greatest charms of the true Snow-drop — the coming in a
wintry season, when few others visit us. We look upon
the Snow-drop as a friend in adversity; sure to appear
when most needed.

The Snow-drop is the earliest blower of all our wild
flowers, and will even show her head above the snow, as
if to prove her rivalry in whiteness.

" As Flora's breath, by some transforming power,
Had changed an icicle into a flower."

MRS. BAUBAULD.

' ' Like pendent flakes of vegetating snow,

The early herald of the infant year,
Ere yet the adventurous crocus dares to blow
Beneath the orchard boughs thy buds appear.

" While still the cold north-east ungenial lowers,

And scarce the hazle in the leafless copse
Or sallows show their downy powdered flowers,
The grass is spangled with thy silver drops.

" Yet when those pallid blossoms shall give place
To countless tribes of richer hue? and scent,

344. FLORA DOMESTICA.

Summer's gay blooms, and Autumn's yellow race,
I shall thy pale inodorous bells lament.

" So journeying onward in life's varying track,

Even while warm youth its bright illusion lends,
Fond memory often with regret looks back
To childhood's pleasures, and to infant friends."

MRS. C. SMITH.

SOUTHEKNWOOD.

ARTEMISIA ABROTANUM.

CORYMBIFERJE. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

From Artemisia, the wife of Mausolus, King of Caria ; called also
Old Man. — French, 1' auronc-des-jardins ; la citronellej la garde-
robe, from its use in preventing moths from getting into wardrobes
and clothes-presses. — Italian, Abrotano, abruotino, abruotina.

SOUTHERNWOOD is well known as an aromatic shrub,
growing three or four feet high. It is a native of many
parts of Europe and Asia, where it produces an abun-
dance of small yellow flowers ; but the flowers seldom
open in this country.

It may be increased by slips planted in April, and well
watered : they must remain in the shade till rooted. This
plant is often esteemed by old persons for its aromatic
scent; but is not now a very fashionable plant. It was
formerly a common garden plant in London, as it will
live even in the densest parts. It is used in medicine,
and its branches will dye wool yellow.

The Artemisia is included among the flowers of poetical
origin in Mr. Smith's Poem of Amarynthus :

" That with the yellow crown named from the queen
Who built the Mausoleum."

SPEEDWELL, 345

SPEEDWELL.

VERONICA.

RHINANTHACEjE. DIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French) veronique. — Italian, veronica.

MOST of the Veronicas are natives of cold countries,
and consequently hardy : they may be increased by part-
ing the roots in autumn ; which, in pots, should be done
every year. The annual kinds may be sown in autumn.

The Cross-leaved species requires shelter from frost;
it is increased by cuttings made in any of the summer
months. These plants prefer the shade, and must be
kept moist.

The flowers are flesh-coloured, blue, or white. The
Blue Rock Speedwell is a beautiful little plant, and is a
native of Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Norway, and
Scotland. It is by some familiarly called Forget-me-not ;
a name given also to the Ground Pine, a species of Ger-
mander : but the true Forget-me-not is the water mouse-
ear, the myosotis palustris of the botanists.

The Germander Speedwell is a native of Europe and
Japan. " Few of our wild flowers," says Mr. Martyn,
" can vie in elegance and brilliancy with this ; and many
plants with far less beauty are cultivated in our gardens.
In May and June every hedge-bottom and grassy bank is
adorned with it. At night, or under the influence of
moisture, the corolla closes, but in dry bright weather
appears fully expanded ; and though each flower is short
lived, there is a copious succession."

Dr. Withering says the leaves are an excellent substi-
tute for tea. The Common-Speedwell has been much
recommended for this purpose, especially in Germany and
Sweden ; and the French still call it the The de T Europe.

346 l-XOJU DOMESTICA.

SPIH.EA.

ROSACES. ICOSANDRIA PENTAGYNIA.

The name Spiraea signifies a rope, these shrubs being flexible like
ropes, and also because many parts of the stem, and the fruits of
some of the species, are twisted. It is also called Bridewort.

THIS is a beautiful genus ; most of the species are
handsome flowering shrubs : the Willow-leaved, commonly
called Spiraea Frutex, grows to a height of from three to
six feet, according to the soil ; the blossoms are handsome,
and of a rose-red ; blowing in June and July. In moist
seasons, the young shoots from the root will frequently
flower in autumn. It is a native of Siberia.

The Scarlet Spiraea is a native of Pensylvania; the
blossoms are of a beautiful red-colour, blowing in August
and September.

It is not determined whether the Hypericum-leaved
Spiraea be a native of Italy, or of North America ; it is
called Hypericum Frutex, and Italian May. In Italy,
there are hedges of it, bearing a profusion of blossoms.
It flowers in May and June. Its height is five or six feet.

The Germander-leaved kind also makes beautiful hedges.
The Kamschadales use the leaves of this as tea, and
make tobacco-pipes of the straight shoots : it flowers in
June.

The Three-lobed-leaved kind is a Siberian, it grows
about two feet high, bears white flowers, and is a very
elegant plant.

The Currant-leaved Spiraea, familiarly called the Vir-
ginian Guelder Rose, grows nine or ten feet high : the
blossoms are white, spotted with pale-red.

The Spiraea Filipendula, or Dropwort, is an herbaceous
plant ; so called from the manner in which its tuberous
roots hang together by threads. The flowers are cream-
coloured, often tipt with red, opening in July. It grows

SPIRAEA. 347

about a foot and a half high, and sometimes produces
double flowers.

The Spirasa Ulmaria, Meadow Sweet, or Queen of the
Meadows — called in French, la reine des prcs ; Tormi'tre,
vignette [little vine] ; petite barbe de chevre [little goats
beard] : and in Italian, ulmaria ; regina del prati — is like-
wise an herbaceous plant; it abounds in moist meadows,
perfuming the air with the Hawthorn-like scent of its
abundant white blossoms, throughout June, July, and
August. It grows three or four feet high. There is a
variety with double flowers.

The most elegant kind is the Three-leaved Spiraea, but
that is very difficult to preserve : it should be in a bog, or
peat earth, and in a shady situation.

Of the shrubby Spiraeas, the dead wood and the ir-
regular branches should be pruned off every year : the
suckers should likewise be removed, or they will starve the
old plant. They should be new-potted, and have fresh
earth given them every spring.

Of the herbaceous sorts the roots may be parted in
autumn. They must all be kept moderately moist. Being
generally natives of cold countries, they do not fear the
cold.

Clare mentions the Meadow Sweet, in speaking of the
effect of the noon-day sun upon flowers in the open coun-
try:

" Oh ! to see how flowers are took,
How it grieves me when I look :
Ragged-robins,, once so pink,
Now are turned as black as ink,
And the leaves, being scorched so much,
Even crumble at the touch ;
Drowking lies the meadow-sweet,
Flopping down beneath one's feet :
While to all the flowers that blow,
If in open air they grow,

348 FLORA DOMESTICA.

Th' injurious deed alike is done
By the hot relentless sun.
E'en the dew is parched up
From the teasel's jointed cup."

STAR OF BETHLEHEM.

ORNITHOGALUM.

ASPHODELEJE. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The botanical name of this genus is from two Greek words, which
signify bird and milk ; which Mr. Martyn supposes to be intended to
express the whiteness of the flowers or roots of some of the species, like
the feathers or beaks of some birds. But this is surely a long way to
fetch a name, or its explanation.— French, Y ornithogale ; churles. —
— Italian, ornitogalo ; latte d' uccello.

THE Snowy Star of Bethlehem, the Spear-leaved, the
Long-spiked, the Cape, the Grass-leaved, and the Golden,
are all from the Cape, and too tender to thrive in the open
air. In the beginning of July, when the leaves and stalks
decay, the roots may be taken up, and laid in a dry place
till the end of August, when they must be planted again.
They may be increased by offsets,

The Pyrenean, Close-spiked, Broad-leaved and Pyra-
midal kinds, are hardy bulbs : they may be increased by
offsets, which they produce in great plenty. They should
be transplanted in July or August, but not oftener than
every second year. They should have a light sandy soil.

All the kinds must be kept moderately moist.

STAR LILY.

AMARYLLIS.

AMARYLLIDE^E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, amarillis. — Italian, giglio narciso [narcissus lily].
THE name of Amaryllis is supposed to be derived from

STAR LILY"* 349

a Greek word signifying splendour ; " and is given," says
Mr. Martyn, " with great propriety, to this splendid genus."

The Yellow Amaryllis, or Autumnal Narcissus, is a
native of the South of France, Spain, Italy, and Thrace.
The flowers seldom rise above four inches high; and
somewhat resemble the Yellow Crocus. Like that, too,
its leaves grow all the winter, after the flowers are past*
It flowers in September, is very hardy, and increases fast
by offsets. They may be transplanted any time from
May to the end of July, but not later.

This plant prefers a light dry soil, and an open situation.
It must not be under the dripping of trees. In mild sea-
sons, there will often be, from the same root, a succession
of flowers from September to the middle of November. It
should be kept moderately moist.

The Atamasco Lily is a native of Virginia and Carolina,
where it grows plentifully in the fields and woods, and
makes a beautiful show. At their first appearance the
flowers are of a fine carnation colour outside, but they
fade almost to white: they blow from May to July or
August.

It may be increased by offsets : the bulbs should be re-
moved every second year, and, if they begin to shoot while
out of the earth, should be planted immediately. It
should be kept moderately moist.

The Jacoboea Lily — in French, le lys de St. Jaques [St.
James's lily] ; la croix de St. Jaques [St. James's cross] ;
la belle amarillis : and in Italian, giglio narciso giacobeo —
produces its flowers two or three times in the year, not at
any regular season. It furnishes plenty of offsets, which
should be taken off every year : the best time is in August,
that they may take good root before winter. In removing
the roots, great care should be taken not to break off their
fibres. This flower may stand abroad in the summer, but

350 FLORA DOMESTICA.

in the winter should be lodged in an inhabited room. It
must be kept moist.

This Lily is a native of South America: the flowers are
large, of a deep red, and bend gracefully on one side of
the stalk. Parkinson calls it the Indian Daffodil.

The Belladonna Lily — 'called by the French, Us de
Mexique [Mexico lily]; la belle dame: and by the Italians,
narciso bella donna [fine lady narcissus] — is a native of the
West Indies, and grows on shady hills, and by the mar-
gins of streams. It is of a pale purple colour, inclining to
white towards the centre. It was first brought to England
from Portugal, and is very common in the Italian gardens,
particularly in the neighbourhood of Florence, where it is
sold in the markets under the name of Narcissus-bella-
donna. This Lily is very fragrant. It flowers about the
end of September or the beginning of October, and, if
the weather be favourable, will continue in bloom a month,
or more.

In June the leaves decay, and the root should be trans-
planted soon after ; for, if it remains till July, it will send
forth new fibres ; and removal then would injure it. It
should remain in the house in the winter, and be kept
moderately moist.

The Superb, or Riband Amaryllis, is supposed to be a
native of the Cape : the flowers are very beautiful ; a white
ground, striped with red. Unless hastened by artificial
heat, they open in April or May. As this bulb rarely
produces offsets, it should be procured in the pot, and
treated as the last.

The Long-leaved Lily, or Amaryllis, is a native of the
Cape of Good Hope. The flower-stem is seldom more
than four inches high, but bears a profusion of purple
flowers, opening in December. It may be treated as the
Jacoboaa Lily.

STAR LILY. 351

: The Guernsey Lily — called in France, le Us de Japon —
which has been removed by some botanists from the genus
Amaryllis, and called Nerine, is extremely handsome : it
is a native of Japan, but has long been naturalized at
Guernsey, from which place it is named. There are from
eight to twelve flowers on one plant ; the circumference
of each flower about seven inches. When in full beauty,
it has the appearance of a fine gold tissue wrought on a
rose-coloured ground; and when it begins to fade, it
is pink. If beheld in full sunshine, it seems studded
with diamonds ; but by candle-light, looks rather as if it
were spangled with fine gold-dust. When the flower be-
gins to wither, the petals assume a deep crimson colour.
The flowers begin to appear towards the end of August,
and the head is usually three weeks gradually expanding.
This plant is said to have been taken to Guernsey by a
vessel wrecked there on its return from Japan. There,
and at Jersey, it thrives as well as in its native country ;
and, from both those islands, the roots are annually dis-
persed over Europe.

These roots, or rather bulbs, are generally brought over
in June or July : they should then be planted in pots of
light earth, and refreshed with water two or three times a
week, but very gently. Too much wet, especially before
they come up, wouM rot the bulbs.

About the midcS of September, such of the bulbs as
are strong enough to flower will begin to show the bud of
the flower-stem, which is commonly of a red colour : they
should then be placed where they may have the benefit of
the sun, and be defended from strong winds ; but by no
means must they be placed close to a wall, or under glasses,
which would draw them up weak, and render them less
beautiful. If the weather be dry, they should still be re-

352 FLOKA DOMESTICA.

freshed with water every second, or if very hot, every day;
but if there be much rain, they must be sheltered from it.

When the flowers begin to open, they should be placed
under cover to preserve them from rain; but must be
allowed plenty of fresh air, or the colours will lose their
brilliancy, and soon decay. If rightly managed, they will
continue in beauty a full month ; and, though they afford
no perfume, their beauty alone entitles them to a first rank
among the children of Flora.

After the flowers have decayed, the leaves will continue
growing all the winter ; they must be defended from frost,
but should have as much free air as possible in mild
weather : when it is both mild and dry, they may stand
abroad in the middle of the day. The roots should not be
removed oftener than every fourth year, towards the end
of June, or early in July ; they should then be replanted
in fresh earth, and the offsets planted in separate pots,
These young plants will produce flowers the third year.

The bulbs of this Lily do not flower every succeeding
year, as most bulbs do ; but if they contain two buds in
the centre, as is often the case, they will flower twice in
three years ; after which the same root will not flower
again for several years, but only the offsets from it.

STOCK.

MATTHIOLA.

CRUCIFER^. TETBADYNAMIA SILIQUOSA.

Stock-gilliflower,— French, giroflce ; violier.— Italian, viola ; leucoio.

THE Virginia Stock is improperly so called : its native
place is on the coast of the Mediterranean, and it is called

STOCK. 353

in French, giroflee de Mahon : it is an annual plant, too
well known to need description. The seeds of this may
be sown at two or three several times, to ohtain a longer
succession of flowers ; in autumn, and in March, April, or
May. It does not rise above six inches high ; but, as it
branches, three or four seeds will be enough for a middle-
sized pot.

The kind commonly called the Queen's Stock-gilliflower
— in French, giroflee desjardins [Garden Stock] — varies in
colour from a pale to a deep red, and is sometimes va-
riegated ; but the bright red is most esteemed. As this
branches very much, one seed only must be sown in a pot :
this should be done in May ; water should be given every
evening ; and, during the heat of the day, the pots should
be shaded, to prevent the earth from drying too fast. They
must be protected from frost during the winter, either
by removing them into the house, or covering them with
oak-leaves. The poorer the soil in which they are planted
the better they will bear the cold. The following May
they will flower, which they often continue to do all the
summer, and probably many of the flowers will come out
double. In autumn, after they have blown, they usually
perish ; but when they are in a very poor soil, or are grow-
ing among rubbish, they will often last two or three years.

The Brompton — in French, giroflee a tige — and the
White Stock, are varieties of this kind; the latter will
sometimes live three or four years. This species is a na-
tive of the coast of Spain, Greece, Italy, Candia, and the
isles adjacent.

The Stock-gilliflower has been long established in the
English gardens, and is indeed a native of the cliffs by the
sea-side. The old English name of Gilliflower, which
is now almost lost in the prefix, Stock, is corrupted from
the French girqflier. Chaucer writes it Gylofre ; but, by

A A

354 FLORA DOMESTICA.

associating it with the nutmeg and other spices, appears
to mean the Clove-tree, which is, in fact, the proper sig-
nification of that word.

Turner calls it Gelover and Gelyfloure ; Gerarde and
Parkinson, Gilloflower. Thus, having wandered from its
original orthography, it was corrupted into July-flower.
Pinks and Carnations have also the title of Gilliflower
from smelling like the clove, for which the French name is
girofle. For distinction, therefore, they were called Clove-
gilliflowers, and these Stock-gilliflowers. Gerarde adds
the names Castle-gilliflower, and Guernsey-violet.

The Annual, or Ten-weeks' Stock — French, le quaran-
tain ; le violet d'ctt [summer violet] : Italian, leucoio estlvo
[summer stock] — grows about two feet high: there are
many varieties, white, red, purple, and striped ; and double
and single varieties of each of these colours. It grows na-
turally on the coast in the South of Europe. By means of
a hot-bed they may be raised earlier, but without that help
the best season for sowing them is in March and April,
and indeed in May also : if they are taken in when the
weather becomes severe, they will continue to flower; those
planted in May will last to the very end of winter, in the
house. A middle-sized pot will contain three or four.

The Broad-leaved Shrubby-stock is a native of the
island of Madeira ; it blossoms from March to May : when
the flowers first open, they are white, sometimes inclining
to yellow ; in a few days they become purple ; hence this
species has been termed mutabilis, or changeable. This
is of quick growth, and may be increased by cuttings,
taken as soon as the plant has done flowering: they
should be housed in the winter.

Some persons increase the Queen's-stock in the same
manner, planting the cuttings in March or April in pots
three or four inches wide ; in the middle of May they re-

STRAMONIUM. 355

move them into pots of five or six inches diameter, and in
July or August into full- sized ones, that is, eight or ten
inches; but though these cuttings will generally root,
they do not make such handsome plants as those raised
from seed : it is not, therefore, worth while to practise this
method unless to preserve some fine double flowers. These
flowers love the sun ; but care must be taken to supply in
the evening the moisture which has been exhausted during
the day. It will be observed, too, as an invariable rule,
always to place a plant in the shade when newly potted,
and to let it remain there till rooted.

There are other species of Stock, but these are the most
desirable. There is a Cheiranthus, called the C. Qua-
drangulus, a native of Siberia, which was introduced into
the Paris garden by Jean Jacques Rousseau. The flowers
are sulphur-coloured and sweet. It is propagated by seeds,
and thrives in the open air, but does not last many years.

STRAMONIUM.

DATURA.

SOLANEJB. PENTANDRIA MONOOYNIA.

Called also Thorn-apple. — French, stramonie ; la pomme epineuse ;
herbe aux sorciers ; herbe des magiciens [both signifying conjurors'-
wort]; endormie [sleeper]; herbe du diable [devil's- wort] ; pomme
du diable [devil's-apple] ; herbe a la taupe [mole-wort]; noix metelle
[metel-mit] which last properly belongs to the datura metel.— Italian,
datura ; porno spinoso [thorny-apple] ; stramonio ; noce metella.

SOME few of the Stramoniums require the protection of
a stove : the other kinds are usually raised in a hot-bed.
The Purple Stramonium is the handsomest : the flowers
are purple on the outside, and of a satiny white within ;

A A 2

356 FLORA DOMESTIC A.

and blow in July. The double-flowered varieties are the
most esteemed.

STRAWBERRY-BLITE.

BLITUM.

ATRIPLICEJB. MONANDRIA DIGYNIA.

Blitum is derived from the Greek, and signifies, jfa only to be thrown
away : it is also called Strawberry Spinach, and Berry-bearing Orach.
French) ble'te ; arroche.

THE name of these plants may not appear very inviting ;
but it is to be understood with some limitations : they bear
fruit resembling the Strawberry in appearance, and all the
name is intended to^ imply is, that the fruit is unfit to eat.
Having thus explained matters, I will proceed to intro-
duce the plants themselves, which, perhaps, may make a
more favourable impression than if more expectation had
been excited.

There are three or four species of the Strawberry-blite,
all annuals, and easily raised from seed. They may be
sown in March or April, three or four seeds in a pot of
eight or nine inches diameter, of the Swedish kind ; but
only one, of the others. In five or six weeks the plants will
come up, 'and in July will begin to show their berries.
They should always be kept moderately moist, and must
stand in the open air. As the flower-stems advance in
height, they will require sticks to support them, or the
weight of the berries will bear them down.

The Blitum Capitatum, or Berry-headed Strawberry-
blite, bears the largest berries.

SUN-FLOWER. 357

SUN-FLOWER.

HELIANTHUS.

CISTE.E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA FRUSTANEA.'

French, 1'helianthe; fleur du soleil; soleil [the sun]; tournesol
[sun-turner] ; couronne du soleil [crown of the sun] ; herhe du soleil
[sun- wort]. — Italian, girasole ; fior del sol; corona del sole; girasole
Indiano [Indian sun-turner] ; girasole Peruano.

THE Sun-flower can scarcely be introduced here with
propriety, being in general so large, even the annual kinds,
as to be ill-adapted for pots. The Annual Sun-flower
rises to the height of twelve or fourteen feet, and the
flower sometimes exceeds a foot in diameter. It is not
called Sun-flower, as some have supposed from turning to
the sun, but from the resemblance of the full-blown flower
to the sun itself: Gerarde remarks, that he has seen four
of these flowers on the same stem, pointing to the four
cardinal points. This flower is a native of Mexico and
Peru, and looks as if it grew from their own gold. It
flowers from June to October.

The Dwarf Annual kind, which grows from eighteen
inches to three feet in height, is a little more within com-
pass.

The Perennial Sun-flower is much esteemed for bou-
quets ; the flowers are about eight or ten inches in dia-
meter : there is a constant succession from July to Novem-
ber. It is a native of Virginia.

The Dark-red Sun-flower, and the Narrow-leaved, are of
a more moderate height ; the first, two or three feet, the
latter, a foot and a half. Both are natives of Virginia,
flowering in September and October.

The Sun-flowers are hardy plants ; the perennial kinds
are increased by parting the roots into small heads : this

358 FLORA DOMESTICA.

should be done in the middle of October, soon after the
flowers are past, or very early in the spring, that they may
be well rooted before the droughts come on. They will
require watering in dry weather, particularly when in pots.

Several of the Sun-flowers are natives of Canada, where
they are much admired and cultivated by the inhabitants,
in gardens, for their beauty : in the United States they
sow whole acres of land with them, for the purpose of
preparing oil from their seeds, of which they produce
an immense number. This oil is very pure, fit for salads,
and for all the purposes of Florence oil*.

Thomson supports the popular notion that this flower
turns ever towards the sun :

" Who can unpitying see the flowery race,
Shed by the morn, their new-flushed bloom resign,
Before the parching beam ? So fade the fair,
When fevers revel through their azure veins.
But one, the lofty follower of the sun,
Sad when he sets, shuts up her yellow leaves,
Drooping all night, and, when he warm returns,
Points her enamoured bosom to his ray."

Mr. T. Moore has taken advantage of the same idea, in
the words of one of his Irish Melodies :

" As the sun-flower turns to her god when he sets
The same look which she turned when he rose."

Clare gives a natural picture of the Sun-flower in the
following description of the floral ornaments of a rustic
cottage :

" Where rustic taste at leisure trimly weaves
The rose and straggling woodbine to the eaves, —
And on the crowded spot that pales enclose
The white and scarlet daisy rears in rows, —
Training the trailing peas in bunches neat,
Perfuming evening with a luscious sweet, —

* See Lambert's Travels in Canada, &c.

SUN-FLOWER. 359

And sun-flowers planting for their gilded show,
That scale the window's lattice ere they blow,
Then, sweet to habitants within the sheds,
Peep through the diamond panes their golden heads."

VILLAGE MINSTREL, &c. vol. ii. page 80.

The size and splendour of this flower make it very con-
spicuous, and some have accused it of being gaudy, al-
though constant in the one golden colour of its attire :
gaudiness, however, is a quality which may be pardoned
in a flower,

" Where tulip, lily, or the purple bell
Of Persian wind-flower ; or farther seen
The gaudy orient sun-flower from the crowd
Uplifts its golden circle."

MATURIN'S UNIVERSE, page 55.

The Sun-flower was formerly called Marygold also, as
the Marygold was termed Sun-flower. Gerarde styles it
the Sun-marygold.

There is another genus producing the same kind of
flowers, only smaller, usually called the Willow-leaved Sun-
flower. Their botanical name is Helenium, supposing
them to have sprung from the tears of Helen, the wife of
Menelaus : it has not been clearly ascertained upon what
occasion. Drummond speaks of this flower in his lines on
the death of Prince Henry :

" Queen of the fields, whose blush makes blush the morn,
Sweet rose, a prince's death in purple mourn ;
O hyacinth, for ay your Ai keep still,
Nay with more marks of woe your leaves now fill :
And you, O flower ! of Helen's tears that 's born,
Into those liquid pearls again now turn."

360 FLORA DOMESTICA.

SWEET-PEA.

LATHYRUS.

LEGUMINOS^. DIADELPHIA DECANDRIA.

French, pois odorans; pois de senteur [both signifying scented
pea] ; pois de fleur [flower pea.]

THE Sweet-pea has several varieties, greatly differing
in colour : the common sort, which is blue and dark-purple,
sometimes with a tinge of red, is a native of Sicily. The
more delicate kind, white and blush, or white and deep
rose-colour, sometimes with a mixture of pale blue, is a
native of the Island of Ceylon, and is called the Painted-
lady.

The Tangier-pea is a native of Barbary, its colours
purple and red : it is an annual plant, which grows to the
height of four or five feet ; blossoms in June or July, and
dies in autumn.

Although the Sweet-pea is now so common in this
country that we seldom see a garden, however small, that
cannot boast of possessing it ; it is not more than a hun-
dred years since it was numbered among our rare and
curious plants, and in the time of Parkinson and Evelyn
it was not known in our gardens.

This Pea blows in June, and continues in blossom till
killed by the frost. It may be sown about half an inch
deep, and it may be well to scatter the seeds pretty thickly ;
if they all grow, the weaker ones may be removed,
and the stronger left. They may be sown in October,
and kept in-doors till spring ; or may be sown and
placed abroad at once in March or April. In cold weather,
the earth should be just kept moist; in hot dry summer
weather, it must be watered every evening, and if neces-
sary in the morning also. When the plants are about
three inches high, sticks should be placed to .support
them, three or four feet in length. This plant should not

SWEET-PEA. 361

be kept within doors in warm weather, or it will grow very
tall and weakly, and produce few flowers.

There is a variety of this Pea entirely white ; but the
most beautiful is the red and white. But that I fear to
confess so great a heresy, I would say this flower need
not yield even to the rose. Nothing can exceed the
elegance of its form ; nor can there be a more delicate con-
trast of colour. They are justly termed Papilionaceous,
for they do indeed look like butterflies turned to flowers.
It is sometimes difficult to believe that the little white
butterflies which reel about in the sunshine are not white
violets or peas which have broken their bonds. It is
equally difficult to believe that these flowers want any
thing but will to fly : and we almost expect to see them
start from their stalks as we look at them.

Both these fancies are authorised by the poets.

" In their own bright Kathaian bowers
Sparkle such rainbow butterflies,
That they might fancy the rich flowers,
That round them in the sun lay sighing,
Had been by magic all set flying.

LALLA ROOKH.

These butterflies, Mr. Moore tells us, are called, in the
Chinese language, Flying-leaves. " Some of them,1' con-
tinues he, " have such shining colours, and are so varie-
gated, that they may be called Flying-flowers ; and indeed
they are always produced in the finest flower-gardens."

" Here are sweet-peas on tip-toe for a flight,
With wings of gentle flush, o'er delicate white,
And taper fingers catching at all things
To bind them all about with tiny rings."

KEATS.

In his Calendar of Nature Mr. Hunt speaks of Sweet-
peas, as looking like butterflies turned to flowers.

In short, it seems scarcely possible not to feel this.
They seem only lingering to sip their own honey.

362 FLORA DOMESTICA.

S Y K I N G A.

PHILADELPHIA.

MYRTEffi. ICOSANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

From Ptolemy Philadelphia, King of Egypt. It is also called

mock-orange, and pipe-tree. French, le seringat ; in Languedoc,

siringea : — Italian, siringa.

THE Syringa is a most delicious shrub : the foliage is
luxuriant, the blossoms beautiful, and abundant, white as
the purest lily, and of the most fragrant scent ; in a room,
indeed, this perfume is too powerful, but in the air, it is
remarkably agreeable. There is a variety which has no
scent ; and also a dwarf variety, which does not usually
exceed three feet in height : the flowers are sweet, and
double ; but it flowers rarely, and is on that account less
esteemed than otherwise it would be.

There is a species called the Myrtle-leaved Syringa, a
native of New Zealand ; the fresh flowering shoots of
which were used as tea by Captain Cook's sailors, who
found the infusion sweetly aromatic at first; in a short
time, however, it became very bitter. It was considered
serviceable in the sea-scurvy.

The Sweet Syringa, specifically so called, is also a native
of New Zealand. It flowers in July and August ; the
Myrtle-leaved kind in June and July; and the Mock-
orange in May and June.

The Mock-orange is extremely hardy, and will thrive
in almost any soil or situation. It is a native of the South
of Europe : — the dwarf variety, of Carolina.

This species may be increased by cuttings, planted
early in October. They must always be kept tolerably
moist. The other kinds may be increased in the same
way, but must be sheltered in the winter season.

Mason speaks of the Syringa in his English Garden ;

SYRINGA. 363

but it is doubtful whether he alludes to the species called
the Mock-orange :

" The sweet syringa, yielding but in scent
To the rich orange ; or the woodhine wild,
That loves to hang on barren boughs remote
Her wreaths of flowery perfume."

Some readers have supposed Mason's meaning to have
been, yielding in scent but to the rich orange, &c. — and
even then, he can scarcely be thought to do justice to the
Syringa, if he means this species.

The lilac tree is called Syringa by the botanists, but has
no connexion with this Syringa. Cowper mentions both,
and the lines are so much to the purpose here, that although
a part of the passage has been quoted in another part of
the work, we must be allowed to repeat it :

-" Laburnum, rich

In streaming gold; syringa, ivory pure;

The scentless, and the scented rose ; this red,

And of an humbler growth, the other tall,

And throwing up into the darkest gloom

Of neighbouring cypress, or more sable yew,

Her silver globes, light as the foamy surf

That the wind severs from the broken wave ;

The lilac, various in array, now white,

Now sanguine, and her beauteous head now set

With purple spikes pyramidal, as if

Studious of ornament, yet unresolved

Which hue she most approved, she chose them all."

It is very singular that Cowper makes no mention of the
fragrance of the Syringa. Nothing can be more just than
his description as far as it goes ; but its exquisite beauty
deserved more lingering over : had it been less beautiful,
probably, more might have been said of its sweetness.
Few flowers are more worthy of a poet's pen.

364 FLORA DOMESTICA.

TAGETES.

CORYMBIFER^E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

This genus comprises the African and French Marygolds of the
gardeners. — French, oeillet d' Inde [Indian pink] ; rosed' Inde [Indian
rose] ; fleur de Rome [flower of Rome] ; 1'Africaine [the African]. —
Italian, tagete ; garofano Messicano [Mexican pink] ; garofano Africano
[African pink] ; garofano Turchesco; garofano d'India ; fior di morto
[death-flower].

THE African and French Marygolds belong to the genus
Tagetes, so named from Tages, the grandson of Jupiter,
and son of Genius, who first taught the Etruscans the art
of divination.

The colour of the French Marygold varies from a bright
yellow to a deep red orange-colour, and is often variegated
with both. The scent is disagreeable : it flowers from
the beginning of July until the frost checks it.

Of the African Marygold there are several varieties,
also differing in colour. One is sweet-scented, and Par-
kinson observes "that it has the smell of a honeycomb,
and is not of that poisonful scent of the former kinds."

These plants should be raised in a hot-bed ; but are
well worth purchasing for their rich and beautiful colours.
They may be brought into the open air early in May, and
will continue a long time in beauty ; but both are annuals.
They may be treated as the Common Garden Marygold.

TAKCHONANTHUS.

AFRICAN FLEABANE.

CORYMBIFER.E. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA JEQUALIS.

ALL the species of this plant are from the Cape of Good
Hope. The shrubby kind is the handsomest. The flowers
are of a dull purple, and make little show : they begin to

TOBACCO-PLANT. 365

blow in the autumn, and continue to the end of the win-
ter. The leaves, which are on all the year, are downy,
and white underneath : they smell like bruised Rosemary-
leaves.

This plant may be increased by cuttings planted in
May : they should be kept within doors till the end of
June ; and all the plants, young and old, should be in the
house from October till May. They should be shifted into
fresh earth every year, and when requisite into larger pots.

All the species may be treated in the same manner :
they are very thirsty plants, and must be allowed plenty
of water.

TOBACCO-PLANT.

NICOTIANA.

SOLANE^!. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This genus is named from Jean Nicot of Nismes, agent from the
King of France to Portugal, who procured the seeds from a Dutch-
man, and sent them to France. Tobacco, from the island Tobago.
The French have many names for it ; as, le tabac ; nicotiane ; petum,
from its first introducer ; herbe du grand prieur ; herbe a la reine [the
queen's herb] ; Medicee [from the queen's family name] ; buglosse
antarctique ; panacee antarctique [southern all-heal] ; herbe sainte ;
herbe sacree [holy herb] ; herbe propre a tous maux [herb fit for all
diseases] ; jusquiame de Perou [Peruvian henbane] ; herbe de Tour-
nabon; herbe de St. Croix; herbe de rambassadeur.— Italian, ta-
bacco; ternabona.

THE Tobacco-plant is admitted into flower-gardens
chiefly for its symmetrical growth, and luxuriant foliage ;
and some of the kinds are very handsome. The Broad-
leaved Virginian or Sweet-scented Tobacco grows to the
height of three or four feet; the leaves are ten inches
long, and three and a half broad, and the blossoms of a
deep purple.

This plant is usually raised in a hot-bed ; but if sown in

366 FLORA DOMESTICA.

March, and kept within doors for a month or two, it will
grow very well. Early in May it may be gradually inured
to the open air ; and, at the end of the month, may be re-
moved carefully, with the ball of earth attached to it, into
a large pot. It will require frequent watering ; in small
quantities while young, but when grown pretty strong
should have it plentifully as well as often. The flowers
will appear in July, and continue till the frost stops them.

Tobacco is cultivated in the open fields in many parts
of the continent ; and might, doubtless, be grown to ad-
vantage in England, if it were not prohibited by act of
parliament, under a heavy penalty, and the charges of
pulling it up, which may be done by any justice of the
peace. This prohibition, which was made for the en-
couragement of our American colonies, still continues in
force, though the colonies are lost. Small attempts at
planting Tobacco have been made from time to time,
which promised success.

A plantation in the seventeenth century being found to
thrive, Cromwell, probably at the desire of the Americans,
is said to have sent a troop of horse to trample it down *.

The smoking of Tobacco is said to have been first in-
troduced into England by Sir Walter Raleigh. In the
house where he lived, at Islington, are his arms, with a
Tobacco-plant on the top of the shield. Tobacco has
been highly panegyrised by the poets : one now living in-
deed goes great lengths in its praise :

ff For thy sake, tobacco, I
Would do any thing but die,
And but seek to extend my days
Long enough to sing thy praise."

C. LAMB.

Spenser bestows on it the epithet divine: Belphcebe
finds the Squire Timias wounded :

* See Miller's Gardener's Dictionary.

TOBACCO-PLANT. 367

" Into the woods thenceforth in haste she went,
To seek for herbs that mote him remedy ;
For she of herbs had great intendiment,
Taught of the nymph, which from her infancy
Her nursed had in true nobility :
There, whether it divine tobacco were,
Or Panachaea, or Polygony,
She found, and brought it to her patient dear,
Who all this while lay bleeding out his heart-blood near."

Some have been as warm in the censure of Tobacco as
others have been in its praise : Cowper calls it a " per-
nicious weed," and is very severe upon it. Our Scotch
king, James I., is well known to have entertained a great
aversion to the use of this plant, and even proceeded so
far as to write a book against it, under the title of A
Counterblast to Tobacco; in which the royal author in-
formed his subjects that smoking, or to use the language
of the day, taking tobacco, " is a custome loathsome to the
eye, hatefull to the nose, harmefull to the braine, danger-
ous to the lungs ; and in the blacke stinking fume thereof,
nearest resembling the horrible Stigian smoke of the pit
that is bottomlesse." Many temporary ebullitions of spleen
of this monarch against Tobacco are on record : among
others, his declaration that if he were to " invite the devil
to dinner, he should have three dishes ; a pig ; a pole of
ling and mustard ; and a pipe of Tobacco for digesture." It
must be owned, that on its first introduction, our ancestors
carried its use to an enormous excess, smoking even in
the churches, which made Pope Urban VIII., in 1624,
publish a decree of excommunication against those who
used such an unseemly practice; and Innocent XII., in
1690, solemnly excommunicated all those* who should take
snuff or tobacco in St. Peter's church at Rome.

368 FLORA DOMJESTICA.

TUBEROSE.

POLIANTHES.

NARCISSE^l. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Polianthes is from the Greek, and signifies City-flower. — French, la
tubereuse ; jacinthe des Indes [Indian hyacinth]. — Italian, tuberose ;
tubero Indiano [Indian bulb].

THE Tuberose grows naturally in India, whence it was
first brought to Europe. In the warmer parts of the
European continent it thrives as well as in its native soil.
In Italy, Sicily, and Spain, the roots thrive and propagate
without care where they are once planted. The Genoese
cultivate it, and send the roots annually to England, Hol-
land, and Germany, where the climate is less congenial
to it.

This plant has long been cultivated in English gardens
for its extraordinary beauty and fragrance.

There are several varieties; one with double flowers,
" which was obtained from the seed by Monsieur Le Cour,
of Leyden in Holland, who for many years was so tena-
cious of the roots, even after he had propagated them in
such plenty as to have more than he could plant, that he
caused them to be cut in pieces, to have the vanity of
boasting that he was the only person in Europe who pos-
sessed this flower ; but of late years the roots have been
spread into many parts*."

Those roots are the best which are the largest and
plumpest, provided they are sound and firm, and the fewer
offsets they have, the stronger they will flower. The under
part of the roots should be particularly examined, because
it is there that they first decay. Before the roots are

« See Miller.

TUBEROSE. 369

planted, the offsets should be taken off, or they will draw
a great deal of nourishment from the old root. They may
be planted in April and May, but should be kept indoors,
admitting fresh air in mild weather : most persons raise
these flowers in a hot-bed, but the temperature of an in-
habited room will generally bring them forward. They
should be supported by sticks as the flower-stems advance
in height, ami should have little or no water till they
begin to shoot ; when in flower, they require plenty.

Flowers raised in this manner will blow about Septem-
ber and October, adorning and perfuming the apartment
they are placed in, in a very agreeable manner. When
the roots are strong, they will often produce ten or twelve
flowers, and the stem will rise three or four feet high. As
the flowers come out in spikes, opening successively from
the bottom to the top, they will, of course, continue longer
in beauty in proportion to the number they produce. They
may be placed in a balcony in summer weather, if desired;
but the double-flowered variety must remain in the room :
if these are placed at a little distance from a closed window
on which the sun shines (yet the room being properly
ventilated), they will open more fair than when too much
exposed.

The Malayans style the Tuberose the Mistress of the
Night :

" The tuberose, with her silvery light,
That in the gardens of Malay

Is called the Mistress of the night,

So like a bride, scented and bright,
She comes out when the sun 's away."

LALLA ROOKH.

We are to remember here that the poet is speaking of
the lady's habits when in her native country; in our
colder climate she must wait for the sunshine.

When worn in the hair by a Malayan lady, it informs
her lover that his suit is pleasing to her.

B B

370 FLORA DOMESTICA.

TULIP.

TULIPA.

LILIACE-E. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Tulipa, from the resemblance of the flower to the eastern head-
dress, called Tulipan, or Turban. Gerarde calls it Turk's-cap, or
Dalmatian-cap, a name more commonly given to the Martagon-lily. —
French, la tulipe. — Italian, tulipano.

TULIPS are supposed to have been introduced into
England about the year 1580. The kind commonly called
the Garden Tulip has many varieties, which increase in
number every year. In 1629 Parkinson enumerates 140
varieties : " But to tell you of all the sorts," says he,
" which are the pride of delight, they are so many, and
as I may say almost infinite, doth pass my ability, and, as
I believe, the skill of any other. There is such a wonderful
variety and mixture of colours in them, that it is almost im-
possible for the wit of man to decipher them thoroughly,
and to give names that may be true, and several di-
stinctions to every flower. Threescore several sorts of
colours, simple and mixed, I can reckon up that I have,
and of especial note ; and yet I doubt not, but for every
one of them there are ten others differing from them.
But besides this glory of variety in colours that these
flowers have, they carry so stately and delightful a form,
and do abide so long in their bravery, that there is no lady
or gentlewoman of any worth that is not caught with this
delight." One of the earliest blowing varieties is the
Duke Nanthol, which is in great estimation, as is also the
Claremond ; but it would be endless to attempt enumera-
tion : all are esteemed. The best soil to plant Tulip roots in
is a sandy earth, with the turf rotted amongst it : some add

TULIP. 371

a fourth of sea-sand. The roots must be planted three
or four inches deep, according to their size. The early-
blowers should be planted in September, in a pot about
ten or eleven inches deep ; they should remain in-doors
till April or May. If the weather be very scorching when
they are in flower, they must be shaded in the heat of the
day. When the flowers have decayed, and the seed-vessel
begins to swell, it must be broken off; for if they are per-
mitted to seed, the roots will be weakened thereby.

When the leaves of the early-blowers have decayed,
which will be while the late blowers are yet in flower, the
roots must be taken up, cleaned, spread in the shade to
dry, and put away in a dry and secure place till they are
wanted to plant again. The offsets from the roots, until
they are big enough to flower, may be planted several to-
gether ; but should be taken up when the leaves decay,
the same as the old roots. These will flower early in the
spring : the later blowers will flower a month or two later?
in May and June ; and these last may be planted in Octo-
ber or November. The roots should be taken up, and
replanted every year, as directed above. In mild weather
Tulips may stand abroad, and may be allowed to receive a
soft shower, but must be screened from heavy rains ; they
will require little or no water, and, while in flower, must
be sheltered from rains. The Garden Tulip is a native
of the Levant ; Linnaeus says, of Cappadocia. It is very
common in Syria ; and is supposed, by some persons, to
be the lily of the field alluded to by Jesus Christ, In
Persia, where it grows in great abundance, it is con-
sidered as the emblem of perfect lovers. "When a young
man presents one to his mistress," says Chardin, " he gives
her to understand, by the general colour of the flower, that
he is on fire with her beauty ; and by the black base of it,
that his heart is burnt to a coal." Chardin saw it on the

372 FLORA DOMESTICA.

northern confines of Arabia. Conrad Gesner first made
the eastern Tulip known by a description and figure. Bal-
binus asserts that Busbequius brought the first Tulip-roots
to Prague, whence they were spread all over Germany.
Busbequius himself says, in a letter written in 1754, that
this fiower was then new to him. We know that he col-
lected natural curiosities, and brought many from the Le-
vant. He relates that he paid very dear to the Turks for
Tulips ; but he nowhere affirms that he was the first who
brought them from the East. In 1565, there were Tulips
in the garden of Mr. Fugger, from whom Gesner wished
to procure some. The first Tulips planted in England
were sent from Vienna about the end of the sixteenth
century*.

These flowers, of no further utility than to ornament
gardens, and whose duration is short and very precarious,
became, in the middle of the seventeenth century, the ob-
ject of a trade for which there is no parallel, and their
price rose beyond the value of the most precious metals.
Many authors have given an account of this trade, some
of whom have misrepresented it. Menage called it the
Tulipomania, at which people laugh because they believe
that the beauty and rarity of the flowers induced florists
to give such extravagant prices. But this Tulip-trade
was a mere gambling commerce, and the Tulips them-
selves were only nominally its objects : many bargains
being daily made, and the roots neither given nor received.
A long and curious account of this trade is to be found in
the first volume of Beckmann's History of Inventions.

Persons fond of flowers, however, particularly in Hol-
land, have paid very high prices for Tulips, as the cata-
logues of flowers show. In the year 1769 the dearest

&*& • *- ;^n^V««?f«

* See Beckmann's History of Inventions, vol. i.

TULIP. 373

kinds in England were the Don Quevedo and the Valen-
tinier : the former was sold at two guineas ; the latter at
two and a half.

" This," says Beckmann, " may be called the lesser Tuli-
pomania, which has given occasion to some laughable cir-
cumstances. When John Balthasar Schuppe was in Hol-
land, a merchant gave a herring to a sailor who had
brought him some goods. The sailor seeing some valuable
Tulip-roots lying about, which he considered as of little
consequence, thinking them to be onions, took some of
them unperceived, and ate them with his herring. Throu jh
this mistake the sailor's breakfast cost the merchant a
much greater sum than if he had treated the Prince of
Orange."

u Another laughable anecdote is told of an English-
man, who, being in a Dutchman's garden, pulled a couple
of Tulips, on which he wished to make some botanical ob-
servations, and put them into his pocket; but he was
apprehended as a thief, and obliged to pay a considerable
sum before he could obtain his liberty."

In proportion as Tulips blow later in the year, their
stems are longer, and consequently the more they require
support : their bending to the wind, and their resemblance
to the turbans from which they are named, are alluded to
by Mr. Moore in the following lines :

<f What triumph crowds the rich Divan to-day
With turban'd heads, of every hue and race,
Bowing before that veiled and awful face,
Like tulip-beds, of different shape and dyes,
Bending beneath th' invisible west wind's sighs !"

LALLA ROOKH.

A Turkish poet, in an ode translated by Sir W. Jones,
compares " Roses and Tulips to the cheeks of beautiful
maids, in whose ears the pearls hang like drops of dew."

874 FLORA DOMESTICA.

" Then comes the tulip-race, where beauty plays
^Her idle freaks : from family diffused
To family, as flies the father dust,
The varied colours run ; and while they break
On the charmed eye, th' exulting florist marks
With secret pride the wonders of his hand."

THOMSON.

VALERIAN.

VALERIANA.

VALERIANE^E. TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

The derivation of this name is uncertain. — French, la valeriane. —
Italian, valeriana.

THE Valerians vary in size from three or four feet to as
many inches ; their flowers are commonly red or white,
but there are a few species with blue, and with yellow
flowers.

The seeds may be sown of the annual kinds, and the
roots parted of the perennial, in spring or autumn. Some
of them, as the Red and the Alpine Valerians, thrive best
on rocks, old walls, or buildings ; the seed being scattered
in the joints and chinks.

The Pyrenean species likes shade and a moist soil : the
Garden Valerian likes moisture too, and plenty of room, as
it spreads fast.

All the kinds must be kept moderately moist. Some
give the Alpine kinds a poor stony soil covered with moss,
in imitation of their natural place of growth, on mossy
rocks, where the snow lies six or seven months in the year.

VERVAIN. 375

VERVAIN.

VERBENA.

VERBENACE-iE. DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMA.

The derivation of Verbena is uncertain : it originally signified any
herb used to decorate altars. The present plant is also named JunoV
tears, Columbine, and Pigeon's-grass. — French, verveine.— Italian,
verbena.

THE Verbenas are generally natives of warm countries,
and require much care and tenderness ; most of them
may be preserved, however, without a stove, when once
raised. The Cut-leaved Rose Vervain is an annual or
biennial plant, in some estimation for its brilliant colours.
It flowers in June and July.

The most popular kind is the Three-leaved, of which
the scent seems to partake of the Lemon and the Almond.
The leaves are delicate and elegant; the flowers pale
purple. This delightful little shrub is a native of South
America : it may stand abroad in the summer, but should
be housed again about Michaelmas. It may be increased
by cuttings planted in any of the summer months.

The Common Vervain — in French, vervene verveine;
Jierbe sacree [sacred herb] : in Italian, verbena ; erba colom-
bina [dove-wort] — is a native of Europe, Barbary, China,
Cochinchina, and Japan. With us it grows byroad-sides, and
in dry sunny pastures. Mr. Miller remarks, " that although
Vervain is very common, yet it is never found above a
quarter of a mile from a house," whence it has been named
by some, Simpler's-joy. The fact, however, is not allowed;
and Dr. Withering found it in plenty at the foot of St.
Vincent's rocks. It begins to flower in July, and continues
to the end of autumn.

Vervain was held sacred among the ancients, and was
employed in sacrifices, incantations, Sec. : it is one of the
plants termed by the Greeks Sacred Herb. It was sus-

376 FLORA DOMESTICA.

pended round the neck as an amulet, thought good against
venomous bites, and recommended as a sovereign medicine
for various diseases. In Britain it has fallen into disuse,
in spite of a pamphlet written expressly to recommend it,
directing the root to be tied with a yard of white satin
riband round the neck, and to remain there till the patient
recovered.

Draytonj, in the Muse's Elysium, calls it the " Holy
Vervain;' and in the same poem speaks of it as worn by
heralds :

" A wreath of vervain heralds wear,

Amongst our garlands named,
Being sent that dreadful news to bear,
Offensive war proclaimed."

" Black melancholy rusts, that fed despair

Through wounds long rage, with sprinkled vervain cleared ;
Strewed leaves of willow to refresh the air,
And with rich fumes his sullen senses cheered."

DAVENANT'S GONDIBERT.

VIOLET.

VIOLA.

VIOLE^E. PENTAXDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, violette. — Italian, viola.

THE species of Violets are very numerous ; the Tri-
coloured or Pansy-violet has been noticed under its more
familiar name of Heart's-ease. At the head of the other
Violets ranks the Viola Odorata, or Sweet-violet — in
French, violette de Mars [March violet] ; violier commun :
and in Italian, viola Marzia ; viola mammola — which is a
native of every part of Europe, in woods, bushes, and
hedges, flowering in March and April. In 1804, Mr.

I

VIOLET. 377

-"Si'i^i

^1

Martyn gathered a handful of them from one root at the
end of November. The flower varies in colour, though
most commonly a deep purple : it is sometimes of a paler
purple, sometimes a red-purple, flesh-coloured, or quite
white ; but it is always delightfully fragrant.

A syrup is prepared from this Violet, used in chemistry
to detect an acid or an alkali, the former changing the
blue colour to a red, and the latter to a green. For this
purpose, the flowers are cultivated in large quantities at
Stratford upon Avon. This Violet is very common in
Japan, where it flowers from January to April. There are
both double and single-flowered varieties : the white are
generally the largest flowers ; some maintain them to be
the most fragrant : they blow later than the purple.

The Violet is scarcely less a favourite with the poets
than the Rose itself; but whether lovers will acquiesce in
the assertion made by Mr. Barry Cornwall, they must
decide.

" There was a mark on Lais' swan-like breast,

(A purple flower with its leaf of green,)
Like that the Italian saw when on the rest

He stole of the unconscious Imogene,
And bore away the dark fallacious test

Of what was not, although it might have been,
And much perplexed Leonatus Posthumus :

In truth, it might have puzzled one of us.

" The king told Gyges of the purple flower ;

(It chanced to be the flower the boy liked most ;)
It has a scent as though love, for its dower,

Had on it all his odorous arrows tost ;
For though the rose has more perfuming power,

The violet, (haply 'cause 'tis almost lost,
And takes us so much trouble to discover)

Stands first with most, but always with a lover."

" such odours as the rose

Wastes on the summer air, or such as rise

378 FLORA DOMESTICA.

From beds of hyacinths, or from jasmine flowers,
Or when the blue-eyed violet weeps upon
Some sloping bank remote, while the young sun
(Creeping within her sheltering bower of leaves)
Dries up her tears."

BARRY CORNWALL.

The Violet seems a favourite with this author : he in-
troduces it continually. In his last poem, the Flood of
Thessaly, he mentions it several times :

" And violets, whose looks are like the skies."

" Jasmine and musk, daisies and hyacinth,
And violets, a blue profusion, sprang
Haunting the air."

The Violet is continually applauded for its modesty and
timidity :

" steals timidly away,

Shrinking as violets do in summer's ray."

LALLA ROOKH.

Mr. Keats delights in describing a little woodland nook,
and Violets constantly breathe their sweet perfume in it.
— (See HAWTHORN.)

where to pry aloof,

Atween the pillars of the sylvan roof,

Would be to find where violet beds were nestling,

And where the bee with cowslip-bells was wrestling."

Gay villagers, upon a morn of May,
When they have tired their gentle limbs with play,
And formed a snowy circle on the grass,
And placed in midst of all that lovely lass
Who chosen is their queen ; — with her fine head
Crowned with flowers, purple, white, and red ;
For there the lily and the musk-rose sighing,
Are emblems true of hapless lovers dying :
Between her breasts, that never yet felt trouble,
A bunch of violets, full-blown, and double,
Serenely sleep."

VIOLET. 379

Ebn Abrumi, an Arabian poet, compares blue eyes
weeping, to Violets bathed in dew *.

How beautiful is the following passage in the Winter's
Tale!

-' ' violets, dim,

But sweeter than the lids of Juno's eyes,
Or Cytherea's breath."

In Cymbeline, Belisarius, speaking of the two young
princes, says,

" They are as gentle

As zephyrs, blowing below the violet,
Not wagging his sweet head :"

In Twelfth Night again, the poet has some exquisite
lines upon this flower, where the duke, listening to plain-
tive music, desires

" That strain again ; it had a dying fall :
O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet south,
That breathes upon a bank of violets,
Stealing, and giving odour."

We are told, in the notes to Mr. Steevens' Edition of
Shakspeare, that the Violet is an emblem of faithfulness :
to corroborate which, he gives some lines from a sonnet,
published in a collection printed in the year 1584 :

" Violet is for faithfulnesse

Which in me shall abide ;
Hoping likewise that from your heart
You will not let it slide."

Burns speaks of the hyacinth as an emblem of fidelity :
its virtue lies, it seems, in the colour, and may be extended
to all flowers of true blue. The insertion of the song will
be readily forgiven me.

" O luve will venture in, where it daur na weel be seen,
O luve will venture in, where wisdom ance has been ;
But I will down yon river rove, amang the wood sae green,
.And a' to pu' a posie to my ain dear May.

* Sec Carlisle's Specimens of Arabian Poetry, 75.

380 FLORA DOMES^ICA.

fc .-,- ^

" The primrose I will pu', the firstling of the year,
And I will pu' the pink, the emblem of my dear ;
For she's the pink o' womankind, and blooms without a peer;
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May.

" I'll pu' the budding rose, when Phoebus peeps in view,
For it 's like a balmy kiss o' her sweet bonnie mou ;
The hyacinth 's for constancy, wi' its unchanging blue ;
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May.

" The lily it is pure, and the lily it is fair,
And in her lovely bosom, I '11 place the lily there ;
The daisy 's for simplicity and unaffected air ;
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May.

" The hawthorn I will pu' wi' its locks o' siller gray,
Where, like an aged man, it stands at break o' day ;
But the songster's nest within the bush I winna take away ;
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May.

" The woodbine I will pu', when the ev'ning star is near,
And the diamond drops o' dew shall be her een sae clear;
The violet 's for modesty, which weel she fa's to wear,
And a' to be a posie to my ain dear May.

" I '11 tie the posie round wi' the silken band o' luve,
And I '11 place it in her breast, and I '11 swear by all abuve,
That to my latest draught of life, the band shall ne'er remove;
And this shall be a posie to my ain dear May."

Another of our rustic poets, Clare, has a poem ad-
dressed to the Violet, in the second volume of his Village
Minstrel, &c.; in the first volume, in a poem entitled

Holy well, he speaks of it as one of the first signs of Spring :

%

" And just to say the Spring was come
The violet left her woodland home,
And, hermit-like, from storms and wind
Sought the best shelter it could find,
'Neath long grass banks."

Mr. Moore, in his notes to Lalla Rookh, quotes some
passages to inform us that the Sweet Violet is one of the
plants most esteemed in the East, particularly for its use
in sherbet ; which they make with violet sugar. " The
sherbet they most esteem, and which is drank by the

VIOLET. 381

grand signer himself, is made of violets and sugar. —
TAVERNIER."

Mr. H. Smith, in his Amarynthus, speaks of this flower
as being of short duration.

" the trembling violet, which eyes

The sun but once, and unrepining dies/'

The North American Violets are mostly void of scent,
with the exception of the Dog's-violet, with which we are
also familiar in our own hedges, as a successor to the
Sweet-violet. With this exception too, the North Ame-
rican Violets best succeed in loam and bog earth, and
should be housed in the winter.

VIPER'S BUGLOSS.

ECHIUM.

BORRAGINE.E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This plant has been supposed to cure the bite of the viper : it is also
called cat's tail. — French, la viperine ; 1'herbe aux viperes [viper's
wort]. — Italian, viperina.

THE Cretan species is the handsomest of the genus : its
flowers are of a red-purple : the plant produces them but
once. This kind is a native of the Levant : its stalks are
trailing, and about a foot in length. The top of a wall is
the best place to sow it ; if in a pot, it must be in a
gravelly soil: it should be sown about the middle of
October, and in hard frost covered with a little sawdust,
straw, or oak-leaves. It will flower in July and August ;
and if on a wall, will scatter its own seeds, and so maintain
its own continuance.

The other species must be housed in the winter : they
do not produce their flowers till the second year after
sowing. They must be sparingly watered, in winter par-
ticularly; the stems being succulent.

382 FLORA DOMESTICA.

VIRGINIA COWSLIP.

DODECATHEON MEADIA.

PRIMULACE^. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

French, gyroselle de Virginie.

THIS is a perennial plant, with purple flowers, or in-
clining to the colour of the peach blossom. It is very
ornamental when in flower, which is in April and May.

This plant is more impatient of heat than of cold : it
will endure our most severe winters ; but two or three
days1 exposure to a hot sun will entirely destroy the young
plants. It may be increased by offsets from the roots,
which should be taken off, and transplanted in August,
after the leaves and stalks have decayed, that they may
have time to gain strength before the frost comes on.

WALLFLOWER

CHEIRANTHTJS.

,V: <<*••

CRUCIFER.E. TETRADYNAMIA SILIQUOSA.

French, giroflier jaime; violier jaune [both signifying yellow
stock] ; le baton d'or [gold stick] ; la ravanelle ; le rameau d'or [golden
branch]; le garranier jaune. — Italian, viola [stock]; viola gialla
[yellow stock] ; cheiri.

THE Wallflowers are, in fact, Stocks ; since they not
only belong to the same genus, but are properly named
Wallflowers, or Stocks : but some of the species having
been distinguished by custom as Wallflowers, entirely

WALLFLOWER. 383

dropping the other name, they are here placed under
that head.

Of all the species so named, the common Wallflowers are
by far the finest ; their colours are extremely rich, and, as
the artists express it, warm; and their fragrance very
delicious: they are apt to have a ragged appearance,
looking sometimes at a little distance like a number of
beautiful petals hung accidentally together ; but when their
form is preserved, they are in every respect elegant. There
are single and double varieties; red and yellow of all
shades, and pure white. The flower is too well known to
make further description necessary.

" The common Wallflower," says Mr. Martyn, " is a
native of Switzerland, France, Spain, &c. ; and is common
on old walls and buildings in many parts of England. It
is one of the few flowers which have been cultivated for
their fragrancy time immemorial in our gardens."

Some prefer the Alpine Wallflower for appearance,
the flowers being usually larger, and closer together ; but
they have not so fine a scent as the common Wallflower.

If raised from seeds, they should be sown in April, two
or three seeds in a middle sized pot; and in a poor rub-
bishy soil. If the soil be poor, they will bear the winter
abroad ; and will flower the following June.

The double varieties are increased by slips, about three
inches long, planted in the spring ; they should be slipped
off with a sharp knife, and one-third inserted in the earth,
the leaves being stript from the lower half.

Early in September the seedlings should be trans-
planted into separate pots. Some persons sow them where
they are to remain ; but transplanting is generally supposed
rather to benefit than to injure them.

" Fair handed Spring unbosoms every grace ;
Throws out the snow-drop., and the crocus first,

384 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue,
And polyanthus of unnumbered dyes ;
.The yellow wallflower, stained with iron brown ;
And lavish stock, that scents the garden round."

THOMSON'S SPRING.
* '-

;<*i* ****%

WATEK LILY.

NYMPH^A.

NYMPHJSACE^E. POLYANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Called also water-rose, water-can. — French, lis des £tangs, [pond
lily], volet, plateau, jaunet d'eau [water yellow-flower]. — Italian,
nenufaro, ninfea, blefera.

THE Water-lilies cannot be grown but in a cistern of
water, which should be lined with lead ; and such plants
are only adapted for persons having even a superfluity
of garden ground. For such persons, they are very de-
sirable, for they are delicate and elegant plants :

' f Those virgin lilies, all the nigh t
Bathing their beauties in the lake,
That they may rise more fresh and bright
When their beloved sun's awake."

MOOBE'S LALLA ROOK n.

" And now the sharp keel of his little boat
Comes up with a ripple, and with easy float,
And glides into a bed of water lilies :
Broad-leaved are they, and their white canopies
Are upward turn'd to catch the heaven's dew.
Near to a little island's point they grew ;
Where Calidore might have the goodliest view
Of this sweet spot of earth."

KEATS.

The Japanese set a high value upon the Water-lily, be-
cause of its purity, not being sullied by contact with the

WATER-LILY. 385

muddy water, in which it often grows*. This Water-lily
is said to be the ancient herb Lotus ; which, with the
Crocus and the Hyacinth, formed the couch of Jupiter and
Juno; and yet Achilles was so profane as to feed his
horses with it. It is not to be understood as the Lotus
which gave name to the Lotophagi. That was a tree (for
the ancients had both a herb and a tree so named) now
called the Rhamnus Lotus.

Southey mentions the herb Lotus in his Curse of Ke-
hama:

" The large-leaved lotus on the waters flowering."

Vol. 5. page 86.

In Japan the Water-lily (there called Tratte), being,
for the reason before mentioned, considered as an emblem
of purity, is, with the flowers of the Motherwort, borne in
procession before the body in their funeral ceremonies :
these are carried in pots : artificial Water-lilies of white
paper are also borne on poles •(•.

Moore, in his notes to Lalla Rookh, observes, that in
some parts of Asia the women wear looking-glasses on
their thumbs : " Hence," says he " (and from the lotus
being considered the emblem of beauty) is the meaning
of the following mute intercourse of two lovers before
their parents :

" He with salute of deference due
A lotus to his forehead prest ;
She raised her mirror to his view,
Then turned it inward to her breast."

In another part of the same poem, Moore compares the
eyes of Love to the blue Water-lily :

" And his floating eyes— oh ! they resemhle
Blue water-lilies, when the breeze
Is making the stream around them tremble."

# See Titsingh's Illustrations of Japan. f Ibid.

C c

386 FLORA DOMESTICA.

This blue species is a native of Cashmere and Persia.
Mrs. Graham, in her residence in India, speaks of a beau-
tiful red lotus, of which she saw multitudes ; she describes
them as much larger than the White Water-lily, and the
loveliest of the nymphaeas she had ever seen.

WINGED-PEA.

LOTUS TETRAGONOLOBUS.

LEGUMINOS^E. DIADELPlflA DECANDRIA.

French) le lotier rouge [red lotus].

THE Winged-Pea (a species of the Lotus, or Bird's-
foot Trefoil) is a native of Sicily : its colours are scarlet
and purple. It is sometimes called the Scarlet Pea, the
Crimson-velvet Pea, the Square-codded Pea, &c. This
also flowers in June and July. This may be treated in
the same manner as the Sweet Pea, which is the chief of
the Garden Peas.

WINTER-CHERKY.

PHYSALIS.

SOLANE^E. PENTANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

This plant is also named Alkekengi.— French, coqueret ; coquerelle ;
quoquerelle ; herbe a cloques. — Italian, alchechengi ; alcachingi ; so-
lano alicacabo.

THE Winter-Cherry has not much beauty, except in
the autumn, when it is in fruit. It is a native of the
South of Europe, Germany, China, and Cochin-China.
It may be increased by parting the roots after the stalks

WINTER-CHERRY. 387

have decayed. This plant loves the shade, and the roots
require confinement.

In Spain, Switzerland, and some parts of Germany, the
country-people eat these cherries by handfuls : here they
are only cultivated for their beauty.

A species of the Solanum, or Night-shade — solatium
pseudocapsicum — is now more commonly known by the
name of Winter-Cherry, and in France by those of mo-
relle cerlsette^ petit cerisier d? hiver} amome des jardiniers ;
of which, also, the fruit in appearance resembles the
Cherry. It requires shelter from severe frost, and there-
fore should be housed, but not kept too warm. It should
every year, in the month of April, be taken out of the
pot; all the decayed and matted roots on the outside
should be cut off, and it should be filled up with fresh
rich earth. This treatment will greatly improve the
flowers and fruit.

The earth must be kept tolerably moist for both these
plants.

The latter plant exhibits its blossoms and fruits both
at the same time, as the latter remain on the shrub all the
winter. The fruit is supposed to be poisonous, but it has
been tried upon a dog without producing any ill effect.

" The araoraum there with intermingling flowers
And cherries hangs her twigs."

COWPER'S TASK.

XEEANTHEMUM.

CORYMBIFERJE. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

This name is Greek, and signifies a dry-flower. — French, 1' immor-
telle.

THE Annual Xeranthemums should be sown in the

o c 2

388 FLORA DOMESTICA.

autumn, singly, in a pot of five or six inches diameter,
filled with light earth. If in a warm situation, as near a
wall facing the south or south-east, they will bear an
ordinary winter abroad : in June they will begin to flower,
and in July are fit for gathering. There are single and
double varieties ; and, contrary to the habit of most
double flowers, these may generally be continued from
seed. The flowers are commonly white or purple.

The other kinds are chiefly shrubby, and propagated
by cuttings, planted in any of the summer months in a
pot of light earth. These kinds must be sheltered from
frost ; but, if not allowed fresh air in mild weather, will
grow up weakly, and often bear no flowers. They should
be placed near a window, open in mild weather. In dry
summer weather the Xeranthemums will require frequent
watering, but must be sparingly watered in winter.

These flowers, if gathered in their beauty, will preserve
it many years, and make a showy figure with other dried
flowers, as Amaranths, Honesty, Gnaphaliums, &c. in the
winter. They also make pretty ornaments for a lady's
hair : their colours are white, purple, yellow, or red.

The Xeranthemum has of late been highly improved
by culture, and many persons are very curious in them.

YUCCA.

LILIACEJ3. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Frequently called Adam's-needle.— French, yuca; youc.

The Superb Yucca is from North America ; it was first
cultivated in Europe by Gerarde, to whom it was brought
from the West Indies by the servant of an apothecary.

YUCCA. 389

Gerarde kept the plant till his death ; Parkinson had it
from the widow, and with him it perished.

The Yucca is nearly allied to the Aloe, and, like that,
blows very rarely: the flowers of this species are bell-
shaped, and hang downward ; they are white within, but
on the outside each petal has a stripe of purple ; they
appear in August and September.

The Aloe-leaved Yucca is a native of South America :
it produces a greater abundance of flowers than the for-
mer kind ; white on the inside, purple without.

The Drooping-leaved Yucca has white flowers, but its
scent is not agreeable.

The Thready Yucca, s"o called from long threads
which hang from the sides of the leaves, is a native of
North America. The flower-stem of this plant grows to
the height of five or six feet, and nearly the whole of it is
covered with large white flowers, sitting close. But, like
the other kinds, this plant flowers but seldom.

It is said that, about the middle of the seventeenth cen-
tury, Mr. Walker possessed abundance of these plants in
his suburban garden in the village of St. James. tl But,"
says Mr. Morison, who mentions the circumstance, " I
never saw it flower there."

These plants are to be treated as hardy Aloes.

ZINNIA.

CORYMBIFER-K. SYNGENESIA POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.

So named by Linnaeus, in honour of J. G. Zinn, pupil of Haller, and
professor of botany at Gottingen after him.

THE Zinnias are annual plants, bearing handsome
flowers : they are usually raised in a hot-bed ; but a warm
inhabited room will generally bring them forward as well.

390 FLORA DOMESTICA.

The Yellow Zinnia is the most tender ; and this will pro-
duce but few flowers, unless it is stinted in its growth
while young, by confining the roots in a small pot. It is
a Peruvian.

The Red Zinnia is a native of North America; when in
full beauty the flower is of a red-purple, powdered with
gold, like one of the species of the Amaryllis ; it after-
wards becomes more dull, red and yellow, and green un-
derneath. There is a variety with yellow flowers.

The Whorl-flowered and the Purple Zinnias are from
Mexico: the first has double red flowers; the latter hand-
some flowers, first red, but changing to a deep violet.
These, and the Slender-flowered, which is a native of
South America, with orange-coloured flowers, may be gra-
dually accustomed to the open air about the end of May :
in July they will begin to blow, and continue in bloom
till the approach of frost.

The seeds should be sown in March, singly ; — or several
together, and towards the end of May transplanted into
separate pots, of ten or twelve inches diameter. The earth
must be kept moderately moist ; but water must be given
in sparing portions in winter, rather in sips than draughts.

ZYGOPHYLLUM.

ZYGOPHYLLE.E. DECANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Often called Bean-caper.— French, fabagelle.
THE Scarlet-flowered Bean-caper is a native of Africa
and Siberia ; the White, of Egypt ; the Four-leaved, and
Sessile-leaved, from the Cape, have yellow flowers. They
are succulent plants, and must be sheltered from surround-
ing damps, and in the winter from the cold.

391

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS.

THE observations necessary to make here will be very
few, and will only comprise such information as a person
should have in memory, who attempts to rear plants in
any way.

SOWING.

Where nothing is said to the contrary, it may be taken
as a general rule to sow seeds in proportion to their size,
from a quarter of an inch to an inch deep. The Convol-
vulus, and such sized seeds in general, may be sown a
quarter of an inch deep ; the Lupine, &c., half an inch ;
the Scarlet-bean, &c., an inch deep. A few pebbles
should be put at the bottom of the pot, to drain off super-
fluous moisture : the soil will, of course, vary according to
the plant : but whatever soil the plant may require, and
many require a stony one, the earth should be light and
free from stones above the seeds. After sowing, a little
water should be given to settle the earth about the seeds.
It is not advisable for individuals to save their seeds from
home-reared plants : besides that they thrive better in a
change of soil, they will often be stronger from plants in
the open ground.

PLANTING.

To see if a plant wants fresh potting, turn it carefully
out of the pot, with the earth attached to it, and examine

392 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the roots. If they are matted about the sides and bottom
of the ball, the plant evidently requires fresh potting.
Then carefully reduce the ball of earth to about a third of
its original bulk ; single out the matted roots, and trim
away all that are mouldy and decayed. Probably the
same pot may then be large enough ; but, if it requires a
larger, it should be about two inches broader for a mid-
dle-sized plant ; .-three or four for a large plant. If the
roots are not matted, but the pots are filled with the
fibres, keep the ball entire, and carefully plant it in a
larger pot. At the top of a large pot, an inch ; of a small
pot, half an inch, should be left for the reception of water,
without danger of overflow. A little gravel should always
be at the bottom.

A plant newly potted must never be exposed to a strong
sun : it should be watered and placed in the shade im-
mediately, and there remain till it is rooted ; which may be
known by its shooting above.

Plants are frequently destroyed by replanting, merely
from the careless manner in which it is done. Where the
roots spread, plenty of room should be left* open, a little
hillock made in the centre of the pot, and the plant being
placed thereon, the roots should be distributed around it
in a regular manner, observing that they are not twisted or
turned up at the ends. The earth should be filled in, a
little at a time, and the pot gently shaken, to settle the
earth to the roots all the way down. When filled, it
should be pressed down with the hand. It is very com-
mon to fill in the earth at once, and press it hard down ;
which not only wounds the tender fibres, but often leaves
a hollow space towards the bottom of the roots, and de-
prives them of their proper nourishment. But the thing
most necessary to be observed is, that the roots be allowed
their natural course.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 393

All plants should be kept clear of weeds, not for neat-
ness alone, but because they exhaust the nutriment which
should feed the plant.

WATER.

The best water for plants is undoubtedly rain-water ; if
this cannot be obtained river-water will do : pond-water is
not so good ; but the worst of all is hard spring water. In
winter, and, for delicate plants, even in summer, water
should be placed in the sun till it becomes tepid before it
is used.

The water should never be allowed to remain in the pan
under the pot ; it tends to rot the roots. It may be well
to observe that plants should be watered with a rose on
the spout of the watering-pot ; and the more finely it is
perforated the better, so as to sprinkle the water lightly
over the flowers and leaves, without bending them down
with its weight.

" E spesso irrigherai le lor radici,
Prendendo un vaso di tenace creta
Forato a guisa d'un minuto cribro,
Che i Greci antichi nominar clepsidra,
Per cui si versan fuor milla zampilli.
Con esso imitar puoi la sottil pioggia,
Ed irrorar tutte le asciutte erbette."

LE API DEL RUCELLAI.

" And you should often water their roots ; take a vessel of hardened
clay perforated in the manner of a fine sieve,, such as the ancient
Greeks called a clepsidra j through which may be shed a thousand
streams. With this you may imitate a light shower., and water all the
dry herbs."

Many persons think it sufficient to water the roots,
which is a great mistake ; it materially contributes to their
health and beauty to sprinkle the whole plant. Bathing

394 FLORA DOMESTICA.

the feet will neither cleanse the hands, nor freshen the
bloom of the cheeks. The Auricula, however, is one of
those ladies of fashion, who, fearful of injuring the delicacy
of their complexions by the use of water, cleanse their
faces with some elegant powder as a substitute for that
rude element. There is a farina in the flower of the
Auricula, which is usually esteemed its principal beauty :
this is the case with the Polyanthus also, and some few
others, of which the blossoms must not be watered.

Of such plants as are succulent, it is generally advised
to water the leaves but seldom, lest a redundancy of
moisture should rot them : the merely plucking a leaf will
generally determine whether a plant be succulent or not ;
and a person may distinguish in a moment what blossoms
are likely to be hurt by water, by observing whether there
be any visible farina on them. The best way in watering
all plants, is rather to cast the water at, than to pour it on
them, as it falls more lightly. It will be observed that
more water, as well as more shelter, must be necessary for
potted plants than for plants in the open ground.

AIR AND LIGHT.

Flowers must not be denied the light, towards which
they naturally turn ; the want of it will injure their health
as much as the want of water, air, or warmth.

They must also be allowed air : even those that will not
bear the outer air must have the air of the room frequently
freshened by ventilation, to preserve them in health. Care
should be taken not to let plants stand in a draught ; for,
so situated, one strong gust of an easterly wind will often
prove sufficient to destroy them.

In frosty weather the windows should be kept close, and
at night the shutters. Those plants directed to be placed

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 395

in an inhabited room will not usually require a fire, if in a
room which has had fire in the day ; but in sharp frost it
will be well, instead of stirring out the fire, to leave a little,
on retiring to rest, and place a guard before it for security.

INSECTS.

If any plants are infested with insects, which is often
the case with Rose-trees, Heart's-ease, &c., they should be
watered with tobacco-water, which quickly destroys them.
Some say that, independently of the removal of the insects,
it improves the verdure of the plant.

One pound of roll-tobacco will suffice for three pints of
water, which should be poured on it nearly boiling, and
stand a few hours before it is used.

BULBS.

•

The leaves of bulbous flowers should never be plucked
before they decay, or the bulb will thereby be deprived of a
large portion of its natural nourishment. When the flowers
and leaves have decayed, the bulbs should be taken up, dried
in the shade, all loose earth, fibres, &c. should be cleaned
off them, and they should be put away in a dry place, and
safe from mice, &c., until wanted. They should not touch
each other, but either lie all on a flat surface, or be kept
apart by some dry sand. Bulbs should have no fresh
water after their leaves have began to decay.

Any person having too many bulbs of one kind, and too
few of another, will find no difficulty in obtaining an ex-
change at the shops where they are sold.

Some persons put a piece of nitre, of the size of a pea,
into the water in which bulbs are raised, renewing it when-
ever the water is changed, in order to make the colours

396 FLORA DOMESTICA.

brighter. It may not be known to every one who finds
amusement in the cultivation of flowers, that pots are made
purposely for bulbs, as wide at the bottom as at the top,
and of the requisite depth. When they are grown in
earth, it is advisable to procure these pots ; for of the com-
mon kind they cannot be obtained sufficiently deep with-
out being much wider than necessary.

THE END.

LONDON:

PRINTED BY THOMAS DAVISON, WH1TEPRIARS.

13, Waterloo-Place, and 93, Fleet-Street,
June, 1823.

WORKS JUST PUBLISHED

BY TAYLOR AND HESSEY.

I.

THE LONDON MAGAZINE, Published Monthly, price 2s. 6d.

II.

THE ITALIAN 'SCHOOL of DESIGN (containing 84 Plates) -,
being a Series of Fac-similes of ORIGINAL DRAWINGS, by the most
eminent Painters and Sculptors of Italy ; with Biographical Notices of
the Artists, and Observations on their Works. By WM. YOUNG
OTTLEY, ESQ. Complete in one volume, super royal folio, price
121. 12s.; in colombier folio, 18/. 18*., and proofs, 30 guineas.

III.

THE ITALIAN SCHOOL of DESIGN 5 the Third Part (com-
pleting the Work). By WM. YOUNG OTTLEY, ESQ. Price to Sub-
scribers, 71. 17s. 6d. ; Proofs, 101. 10s.

%» Subscribers are respectfully requested to order from the Publishers, with as little
delay as possible, the Parts wanted to complete their Copies ; as the Work, being now
finished, will be formed into perfect Sets, and in a little time it may not be possible to
obtain the Parts separately.

IV.

JOURNAL of a TOUR in FRANCE, in the Years 1816 and
1817. By FRANCES JANE CAREY. One volume octavo, price 14s.

V.

SIX ETCHINGS from PEN DRAWINGS of INTERESTING
SCENES in ITALY and SWITZERLAND. Drawn and Etched by W.
COWEN, and dedicated, by permission, to Lord Viscount MILTON. Size
of the Prints, 16 inches by 10. Price 11. Is. ; proofs, 21. 2s.

VI.

THREE PANORAMIC VIEWS of PORT JACKSON, in
NEW SOUTH WALES, with the TOWN of SIDNEY, and the AD-
JACENT SCENERY. To be Engraved by R. HAVELL and SON, after
Drawings by MAJOR TAYLOR of the 48th Regiment. Dedicated, by
Permission, to R. J. WILMOT HORTON, ESQ. M.P., Under Secretaiy of
State for the Colonial Department. Price of the Views, 11. Is. each.

VII.

THE VISION, or HELL, PURGATORY, and PARADISE,
of DANTE ALIGHIERI. Translated by the Rev. H. F. CARY, A.M.
With additional Notes, a Life of Dante, and an Index. In 3 volumes
octavo, price I/. 16s. in boards. Second Edition.

VIII.

ELIA j Essays which have appeared under that Signature in the
LONDON MAGAZINE. Beautifully printed in one volume post octavo,
price S).v. 6<t. in boards.

WORKS JUST PUBLISHED

IX.

SIR MARMADUKE MAXWELL, a DRAMATIC POEM :
The LEGEND of RICHARD FAULDER— The MERMAID of GAL-
LOWAY—and TWENTY SCOTTISH SONGS. By ALLAN CUN-
NINGHAM. Second Edition, with Corrections and Additions, price
8*. 6d,

X.

TRADITIONAL TALES of the ENGLISH and SCOTTISH
PEASANTRY. By ALLAN CUNNINGHAM, Author of Sir Manna -
duke Maxwell, &c. In Two volumes 12mo. price 12*. boards.

XL

CONFESSIONS of an ENGLISH OPIUM EATER. In one

volume, foolscap octavo, price 5-s. boards. Third Edition.
" It is long since we have passed an evening of such enchaining interest as that which
we owe to the Confessions of an English Opium Eater."

Quarterly Review, July, 1822.

XII.

THE VILLAGE MINSTREL, and other Poems. By JOHN
CLARE, the Northamptonshire Peasant. The Second Edition, em-
bellished with an Etching of the Author's Cottage, and a Portrait, beau-
tifully engraved by Scriven, from a Painting by W. Hilton, Esq. R.A.
2 vols. foolscap octavo, price 12*. in boards.

XIII.

POEMS, Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery. By JOHN
CLARE, a Northamptonshire Peasant. The Fourth Edition, in foolscap
octavo, price 5*. 6d.

XIV.

LETTERS from MECKLENBURG and HOLSTEIN, com-
prising an Account of the FREE CITIES of HAMBURG and LUBECK.
Written in the Summer of 1820. By GEORGE DOWNES, A.B. late
of Trinity College, Dublin. In one volume octavo, with three En-
gravings, price 10s. 6d.

XV.

THE HISTORY of CHRIST'S HOSPITAL, from its Founda-
tion to the present Time ; with Memoirs of Eminent Men educated there,
and a List of the Governors. By J. I. WILSON. In one volume octavo,
price 15s. boards, embellished with Four Engravings.

XVI.

CHARACTERS of SHAKSPEARE'S PLAYS. By WILLIAM
HAZLITT. In octavo, price 10s. 6d. boards. Second Edition.

XVII.

LECTURES on the ENGLISH POETS. Delivered at the
Suiiy Institution. By WILLIAM HAZLITT. In octavo, price 10s. 6d.
boards. Second Edition.

XVIII.

LECTURES on the ENGLISH COMIC WRITERS. Delivered
at the Surry Institution. By WILLIAM HAZLITT. In octavo, price
10s. 6d. boards.

BY TAYLOR AND HESSEY.

XIX.

LAMIA, ISABELLA, the EVE of ST. AGNES, and other
POEMS. By JOHN KEATS, Author of Endymion. In foolscap octavo,
price 7s. 6d. boards.

XX.
ENDYMION : a Poetic Romance. By JOHN KEATS. In

octavo, price 9*. boards.

XXI.

A GUIDE to the STARS, being an easy Method of knowing
the relative Position of all the Fixed Stars from the First to the Third
Magnitude in either Hemisphere, particularly those that are useful for find-
ing the Longitude and Latitude at Sea. With Twelve Planispheres, on a
new Construction, in which the Stars are exhibited as they actually ap-
pear in the Heavens with relation to each other. By HENRY BROOKE,
formerly a Senior Officer in the Naval Service of the Hon. East India
Company. In royal 4to. price 15s. boards, or 18s. 6d. half bound.

XXII.

HOMILIES for the YOUNG, and more especially for the
Children of the National Schools. By the Rev. HARVEY MARRIOTT,
Rector of Claverton, and Chaplain to the Right Hon. Lord Kenyon. In
12mo., price 5s. 6d. boards,

XXIII.

A COURSE of PRACTICAL SERMONS, expressly adapted
to be read in Families. By the Rev. HARVEY MARRIOTT, Rector of
Claverton, and Chaplain to the Right Hon. Lord Kenyon. In octavo,
price 10*. 6d. boards. Third Edition.

XXIV.

A SECOND COURSE of PRACTICAL SERMONS, ex-
pressly adapted to be read in Families. By the Rev. HARVEY MAR-
RIOTT. In octavo, price 10,9. 6d. boards.

XXV.
RETROSPECTION: a Tale. By Mrs. TAYLOR, of ONGAR.

Foolscap octavo, with a beautiful frontispiece, price 6s. boards. Second
Edition.

XXVI.
THE FAMILY MANSION : a Tale. By Mrs. TAYLOR, of

ONGAR. With a beautiful frontispiece, price 5s. 6d. boards. Fourth
Edition.

XXVII.
RECIPROCAL DUTIES of PARENTS and CHILDREN.

By Mrs. TAYLOR, of ONGAR. With a beautiful frontispiece. Price 5s.
in boards. Fourth Edition.

XXVIII.

PRACTICAL HINTS to YOUNG FEMALES, on the Duties
of a Wife, a Mother, and a Mistress of a Family. By Mrs. TAYLOR, of
ONGAR. With a beautiful frontispiece, price 5s. in boards. Tenth Edition.

WORKS JUST PUBLISHED BY TAYLOR AND HESSEY.
XXIX.

MATERNAL SOLICITUDE for a DAUGHTER'S BEST

INTERESTS. By Mrs. TAYLOR, of ONGAR. With a beautiful frontis-
piece, price 5*. in boards, Tenth Edition.

XXX.

CORRESPONDENCE between a MOTHER and her DAUGH-
TER at SCHOOL. By Mrs. TAYLOR and Miss TAYLOR. With a
beautiful frontispiece, price 5*. in boards. Fifth Edition.

XXXI.

DISPLAY: a Tale. By JANE TAYLOR, one of the Authors
of ' ' Original Poems for Infant Minds." With a beautiful frontispiece,
price 6*. in boards. Ninth Edition.

XXXII.

i ESSAYS IN RHYME, on MORALS and MANNERS. By
JANE TAYLOR, Author of " Display," &c. In foolscap octavo, price
6*. in boards. Fourth Edition.

XXXIII.
THE PRESENT of a MISTRESS to a YOUNG SERVANT,

consisting of friendly Advice and real Histories. By Mrs. TAYLOR, of
ONGAR. With a frontispiece, price 3*. 6d. in boards. Seventh Edition.

XXXIV.

SACRED LEISURE} or POEMS on RELIGIOUS SUB-
JECTS. By the Rev. FRANCIS HODGSON, M.A. Vicar of Bakewell,
Author of " The Friends," a Poem, &c. &c. Foolscap octavo, 6*.
boards.

XXXV.

LETTERS on the IMPORTANCE, DUTY, and ADVAN-
TAGES of EARLY RISING. Addressed to Heads of Families, the Man
of Business, the Lover of Nature, the Student and the Christian. By
A. C. BUCKLAND. The Fifth Edition, with an additional Letter and a
Preface. In foolscap octavo, with a beautiful frontispiece, price 6$. in
boards.

XXXVI.

PRUDENCE and PRINCIPLE ; a Tale. By the Author of
" Rachel." In foolscap octavo, with a beautiful frontispiece, price 5*. 6d.
in boards. Second Edition.

XXXVII.

RACHEL: a Tale. With a beautiful frontispiece, price 5s in
boards. Third Edition.

XXXVIII.

THE AUTHORESS: a Tale. By the Author of "Rachel."
With a beautiful frontispiece, price 5s. in boards. Second Edition.

XXXIX.
A MOTHER'S ADVICE to her ABSENT DAUGHTERS.

With an additional Letter on the Management and Education of Infant
Children. By LADY PENNINGTON. With a beautiful frontispiece,
price 4*. 6d. in boards. Eighth Edition.