THE

FLORAL KEEPSAKE.

\\

WITH

®j)irt]) (Bngrabinp (glcpntlg Colorrt from gaiurr.

EDITED BY

JOHN KEESE

"Take these flowers, for they will talk to thee

In the sweet accents of poetic lore ;
Heed their soft pleadings — kindly 'think ol me
I ask no more."

UNIVERSITY

LEAVITT & ALLEN, 87 DEY STREET.

5^3

FLORAL KEEPSAKE.

UNIVERSITY

EMBELLISHMENTS.

ELEGANTLY COLORED FROM NATURE.

Page.

COLORED LANDSCAPE,
ILLUMINATED TITLE, .
JAPAN ROSE, . . . . " » . 13
PANSY, . . , . ' . .15

PEACH-TREE, 17

OAK-LEAVED GERANIUM, . . 19

FOXGLOVE, 21

CREEPING CEREUS, . 28

RED POPPY, . .' . .27

BROOKLIME, 29

RASPBERRY, 31

TULIP, 33

MAGNOLIA, 35

PEAR-TREE, 39

HAREBELL, . , ... .41

HUNDRED-LEAFED ROSE, . . 43
CLOVE CARNATION, ... 45
STRAWBERRY, . . . .47
HAND-FLOWER TREE* . 51

CHINA ASTER, . . . .53
WILD COLUMBINE^ ... 57

EGLANTINE, 61

SILK WEED, 75

SIDE-SADDLE FLOWER, . .79
TREE CRANBERRY, ... 83
FLEUR DE LIS, . . . .85
AMERICAN COWSLIP, ... 89
LILY OF THE VALLEY, . . 91
INDIAN TOBACCO, ... 93
LILAC, ..>... 97

CONTENTS.

JAPAN HOSE .
PANSY,

PEACH-TREE, .
OAK-LEAVED GERANIUM,
FOXGLOVE,
CREEPING CERIUS,
PLUM-TREE,
RED POPPY,
BROOKLIME, .
RASPBERRY,

TULIP,

MAGNOLIA,

GROUND LAUREL,

PEAR-TREE,

HAREBELL,

HUNDRED LEAVED ROSE,

CLOVE CARNATION, .

STRAWBERRY,

JESSAMINE,

HAND-FLOWER TREE,

CHINA ASTER,

PINE APPLE,

ROSA MULTIFLORA,
VIOLA TRICOLOR, .
AMYGDALUS PERSICA, .
PELARGONIUM QUERCIFOLIUM,
DIGITALIS PURPUREA, .
CACTUS FLAGELLIFORMIS, .
PRUNUS DOMESTICA,
PAPAVER RHO3AS, .
VERONICA BECCABUNGA,
RUBUS ID^US,
TULIPS GENERIANA,
MAGNOLIA GLAUCA, .
EPIGfEA REPENS,
PYRUS COMMUNIS, .
CAMPANULA ROTUNDIFOLIA, .
ROSA CENTIFOLIA, .
DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS,
FRAGARIA VIRGINIANA,
JASMINUM OFFICINALE,
CHERIOSTEMON PLANTANOIDES,
ASTER CHINENSIS,
BROMELIA ANANAS,

PAGB
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
2T
29
31
33
35
37
39
41
43
45
47
49
61
53
66

CONTENTS.

WILD COLUMBINE,
BORAGE, .
EGLANTINE, .
PIGEON BERRY, .
COMMON CACTUS,
PAINTED WILLIAM,
COCKSCOMB, .
BURDOCK,
COMMON ALMOND,
SILK WEED,
TANSY,

SIDE SADDLE FLOWER,
ST. JOHN'S WORT,
TREE CRANBERRY,
FLEUR DE LIS,
ENGLISH OAK,
AMERICAN COWSLIP, .
LILY OF THE VALLEY,
INDIAN TOBACCO,
LADIES' SLIPPER, .
LILAC,
HORSE CHESTNUT,

AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS,
BORAGO OFFICINALI8,
ROSA RUBIGINOSA,
CORNUS CANADENSIS,
CACTUS TRUNCATA,
TRILLIUM PICTUM, .
CELOSIA CRISTATA, .
ARCTIUM LAPPA,.
AMYGDALUS COMMUNIS,
ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA,
TANACETUM VULGARE,
SARRACENIA PURPUREA,
HYPERICUM, . i

VIBURNUM OXYCOCCUS,
IRIS GERMANICA, " .
QUERCUS ROBUR,
DODOCATHEON MEADIA,
CONVALLARIA MAJALIS,
LOBELIA INFLATA,
CYPRYPEDIUM INSIGNE,
SYRINGA VULGARIS,
-ESCULUS HIPPOCAST^INUM,

PAOB

67

FLOWERS AND SENTIMENTS,
SENTIMENTS AND FLOWERS,

101
107

UNIVERSITY

FLORAL KEEPSAKE.

IN a quiet corner of one of the gray old cypress^shaded convents
which crown the terraced hills that look down on " the City of Pa-
laces"— as Genoa has long been called — there is a beautifully sculp-
tured tomb of an infant, that was lajd to rest there many centuries ago.
The traces of the sculptor's chisel have nearly all mouldered away ;
— but the all-destroying hand of Time has spared the name of the
child-sleeper — ANGELINA — little Angel: — and four lines, around
which a chaplet of flowers is woven in stone, tell us that " the An-
gels came one night, and stole away the gentlest little spirit earth
had seen since the Manger-babe was born ; and brought the still
blushing form that enshrined it, and buried it in the old convent, in
a grave of Flowers " And for five hundred years, the spot has been
Sacred. Young children still go there to hear the silver-haired
monks tell the legend — young mothers', too, who have just lost
their babes, go there and weep at Angelina's Flower-Tomb, — and
are comforted — for they think the Angels stole away their cherub
infants, too — and they know they are in Heaven. They are in
Heaven ;

" Where everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flowery."

8 FLORAL KEEPSAKE.

The myriad-minded Goethe, when he fled with his University-
heated brain into the still country, once said to some peasants who
were strewing flowers over a child's grave: — "Yes! bring flowers,
my friends, to the infant's tomb ; for they both make us think of
Heaven — there, the babes are all gathered — and there the flowers
ne\er die."

Al Ha Keschid says, in one of his inimitable Arab poems : " We
converse with those we love, through the flowers ; with those we
worship, through the stars "

Before this beautiful volume, radiant with poetry and fragrant
with flowers, goes forth on its bright pilgrimage to touch a thou-
sand loved and loving hearts, we must give it a passport, albeit it
seems to us to need none ; for will not its very name preface its
way to every lady's Boudoir, as the vase of flowers which the
Oriental lover sends before him to the arbor of his mistress insures
his welcome ?

But as every volume — even a Book of Flowers — must be pre-
sented to the beautiful with some gracing words, we will send our
offering on the Dove-wings of the two gentlest and most beautiful
spirits that ever breathed their fragrant sentiment on our green
earth — Hemans and Landon — both now Angels in Heaven !

We have before us two autograph Poems that came from those
gifted hands — they have waited for an occasion like this to be
greeted by the world : and they are exquisite, priceless leaflets from
the flower-garden of the female heart.

The image of the young maiden's lover had been mingling withf
her dreams : and when she awoke she said :

Spirit of my loved one ! you keep
Your vigils round me while I sleep.
The pressure of thine arm I feel,
And joy and rapture through me steal,

FLORAL KEEPSAKE. 9

Thy smile, thy voice, thy dear caress ;
Oh ! yes, thou hast the power to bless ;
I breathe, I move in scenes of joy,
Which even waking can't destroy ;
Thine image still doth o'er me bend,
And Hope to Fancy's wing doth lend
A trembling bliss ! like sunset-ray
On spring's first flower at close of day.

It was stolen from her Boudoir by her lover, and now appears for
the first time !

There is another glittering gem before us, in the handwriting
of Letitia E. Landon. It was written after her heart had been
chilled by the winter-storm that fell on her gifted spirit in the
summer of her life. Not long before her death (and when her
heart was broken), a female friend had gathered for her a cluster
of violets, and she wrote the following touching lines which are
among the last she ever penned. We were told by the lady who
gave them to us, and for whom they were written, that no copy of
them had ever been made :

THE VIOLET.

Why better than the lady-rose

Love I this little flower ?
Because its purple leaves Were those

I loved in childhood's hour.

Tho' many a flower may win my praise,

The violet has my love ;
I did not pass my childish days

In garden or in grove :

My garden was the window-seat ;

Upon whose edge was set
A little vase — the fair, the sweet,—

It was the violet.

FLORAL KEEPSAKE.

It was my pleasure and my pride ;

How I did watch its growth !
For health and bloom what plans I tried,

And often injured both.

I placed it in the summer shower ;

I placed it in the sun ;
And ever, at the evening hour,

My \vork seemed half undone.

The broad leaves spread ; the small buds grew ;

How slow they seemed to be ! '

At last there came a tinge of blue !

'Twas worth the world to me.

At length the perfume fill'd the room,
Shed from their purple wreath ;

No flower has now so rich a bloom,
Has now so sweet a breath.

I gathered two or three — they seemed

Such rich gifts to bestow ;
So precious in my sight, [ deemed

That all must think them so.

Ah ! who is there, but would be 'ain
To be a child once more ;

If future years could bring again
All that they brought before ?

My heart's world has been long o'erthrown ;

It is no more of flowers ;
Their bloom is past ; their breath is flown ;

Yet I recall those hours.

FLORAL KEEPSAKE. 11

Let nature spread her loveliest

By spring or summer nurst ;
Yet still I love the violet best,

Because — I loved it first.

L. E. L.

Gentle L. E. L. ! thou art gone to the Land of Flowers and Song,
where all that is bright and beautiful on earth will be at last
clustered.

We commend then our Floral Keepsake to the gentlest of all
human sympathies, and trust that the bright glances of the beautiful
may always rest upon its pages with pleasure. J. K.

$f L;

f/ XN"

L'lnVEESl

ROSA MULTIFLORA-JAPAN ROSE,

CLASS, ICOSANDRIA ; ORDER, POLYGNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACES.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx pitcher shaped, five-cleft, fleshy, contracted
at the neck. Petals five. Seeds very many, hispid and affixed to
the inner side of the calyx. SPEC. CHAR. Germs ovate. Germs
and peduncles unarmed, villose. Stem and petioles prickly. Branches
generally purple, Leaflets ovate. Flowers small and panicled.

There are varieties of this plant depending on the color and
size of the flower, whether it be single or double, and the shape of
the leaf. In the groves and gardens of Japan and often in China,
where they are as much admired as in their own country, they at-
tain the magnitude of trees. Its flowers hang in irregular bunches
with subdivided branches ; this together with its hue will always
ensure it a notice.

Belonging eminently to the ornamental instead of the useful,
the rose tribe from time immemorial has received the homage of
song, and been so long noticed and described that its native place
is forgotten. They are of every shade and color. It sprang from
the tears of Venus as she wept for Adonis, and was originally white
and inodorous, but became colored and scented by a bowl of nectar
staining it, which Cupid accidentally overthrew in Olympus.

A golden rose was formerly considered so honorable, that none
but kings and princes were thought worthy either to give or receive

•,;iVERSITY

14 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

it. la olden times, the Pope on Good Friday used to consecrate
one with great ceremony, and then gave it to some prince whom he
wished to propitiate. Months before the solemn act of imparting
peculiar sanctity to it was performed, negociations would be on foot,
messengers journeying to the different courts, and every kind of in-
trigue resorted to by the agents of the respective monarchs, to
obtain the rose for their masters. The flower itself was considered
an emblem of the mortality of the body, and the metal of which it
was composed of the immortality of the soul. History relates that
the Roman emperors took this method of conferring honor upon
their favorite generals, whom they allowed to add a rose to the orna-
ments of their shields ; a custom which continued long after the
Roman empire had passed away ; and the vestiges of which may be
traced in the armorial bearings of many of the eminent noble fami-
lies of Europe, and perhaps caused its adoption as the emblem of
England.

There are over nine hundred varieties of this flower, of every
possible size and height, from a few inches to thirty feet. Some of
them are evergreens, and run along the ground. It is only the
smaller kinds that are much valued, either for scent or beauty. When
distilled with water, a yellow butter rises to the surface, which is
white when cold. This is called the Otto of Rose. One drop of it
rubbed up with half a tea spoonful of white sugar, adding a pint of
water during the trituration, will give an elegant perfume, the Aqua
Rosa of the shops, far superior to Cologne.

The same day the rose perfects its beauty it dies ; nature can
do no more, she has exhausted her resources, and sinks to recover
strength to renew her efforts the next year. In the north latitudes,
this flower is the emblem of Beauty, it is found in them from the 19th
to the 70th degree, There are none in the southern continent.

VIOLA TRICOLOR-PANSY.

CLASS, PENTANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, VIOLACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, five leaved. Corolla, five petalled,
irregular, horned at the back. Anthers cohering. Capsules
superior, one celled, one valved. SPEC. CHAR. Stem angulai,
divided. Leaves oblong, deeply scolloped. Stipules lyre shaped.

We have many sweet species of Violet in the United States,
but this beautiful and well known exotic excels them all. Its
variable tints, it has been remarked, are scarce less numerous than
the names that have been bestowed upon it. That of Pansy is a cor-
ruption of the French name pensec, though in floral language it is
adopted by them as the FORGET-ME-NOT. Nature sports as much
with the colors of this little flower as she does with the features of
the human countenance, and you may as well seek for two faces
alike, as hunt for Pansies of the same tint. The most brilliant, pur-
ples of the artist, appear dull when compared to that of the Pansy,
our richest satins .and velvets, coarse and unsightly by a compa-
rison of texture; and as to delicacy of shading, it is scarcely
surpassed by the bow of Iris itself. When seen individually the
flower must be noticed with admiration, yet it is not calculated to
make a figure in the garden unless planted in large clumps ; but
when a considerable plot of rising ground is covered with these
flowers, the appearance cannot be equalled by the finest artificers

16 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

in purple and gold. The seeds may be sown at almost any season
of the year. Those sown late in the autumn blossom early, whilst
those sown in the spring, flower during the summer. It is a flower
that bears transplanting ; and if the branches are cut off when the
beauty of the blossom is past, they will send out fresh branches,
and continue to flower throughout the year; but when suffered
to ripen the seed the plant generally dies. The plants have
been frequently kept alive by this treatment, and transplanting
rather adds to their beauty than otherwise. It will grow in any
soil and situation, but the self grown plants degenerate very rapidly,
producing only small, dingy, flowers. The perfume is too weak
when singly taken; but a cluster of the blossoms gives out an
agreeable fragrance. It is a native of most parts of Europe
This flower was held in such high estimation by the ancients that
one of the prizes of the Floral games consisted of a Golden
Violet, and we are told in their fables, that lo, the daughter oi
Atlas, fleeing into the woods from the pursuit of Apollo, was
through the power of Diana, changed into a Violet, which still
retains the bashful timidity of the nymph, by partially concealing
itself from the gaze of Phoebus in its foliage. It was the study ot
the Violet which induced John Bertram, a quaker of Pennsylvania,
to study plants. He had employed his time in agricultural pursuits
without a knowledge of Botany, but being in the field one day, he
gathered a Violet and examined its formation, and reflected upon
it, until he became so prepossessed with the flower, that he
dreamed of it. This circumstance inspired him with a desire oi
becoming acquainted with plants; he therefore learned for this
purpose as much Latin as was necessary, and soon became the
most learned Botanist of the New World. It is the emblem of
Modesty.

AMYGDALUS PERSICA-PEACH TREE,

CLASS, ICOSANDR1A ; ORDER, MONOGVNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACES.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, quinquefid, inferior. Petals, five. Drupe,
having a shell perforated with pores. Skin, pubescent. SPEC.
CHAR. Leaves, having all acute serratures. Flowers, sessile and
solitary.

Like the most of our fruit bearing tubes, this tree is a native of
the East, and was first brought to Rome from Persia, during the
reign of the Emperor Claudius. It was an old saying that this tree
in Meadia, was unwholesome, but when planted in Egypt, became
pulpy, delicious and salubrious.

The Peach-tree, in point of stature, is under the middle size ; it
is of such rapid growth that its spreading branches soon shade a
considerable space of ground. The leaves are very smooth, lance-
shaped, and serrated on the margins. The flowers come directly
out from the bough, without the support of a foot-stalk ; the cup is
of a greenish red ; the blossom itself of a delicate crimson, vary-
ing in different flowers, from light to dark ; they are in bloom in
April ; the fruit ripening from July to the beginning of October,
and sometimes later.

The generic name is derived from the Greek, meaning to lanci-
nate, because when the green husk is removed from the fruit, the

shell is found covered with lacerations ; the specific name of course
C

18 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

refers to its native country. It has been well remarked that the
peach resembles the pea-pod, in the simplicity of its formation,
being composed of but a single covering or leaf. The hairy cuticle
of the under surface of the leaf may be easily recognised in the
downy skin of the peach. The cellular texture of the middle of
the leaf, absorbing a great deal of sap as it grows, and swelling
out, forms the fleshy substance of the fruit, The upper surface of
the leaf, deprived in a great measure of moisture, and starved, as
it were, by the voracious appetite of the middle portion, contracts
its fibres, becomes tough, then indurated, and at length converted
into a shell or hollow stone, affords a most secure shelter for the seed.
The Peach in the United States seems exactly suited to our
country, and flourishes as well, if not better, than in its own Persian
home, growing and producing rich crops, unequalled in size and
flavor, wherever Maize or Indian Corn will come to maturity ; and
these important vegetable products have in this way become, as it
were, tests of each other. Many in the State of New Jersey ex-
clusively cultivate this fruit, and we are told that at Shrewsbury, on
a single plantation, ten thousand bushels are annually produced for
the New York market; and those on the Delaware, yield twice
this amount. It was formerly cultivated in the Middle, Southein,
and Western States for the purposes of distillation ; but to a much
less extent at present, owing to the efforts of the Temperance
Societies. The best peaches possess thin skins, thick and firm
flesh, quickly filling up when pitted by the finger, and abound in a
sweet, vinous and richly flavored juice ; the stone is quite small.
Prussic Acid is obtained in considerable quantities, both from leaves
and kernels. Delicious ii litation Noyeau can be obtained by steep-
ing the leaves in brandy, sweetening with sugar and fining with
milk. The inhabitants of Scio employ them in dying silk a deep
green. In floral language, the Peach emblemizes the sentence,

YOUR QUALITIES, LIKE YOUR CHARMS, ARE UNEQUALLED.

PELARGONIUM QUERCIFOLIUM- OAK-LEAVED GERANIUM,

CLASS, MONADELPHIA ; ORDER, HEPTANDRIA.
NATURAL ORDER, GERANIACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, five parted, upper divisions much the
broadest, terminating in a funnel-shaped, capillary nectary. Corol,
five petalled, irregular, upper petals very showy, broader than
the lower, and covered with colored veins. Arils, five, each
one seeded and awned. Anthers, seven. SPEC. CHAR. Umbels,
sub-many-flowered. Leaves, simulating the oak. Filaments,
ascending at the apex.

In the description of the Geranium Robertianium, we reviewed
the prominent characteristics of this natural and exceedingly
beautiful order. This as well as the most of our conservatory
species, is a native of the Cape of Good Hope. This geranium
will show the celebrated spiral air vessels to very good advantage ;
and those who are curious to witness the secret workings of vege-
tation will find much to learn and admire in its structure. For
this purpose, place one of the petals upon a piece of perfectly
smooth and flat glass, such as is usually furnished for the trans-
parent stage of a microscope, wet it with water, and then lay
over it another flat piece of glass. Press the two firmly together,
and by degrees all the air will be squeezed out of the petals and
it will become transparent. With a good magnifying power all
the air vessels of the veins may be distinctly observed, looking
like fine threads of silver wire twisted upon a spiral spring.

20 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

It has been well remarked, that this race of plants wants but a
greater capability of endurance to the cold, to make them the
most valuable as well as confessedly the finest productions of the
vegetable kingdom. Unfortunately none of them will endure the
frost ; all have perished upon which the experiments fcr the
purpose of naturalizing them were tried, and in despite of the
most persevering and trying effort, they remain as they were at
first, Greenhouse plants. They are easily propagated by cuttings
from any part of the plant, whether from the old woods or new;
placing these in a pot filled with moderately moist earth will ensure
their sprouting. The only geranium possessed of much medicinal
properties, is the G. Maculatum, or Crane's bill geranium, which
is indigenous to the United States, and the purple colored flowers
of which are too well known to need description ; its root is a
highly valuable astringent. Most of the whole species are in
perpetual leaf; the remainder die to the ground and come up
annually, to flower and produce seed. This plant* emblemizes
ART, from its faculty of imitation. In it the student of chemistry,
as Phillips remarks, will see how imperfect is his art in comparison
with natural chemistry, which distils from the earth and conveys
by distinct channels, in its small stems, all that is necessary to
produce foliage, flowers, and fruit, together with color, smell, arid
taste, the most opposite fluids and liquids being separated only by
divisions so small as scarcely to be deemed a substance. And the
research into the wonders of this, as well as every other species of
vegetation, may be entered into without hurting the sensibility of
the most tender feeling, as plants and roots may be dissected with-
out those disagreeable sensations, which follow the dissection of

O 7

animals.

"Each secret spring, each organ let me trace,
That mock the proudest arts of human race;
Completes! toil from endless source that rose,
Each worth a world ; for eac!i the Godhead shows,"

/

>

';/>
'

DIGITALIS PURPUREA-FOXGLOVE,

CLASS, DIDYNAMIA ; ORDER, ANGIOSPERMIA.
NATURAL ORDER, SCROPHULARIACE.E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, five parted. Corol, bell form, five cleft,
ventricose. Capsule, egg shaped, two celled. SPEC. CHAR.
Sepals, ovate, acute. Corol, obtuse, superior lip entire. Leaves
rough and somewhat spear-shaped.

This genus contains many species, not one of which is American.
The generic name is derived from a word signifying thimble, in
allusion to the form of the flowers. Its common name is a cor-
ruption of Fairy's Thimble. This biennial plant is a native of
the mountainous and sandy regions of Europe. It has a simple
stem, leafy below, covered with light down, which induced the
poets to make it the emblem of YOUTH. The leaves are alternate,
of an oval, spear-shape, those from the root attaining a conside-
rable size. It flowers on a spike. Its corolla, says Lindley, is a
large, inflated body, with its throat spotted with rich purple, and
its border divided obliquely into five very short lobes, of which the
two upper are the smaller ; its four stamens are of unequal length ;
and the style divided into two lobes at the upper end. A number
of long, glandular hairs cover the ovary, which contains two cells
and a great quantity of valves.

Phillips remarks, that this beautiful but deleterious plant, which

so highly ornaments the banks of hedge-rows and borders of

oods, has been taken into the pleasure grounds to embellish the

22 FLO WERSAiND FRUITS.

shrubbery by its noble spikes of pendant flowers, which hang with
such peculiar grace from the spiral branches that they may be
compared to a tower of Chinese bells, balanced for the pleasure of
the Zephyrs. When these flowers advance from the calyx, they
are scarcely closed at the end by the four clefts of the corolla,
which meet so exactly as to prevent the admission of air until the
parts of fructification have arrived at maturity, at which period
the lips of the flower burst open in a bell or trumpet shape, dis-
playing the most beautiful leopard spots in the interior of the
flower. In this state the corolla remains for some days, until
the anthers have discharged their farina, when the mask drops
off that the sun may more readily ripen the seed vessels; but as
fresh flowers -continue to open in a regular succession, upwards,
from the month of June to September, the beauty of the plant
is continued for a longer period than most other towering flowers.

The covering of the parts of fructification, reminds us of
Flint's remarks, in relation to similar cases. Nature, says he,
is always modest, and when the mystery is accomplished and
the flower cup fecundated, the peduncle that sustains the flower
turns up again towards the sky. Its bower of love was con-
cealed ; but it shows the cradle of its children.

The leaves of this plant have a nauseous, bitter taste, but
uncommon scent; when dried their color should be of a lively
green ; a fortunate test of the care used in the process, as this
plant is now coming into extensive use. When given in large
doses, it has the remarkable property of almost instantly redu-
cing the action of the heart, lowering the pulse from seventy beats
in a minute to thirty, and even twenty-five ; and that too without
previously exciting it. There is a variety with white corollas, to
be seen sometimes in the gardens, which may be obtained by
retaining the seeds of the common Foxglove a year without
sowing them. Cowley says j

The Foxglove on fair Flora's hand is worn,

Lest while she gathers flowers, she meets a thorn*

CACTUS FLAGELLIFORMIS-CREEPINU CEREUS.

CLASS, tCOSANDRIA J ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, CACTACE.E.

GEW. CHAR* Calyx, superior, cut in many parts, piled over
each other. Petals, numerous, in many series, outer ones, smaller.
Stigma many cleft. Fruit, a berry, one celled, many seeded,
umbilicate. SPEC. CHAR. Creeping, rootftig, hispid; with ten
angles.

Lindley remarks, that these plants from the profusion of large,
richly colored flowers, with which their species are loaded, have
given the conservatories an air of magnificence which was quite
unknown till they were introduced. The species are in all cases
succulent, and with the exception of the Pereskias, destitute* of
leaves, in whose room the stem is either green, or leaf like, or, at
least, covered over writh a green integument, which has the
structure of the pulpy part of a leaf, and like it executes the office
of respiration. They are all destitute of true leaves, except when
they are just beginning to grow. Just at that time they do indeed
produce little succulent bodies, which we know to be rudiments of
of leaves ; but such parts drop off soon after they germinate, and
the only representatives they leave behind are the stiff, hooked,
spines, with which so many species are covered. The parts which
are mistaken for leaves in the Indian Fig, or some of the more
common species of Cereus, are only the flattened joints of the stem.

24 F L O W E 11 S A N I) F R U I T S .

The properties which Cactuses possess, of living where few
other plants can exist, sometimes renders them of great utility to
man. The Editor has seen them, in some of the islands of the
Caribbean Sea, prove eminently serviceable, at a time when nothing
else would flourish, and prepare the ground for other plants, when
sufficient rain would fall to allow those plants to vegetate. We
are told that on Mt. Etna, the Sicilians employ the same plan to
render such desolate regions susceptible of cultivation. The
Indian Fig, readily strikes into the fissures of the lava, and soon,
by extending the ramifications of its roots into every crevice of
the stone, and bursting the largest blocks asunder by its gradual
increase, makes it capable of being worked; and still more useful,
they sell the cooling fruits it produces, in considerable quantities,
and some of the varieties of which are considered to be of great

o

excellence.

The generic name is taken from the Greek, being used by
one of their writers to signify an unknown, spiny plant, which
was eatable, and therefore considered to apply to some of the
species of this genus.

Our species, the Creeping Cereus, has a roundish, somewhat
angular stem, generally about ten distinct angles, which is not
strong enough to support itself erect, and consequently weak and
trailing, and might, as a writer remarks, be taken, from its long
branches, for the tails of some animals, were it not for the gay
colored flowers these apparent tails push out from time to time.
The flower is of a beautiful rose color, varying little from a
fine, deep red, and continues for a long time in blossom, both
day and night. The whole plant is closely beset with spiny
bristles, making rough and careless handling rather dangerous.
From its very easy cultivation,, it is perhaps the best known of all
the Cactus tribe in the north, except the Prickly Pear, which
grows wild as far north as the Hudson, and is to be seen in all our
conservatories. It is the emblem of MODEST GENIUS.

PRJNUS DOMESTICA-PLUM TREE,

CLASS, IC03ANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGVNIA.

NATURAL ORDER, ROSACEJB. H V M 1

GEN. CHAR. Calyx five cleft, inferior. Petals five. Drupe with
a nut, having the sutures prominent. SPEC. CHAR. Peduncles sub-
solitary. Leaves lanceolate ovate, convoluted. Branches without
thorns.

In England this tree has received the emblem of the words KEEP
YOUR PROMISES, as it is every year covered with an immense quan-
tity of flowers, but unless a great deal of care is taken with it, and
pruned by the hands of an able gardener of all its superfluous wood
it will only yield fruit once in three years, and then but in an incon-
siderable proportion to its blossoms. Our own country, however,
is much more highly favored in this respect, and as a general rule
it grants all that we require.

This tree, the general ap-pearance of which is too well known to
need description, came originally from the East; it was brought
from Syria into Greece ; from thence taken to Italy and in the pro-
cess of time spread over the world. Our own country furnishes
very few fruit trees ; those of Africa are little known and imperfectly
cultivated; Europe like ourselves, owes them to importation, and
we must consequently look to the East for our choicest as well as
common kinds ; an additional proof that it deserves the name of

Garden of the World. Nearly one hundred varieties of this tree
D

26 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

are to be found in the British gardens, rather more in France, and
ovei forty in our own.

The dried fruit is the commercial form ; it is with us, a consider-
able article of trade. The prunes brought into our markets, come
from the south of France ; the ones generally preferred from Bor-
deaux ; they are derived from the Juliana of Linnaeus. The fresh
fruit called prune d# Saint Julieri by the French -is of an oval shape,
nearly an inch in length and of a deep violet color. They are
prepared for exportation by a careful evaporation of their watery
particles in the heat of an oven ; the process being finished by after-
wards exposing them till thoroughly dried in the Sun. The finest
prunes are prepared from the larger kinds ; among these the Prune
de Monsieur, the one represented in our plate takes the first rank.
The variety introduced from Germany is an inferior sort and held
in very low estimation ; they are somewhat smaller and more rough
to the tojich, and may be known by the dark, approaching to a
black, appearance which they present. , . , , ,

Plums have a pleasant feeble odor and a sweet mucilaginous
taste, just tart enough to make it the more agreeable ; this they owe
to the uncrystallizable sugar, malic acid and gum which they contain.
As this analysis gives a great quantity of the elements of alcohol,
the Germans have taken advantage of the fact, to make from the
fruit an excellent Brandy which in some districts is much employed ;
producing evil from good, and exactly reversing the example of the
Bee, which from .poisonous flowers extracts delicious and healthy
honey.

Our common Beach-plum, is much prized for its fine fruit ; this,
is large, globular, about an inch in diameter, of, a handsome purple
color, with the flavor of the common plum, and quite as worthy of
cultivation. It loves the sea, being always found near salt-wat.er.
It blooms in May. blossoms small and white; the fruit ripening in
August and September, .

$«,(<»«» ' /:

PAPAVER RHCEAS-RED POPPY,

CLASS, POLYANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA,

NATURAL ORDER, PAPAVERACE^E. i

GEN. CHAR. Calyx two leaved. Corolla four petaled. Cap-
sules one celled, opening by holes under the permanent stigmas.
SPEC; CHAR. Capsules urn-shaped, smooth. Stem hairy, many
flowered. Leaves, pinnatifid, incised.

••"..- r i

This is the type of the natural order that bears its name. Tm>
flower in its double state is one of extreme beauty, both on account
of its crumpled and delicate texture, elegance of shape and variety
in coloring ; some being perfectly white, others plain rose, blush
scarlet, or crimson ; and on others the pencil of nature seems to
have blended the dyes in the most finished style of coloring, with
petals thin as gossamer and double as the rose. This flower bursts
out of its confinement at maturity with considerable force, throwing

off the two leaved caducous calyx to some distance, and aston-

j •

ishing the beholder wljo .sees so large and so beautiful a corolla
escape from so small a dwelling. Its petals are frequently white,
with a delicate edging of scarlet or rose color, or red petals with
white edges, so variously diversified that two plants are seldom
alike in three flowers. Where this single kind abounds it denotes
a light and shallow soil, and it is singular that when such land is
oroken up in the spring and no Poppies whatever to scatter the
seed, this plant in Europe will be as sure to cover the ground the

28 F L O W E R S A N D F R U I T S .

ensuing spring as the White Clover in similar cases with ourselves.
t is naturalised in 'the United States, where its red flowers in June
will often make our plains glow. The ancients called it the CORN
ROSE, and thought it so necessary for the prosperity of their corn,
that the seeds were offered up in the sacred rites of Ceres, whose
garland was formed with barley or bearded wheat interwoven with
Poppies. They frequently mixed the seeds with their food, strewed
it over their bread, and also sent it to the table mixed with honey.
Phillips also tells us that the Persians sprinkle the seeds of Poppies
on their rice and wheaten cakes, which is also practised in Ger-
many, where the seeds are given as a cooling diet to singing birds.
This Poppy will thrive in any soil or situation ; but M. Pirolle tells
us the seeds should only be gathered from the most double kinds,
and that the capsules should be taken from the centre of the parent
stalk only. It is well adapted to ornament newly planted shrubbries,
or the foreground of larger flowering shrubs, as also to give a
gaiety to those parts of the parterre where the early flowers have
decayed. Almost all species of the poppy yields the narcotic juice,
in considerable quantities, that is used in the preparation of Opium ;
and as this substance is most frequently administered to procure
sleep and relieve pain, on this account it has been made the
symbol of CONSOLATION. The ancients who regarded sleep as the
grand physician and the great consoler of human nature, crowned
Morpheus with a wreath of poppies.

" From the poppy I have ta'en
Mortals' balm and mortals' bane,
Juice that creeping through the hear.
Deadens every sense of smart ;
Doomed to heal or doomed to kill,
Fraught with good or fraught with ill."

VERONICA BECCABUNGA-BROOKLIME,

CLASS, DIANDRIA ; ORDER POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, SCROPHULARCACE^E.

GENR. CHAR. Carolla five cleft ; wheelshaped with the lower
segment narrower. SPEC. CHAR. Racemes lateral. Leaves ovate

O

and flat, Stem repent.

Often in a country stroll the humble and quiet beauty of this plant
will rivet the attention, and despite the danger, tempt the observer to
leave his path to gather it ; a practice by the by, that taking into
consideration the fact that plants are living existences, is certainly
not the best adapted to encourage its brother tribes to show forth
their radiant beauties. Many a one in pursuing this flower has met
with unpleasant falls, and there are plenty of embryo botanists whose
hearts beat high with the hope to rival Linnaeus, and who until they
experienced some mishaps thought themselves competent to brave
all dangers, to whom this plant has proved the ports asinorum of
their favorite science.

Whoever has read the Pilgrim's Progress will remember how well
Mr. Fearing fared in the valley of humiliation, in the same way this
plant when allowed to pursue its own course, and entirely neglected
by the world, thrives best. In unfrequented wastes, in road-sides
if there happens to be some moisture present, in ditches and in neg-
lected gardens, coming to cheer what the others have forsaken, it
will be found early in the spring, the harbinger of a brighter and more
glorious race, who follow in the steps of their lowly predecessor, to

30 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

add beauty to the day. Very fortunately in our world every plant
seems placed just where it will be most appreciated and do the
most service, and this pleasant and modest looking sojourner will
light up its quiet nooks, with an air of grace and liveliness that is
exceedingly pleasant, producing at such times an effect quite equal
to the rose or lily in the conservatory. In wet weather its blossoms
are very apt to fly off.

The whole of the Veronica genus is thrown out of the pale of all
useful application. The one before us stood its ground the longest, but
was at last compelled to give way, as many others much better qual-
ified for the uses to which it was applied wanted its place. The
Materia Medica is already too large, beyond the grasp of any one
s practitioner, and ,it twill renders quits ^s immclj service . to: the interests
of science to prove the worthlessness of its insufficient articles, asjt
would to add new discoveries. Its place is consequently just where
it is presented, among the list of American wild flowers.

It is an exceedingly well marked flower, its three inner circles of
purple, red, and white, will not be easily forgotten by one who has
closely observed them, yet it is sometimes confounded with another
of the same genus, the V. Ghamedrys, and the distinction is the more
important to be observed as the latter has been proposed as a sub-
stitute of tea, and is often called The del 'Europe. This itself in turn
has been mistaken for the Myosotis palustris, the German forget-
nie-not, which we think it more than surpasses in beauty. Its
intense blue is absolutely radiant. It differs from the V. beccabunga
in being found on dry barren grounds and heath, its flower is much
larger, and it blossoms in June and July.

As our friend the brooklime carries the tricolor, we will take it for
granted that he is a true friend of liberty, and give him the emblem
accordingly.

RUBUS IDJ1US-RASPBERRY,

CLASS, ICOSANDRIA J ORDER, POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACES.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx five cleft. Petals five. Berry composed of
one-seeded acini. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves quinate, pinnate and
ternate, tomentose underneath. Petioles channelled. Stem prickly.

The Raspberry says Lindley, is a shrubby plant, having its stem
covered with hard, hooked prickles. The leaves are divided in a
curious manner, five being at one time and three at another upon a
stem, all covered on the under surface with a downy pubescence.
The calyx has five divisions ; there are five petals, inside of which
are numerous stamens arising out of the side of the calyx.' The
pistil is composed of a number of carpels, arising from a central
receptacle. It has a dry core, off which the little thimble like fruit
may be pulled. Little dry threads are seen rising from the centre of
a multitude of little projections, with which the whole surface 'is
covered. These are styles, and the projections out of which they
grow, are carpels in a ripe state. Instead of remaining dry, as they
become ripe these carpels swell, and acquire a soft pulpy coat,"
which in time becomes red '; they are crowded so closely that by
degrees they press upon each other, and at last all grow together
into' the thimble shaped part which is eaten. In order to gain this
succulent state they are forced to rob the receptacle of all its juice,
and in the end separate from it, so that when the fruit is gathered

32 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

the receptacle, under the name of core, is thrown away without the
remotest suspicion that this very receptacle, in a pulpy state,
forms the delicious Strawberry. In one case the receptacle robs
the carpels of all their juice in order to become gorged and bloated
at their expense ; in the other the carpels act in the same selfish
manner upon the receptacle.

The Raspberry is indigenous to the United States and Canada.
It is a shrub of rather low growth, varying from four to six feet in
height, and does not present a peculiarly inviting appearance. The
flowers, which are white, come out in May, in panicles or clusters,
and from the wood of the former year ; these are succeeded by the
fragrant, cooling fruit so much admired when mixed with sugar at
the dessert table. The root is perennial but the top is generally
biennial.

The expressed juice of the Raspberry mixed with sugar and
fermented, produces a fragrant wine of the most delicious flavor,
and which has effected considerable in bringing the plant into
notice. The various other uses to which it is applicable need not,
of course, a repetition here. It is said that a new variety, perpet-
ually bearing, has been found growing wild in Ohio, which is likely
to meet with a warm reception. We are told of another species in
the valley of the Columbia River, thrice the size of the common
kind, and of a delicate and rich yellow color. A moist rich soil
with considerable exposure, is recommended for making them pro-
duce abundantly. The rows should run from east to west, with the
taller sorts in the rear, and placed at some distance asunder; the
main object in all plantations being to give all the full benefit of
the sun. Three young plants should be placed on each hill, six
inches apart, so as to form a triangle ; cut at the time within a few
inches of the ground. In autumn all the weakly shoots and the
wood that has borne fruit, should be cut off. They are best at
three years old ; but must all be destroyed every six years. The
Raspberry is the emblem of PRUDERY.

L~^

TULIPA GESNERIANA-TULIP

CLASS, HEXANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, LILIACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Corolla, six petalled. Style none. Stigma thick.
Capsule oblong, three-sided. SPEC. CHAR. Stem one flowered,
sleek, without down, many colored, erect flower. Petals, obtuse.
Leaves lanceovate.

This gay flower, having been obtained from the Turks, was called
TULIPA, from the resemblance of its coralla to the eastern head-
dress, called Tulipan or Turban, and from hence our name of
TULIP, as well as that of the French, TULIPE, the Italian, TULIP ANO,
and the German, TULPE. Moore alludes to this similarity in his
Lalla Kookh.

What triumph crowds the rich Divan to day,
With turbaned heads of every hue and race ,
Bowing before that veiled and awful face,
Like TULIP-BEDS of different shape and dyes,
Bending th' invisible west wind's sighs.

Conrad Gesner, the German Pliny, was the first one who gave a
description of the Tulip ; and from its having been known in his
works, it was properly named after him. The Criterion of a perfect
Tulip of the late flowering kind, is that the stem should be strong,

elastic, and erect, and about thirty inches above the surface of the
E n»

34 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

bed. The flower should be large and composed of six petals ;
these should proceed a little horizontally at first, and then turn
upwards, forming almost a perfect cup, with a round bottom, rather
wider at the top. The three exterior petals should be rather larger
than the three interior ones, and broader at their base ; all the petals
should have perfectly entire edges, free from notch or serrature ;
the top of each should be broad and well rounded, the ground color
at the bottom of the cup, clear white or yellow, and the various
rich colored stripes, its principal ornament, regular, bold, distinct
on the margin, and terminating in fine broken points, elegantly
feathered or pencilled. The centre of each leaf or petal, should
contain one or more bold blotches or stripes, intermixed with small
portions of the original, or breeder color, abruptly broken into
many irregular obtuse points. Some florists are of opinion that
the central stripes or blotches, do not contribute to the beauty and
elegance of the Tulip, unless confined to a narrow stripe exactly
down the centre, and that it should be perfectly free from any
remains of the original or breeder color; it is certain that such
appear very beautiful and delicate, especially when they have a
regular, narrow feathering at the edge ; but the greatest connois-
seurs in this flower, unanimously agree that it denotes superior merit,
when the Tulip abounds with rich coloring, distributed in a distinct
and regular manner throughout the flower, except in the bottom of
the cup, which it cannot be disputed should be a clear, bright white
or yellow, free from stain or tinge, in order to constitute a perfect
flower. Tulip bulbs should be so allotted in grounds, as to embellish
those spots which are most deficient in flowers, at the season of
their blooming, which is confined to the months of May and June.
With the Persians it emblematizes a DECLARATION OF LOVE.
Chardin tells us, that when the young turbaned swains present a
Tulip to their mistress, it is their intention to convey the idea that
like this flower, they have a counteuance all on fire, and a heart
reduced to a coal.

•" w& '£&£**

s

MAGNOLIA GLAUCA-SMALL MAGNOLIA,

CLASS, POLYANDRIA ; ORDER, POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, MAGNOLIACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, three leaved. Corol, six or more petalled.
Capsules two valved, imbricate, seeds berried, hanging on long
cords. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves oval, whitish, green beneath.
Petals, egg form, smallest at base.

»

The whole tribe to which this belongs is celebrated for the
elegance of its flowers, the beauty of its foliage, the generally
majestic deportment and universal fragrancy that characterize the
species. Some of its flowers are fourteen inches in diameter, says
Nuttall, and the leaves three feet in length. The same writer ob-
served trees belonging to it of a smooth shaft of ninety feet, before
sending off any considerable branches; its spreading top, clothed
with deep green leaves, like the Laurel, and enlivened in most
seasons by large and fragrant flowers. The species we have
selected is more humble than its loftier brethren ; it varies in
height, from a mere bush to forty-five feet, owing entirely to the
soil in which it is placed ; as we sometimes see a number of them
together, exactly similar in wood, flowers, foliage, and fruit, yet
differing as much as we have mentioned in size, and the exam-
ination of the ground affording a ready solution.

Under the common names of MAGNOLIA, SWAMP SASSAFRAS,
BEAVER TREE, SWEET BAY AND WHITE BAY, it is known in

30 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

the Northern, Middle, and Southern States, where it widely
extends along the sea coast from the Bay of Massachusetts to East
Florida. It is generally seen as a low tree or shrub, with brittle,
white, smooth, branches, and covered with laurel like leaves,
whitish on their under surface, and rising from amongst this mass
of foliage, in the months of May, June, and July, according to its
situation, arises a great number of deliciously odorous, cup-shaped,
cream colored flowers; the great length of time in which they
continue to bloom adding to their value. The perfume may be
smelt at a considerable distance, and we are told that a few of
them shut up in a room over night communicate to the air a heavy
and insupportable odor. The bark has a bitter, aromatic taste,
resembling sassafras, which has occasioned the name ; and classed
it in medicine among the aromatic tonics.

The generic name was given in honor of Professor Magnol, a
celebrated botanist of Montpelier in France, and author of some
valuable works on that subject. The specific name, from the pecu-
liar whiteness of the leaves, which as the wind blows them causes
the tree to be known at a considerable distance. It loves swampy
grounds the best, and to make it grow in dry places it must be
raised from the seed.

In floral language it is made the emblem of BENEVOLENCE, for
as has been remarked, its cream colored flowers, and leaves with
a blueish bloom beneath them, are the signs by which Nature
points it out to the gatherers of the bark that cures the fevers so
frequent in the unhealthy swamps where it delights to grow. It
should teach us the lesson that if we improve Nature's gifts, and by
patient observation discover her secrets, we will find a remedy for
every disease, and be free not only from pain, but all its unpleasant
and debilitating consequences.

EPIGOEA REPENS-GROUND LAUREL,

CLASS, DODECANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ERICACEAE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, double, outer three leaved, inner five part-
ed. Corol, salver form ; border five parted, spreading ; tube villose
within. Capsule, five celled, many seeded. Receptacle, five parted.
SPEC. CHAR. Stem, creeping. Branches and petioles, very hirsute.
Leaves, cordate ovate, entire. Corol, cylindric.

This was formerly known as the Trailing Arbutus ; it was long
called such, but latterly, modern botanists have followed the popu-
lar name, which, from its resemblance to the Laurel, is certainly a
more appropriate appellation. It has a woody stem which though
not sufficiently strong to stand erect, is yet proud enough to keep
aloof from the common juicy vegetables, and claims affinity with its
more highly favored hard hearted brethren. It generally frequents
rocky woods, where it can easily be distinguished by its trailing
appearance and the extraordinary quantity of hair that covers it
on every part. The leaves are alternately placed with great regu-
larity, oblong and heart shaped, at the base. The buds appear in
early spring and bloom in April, continuing open sometimes to
the end of May ; the flowers vary from a pure white to a delicate
flesh color, deepening on this latter ground to a rosy and often de-
cidedly purple tint, depending somewhat on its situation with
regard to shade. They are beautifully arranged in terminal or

38 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

axillary clusters numbering from two to six, standing on very short
footstalks. The flower-cup is double, the blossom of a unique
salver form, larger than, and protruding from the cup ; partaking
internally of the universal hairy character of the plant, as do the
filaments which are inserted at its base, and the egg shaped germ ;
the anthers are long ; the style straight, terminating with a fine
pointed stigma. It gives off a peculiar and extremely fragrant
odor, which once perceived is never forgotten. This plant em-
blemizes Perseverance, though to how many others the same signi-
fication has been given it is difficult to discover, as the rules for
this branch of the science have never been laid down with sufficient
strictness, and many a one, we are sorry, to say, takes the liberty
of altering them to suit a passing whim. The most permanent,
are those derived from the east, which forming a part of, and
thoroughly incorporated with the oriental tongue, it would be im-
possible to change.

A writer has remarked that the hieroglyphics of the ancient
Egyptians abound in floral symbols, and from hence we may surmise
that the Greeks became accustomed to this figurated language.
Their poetical fables are full of the metamorphoses of their deities
into plants ; indeed, there was no flower to which their imagina-
tions had not affixed some meaning.; even to this day a young
Arcadian is seldom seen without his turban full of flowers, present-
ed to him by the beauty he admires, by the silent encouragement
of which, his hopes are kept alive ; and it forms one of the chief
amusements of the Greek girls to drop these symbols of their es-
teem or scorn upon the various passengers who pass their latticed
windows.

This is an American wild flower ; one too, dear to the heart of
every Nova Scotian, as it is the first that greets him to tell of
Winter's defeat ; often before the battle is won by Spring, it opens,
and ere the frost is out of the ground, peeps up from amidst the
snow.

jr

PYRUS COMMUNIS-PEAR TREE,

CLASS, 1COSANDRIA ; ORDER, DI-PENTAGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACES.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, five cleft. Petals, five. Pome, inferior,
five celled, many seeded. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves, ovate, serrate
Peduncles, corymbed.

This tree is a native of Europe, in every part of which it will
grow spontaneously, under the fifty-first parallel of North Latitude.
It succeeds well, to the great satisfaction of the agriculturist, in the
orchards of the United States; and is relied upon to flourish
wherever its neighbour the apple will grow. In a wild state its
branches are covered with thorns, but cultivation softens its
nature and turns the rough savage into a useful citizen, and the
sap that nourished its warlike equipment now is used in ripening
rich and delicious fruit. This well known and extensively culti-
vated tree, which is said to be thoroughly naturalized to the New
England soil, is of an elegant, pyramidal form, with obtuse leaves,
of a longish, oval shape, and minutely sawed around the whole
margin. The flowers, which are of a whitish red, sometimes each
color separately, come out in May, and are produced on the short
spurs of former years. The fruit is shaped very much like a decan-
ter, roundish and globular below and tapering to a narrow neck
above ; this is its general form, but there are some varieties that are
very nearly globular, others again the reverse and more cylindrical.

40 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

The germs of the Pear tree have a distinguishing characteristic,
differing from the Apple in a much less disposition to emit
suckers; that is when obstructed or bruised the irritation is less
likely to be sufficient to develope the embryo and cause the
sprouting of a fresh branch. It lives much longer than the Apple.
The good pear is known by its tender and liquifying pulp, melting
as it were in the mouth, plenty of juice and that of a sweet, slightly
spicy, flavor; not too much of this last, as that would make it as
it often does, quite unpleasant; the crisp and breaking pear is
another fine variety.

The generic name is derived from the Celtic, from which the
Latins adopted it; some consider the meaning of its original
derivation to be fire, others dispute this very strongly. The specific
name means common, and is of course unimportant. There are
few tribes of plants that bear cultivation as well as this, indeed
without it, it would be almost valueless ; but properly grafted and
well trained, the gardener receives a rich return for all his labors.
There are few species of Pears, but their varieties amply com-
pensate for this, being almost innumerable. The Romans had
only thirty-six varieties of the Pear, but in modern days, by some
experiments, two gentlemen in France, produced over eight
hundred varieties worth cultivation.

Pears to our knowledge have no medical properties, being used
principally for the table. The timber is valuable, heavy, compact,
and close grained, taking a fine polish, and when stained black,
resembling ebony ; it is consequently much employed in the manu-
facture of tool handles, and sometimes boxes. When we mention
that the leaves will give a good yellow dye, we have enumerated
all its properties. It is the emblem of COMFORT.

OF THE '

UKIVERSITY

uP

/

CAMPANULA ROTUNDIFOLIA-HAREBELL

CLASS, PENTANDRfA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, CAMPANULACEjE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx five cleft. Corol, bell-form, valves below,
with flattened stamens. Stigma, sometimes three, sometimes five
cleft. Capsules, three to five celled, opening by pores on the sides.
SPEC. CHAR. Glabrous. Leaves, springing from root, reniform
from top, entire and long. Flowers, few and nodding.

The generic name of this plant is derived from a word, signifying
a little bell, so called from the bell-shaped corollas of the genus.
This species is named from its round leaves, and as there are two
kinds on the plant, besides the fact, that the naming leaves are
often wanting, as well as early withered, the young botanist is very
apt to be confused when he examines it. This plant has a round,
straight, stem, which supports one or more flowers. The root-
leaves, are on long footstalks, when present, of a roundish, heart
shape, somewhat scolloped; the stem leaves are long, alternately
placed on the stem without the intervention of a footstalk. The
flowers are of a beautiful bluish purple, and hang gracefully ; the
broad, acute, segments of the corolla, turning boldly and fearlessly
outward. The style is longer than the stamens, projecting above
them. The usual place in which this plant is to be sought with a
prospect of finding, is in sandy, rocky, woods. It is perennial,
flowering in June and July.

42 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

Lindley remarks that the modest beauty of the Harebells, amply
recompenses us, for the absence of the gaudy, scented and often
venomous flowers of more southern climates. In the subject of
our plate we find the representative of an extensive natural order,
the species of which are scattered over all Europe, and the cooler
parts of Asia and America, dwelling in dells and dingles, by the
banks of rivers, in shady groves, on the sides of mountains, and
even on the summit of the lower Alps, where the last lingering
traces of vegetation struggle with an atmosphere, that neither
animal nor plant can well endure. We know this tribe only in its
humblest state, bedecked with no other ornament than a few purple
or blue nodding flowers; but in foreign countries it acquires a far
more striking appearance. On the mountains of Switzerland there
are species with corollas of pale yellow, spotted with black ; on the
Alps of India, are others of the deepest purple that can be con-
ceived ; on the rocks of Madeira lives one whose corollas are of
a rich, golden, yellow ; and finally, in the pastures of the cape of
Good Hope, are ROELLAS, the flowers of which are elegantly
banded with streaks of violet or rose, passing into white. In our
own land, in almost every shady wood, grows a diminutive herb,
with little grassy leaves, and a few bell-shaped, nodding flowers, the
true Harebell of the poets, and emblem of DELICATE SWEETNESS.

"There thou shall cull me simples, and shalt teach
Thy friend the name and healing powers of each,
From the tall Blue-bell to the dwarfish weed,
What the dry land, and what the marshes breed ;
For all their kinds alike to thee are known,
And the whole art of Galen is thine own.
Ah ! perish Galen's art, and withered be,
The useless herbs, that gave not health to thee."

ROSA CENTIFOLIA.-HUNDRED LEAVED ROSE.

CLASS, ICOSANDRIA J ORDEE, POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACEUE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, pitcher shaped ; five cleft, fleshy, contract-
ed at the neck. Petals, five. Seeds very many, hispid, fastened
to the inner side of the calyx. SPEC. CHAR. Fruit ovate, with
peduncles hispid. Stem hispid, prickly. Peteoles unarmed.

This rose is the emblem of the Graces, as they always wore a
wreath of it when following the Muses in ancient mythology. Cu-
pid picked up one which dropped from a coronal, and gave it as a
bribe to Harpocrates, the god of Silence ; from whence came the
custom of suspending it over the banqueting tables of conspira-
tors, in temples, and all other places where it was necessary to pre-
serve secrecy ; when this was done, all the subsequent proceedings
were considered " Under the Rose."

It is a general rule that the essential oil obtained from a flower
is in an inverse proportion to the strength of its odor ; the per-
fume of the hundred leaved rose is very weak, which makes it the
only one employed in purposes of distillation ; and 100 Ibs. of the
flowers yield 3-8 of an oz. of oil.

This species has prickly stems, which usually rise from three to
six feet in height ; its general appearance needs no particular de-
scription, as every person is well acquainted with it. The blos-
soms have been employed very extensively as a medicine, and the

44 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

appearance and perfume have always made them very popular in
common use, but instances have been known where very alarming
symptoms arose from their exhibition.

The leaf is used as the emblem of the sentence " I will not
trouble you," the idea of which originated in a very good oriental
story which is told as follows : There was an academy at Amadan,
whose statutes were couched in these terms. The Academicians
think much, write little and talk less. Dr. Zeb, celebrated all over
the east for his talents and learning, being informed of a vacancy
in the Academy, hastened to obtain it, but unfortunately arrived
too late. The Academy was lost in astonishment and despair ; they
had not thought of him, but had just granted that, to power, which
alone belonged to merit. The President not knowing how to ex-
press a refusal which reflected so much discredit on the assem-
bly, commanded a cup to be brought, which he so exactly filled
with water that one more dr.op would have caused it to overflow-
The learned candidate understood by this emblem, that there was
no place in the Academy for him. He was retiring in disappoint-
ment when he perceived a rose leaf at his feet. At this sight his
hope revived ; he took the rose leaf and placed it so gently on
the water which filled the cup that not a drop of it was lost. At
this ingenious feat every one clapped his hands, and the doctor
was admitted by acclamation among the members of the silent
Academy.

Some of the roses yield a fruit or hip which is sometimes used
in the form of a conserve, to serve as a vehicle for medicines. It
was formerly in high repute for this purpose, but is now seldom
employed. The generality of physicians of the present day give
the medicine without any cover, experience having convinced them
that as long as the palate is aware of its necessity, any attempt to
disguise the dose will in reality make it the more unpleasant to the
taste and less effective in its operation.

DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS-CLOVE CARNATION.

CLASS, DECANDRIA ; ORDER, DIGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, CARYOPHYLLACEJ3.

US.IVERSITY,

GEN. CHAR. Calyx cylindric, one leaved, with four scales at
the base. Petals five, with claws. Capsules cylindric, one celled.
SPEC. CHAR. Calycine scales, cylindric, very short. Petals
crenate.

The generic name of this family is derived from two Greek
words, meaning divine flower, on account of its preeminent beauty
and fragrance. They are all herbaceous evergreens, varying in
height from six inches to three or four feet. We are told that one
or more species, is native of every country in Europe, one is from
Asia, one from Africa, and one from America. Phillips remarks,
that these delightful flowers, which next to the Rose are now become
favorites with all our florists, have been raised from a small kind
of Red Clove Pink, belonging to Europe, s*ome say to England,
and evidently like the rest of its species, unknown to the ancients.
It was a flower of high estimation at the time of Queen Elizabeth,
in England, for we often find it celebrated by the poets of her
day; Spenser, who was remarkable for his care in retaining the
old manner of spelling, calls them CORONATIONS, probably be-
cause they were used on festive occasions, and from hence the
name of CARNATION seems a corruption. Some writers are of
opinion that they were called Carnation, after a flesh color so dis-
tinguished, while others with the most show of argument on their

46 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

side, suppose the color was so named from the tint of the Carnation
flower. The name of clove was given from its perfume being
similar to that spice, and the flower on that account, was frequently
used to flavor dainty dishes, as well as liquors, and also thought to
possess considerable medicinal properties. The perfect Carnation
should have a stem, strong, tall, and straight, not less than thirty,
nor more than forty-five inches in height; the footstalks supporting
each separate flower should be strong, elastic, and of a propor-
tionate length. The flower should be at least three inches in
diameter consisting of a great number of large, well formed, petals;
but neither so many as to give it a too full and crowded appearance,
nor so few as to make it appear too thin and empty. The petals
should be long, broad, and substantial, particularly those of the
lower or outer circle, commonly called the guard leaves ; these
should rise perpendicularly about half an inch above the calyx,
and then turn off gracefully in a horizontal direction, supporting
the interior petals which should gradually decrease as they ap-
proach the centre, and altogether forming a convex and nearly
hemispherical corolla. Colors perfectly distinct, and disposed in
long, narrow, stripes, broadest at the edge of the laminae, and
becoming narrower as they approach the claw. The propagation
is by layers and pipings for continuing approved sorts, and by seed
for procuring new varieties. The seeds should be sown about the
middle of May, in pots filled with compost, with a light mould just
sufficient to cover, scattered over them. When six inches high
plant them in the garden. Hogg says, if a florist raises six new
Carnations in his life time, he may be considered fortunate. When
increased by layers, do it when the plants are in full bloom.
When placed as ornaments in rooms, a small piece of nitre should
be added to the water, and a small piece of the flowerstalk cut off
each day, which will prolong their freshness a considerable time.
This plant is the emblem of DIGNITY.

<7

FRAGARIA VIRGMANA-AMERICAN STRAWBERRY

CLASS, ICOSANDR1A ; ORDER, POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACES.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx ten cleft. Petals five. Receptacle of the

seeds ovate, and like a berry. SPEC. CHAR. Calyx of the fruit

spreading. Petioles covered with erect hairs. Peduncles, pressed*
Leaves whitish, green on the upper surface.

This is an herb with three parted leaves, and a pair of large
membranous appendages at the base of the leaves. The veins of
the leaves are netted. When the Strawberry plant is about, to
multiply itself, it puts forth naked shoots of two sorts ; one of them
is prostrate on the ground, and ends in a tuft of leaves which root
into the soil, thus forming a new plant; or as it is technically
termed, a runner ; the other kind of shoot grows nearly erect, and
bears at its end a tuft of flowers which afterwards becomes fruit ;
or at least what is commonly called so. Tyas remarks that an
illustrious French writer, conceived the design of compiling a
general history of nature, in imitation of the ancients and some
moderns. A strawberry plant, which chanced to grow by his
window, dissuaded him from the design. On minutely observing it,
he discovered so much to learn and admire even in the Strawberry,
that he felt convinced the study of a single plant, with its habits,
would suffice to employ the lives of many learned men. He"
therefore abandoned his design, and wrote a book entitled Studies

48 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

from Nature, and in it gave the best history yet known of the
Strawberry. This humble plant delights to grow in our woods, and
to cover their borders with delicious fruit, which is the property of
any one who chooses to gather it. In the United States they are
great favorites, and every year presents us with new varieties,
vying with each other in size and flavor. The soil should be light,
warm and gravelly, without the least mixture of any thing, except
rotten leaves, decayed wood, and a small quantity of ashes. They
are transplanted in August, the old leaves cut off, leaving only those
in the centre ; and planted a foot apart. It may also be propagated
by seeds, which if sown immediately after gathering, will produce
plants, which will come into bearing the following year. It is made
the emblem of PERFECT EXCELLENCE. It is found at all seasons
of the year, amid the glaciers of the lofty Alps. When the sun
burnt traveller, oppressed with fatigue upon those rocks which are
as old as the world, vainly seeks a hut to rest himself, unexpectedly
he sees emerging from the midst of the rocks, troops of young
girls advancing towards him, with baskets of perfumed strawberries.
It seems as though each rock and every tree, were kept by one of
these nymphs, as placed by Tasso at the gate of the enchanted
gardens of Armida. As seducing, though less dangerous, the
young Swiss peasants in offering their charming baskets to the
traveller, instead of retarding his progress, give him strength to
pursue his journey. The Strawberry has the property of not
undergoing the acetous fermentation in the stomach, and its fruit
has sometimes restored to health, patients given over by every
physician. The celebrated Linnaeus, was cured of frequent attacks
of the gout by their use, a remedy that has since failed, however, in
almost every case, with others.

JASMINUM OFFICINALE-JESSAMINE,

CLASS, DIANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDE2, JASMINACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Corolla salver-form, five to. eight cleft. Berry
two-seeded, each seed solitary, arilled. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves
pinnate, opposite. Leaflets acuminate. Buds almost upright.

The name of this genus is derived from an Arabian word that
signifies perfect fragrance. It was introduced into England in 1 548,
and came to America with the early settlers ;» the lightness of its
branches and the delicate star like lustre of its flowers, and their
great abundance and lavishness of perfume, had made it too great
a favorite to be dispensed with. Its flexible branches form an
elegant covering for our trellised arches and windows, realizing
with every breath of air, the atmosphere of Araby the blest.
From its property of accommodating itself to all circumstances,
enduring the various extremes of heat and cold, and being still the
same happy, useful and agreeable being, by universal acclamation
it has received the signification of Amiability. Its flowers, which
are the favorite resort of the gay and painted butterfly, which is
never seen to greater advantage than when sipping honey out of its
perfumed cups, are in bloom from June to October.

Robert Tyas says that this beautiful plant grew in Hampton
Court garden at the end of the seventeenth century ; but being lost
there, was known only in Europe in the garden of the Grand Duke
G

fiO FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

of Tuscany, at Pisa. From a jealous and selfish anxiety, that he
should continue to be the sole possessor of a plant so charming
and so rare, he strictly charged his gardener not to give a single
sprig or even a flower, to any person. This gardener might have
been faithful if he had not loved ; but being attached to a fair,
though portionless damsel, he presented her with a boquet on her
birth day ; and in order to render it more acceptable, ornamented
it with a sprig of Jessamine. The young maiden, to preserve the
freshness of this pretty stranger, placed it in the earth, where it
remained green until the return of spring, when it budded forth, and
was covered with flowers. She had profited by her lover's lessons,
and now cultivated her highly prized Jessamine with care, for which
she was amply repaid by its rapid growth. The poverty of the
lovers had been a bar to their union ; now however she had amassed
a little fortune, by the sale of the cuttings, from the plant which love
had given her, and bestowed it with her hand upon the gardener of
her heart. The young girls of Tuscany in remembrance of this
adventure, always deck themselves on their wedding day with a
nesegay of Jessamine ; and they have a proverb, that she who is
worthy to wear a nosegay of Jessamine, is* as good as a fortune to
her husband. The oil of Jessamine, was formerly celebrated in
Italy as a specific for rheumatism and paralysis, at present its only
use is to perfume. It is obtained by alternating layers of cotton,
saturated with oil of benne, and exposed in a covered vessel to the
heat of the sun ; the flowers are renewed, till the oil becomes
impregnated with their odor, when it is separated from the cotton
by pressure.

CHERIOSTEMON PLANTANOIDES-HAND FLOWER TREE-

*

,

CLASS, MONADELPHIA ; ORDER, PENTANDRIA.
NATURAL ORDER, STERCULIACEJE.

GEN. and SPEC. CHAR Calyx sub-campanulated, five parted
Bracteas three, deciduous. Stamens five, filaments united at the
base into a cylinder, separated about the middle of their length, in
the form of a bird's claw or monkey's hand. Style one, with an
acute stigma. Capsule woody, with five cells, oblong, containing
many small seeds.

The beauty and rare configuration of this flower, has long made
it celebrated over the botanical world. In an excellent work by
Jacquin, professor of botany at Vienna, on the choice plants of
America, he enumerated this as one of the most curious and
wonderful; from which notice it became generally known, and
great numbers of these plants were ordered from Mexico, and
cultivated in the gardens of Europe. We find in the narratives
of the travels of those whom the love of adventure, incited to
explore 'the fairy regions of the New World, strange accounts of
the tree, that carried a red flower in the months of September and
October, formed so mysteriously in the figure of a hand, that the
palm, joints, nails, and every other part were copied as exactly,
some said more so, than the most skilful sculptor could have done ;
and many times, Unged with a spirit of the marvellous, showing that
they fully credited the accounts given by the Mexicans of its
supernatural origin.

This tree, from the peculiar character of its flower, had the

62 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

name, given it of MACPALXOCHIQUAUHITL, by the ancient Mexicans ;
the Spanish botanists, replaced this name by three words derived
from the Greek, meaning the same thing. Dr. Hernandez, from
whom we have copied the description, tells "us that it rises from
twelve to twenty-five feet in height, giving off branches which, as well
as the leaf and flower-stalks that in turn rise from them, are of a dull
reddish color.' It has a thick, gross, woody root, running horizon-
tally and branching, the fibres sent off from it being of the most
extreme delicacy and fineness ; the whole covered by a cuticle of
a dull obscure color, that easily peels from off its bark. This last is
yellowish on the outside, and white within, of a woody nature, but
on exposure to the air a deep yellow color is acquired by the
whole surface. The branches are given off regularly and alternately,
they are large long and spreading, the older ones tortuous, when
young of a roundish shape ; streaked upon the surface with divers
lines which break off and change in every direction, covered with
a down of an ashy grey color, which is most thick and sensible at
the extremities, either by its great density or the ocreish color it
acquires at these parts. The leaf-stalks are round and thick, rather
tapering, from four to eight inches in length, or about as long as the
leaves, covered like them with down, and alternate, bearing a from
five to seven lobed leaf of a bright glossy green on the upper
surface, but light reddish from the down on the under, which
color is still more prominent in the veins. The appendages
at the base of the leaf-stalks are glossy, a little fleshy, reddish, bent
over, covered with down, half an inch in length and easily detached.
The flowers are supported on short, compressed, downy footstalks,
are in clusters at the ends of the branches, simple, and from six to
eight together ; on the declivities of the barren hills of Toluca, its
native home, it flowers at the commencement of winter, and
continues in bloom from November to February. The leaves are
retained the whole year. The wood is loose and fragile and merits
no attention. In floral language we have given it as the Symbol ot
WAHNING.

n v

ASTER CHINENSIS-CHINA ASTER.

CLASS, SYNGENESIA ; ORDER, POLYGAMIA SUPERFLUA.
NATURAL ORDER, COMPOSITE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, imbricate, inferior, scales spreading. Egret,
simple, pilose. Receptacle, mostly deep pitted. SPEC. CHAR.
Leaves ovate, coarsely toothed, stalked. Cauline leaves, sessile,
wedge-formed at base ; floral leaves, spear-shaped entire. Stem,
hispid ; branches, with single heads.

The numerous family of radiated flowers were named Aster, from
the Greek, signifying Star. The French, says Phillips, call this
autumnal flower REINE MARGUERITE, Queen Daisy. The Chinese
generic term for this flower is KEANG NAM FA. The European
parterres, and in turn our own, are indebted to the missionary,
Father D'Incarville, for the gay robe which this various colored
flower throws over them during the latter months of Flora's reign ;
he having sent the seeds from China to the Royal Garden of Paris,
about the year 1730, where the plants produced only simple flowers
of one uniform color, but which, through cultivation and change of
soil, soon became so doubled in petals and so various in colors as
to form one of the principal ornaments of the flower-garden, from
July to November. The Chinese display a taste in their arrange-
ment of these star-formed flowers, that leaves our florists far in the
back-ground. Let imagination, says Phillips, picture a bank
sloping to a piece of water, covered with these gay flowers, so dis-

54 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

posed that they rival the richest patterns of the carpets of Persia,
or the most curious figures in filagree, the artist can devise — see
these reflected in the liquid mirror below, and some idea of the en-
chanting appearance which these brilliant stars are thus made to
produce, can be conceived.

When the seed of the China Aster cannot be depended upon, as
to what colored flower it may produce, the plants should be kept in
a nursery bed until the first flower is expanded sufficiently to ascer-
tain its hue, and then with a transplanting spade they may be re-
moved to such parts of the parterre as we wish to embellish with
any particular hue, or to sites where we intend to display the art
of grouping colors. These plan/s should be allowed sufficient room
to extend their branches, but at the same time be planted so near
each other as to hide the earth, and form but one mass of flowers ;
and they may be planted on the spot where " spring's earliest visit
is paid ;" for by the time these annuals require transplanting, most
of the early flowering bulbs will have been taken out of the ground.

It is recommended to preserve the seeds from the flowers of the
centre or principal stem only, as those on the lateral branches are
never so large or so double, and consequently produce inferior
plants. The bow of Iris may be imitated by planting these flowers
in regular shades ; but this must be on a large scale, and sloping
ground, or the effect will be trifling. It may be performed in plan-
lations of young shrubs, before they have acquired a size to cover
the ground, as the crescent, being interrupted or broken in its pro-
gress by the shrubs, will rather add to, instead of lessening the
effect. The upper side of the bow should be finished by a line of
yellow Marigolds. No flower is so appropriate to plant in abund-
ance in the shubberry as this, as it forms the best contrast with the
autumnal tints of shrubs and trees In floral language, the China
Aster is the emblem of VARIETY.

BROMELIA ANANAS-PINE APPLE,

CLASS, HEXANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, BROMELIACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, tripid. Petals, three, a honey bearing
scale at the base of each petal. Berry, three celled. SPEC. CHAR.
Leaves, fringed with spines, mucronate. Spike comose.

This is the type of a natural order of American plants chiefly
belonging to tropical regions. The leaves are sheathing, usually
springing from the root. A perianth of three sepals and three
petals, and six stamens, varying in point of insertion. Germen
simple, with one style, and a three cleft stigma. Three celled and
three valved fruit; the seeds with mealy albumen.

Linnaeus named this genus after a countryman of his, Olaus
Bromel, the author of several botanical works. It is a native of
Brazil, Peru, and Mexico ; and is now universally diffused over
the civilized world. It flourishes in Europe, as far north as Naples,
when unprotected, and in America in the Bermudas. Loudon
considers it a much more hardy plant than we generally imagine,
and says, it will bear degrees of heat and cold which would
destroy the foliage of both the vine and grape in a state of
vegetation. We are told that the Peruvians, among whom the
Europeans first found it, called it NANAS, and from hence was
derived the European name Ananas. There are upwards of twenty
species of this tree, and a great number of varieties.

56 FLO W E II S AND FRUITS.

Our species, represented in the plate, is an herbaceous, perennial
plant, from three to six feet in height. The leaves, which spring
from tli3 root, are of a leathery consistence, deeply channelled, and
of a long, narrow shape, furnished with spines or prickles on the
edges, thus presenting us with the idea of a regiment of soldiers
armed with sharp spears, to protect the precious fruit within.
Within this protecting array rises the scape or flower stem from
the root. On this scape as on an axis spring forth a number of
sessile flowers, which after the process of fructification is comple-
ted, produce soft, fleshy fruits, which lying so near each other
become crowded, and at last joined together, the small protu-
berances on the surface being the only traces of their ever
having existed separately. The scape terminates . in a crown of
leaves, which surmounts the whole. This agglomerated fruil bears
some resemblance to pine cones. For richness of flavor the
fruit is considered as unrivalled, its flavor having been described
like that of strawberries mixed with wine and sugar. We are told
that the White Providence variety, weighs from six to fourteen
pounds. It is propagated by seeds when new varieties are requir-
ed; but cultivation tends to diminish these so completely, that as
a general rule they entirely fail, and the plant can be propagated
only by the crown or suckers. Cultivators should remember that
it requires much heat and moisture. Tyas in giving the Pine
Apple the emblem of You ARE PERFECT, remarks; the fruit of
this plant, surrounded by its beautiful leaves, and surmounted by a
crown in which the germ of a plant is concealed, seems as though
it were sculptured in massy gold. It is so beautiful that it appears
to be made to please the eyes, so delicious, that it emits the
various flavors of our best fruits, and so oderiferous, that we
should cultivate it, if it were^mly for its perfume.

{(UNIVERSITY

AQUILEGIA CANADENSIS-WILD COLUMBINE,

CLASS, POLYAXDRIA ; ORDER, PENTAGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, R VNUNCULACE.*.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx none. Petals five. Nectaries five horned,
between the petals. Capsules five, distinct. SPEC. CHAR. Horns
straight. Stamens exsert. Leaves decompound. Growing fre-
quently in the crevices of rocks.

Carrying out the idea that familiarity induces contempt, we arc
too apt to conceive that what can be had and seen at any time, is
worth but little, and give it in consequence about as much attention
as we suppose it's value entitles it to receive. How few among us
care to notice the wild flowers of our country ; not that they want
beauty, for did this come from a foreign clime no expense would be
spared to cherish and preserve it, but being so close to our homes it
is overlooked in consequence of that very nearness that should make
us love it the more. We are not alone in this respect. Gerard says
that the Goldenrod was formerly considered an excellent vulnerary ;
and the English imported it at half a crown an ounce. But since
it has been found in Hampstead wood, even as it were at this town's
end no man will give half a crown for a hundred weight of it.

This genus of plants takes its name from the shape of its leaves,
which retain water (aqua, water, and lego, to gather.) We mention
this more particularly as we notice its derivation being given in a

number of the botanies from Aquila an eagle. It is an herbaceous
H

58 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

climbing plant containing an acid watery juice. This is our common
coral colored flowering species, the scarlet flowers of an exceedingly
rich and brilliant hue, unapproachable by any flower of its kind, hang
pendulous, with the styles and stamens projecting out of the sheath,
the orange and scarlet showing each other in bright relief, forming,
more especially in rocky situations, one of the most elegant vernal
ornaments of the season. It has long been an inhabitant of the rus-
tic flower border, but is more commonly found in the open places of
forests or in extensive woods.

There is something peculiar about this plant, that tells its rela-
tionship to North America, an expression of joyous beauty that
belongs no where else. Linnaeus observed that every country
exhibited a botanical character peculiar to itself, and that a practical
botanist, can usually at the first glance distinguish the plants of
Africa, Asia, America and the Alps ; but it is not easy to tell how
he is able to do this. There is a certain character of sulleness, and
gloom, and obscurity in the plants of Africa ; something lofty and
elevated in those of Asia ; sweet and smiling in those of America ;
while those of the Alps seem rigid and stunted.

After flowering the fruit becomes erect, it has assumed the most
showy position, but its attention must now be turned to take care of
the fruit and insure its protection. The fashionable belle becomes a
mother, the nursery instead of the ball room employs her time. It
is perennial, flowering in April and May.

Though this early flower is more delicate in its habits and colors
than the common garden species, it is yet often confounded under
the same emblem — Folly. Why the common variety obtained the
name it is very hard to say, some affirming that it is on account of
its nectary, which turns over in a similar manner to the caps of the
ancient jesters, while others suppose it to be owing to the party
colors it always assumes.

BOBAGO OFFICINALIS-BOBAGE-

CLASS, PENTANDRIA J ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, BORAGINACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Corolla rotate, throat closed with rays. SPEC.
CHAR. All the leaves alternate. Calyx spreading.

More than one fourth of the vegetable kingdom produces flow-
ers with five stamens ; and although part of them belong to another
class on account of their union at the base, yet enough remains to
make this the largest by far of all the Linnasan classes. It presents
withal a good example of the imperfection of this useful and cele-
brated system. We have in it side by side, useful medicines,
nutritious vegetables and deadly poisons ; the small herb and the
large tree ; and scents and colors equally diversified. The potato
and stramonium ; the egg plant and tobacco ; coffee and henbane ;
mandrake and currants, peruvian bark, elm, gentian, carrot, &c.,
&c., all rank in one class together.

Our species, the Borage, is the type, and gives the name to the
natural order, which comprises herbs and shrubby plants, with
round stems and alternate rough leaves ; the flowers often in one
sided clusters, which are spiral before expansion. The flower cups
have five permanent leaves, more or less united at the base regu-
larly ; the blossoms are regular, the limb often five lobed, with
a row of scales in the throat. Stamens as many as the lobes of
the blossom., ancj alternate with them. They are all innocent mu-

60 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

cilaginous plants, slightly astringent, and used pretty much in
coughs and colds. Several of them are very showy, and cultiva-
ted for the fragrance of their flowers.

It is an annual plant abounding with juice, one or two feet high,
and covered with down or fur in great quantities. It came origi-
nally from Britain, where it is now held in high estimation, being
used in great quantities to make a grateful summer beverage
known by the name of cool tankard. In France it has attained
great celebrity. An infusion of the flowers and leaves sweetened
with honey, forms a syrup that is much used in inflamatory fevers
and affections of a similar character. It is not, however, very
powerful in its mode of operation, which can be easily judged
from the fact that its expressed juice has been given frequently
in as much as four ounces at a time. A poultice of the flowers
has been used as an emollient. The distilled water and extract
that was formerly prepared from it, being found to contain nothing
but the properties of common wood, have fallen into disuse. The
stem and leaves containing considerable quantities of nitrate of
potassa, gives it a rather cooling property.

It is very common in the United States, and can he seen in almost
every garden, cultivated however, merely for the beauty of its
flowers. The plant grows somewhat higher than in the old coun-
tries, and is rather more hairy. In July its blossoms adorn the
garden ; its corolla is shaped like a wheel, of a light and beautiful
blue color, having its throat closed with fine small protuberances ;
the stamens are attached to the base of the corolla, which we are
directed to take ofF very carefully to see the little scales that .choke
up its throat, and the manner the stamens adhere to it. Its bright
blue stars have procured for it the emblem of Talent.

ROSA RUBIGINOSA-EGLANTINE,

CLASS, ICOSANDRIA ; ORDER, POLYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACEJB.

GEN CHAR. Calyx, pitcher-shaped, five cleft, fleshy, contracted
at the neck. Petals, five. Seeds, very many, hispid, fastened to
the inner side of the calyx. SPEC. CHAR. Germ, egg-shaped.
Leaf and flower stalks, glandular, hispid. Stem, glabrous.
Prickles, scattered. Leaflets, five or seven, ovate, minutely cut
on the margin, sub-glandular beneath.

The specific name of this plant is derived from a word mean-
ing rusty, on account of the rough appearance of the under side
of the leaves. It is common in the United States, where it is /-"'
known as the WILD BRIAR ROSE, SWEET BRIAR AND HEP TREE.
This universal favorite of the poets, whose breath Dryden thought
could relieve any degree of sickness, exhales a pleasing and
powerful perfume, which is more intense in the morning than
at any other time; the dew seeming to excite the odorous
secretion. The little factories or glands for the manufacture
of its essential oil, to which of course its fragrance is owing,
are diffused not only in the flowers but leaves, so that all parts
are highly scented. It has a branching stem, strongly armed with
prickles, rising to the height of three or four feet, as we gene-
rally see it in a sandy or rocky situation ; but transferred to a
rich garden soil and carefully cultivate^, the thorns rapidly

62 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

diminish, it becomes less branching and more erect, the flowers, in
common with all cultivated ones, change their threads or filaments
into blossom leaves, the whole increasing in size, and the plant
altered in every respect vies in beauty and portliness with any
thing in our shrubberies.

Its sweet red, sometimes beautifully shaded with clear white
flowers, make their appearance in the months of June and July,
and these are succeeded in the autumn by the scarlet, egg-shaped,
berries, sometimes rough, but more often smooth and shining, and
which continue during the winter as valuable an ornament, accord-
ing to the opinion of some, at that season as at any other. As we
have mentioned, it is generally found in rocky and dry, sandy
grounds, sometimes in the fields and by the road sides. In floral
language it is the emblem of GENIUS, from the beauty and
fragrance of its flower, and the long continuance as well as equal
beauty of its fruit. Wordsworth, makes it say to the waterfall;

"You stirred me on my rocky bed,
What pleasure through my veins you spread,

The summer long from day to day.
When spring came on, with bud and bell,

Among these rocks did I,
Before you hang my wreaths, to tell,

That gentle days were nigh.
And in the sultry summer hours,
J sheltered you with leaves and flowers,
Though now of leaf and flower bereft,
Some ornaments to me are left ;

Rich store of scarlet hips is mine,
( With which I in my humble way,

Would deck you many a winter's day,

A happy eglantine.';

CORNUS CANADENSIS-PIGEON BERRY

CLASS, TETRANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDEK, CORNACEjE.

GEN. CHAR Calyx four toothed. Drupe with a two celled nut.
Some species have a four leaved involucrum. SPEC. CHAR. Her-
baceous. Leaves at the top whorled, veiny. Involucres ovate, acu-
minate. Fruit globose.

The natural order, to which this belongs, is exceedingly well
marked and peculiar. It is composed mostly of trees or shrubs with
the leaves almost always opposite, without any appendages at their
base. The flowers are umbrella like in their aspect, but much
subdivided and irregular; having their cup attached to the outer
covering of the germ ; the very small limb four toothed. The stam-
ens which are four, alternate with the petals : the stlyes being united
in one. It is now becoming generally known that the trees which
yield the Peruvian bark are becoming more and more scarce, so that
we may reasonably anticipate before many years, an entire failure
in its supply. The interests of both Medicine and Commerce were
loo deeply involved to delay diligent search being made for a substi-
tute, which this order many suppose will provide. They are all
remarkable for their bitter and astringent bark, from which Cornine,
a principle analagous to Quinine is obtained.

The genus takes its name from Cornu, a horn, because the wood
is hard and durable like that substance ; applied to the species before

64 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

us it is of course a misnomer. In other respects however, it is almost
exactly similar to the Arborescent Dogwood, the type of both order
and genus. This humble dwarf Cornel is a very handsome plant,
rising from four to six inches above the surface of the ground ; it has
a creeping root which sends up at near intervals simple ascending
stems terminating in a ring of six oval leaves, two of which are lower
and larger. Each single cluster, or head, or umbel of flowers is
surrounded by a large white common flower cup of four leaves,
which is by the inexperienced generally taken for the blossoms of
a simple flower. It is in flower from May to July, bearing afterwards
• red globular berries or drupes ; these last appear more innocent in
their nature than any other part of the plant, for we are told that in
seasons of great scarcity when no other food can be procured by
them, the Indians will eat this fruit together with lichens from the
rocks ; passing by and rejecting even at such time, the more saped
fruits like those of the raspberry, accounting all unwholesome that
have not solid food in them. This American wild flower emblema-
tizes INL>U TERENCE, or a changed heart.

Such love, by flattering charms betrayed,

Shall yet indignant, soon rebel
And blushing for the choice he made

Shall fly where humbler virtues dwell.

'Tis then the mind, from bondage free

And all its former weakness o'er,
Asserts its native dignity

And scorns what folly prized before.

CARTWRIOHT.

CACTUS TRUNCATA-COMMON CACTUS,

CLASS, ICOSANDRFA J ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDEP., CACTACE.E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, superior, cut in many parts, piled over each
other. Petals, numerous, in many series, outer ones smaller. Stig-
ma, many cleft. Fruit, a berry, one-celled, many seeded, umbilicate.
SPEC. CHAR. Branched. Joints, short, oblong, truncated.

The greater number of these plants, observes Lindley, grow in
hot, dry and rocky places, where they are exposed for many months
of the year to the fiercest beams of a tropical sun, without a pos-
sibility of obtaining from the parched and hardened soil, more than
the most scanty supply of necessary food. Under such circum-
stances plants of an ordinary structure would perish ; but Cactuses
have a special power of resisting heat and drought, and like the
camel, they carry with them a supply of water for many, not days,
but months. When the soil around is saturated with moisture by
the rains, they grow fast, and all the little cavities in their tissue, of
which there are countless millions, are filled with liquid nourishment,
and they may be literally said to gorge themselves with nourishment.
Then when the rains cease, and the air dries up, and the Spirit of the
desert reassumes his withering dominion over their climate, Cactuses
are in the most robust health, and their cells are filled with provision
against scarcity. But now, were they only protected by a thin cuti-
cle, the evaporable matter would be soon exhaled, and an early death

66 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

be the inevitable result. Such indeed is the lot of all the gay com-
panions of the Cactus, to whom nature has given no means of en-
during the hardships to which their lot exposes them ; their leaves
rapidly consume the stores deposited in the stems, their stems turn
in vain to the roots for a renewed supply, for after but a little while
the arid earth has nothing to part with, and then the leaves wither
and fall off, the stems shrink up and crack with the dry heat, and
the roots themselves, in many cases, follow the same fate. With
Cactuses this is different ; they have so rough and thick a hide that
what liquid substances they contain can only pass through it in
minute quantities ; the breathing pores of their surface are com-
paratively few, and so small as to act with extreme slowness when
the air is dry ; so that in proportion to the aridity of the air, and
the heat to which such plants are exposed, is their reluctance to part
with the food they contain. They digest and re-digest it, with ex-
treme slowness, and may be truly said to live upon themselves during
all those months they cannot feed upon the soil or the atmosphere,
The species represented in our plate, belongs to the showy and
more thin-skinned of the genus, and consequently these remarks,
though they hold good with it, do not apply so particularly as to many
of the others ; it does not need a minute description, its truncated
appearance being about the only distinguishing trait. The hand-
somest species known is the Speciosissimus, an importation of a
recent date, from Brazil, probably the most magnificent species
known ; the flowers are extremely large, of a bright scarlet color,
and remain in bloom some days. We have seen in South America
the Cactus Cochinillifer, upon which the insect that gives name
to the plant feeds ; whole plantations are cultivated purposely to
obtain these insects, which always command a ready and profitable
sale, as it forms the richest and most durable dye of its color,
known. It is the emblem of GRANDEUR.

UNIVERSITY

TRILLIUM PICTUM-PAINTED TRILLIUM.

CLASS, HEXANDRIA J ORDER, TRYGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, MELANTHACE^E

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, three leaved, inferior, spreading. Corol,
thiee petalled. Styles none. Stigmas three. Three celled,
superior, many seeded berry. SPEC. CHAR. Peduncle somewhat
erect. Petals, oval, spear-shaped, recurved, twice as long as the
calyx. Leaves ovate, taper pointed, roundish at the base, abruptly
contracted into a short petiole.

The whole Trillium tribe, to which this plant belongs, may be
recognised at once by three marks; in the first place they have no
bulbs, but in their stead a solid knob or subterranean stem; sec-
ondly, their anthers are turned away from the stigma, splitting, and
emitting their pollen on the side next the petals; and lastly, the
three carpels out of which the three celled ovary is constructed,
are separated at their points, so that there are always three styles
instead of one, and these signs, slight as they are, Lindley remarks,
are the points in which this poisonous tribe differs from the harm-
less Asphodels and Lilies. They may appear slight, he observes,
and we may wonder why such trifling distinctions should serve to
distinguish poisonous from wholesome tribes ; but with consider-
ations of the causes of such a fact we have no concern ; all
that it imports us to know, is that Providence has distinguished
them by such minute marks, and has thus provided man with
safe and unerring guides, if he will but earn how to follow them.

68 ^ FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

The plant which is the subject of our article, has been noticed
as one of the most curious of our vernal flowers, from the preva-
lence of the magic number three in all its parts of fructification.
It has three styles, three petals, and three leaves on a stem, and
is in fact, as Nuttall remarks, the European herb Paris, lacking a
fourth part throughout its structure, for in this the number four
prevails with as much regularity as the triple quantity in the
Trillium. With the exception of one trifling species which has
been found in Siberia, the whole genus is exclusively American,
and confined to the northern part of the continent. It is
perennial.

This plant loves the shade, so placed however that it can
enjoy occasional glimpses of the sunshine, and it is to be met with
most frequently in our woods, by the sides of mountains, and now
and then at the bases of large rocks. The flowers come out in
the month of May, and often continue to the middle of June. The
blossoms are of a clear white color, serving as a beautiful relief
to the stripes of purple at the base ; they have a waved, undulate
appearance at the edge. With one exception this is the hand
somest species of the genus. The flowers of the Nodding Trillium
are hid from sight, bending down beneath the bosom of the leaves
so as to be sheltered by them ; those of the Erect Trillium would
equally accommodate the observer by pursuing the same plan, as
their dull brown purple color, and offensive smell, do not make
them pleasing objects, but the Large Flowering Trillium which
sends out in June beautiful white flowers, which undergo a curious
and striking change to red, and succeeded by pretty dark purple
leaves, which equally adorn the plant, has secured it as the emblem
of MODEST BEAUTY, which expression formerly required, in floral
language, the union of the Violet and Rose.

CELOSIA CRISTATA-COCKSCOMB,

CLASS, PENTANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYN1A.
NATURAL ORDER, AMARANTHACE-dE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, triphyllous, like the tentapetalous corolla
in appearance. Stamina united at their base to a plaited necta-
rium. Capsule opening horizontally. SPEC. CHAR. Flowers pen-
tandrous, in decompound, erect, clustered racemes ; leaves, ovate
lanceolate.

The flowers of this plant are so numerous and small, and withal
so closely set together on an irregular flattish surface, that it
frequently looks more like a piece of rich velvet than a vegetable
substance. It is a native of several parts of Asia, and is common
in Persia, China and Japan, where we are informed it is cultivated
to such perfection, that the heads or crests of the flowers are fre-
quently a foot in length and breadth. The generic name is derived
from the Greek word brilliant ; or as some suppose, from another
very similar to the first, meaning to enchant.

The name of the tribe signifies not to wither, because many of
the species retain their form and color when dried. The specific
name is given it from the form of its crested head of feathers ;
there are many varieties in form and color which spring from the
same seed. You must sow this in spring ; and when the plant is
about six inches high, put it in pots where it must remain. Its
magnificent plumes will amply repay the trouble in July and Au-

70 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

gust. The seed does not fully ripen until late in the autumn.
They are all annuals. A great many of them are mere weeds ;
but a few species are cultivated for their richly colored enduring
flowers, among which, with the exception perhaps of the tri-color,
this is by far the most remarkable.

From its continuance after death for such a long period in form
and color, it has ever been considered the emblem of immortality ;
and poets from the earliest times have delighted to sing its praises.
Milton tells us that the crowns of the angels are of gold enwoven
with this flower ; and that though once growing by the side of
the tree of Life in Paradise, it was too precious a flower to leave
there after man's transgression, and was accordingly transplanted
to Heaven to bind around the angels brows. He does not tell us
how it returned to earth ; it makes little difference however in
regard to its history ; for as far as we are concerned, it might
have stayed there without much loss to us. The foreheads of the
gods were adorned with it, as the ancients associated its name
with supreme honors. It has been mingled with the dark and
gloomy cypress wreath when it was wished to combine sorrow
with everlasting recollection, more especially at funerals.

Considering its signification the most appropriate use we have
yet known to have been made of it was at the celebrated floral
games of Toulouse, where the prize for the best lyrical verses is
the emblem, if such can be, of two-fold Immortality, a golden
Amaranth. Love and friendship are adorned with it, and we might
go on multiplying instances without number ; for this flower has
had the honor of several books being written on it alone, yet as
we think enough has been adduced for the purpose, we shall close
with Christina, queen of Sweden, who, becoming immoderately
fond of science, wished to immortalize herself by renouncing the
throne to cultivate letters and philosophy. She instituted an order
of Knights of the Amaranth. The decoration of which was a
medal of gold enriched with a flower of the Amaranth in enamel,
with the motto " Dolce nella memoria."

ARCTIUM LAPPA-BURDOCK.

CLASS, SYNGENESIA ; ORDER, POLYGAMIA EaUALIS.
NATURAL ORDER, COMPOSITE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx globular. The Scales furnished at the ends
with inflected hooks. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves corsate, unarmed,
petioled.

For a considerable time this plant has been known in medicine.
A syrup, long renowned for its curative properties, was formed by
boiling two ounces of the recently bruised root in three pints of
water, down to two, and then adding sugar enough to give it a proper
consistence. The seeds were powdered, and, in drachm doses twice
a day, accompanied the exhibition of the syrup. Rheumatism, gout,
and a host of other distempers, fled before the persevering use of this
remedy. In the course of events, however, it was discovered that
these ailments would get well, if they recovered at all, in about the
same length of time, without the medicine as with it — a discovery
that threw it forever into disrepute.

The plant is well known by its extremely large, heart-shaped,
wavy leaves covering the ground for some distance around it. Na-
ture must answer some important ends by its use, for, suspecting
that the knowledge we would acquire by a scientific acquaintance-
ship with its properties would not make us very anxious to cultivate

72 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

or take mucn trouble to perpetuate the species, has strangely pro-
vided for its preservation.

On the scales of the calyx are fixed, sharp, firm hooks, which
attach themselves to every locomotive object that brushes by the
plant, such as the clothes of persons passing, the wool of sheep,
&c. — thus forming a remarkable mechanism for the dissemination
of the seeds.

Though a native of Europe, it has conceived a strong attachment
to America ; and by the road sides, among rubbish, in waste places,
and but too often in cultivated grounds, whence it is unsuccessfully
expelled, it may be seen flourishing in state.

The genus takes its name from Arktos, a bear, on account of its
extraordinary roughness. It is a perennial plant, the stem juicy,
covered with down, with numerous branches, growing generally to
the height of about four feet. The leaves are heart-shaped, as we
mentioned before, minutely toothed, green on their upper surface,
but whitish and downy on their under, and stand on long footstalks.
In July and August, its flowers add their contributions to the beauty
of the season ; they are of a globular shape, very profusely scattered
in clusters, and of a not too bright purple color. The concluding part
of our description will tend to confirm the belief we have expressed,
in this plant possessing some hidden virtues, for Nature has placed
on its head a kingly diadem ; not because man always attains elevated
rank by superior virtue, but that, we think, Nature never acts without
a good reason. This aigrette, or hairy crown, is of a consistence
between bristle and chaff* — the receptacle is chaffy, we know not why
the emblem was given to it, but its history will justify its floral
appellation — Importunity.

AMYGDALUS COMMUNIS-COMMON ALMOND,

CLASS, ICO8AXDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ROSACE/B

y. CHAR. Calyx quinquefid, inferior. Petals five. Drupe, having
a shell perforated with pores. Skin pubescent. SPE. CHAR. Lower
serratures of the leaves glandulous. The flowers sessile, twin.

The almond tree is a native of Tripoli, in Africa, though common
to the other Barbary States, Persia and Syria. In the south of
Europe it is cultivated to a great extent, and richly repays the labor
bestowed upon it. Much attention has also been paid to it, since
its introduction into the United States ; the fruit however, is not as
good as that imported, and in the northern and middle sections of
the Union, it rarely comes to perfection at all. The tree is from
fifteen to twenty feet high, and divides into numerous spreading
branches. The leaves stand on short footstalks, are about three
inches long and three quarters of an inch broad, elliptical, pointed
at both ends, veined and minutely serrated, with the lower teeth
and leaf stalks glandular, and are of a bright green color. The flowers
are large, of a pale red color, varying to white, with very short stalks,
and blossoms longer than the cup that contains them; they are
placed in numerous pairs upon the branches. The fruit is of the
peach kind ; the outer covering thin, tough, dry and marked with a
long furrow where it opens when fully ripe ; inside this is the rough
shell containing the almond.

74 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

The same tree produces both bitter and sweet almonds. The
sweet, though pleasant in the mouth, are bitter in the stomach, and
their agreeable taste and appearance does not prevent the unpleas-
ant consequences that arise from their use. When thoroughly
chewed they are not so liable to injure. Many a person has gone
the rounds of the market endeavoring in vain to select a digestible
dinner, little thinking that a few almonds were the real cause of
his weak stomach.

It has been beautifully described as an ornamental tree, the delicate
flowers of which, varying in color from the fine blush of the apple
blossom to a snowy whiteness, and opening so early in the year entitle
it to our admiration. It is this haste to bloom even before a leaf is
visible, that has made this tree so symbolical of scripture truth, and its
Hebrew name, derived from a verb signifying to watch or waken, is
strikingly characteristic of this property. When covered with
flowers it presents one of the finest sights in nature, these are moved
with every breath of air, and often they are in full glory and the next
moment the breeze best knows where. It is this property that has
made it the emblem of indiscretion, and not as some have supposed
its being the first to answer to the call of spring.

The late frosts sometimes destroy the too precocious germs of
its fruits, but only add to the beauty and brilliancy of its flowers.
An avenue of these trees, white in the evening and stricken in this
way during the night, has been seen of a rose hue the following
morning, and retained this color over a month, the flower never
falling off until the tree is covered with verdue. Its early appear-
ance is a good omen to the farmer. Dryden says :

Mark well the flowering almond in the wood,
If odorous blooms the bearing branches load,
The glebe will answer to the sylvan reign,
Great heats will follow and large crops of grain.

ft

UNIVERSITY'

ASCLEPIAS SYRIACA-SILK ¥EED.

CLASS, GYNANDRIA ; ORDER, PENTANDRIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ASCLEPIADACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Petals five, reflexed. Nectaries five, concave,
erect, containing little horns. Each stamen with a pair of
pendulous masses of pollen, suspended from the top of the stigma.
Follicles smooth. SPEC. CHAR. Stem very simple. Leaves
lanceolate, oblong, gradually acute, downy beneath. Umbels
sub-nodding, downy, three to five feet high. Flowers in large
close clusters, sweet scented — pollinia are fly traps.

This is a very common American plant ; it grows in sandy fields,
on the road sides and by rivers, where it flowers in full bloom from
July to August, attracting the attention of our summer tourists.
The flower stems diverge from each other like the bracts of an
umbrella, bearing the flowers on their extremities ; these are large,
of a pale purple, sometimes green and red, reflexed quite back ; the
nectary is red, double toothed ; the horns moderately incurved ;
the mass of anthers cylindrical, with black corpuscles at the top of
the wings, each of which draws out a pair of yellow egg-shaped
pollen masses. The pod or follicle is covered with little sharp
prickles ; they contain a silky seed-down in large quantities, which
is used for various useful and ornamental purposes, and to obtain
which, is the principal object in cultivating the plant. The stem
is from three to five feet high, affording in its fibres a durable

76 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

flax. The down of the seed is rather short for spinning ; were it
otherwise it is very probable the labors of the silk worm would in
a great measure be dispensed with ; as it is, however, it makes a
good substitute for fur in the manufacture of hats, and supplies the
place of feathers in beds and pillows ; it is not as tenacious as
cotton, as it wants the minutely toothed structure which the latter
displays when seen through a microscope. The white juice given
out by this plant when wounded, occasions the name Milkweed
which is often applied to this species.

The genus is named after its discoverer, Asclepiades, a celebrated
physician, born at Prusa in Bithynia, who flourished somewhat
before the time of Pompey. He originally taught Rhetoric, but not
meeting with success, applied himself to the study of Medicine, in
which he soon became famous from the novelty of his theory and
practice. Another name often applied to this plant, Syrian Dogs-
bane, shows its deleterious properties when eaten by the canine race;
and it is in fact not less poisonous to the human species. Despite
however, of this well known fact, the young shoots are frequently
boiled, a process that appears to destroy the poison in them, and
eaten with great relish, the flavor resembling that of the finest
Asparagus. It is the emblem of USEFULNESS. Mary Howitt says :

Ah 'tis a goodly little thing,

It groweth for the poor.
And many a peasant blesses it

Beside his cottage door.
He thinketh how those slender beams

That shimmer in the Sun,
Are rich for him in web and woof,

And shortly shall be spun.
He thinketh how those tender flowers

Of seed will yield him store,
And sees in thought his next years crop
Bright shining round his door.

TANACETUM VULGARE-COMMON TANSY,

CLASS SYNGENESIA ; ORDER, SUPERFLUA.
NATURAL ORDER, COMPOSITE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx imbricate, hemispheric; scales acuminate;
rays obsolete, three cleft; egret somewhat marginal; receptacle
naked. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves doubly pinnate, gashed, serrate,
naked.

This plant is found native by the borders of the meadows m
Europe, from whence it was early introduced into the United States.
It was at first extensively cultivated in our gardens, but after a little
while became naturalized to our climate and can be procured in any
quantities from the woods and neglected fields ; and so much better
when wild, as to render care unnecessary with regard to its growth.
It is a perennial herbaceous plant, about two and a half feet in height,
with strong erect stems, branching towards the summit, of a reddish
color ; approaching a six sided shape and marked with fine parallel
lines. The leaves are simple, deeply parted, double, the divisions
being notched. The flowers which are in bloom from July to Sep-
tember are of a deep yellow color, presenting a rich and beautiful
appearance from the manner in which they are grouped, springing
as they do from flower stalks of different heights branching from a
common stem, and forming a flat top. Each separate flower is a
compound composed of numerous florets of which those constituting
the disk are perfect and five cleft ; and those of the ray or margin

rS FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

very few, having only pistils and three parted. The calyx is of a
curious figure, and will richly repay the labor of studying its parts,
and in doing so they will surely find beauties they did not expect.
John Bertram, one of the greatest botanists in the new world, was
led to study the science in this way ; he became so much enchanted
with it, that he examined plants by day, and dreamed of nothing
else at night ; and having learned as much Latin as was necessary,
persevered until he became perfectly acquainted with all its known
details. The seeds are quite small, of an oblong shape, with five
or six ribs, and crowned with a feathery coronet, to the assistance
of which it owes its universal dissemination.

There is another variety of this species differing from it only in
the shape of the leaves, which are curiously curled; this is the
kind usually preferred, and although it possesses less of the sensi-
ble properties, is the one most usually sought after in botanical
excursions for medicinal purposes, as it is considered more grateful
to the stomach.

The odor of tansy is very strong, peculiar, and fragrant, much
of which is of course lost in drying. Its valuable properties reside
in a bitter extractive matter which it imparts to water, and an es-
sential oil which dissolves in alchohol ; this last, however, is in
nearly all cases obtained by distillation ; it is of a greenish yellow
color, depositing camphor upon standing. This oil among root
doctors and old nurses who are over wise, has obtained great celeb-
rity ; and many a murder, which should have encircled the givers
neck with a halter, has been committed by its use. About such, it
affords us some consolation to remember that Justice though slow, is
always sure; that the book-keeping of the recording Angel is perfect,
and every little item of wickedness treasured up for their future set-
tlement ; and that although they may escape even Lynch law below,
which we sometimes think is rather doubtful, yet for every such action
they must render an account and receive a due reward hereafter
It is the emblem of MERIT.

SABBACENIA PURPUREA-SIDE SADDLE FLOWER,

CLASS, POLYANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, SARRACENIACEJS.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx double, permanent, three and five leaved.
Corol five petalled, caducous. Stigma peltate, permanent, very
large, covering the stamens. Capsule five celled, five valved, many
seeded. SPEC, CHAR. Leaves radical, short globose, inflated or
cup form, contracted at the mouth, having a broad arched lateral
wing ; the contracted part of the base hardly as long as the inflated
part. Scape with a single large nodding flower.

This celebrated plant owes its strange appearance to a curious
pitcher-shaped metamorphosis of the leaf, which resembles very
much an old fashioned side saddle; six of these belong generally
to each plant. The leaf which springs from the root is formed by
a large hollow tube swelling out in the middle, curved and dimin-
ishing downwards till it ends in a stem, contracted at the mouth,
furnished with a large spreading, heart shaped appendage at the top,
which is hairy within, the hairs pointing downwards ; and a broad
wavy wing extending the whole length on the inside ; these lie upon
the ground with their mouths turned upwards so as to catch the
water when it falls. They hold nearly a wine glass full and are gen-
erally filled; making an ocean in which many genera of aquatic
insects take up their abode. The stem rises direct from the root ;
it is a foot or more in length, round, quite smooth, and bearing a

80 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

single terminal flower which is large, nodding, and of an elegant,
deeply reddish purple color. It has two flower cups ; the external
consisting of three small leaves; the internal of five egg shaped
obtuse leaves, shiny, and of a brownish purple. The blossoms
are five, guitar shaped, obtuse, repeatedly curved inward and out-
ward, and finally inflected over the stigma, which is broad and
spreading, divided at its margin into five bifid lobes, alternating with
the petals, and supported on a short cylindrical style ; this is sur-
rounded by the stamens which are numerous, having short threads
and large two celled, oblong yellow anthers attached to them on the
under surface.

This genus was named by the celebrated naturalist, Tournefort,
in honour of his friend, Dr Sarrazin of Quebec, who first sent him
a specimen in 1752. Some suppose the common name to be derived
from the fancied resemblance of the expanded stigma to a woman's
pillion. In the yellow flowered species of the southern states the
bottle is very long, resembling a trumpet, by which name it is often
called. The whole species are of course water plants and found
naturally only in wet boggy places and marshes. This soil is arti-
ficially supplied to them by filling pots with turfy peat or mud from
swamps, surrounding the upper part with water moss, and placing
the whole in water some inches deep, so as to ensure a plentiful
supply of the indispensable element ; treated in this way it not only
thrives well here, bat also in England where it is considered a great
curiosity. It flowers in June and July. The seeds of the plant
are somewhat scabrous and compressed. It is the emblem of AS-
SUMED ECCENTRICITY, as it is merely singular without being of
much value ; this appropriate signification was conferred on it by
Miss. E. Sanford. It is of course one of our American Wild
Flowers ; among which we leave it to our readers if we are not
presenting them with specimens that will compare advantageously
with any produced on our globe.

HYPERICUM-ST, JOHN'S WORT,

CLASS, POLYADELPHIA J ORDER, POLYANDRIA
NATURAL ORDER, HYPERTCACEjE.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx five parted. Petals five. Filaments many,
connected very often at the base in bundles or groups of five
SPEC. CHAR. One style to the flowers, Stamina longer than
the petals. Colored calyx. Stalk shrubby.

This is the type of a small natural family, the plants of which
yield an acid resinous juice, and a bitter extractive matter with
balsamic properties. We have many native species in the United
States. Modern bigotry gave this the name of St. John's Wort,
from an ancient superstition called Fuga Dsemonum, as they believed
this plant would defend persons from phantoms and spectres, and
drive away devils. For the same reason others called it the Ter-
restrial Sun, because, say they, all the spirits of darkness vanish at
the approach of the Sun ; and Phillips has hence made it the emblem
of Superstition. It came originally from China, and was first
planted in England in the celebrated flower garden at Alnwick,
belonging to the Duke of Northumberland.

The root is composed of many woody fibres, which strike deep
into the ground, and from these arise several shrubby stalks be
tween two and three feet in height, covered with a purplish bark,
and garnished with stiff smooth leaves about two inches long and a
quarter of an inch broad, placed by pairs, sitting close to the stalk •

82 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

they are of a bright green on their upper surface and grey on the
under, having many transverse veins running from the midrib to
the border. The flowers are produced at the top of the stalks,
each with its own proper peduncle or footstalk, which is very shori ;
and grow in clusters. The flower cup is entire, cut into five deeply
parted obtuse segments, and is of a deep purple color. The
corolla is made up of five large obtuse petals, of a bright yellow
color, concave and surrounding an oval germen, which supports a
single style crowned by five slender stigmas, that bend on one side.
The stamens are very numerous, longer than the petals and termi-
nated by roundish, somewhat inclining to oval, anthers.

Phillips remarks that this is a desirable plant to cover banks and
bare patches beneath trees, since it prospers in the shade, where
its fine yellow petals and beautiful chives, headed by sparklike
anthers, remind the observer of small wheel-fireworks. Its value
is enhanced by its continuance in flower during the greater part
of the year, in the conservatory ; but if planted in a warm situation
it will thrive in the open air.

"Come follow Hypericum's golden star,
It will lead to where happiness dwells afar,

With Nature, in peaceful shades;
It will lead to the green hill's flowery brow,
Of by hedge-row paths in the vales below,

Or through turfy forest glades.

"Pluck not her flowers like the saxon maid,
Nor anxiously watch if they flourish or fade,

By the moon of a midsummer eve ;
But follow with light steps the golden star,
That guides you to treasures more sterling far,
Than cities or courts receive."

VIBURNUM OIYCOCCUS-TREE CRANBERRY

CLASS, PENTANDRIA J ORDER, TRIGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, CAPRIFOLIACE2E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx five parted or five toothed, small. Corol
bell form, five cleft, with spreading or reflexed lobes. Stigmas
almost sessile. Berry or drupe one seeded. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves
three lobed, three nerved. Lobes long, acuminate, with a few
scattering teeth. Petioles glandular, grooved above, Cymes
rayed

This is an American plant, growing from five to, eight feet in
height. The leaves have very large, unequal Wuntish teeth, much
paler on the lower than on the upper surface; they are borne on
smooth foot stalks, which have-two glands or secreting bodies at
the base of each leaf, giving it a peculiar and easily distinguishable
appearance., The peduclea or flower stalks arise from a common
Centre, but are after.vvarcls variously subdivided; this mode oi
tyxfloresence in; bpjtanjcal language is called a CYME ; the outer
florets or flowers, of the large ray abortive, with large single leaved
Corollas, with a flat spreading limb proceeding from the top of the.
tube, abruptly expanded into a flat border .generally white and; red;;;
mixed and sometimes seperate. It ia a woody ]^)ant frequenting
nibun tain, woods and elevated spot^ of land, ^und- mostly in. the >
northrei> parts of the United Sta^e^ The t^^ers appear 'in., June,,
presenting a. very showing appeajr^nee, euc^fgh to

84 F L O W E it S A iN D F R U IT IS .

deserved place in our pleasure grounds ; the.^e are succeeded by
large, red shiny berries, which ripen very late and remain to
ornament the tree even after the leaves have fallen ; formino- besides,

' O

a storehouse of provisions for the birds, which they could not well
dispense with. This fruit very much resembles that of the low
Cranberry, it is intensely acid and somewhat bitter.

The name of this genus is reckoned by some authors as coming
from vieo, to bind ; but by Linneus it was counted among the Latin
names whose origin it was impossible to trace. The specific
name is derived from oxus, sour, and coccus, a berry, owing to the
character of its fruit. The whole genus consists of remarkably
beautiful and ornamental shrubs ; some one of them is in flower
during all the summer months, and the handsome berries which
succeed give a pleasant appearance in autumn and the first part of
winter. This tree emblematizes CHASTE WIT, or Attic Salt.

This tree as we remarked before would be a great addition to
our pleasure grounds, if tastefully arranged with the proper colors
near it to harmonize. Philips remarks that in planting flowers an
indiscriminate mixture of colors is generally bad, although it may
be admitted in some instances. Nature seldom confuses her colors
and we should in arranging them endeavor to imitate her opera
tions, and let the dyes in bright suffusion glow. Addison says thai
there are as many kinds of gardening as of poetry ; the makers
of parterres and flower gardens he styles the epigrammatists and
sonneteers in the art; contrivers of bowers and grottos, treillages
and cascades, he compares to romance writers, while those who
lay out extensive grounds, he honors by the title of heroic poets.
Philips proceeds to say that the all-wise Creator who raised the
cedar, formed also the smallest moss ; but the former he planted
on the mountains of Lebanon, whilst the latter was placed on a
pebble. From this wise ordinance of nature, we should learn to
select Flora's miniature beauties for the small parterre, leaving
the towering and wide spreading plants to ornament extensive
grounds.

B-UKIVEESITY

IRIS GERMANICA-FLEUR DE LIS

CLASS, TRIANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDEH, IRlDACEjE.

GEN. CHAR. Corol, six petalled, unequal. Petals alternate,
jointed and spreading. Stigmas, petal-form, cowled, two lipped.
SPEC. CHAR. Stem, with long leaves, many flowered ; the inferior
flowers peduncled.

The Ancients named this plant after the attendant of Juno,
because its colors are the same as those which the poets and
mythological writers have bestowed on the messenger of that
Goddess. Iris is generally depicted as descending from the rainbow;
and her arch is said not to vary more in its colors, than the flower
that has been honored by her name. Milton distinguishes these
flowers as " Iris all hues." Every qua;*' >r of the world possesses
the Iris, and excepting the Rose, no ll > ver has been more cele-
brated by the historian and the poet, wao have sung the praises of.
this genus of plants, which so greatly embellishes both the land and
the waters, and has at various periods, contributed so much to the
sustenance,* and added to the medicines of man.

Lindley observes that in this genus, the type of the natural order
that bears its name, the structure is very curious. It has three
broad and spreading sepals, or calyx leaves, often ornamented with
a beautiful feathered cfest; three petals which sland erect, and
curve over the centre of the flower ; while the stigmas are broad,

86 FLOWERS AND FRUITS,

richly colored parts, resembling petals, and curving away from
the centre. At first sight one would suppose the Iris was altogether
destitute of stamens, but if the stigmas are lifted up, the runaways
will be found snugly hidden beneath their broad lobes, and lying
close to a humid lip, through which the influence of the pollen is
conveyed to the ovules. We have many beautiful species of the
genus native in the United States, so that we need be at no loss for
specimens to adorn our gardens. The Iris is ihe national emblem
of France, and has been such from an early period in its history,
with the exception of the time when Napoleon ruled, who substi-
tuted for it, the bee, which was certainly much more appropriate
for an industrious nation.

The species represented in our plate, is an ornamental, deciduous,
perennial, displaying its rich, blue flowers in May and June. The
stem is many flowered, longer than the leaves ; the lower flowers
are stalked ; spathes colored. When these beautiful flowers are,
agitated by the breeze, and the sun gilds their petals, tinting tlw**,.
with hues of gold, purple and azure, they have the appearance of
light and perfumed flames. This appearance has gained the flpwerr
the name of Flaming Iris, as well as the emblem, in. flora] language,,
of FLAME, Collected before they are fully expan$ed,s the peta)s;
yield a most beautiful blue paint for water colors^ t|iey should; be>
pounded in a stone mortar with a wooden. p:?stlex put in the cellar a^
fortnight, and after boiling down two, th^d^, adding alum till tji&
requisite color is developed; when it n^y be poured in shells;for u$e\

The hardy sorts of Iris are easi]$ propagated by parting 'th,-eir
roots in the autumn ; and few flowers, says Phillips, requiring so
little attention, produce so fine an, effect as these plants^ particu-
larly when their clumps are large. The roots should not be
removed oftener than once, in, three or four years, as they seldom
flower so abundantly the yeajc after having been planted.

'* Amid its. waving swords in flaming gold,
The |r5a, ^py?ers..'x

CHARLOTTE SMITHS

QUERCUS ROBUR-ENGLISH OAK.

CLASS, MONOECIA ; ORDER, POLYANDRIA
NATURAL ORDER, CUPULIFER^E.

GEN. CHAR. Male : Calyx commonly five-cleft. Corolla none.
Stamens five or ten. Female : Calyx one leaved, quite entire,
rugged. Corolla none. Styles two. to five. Seeds ovate, one.
SPEC. CHAR. Leaves subsessile. Acorns or fruit. Stalks single
or two together.

This tree is indigenous in England ; it constitutes the greater
part of the forests of Europe, and spreads over the whole northern
section of Asia, and also the northern parts of the coast of Africa.
It is not found at all, so far as we know, in the United States. The
name is from the latin quero, to inquire ; because it was from under
this, their favorite tree, that the Druids used their divinations,
giving oracular answers to the assembled multitude. They some-
times attain an extraordinary size ; the one in Dorsetshire, probably
not the largest one even on record, in girth was 68 feet ; the hollow
within was used as an alehouse, being an apartment 16 feet long and
20 feet high.

This tree is easily known in the forest from among its neighbors,
by the right-angled manner in which the branches shoot from the
main trunk, and afterwards divide in different directions ; it is,
besides, often 60 feet in height before it sends off a branch. The
leaf is another unerring guide ; its form i^ peculiar and beautiful

88 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

the general shape being that of a longish oval, deeply scolloped, the
outline turned in and out as if cut with a pair of scissors.

Fruit bearing lessens the term of existence of trees. In the Oak
but one seed out of six generally ripens, and no acorn ever contains
more than a single seed : this will account for the great age it
attains. The Oak probably takes its emblem, Hospitality, from the
fact of its affording both food and shelter. In the early ages, man
universally lived on acorns ; but as the various kinds of grain rose
into notice and were cultivated, they were discarded, and used but
in fattening hogs and poultry. Times of famine, however, have
induced a return to their use, and ground into meal and baked as
bread, they are now used in Norway, and travellers assure us they
are very palatable. Eaten without precaution they are liable to
produce headaches and colic, but when properly prepared they form
a salutary and nutritious food. In Smorland, they are previously
boiled and then steeped in water, separated from the husks, ground,
and this powder mixed with one-third, or one-half, of corn flour.
Certainly a much better way of using it than that done by the people
of Brunswick, who give it in warm beer to produce perspiration.

Should we ever be deprived of coffee, acorns would afford the
best substitute yet known. The Academy of Science, at St. Peters-
burg, have made a number of experiments on the subject. By
roasting them as you would the coffee itself, occasionally adding a
little butter, and then grinding and preparing in the usual manner, a
very agreeable beverage will be obtained.

The Spaniards, until very lately, served up the acorn as a deli-
cious fruit at dessert; they have always esteemed them highlv.
Their fruit, however, is more delicious than our own. It comes
from a different species, the Q. suber or cork tree, which, though
not so large as the robur, merits more the Celtic name of the genus
quer, fine and cuez tree. The exterior bark of this, is the cork
which is taken off once in every ten years, and the removal of which
improv s the tree.

DODOCATHEON MEADIA-AMERICAN COWSLIP.

CLASS, PENTANDR1A J ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, PRJMULACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, five-cleft. Carol, wheel form, five-parted,
turned back. Capsule, one-celled, oblong, opens at the top. Sta-
mens within tube, short. Anthers crowded. Stigma, obtuse.
SPEC. CHAR. Leaves, toothed, longish oval. Umbel, full of flowers.
Bracts, oval.

One of our own writers remarks, that our gold Cowslips look
like a full branch of large clustering king-cups ; they carelessly
raise themselves on their firm stalks, their corollas gazing upward
to the changing spring sky, as they grow amid their pretty leaves
of vivid green. They adorn almost every meadow, and shed a
glow of beauty wherever they spring. It was first found by Michaux,
in the Alleghany Mountains, and subsequently discovered to be
very numerous in the woody country of British North America.
Seeds were sent from the Rocky Mountains to the Botanic Gardens
of Edinburgh and Glasgow, where plants were raised. Mr. Catesby
gave this American Wild Flower the name of Meadia, in honor of
a celebrated physician of his time bearing that name in England.
Phillips regrets that Linnaeus should have thought it necessary to
change the generic name of this plant frdtn that of Meadia, and
more particularly so since he has given it one so inappropriate,
Dodecatheon being derived from two Greek words which mean
M

90 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

twelve gods ; and the only cause he could have for adopting so
whimsical a name, was from the observation that each of these
plants generally produced twelve flowers. This elegant plant flowers
about the end of April or the beginning of May; the stalk after
rising up to about eight inches in height, throws out an umbel of
flowers, gracefully pendant as rockets appear when thrown out of
an elevated piece of fire-work. The petals are of a rosy lilac, in-
clining to the color of the peach or almond blossom ; and they are
re flexed or turned back over the calyx, giving the appearance of a
half expanded parasol, which resemblance is considerably height-
ened by the long tapering shape of the parts of fructification, and
the golden color of the anthers. It should be placed in a shady
situation, where the earth is of a loose, moist nature ; but its beauti-
ful delicacy and graceful formation make it deserving of a situation
in those plants that are potted for the house. It is easily propaga-
gated by offsets, which should be taken from the old plants in the
month of August, that they may be fixed well to the earth before
the frost comes on. It is increased more rapidly from seed, which
the plant generally produces in plenty. These should be sown after
they are ripe, either in pots or a shady border. If these plants are
much exposed to the sun while young, they are almost sure to perish,
so impatient are they of heat. Many persons have lost their stock
by placing them in a dry soil, in a sunny part of the garden, without
reflecting their natural situations. In floral language it emblemises
You ARE MY DIVINITY.

Meadia's soft chains five suppliant leaves confess,
And hand in hand the laughing belle address,
Alike ?o all she bows with wanton air,
Rolls her dark eye and waves her golden hair.

DARWW.

lfsELIflfl^>

x OF THE f A

CONVALLARIA MAJALIS-LILY OF THE YALLEY,

CLASS, HEXANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, SMILACExE.

GEN. CHAR. Carol, inferior, six cleft. Berry, round, three
celled, spotted before it ripens. SPEC. CHAR. Flowers, on a
scape.

This is a much admired perennial plant, bearing delicate, white
flowers, in May and June, with recurved segments and very
fragrant. The stalk that rises from above the leaf to support
the flower, is semi-cylindrical. It has two oval, lance-shaped,
leaves, that spring from the root. The flowers come out in that
form called a raceme, which may be seen in our plate ; they are
drooping and of a globe bell shape. The generic name is derived
from Convallis, a valley, for it grows spontaneously in such places
when shady. Phillips remarks, that the graceful manner in which
these perfumed bells are suspended on the stern, and the agreeable
contrast which their broad leaves, of bright green, afford to the
snowy corollas, could not escape the notice of the poets. The
proper situation for this plant in the garden is the most rural and
rustic part, where it is partially shaded by shrubs and trees ; and
it flowers even better in a north aspect than when fully exposed to
the noon day sun. It will grow in almost any situation, but it
produces most flowers in a loose, sandy, soil that is rather poor
than otherwise ; for when planted in a rich garden mould, the roots

92 FLO WERSAND FRUITS.

spread and multiply rapidly, but the plants give very few flowers
and like most other creeping, rooted, plants, it seldom produces
seed when it can propagate itself" so readily by the nature of its
roots. From this economy of nature an observing gardener will
be taught to transplant many kinds of his fruit trees into poorer
soil, when the richness of the earth forces the tree too rapidly to
form its fruit. The autumn is the proper season for placing these
perennial roots in the ground, where they should be covered with
about two inches of earth, and not be disturbed oftener than every
third or fourth year, as they seldom flower strong or plentifully
after being removed. The plants will require no other attention
than that of keeping them free from weeds, and trimming the roots
about once in three or four years, according to the nature of the
soil and increase of the plants. The Lily of the Valley, is one of
the few flowers that bears forcing in pots, and as but few plants
are more agreeable for the house in the months of March and
April, it should never be omitted wherever there is an opportunity
of doing it. The flowers possess not only an agreeable odor, but
also a fragrance that is refreshing and highly medicinal against
certain affections and many diseases of the head. The water
distilled from these little corollas was formerly in such great repute,
that it was kept only in vessels of gold and silver, and was called
AQUA AUREA, golden water. It is common in Germany to make
a wine of the flowers, by drying them in the summer, and in the
time of vintage mixing them with the grapes when pressed, and
when fermented they use this wine in various diseases. Amongst
the varieties is the white with double flowers, the single and double
red, and a sort with larger corollas/ variegated with purple. It is
made the emblem of a RETURN OF HAPPINESS, because it
announces, by its elegance and odor, the happy season of the year.

LOBELIA INFLATA-INDIAN TOBACCO,

CLASS, PENTANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, LOBELIACE^E.

GEN CHAR. Calyx five cleft. Corolla monopetalous, irregular,
slitted. Anthers curved, united. Stigma two-lobed. Capsule two
or three celled. SPEC. CHAR. Erect, covered with hairs, branch-
ing. Leaves ovate, serrate. Capsules much swelled.

Monsieur Charles Plumier, an eminent French botanist of the
time of Louis the Fourteenth, gave the name of Lobelia to this
family of plants, in honor of Matthias Lobel of Lisle, who was
appointed botanist and physician to James the First of England,
and who had besides, the superintendence of a large botanic garden.
We have many species of them in the United States, the most of
which are celebrated for curiosity, beauty or use, and first in the
hitter class ranks the subject of our article. It has, more than any
other medicine of late years, attracted the attention of the public,
through the medium of our courts of Justice, from its improper
application being followed by fatal consequences in many cases.
Less than a tea-spoonful of the powdered seeds will surely destroy
life in a few hours, and yet this horrible quantity is the dose gener-
ally prescribed by the ignorant and reckless quacks who principally
use it. We sometimes employ it with great caution in regular
practice, but in most instances there are enough of other remedies
safer and better.

94 FLOWERS AND FRUITS,

It varies in height from six to thirty inches. Like most annual
plants, it lias a fibrous root, from which arises in the smaller plants
a simple but in the larger a very branching stem, which is angular
and very hairy. The leaves are attached to it without the inter-
vention of a footstalk, scattered, oval shaped, minutely toothed on
the edges, alternately marked with veins, and like the stem itself
quite hairy. From the angle formed by the stem and a small leaf,
arises the flower-stalks, which are short, and produce that kind of
infloresence called a spike. The flower-cup is of one piece, cut
into sharp spear shaped portions, and stands on the germ which is
oval and striped. The blossom is of a bluish purple, somewhat
spreading in shape. The anthers are collected in a purple curved
body supported on white threads, enclosing the curved stigma.
Capsules are of an oval shape and much swelled, filled with a
number of small, oblong, brown seeds.

The Indian Tobacco flourishes everywhere, and is in conse-
quence, well known from Canada to the Southern States. It is
in flower at the commencement of July, earlier in very warm seasons,
and continues to bloom until the frosts of winter destroy it It is the
emblem of DISTINCTION, which name it doubtless acquired from its
brother the Cardinalis, which became celebrated at an early date, for
we find Parkinson mention it, in his " Garden of Pleasant Flowers,"
which he dedicated to Henrietta, Queen of Charles I., as a brave
plant. Justice, an old English writer, in 1754 recommends it as a
flower of most handsome appearance, which should not be wanting
in curious gardens, as it excels all other flowers he ever knew in
richness of color. Humboldt and Bonpland, found two species in
Mexico, that far outshine even the splendid Cardinalis, the Reful-
gent and the Shining Lobelies ; these cultivated with care, assume
a degree of magnificence that is scarcely surpassed by any other
plant.

CYPRYPED1UM INSIGNE- BENGAL LADIES' SLIPPER

CLASS, GYN ANDRIA : ORDER, DIGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, ORCHIDACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Colored, four leaved, spreading calyx. Nectary
swelled and hollow. Style with terminal lobe, and petal-like
attachment above. SPEC. CHAR. Leaves cartilaginous ligulate,
not spotted, twice as short as the hairy scape.

This whole family of plants according to fabulous history, owes
its origin to the licentious son of the satyr Patellanus and the
nymph Acolasia, who presided at the feasts in honor of Priapus.
Being present at a feast of Bacchus he laid violent hands upon one
of the priestesses of that God, which so enraged the Bacchanals
against him that they instantly tore him in pieces; and all tho
the remedy his father could obtain from the gods, was, that his
mangled corpse should be transformed into a flower to bear his
name, as a blot upon his memory.

This flower is a native of Bengal in India ; its generic name is
derived from two Greek words signifying Venus and a Slipper. It
has two of its petals so ingrafted as to appear but one, with a notch
at its extremity ; the sac or cavity is very large, more resembling,
according to Nuttall, a bladder than a slipper. In common with
the rest of its tribe it has hairy leaves, which in this species are
strap-shaped, free from spots, and one half the length of the hairy
flowerstalk that springs from the root in their midst, to support

96 FLOWERS A N D FRUITS.

the blossoms. We have several species of this genera native in
the United States, which are much more highly prized than in
former times, and of which florists are endeavoring to learn the
habits so as to cultivate them with more success.

Phillips remarks that the idea of these plants not bearing culti-
vation is as absurd as the old story of their springing from the birds.
He frequently transplanted several species of this tribe in his
garden, and they never failed to draw attention by the beauty of
their spotted foliage and the richness of their purple and lilac
colors. He collected them as soon as they appeared above the
earth in their natural situations, taking them up with as much earth
as possible about their roots and planting them in a similar soil to
that in which they were taken ; and they having remained without
disturbance for several years, were found in stronger growth than
at first.

Most of the genera and species of this tribe are of perennial
duration, and grow in moist and shady places where there is an
abundance of vegetable earth ; all are of difficult cultivation and
very slow propagation, and but seldom reward, according to Nuttall,
the care bestowed upon them ; nor will many exist at all except in
the shade of the forest and amidst recent vegetable soil.

The Persians and Turks call the roots of some of the species
of this tribe Salop, and with the bulbs of which they prepare their
favorite drink of the same name, which is drunk hot with the addi-
tion of milk and ginger to make it palatable.

In rich shady woods the species of the genera about which we are
writing, can be found in flower in May and June. The flowers, of
which there are from one to three on each stem, are of various
colors, yellow, red and white. We are told that in all Europe
there is but one species. In India, from which the subject of our
plate was taken, there are many species and varieties, some
exceedingly curious, and a few with evergreen leaves. It is the
emblem of what its shape represents, LADIES' SLIPPERS.

SYKINGA VULGARIS-LILAC.

CLASS, DIANDRIA ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, OLEACE^E.

GEN. CHAR. Corol, hypo-crateriform. Capsule two celled
SPEC. CHAR. Leaves, ovate, cordate. Branches stiff, white
colored.

This is a beautiful ornamental shrub, rising from six to eight
feet in height, deciduous in its habits, and bearing in April and
May large clusters of fragrant flowers. It is much cultivated in
the United States, and there is perhaps no flower of spring whose
coming is welcomed as much as this. Of this species there are
ten well known varieties. The White and Purple will both graft
readily, or inoculate into each other, and we may thus have a
shrub one side of which produces purple, and the other side white
flowers ; these colors may be judiciously varied, so as to present
an exceedingly elegant, and withal delicate effect, which sight alone
will enable any one to appreciate. It spreads itself rather too
rapidly by means of suckers, and from these as much as possible
it should be kept clear, if we wish to cultivate it in perfection.
Tyas remarks, that the Lilac is consecrated to the FIRST EMOTION
OF LOVE, because nothing is more delightful than the sensation it
produces on the return of spring. The freshness of its verdure,
the pliancy of its tender branches, the abundance of its flowers —
their beauty, though brief and transient, their delicate and varied
N

98 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

colors, all their qualities summon up those sweet emotions which
enrich beauty and impart to youth a divine grace. Albano was
unable to blend upon the palette which love had confided to him,
colors sufficiently soft and delicate to convey the peculiarly beau-
tiful tints that adorn the human face in early youth ; Van Spaendock
himself, laid down his pencil in despair, before a bunch of lilac.
Nature seems to have aimed to produce massy bunqhes of these
flowers, every part of which should astonish by its delicacy and
variety. The gradation of color, from the purple bud to the
almost colorless flowers, is ithe least charm of these beautiful
groups, around which the light plays, and produces a thousand
shades, which all blending toother in the same tint, form that
matchless harmony which the painter despairs to imitate and the
most indifferent observer delights ^to behold. What labor has
Nature bestowed to create this fragile shrub, which seems only
given for the gratification of the senses. What a union of perfume,
of freshness, of grace and of delicacy ! What variety in detail !
What beauty as a whole !

The generic name is derived from the Turkish word that signi-
fies a pipe, on account of the stems of their most costly and
favorite pipes being made out of the roots of some of this species.
We also borrow our common name for the plant from the east,
for LILAC is a Persian word, meaning a flower expressive of
admiration, as if we should write flower, with an exclamation point
after it.

" 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."

jfiSCULUS HIPPOCASLENUM -HORSE CHESNUT,

CLASS, HEPTANDR1A ; ORDER, MONOGYNIA.
NATURAL ORDER, HlPPOCASTANACEjfi.

GEN. CHAR. Calyx, swelled, four or five toothed. Corol,
correspondingly, four or five petalled, inserted on the former,
unequal, and downy. Capsule, three celled. Seeds, large solitary.
SPEC. CHAR. Leaves, digitate, with seven divisions. Corol, five
petalled, spreading.

This magnificent, tree as Tyas remarks, was originally brought
from India, and has been naturalized in Europe for more than two
centuries ; in America not quite so long, as it took quite a circui-
tous mode of reaching us, by way of Constantinople, Vienna, Italy,
France, and England. It gives the deepest and most solemn
shade of any tree that is yet known, and for this purpose, as well as
its extreme cleanliness and rapidity of growth, is much used in
parks, avenues, streets, and to shade houses. It luxuriates in the
Tuilleries in France, where it rises around the great basin in
masses of incomparable beauty, and at the Luxembourg, spreads
its branches in accordant pomp and splendor. It can easily be
distinguished from other trees by its magnificence of size and
form, were not the five or seven leaves it bears on each footstalk,
spread out like a human hand, a sufficient distinction. Its blossom
is certainly one of the most splendid and elegant produced by any
timber tree in the country. When in full flower, its delicate spikes

100 FLOWERS AND FRUITS.

of white and pink, and the deep green of its digitated leaves, make
it look like a mountain of ivory and emeralds, but this effect soon
gives place to its shadowy depth of coloring. In the beginning of
spring, one rainy day is sufficient to cause this beautiful tree to
cover itself with verdure. If it be planted alone, nothing surpasses
the elegance of its stately pyramid of from fifty to sixty feet, the
beauty of its foliage, or the richness of its flowers, which in May
or June, make it appear like an immense lustre or chandelier all
covered with pearls. Fond of ostentation and richness, it covers
with flowers the grass it overshadows and yields to the idler a
most delightful shade. The nuts and capsules are large, mahogany
colored, and are in great request among the rising generation, in
the construction of potato mills. Though they yield a fine starch,
still not in sufficient quantity to make it an object in the cultivation
of the tree. In our western states, they have been successfully
used to poison fish. Taken as a whole they rank in the merely
ornamental class, for though cattle, especially the Deer, eat the nuts
with avidity, to man they are acrid and unpalatable, evidently not
intended for his food. The timber is of little service, being soft
and perishable. The bark it is said is of some service in tanning,
and the nuts, besides the properties we have named, have a soapy
quality, which the peasants in some countries employ advanta-
geously. Its generic name is derived from Esculus, a tree which
furnished the Romans with an eatable fruit. The specific name
meaning Horse Chesnut, was given because the Turks grind the
nuts and mix them with corn, for their steeds. It is the emblem of
LUXURY.

"There avenues of chesnuts high,
With vaulted roofs conceal the sky."

LAIGUAGE OF FLOWEES.

Come, make up a nosegay
For her whose love you prize ;
Choose what you will ; here are enough
Wild blooms, and garden flowers.

A.

A cacia — Friendship.

Acacia, Yellow — Concealed love.

Almond, Flowering — Hope.

Al^nond, Common — Indiscretion.

Althea, Frutex — Consumed by love.

Aloe — Misplaced devotion.

Amaranth — Immortality.

Amaranth, Globe — Unchangeable.

Amaryllis — Beautiful.

Ambrosia — Love returned.

American Starwort — Welcome.

Anemone — Fading hope.

Apocynime — I don't believe you.

Apple Tree Blossom — Preference.

Arbor Vitse — I never change.

Arum — Deceit.

Auricula? Scarlet — Wealth is not happiness.

Aspen Tree — Excess of sensibility.

Azalea — Your blush has won me.

B.

Bachelor's Button — Hope in love.

Balm — Sympathy.

Balsam — Impatience.
j Barberry — Sharpness, sourness.
' Basil, Sweet — Good wishes.

Bay Leaf — I change but in dying.

Bay Meash — Reward of merit.

Beech Tree — Love's tryste.

Bell Flower — I wish to speak to you.

Birch — Gracefulness.
! Birdsfoot Trefoil — Revenge.

Borage — Talent.

Box — Constancy.
! Brook limn — Liberty.
1 Broom — Humility.
! Butter Cup — Riches.
! Burdock — Importunity.

Butterfly Weed — Let me go.

102

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

C.

Cactus, Common, or Indian Fig — Grandeur.
Calla ^Ethiopica — Feminine modesty.
Calycanthus — Benevolence.
Camellia Japonica — My heart bleeds tor you.
Camellia Japonica, White — Perfected love-
liness.

Canterbury Bell — Gratitude.
Cape Jasmine — I'm too happy.
Cardinal's Flower — Distinction.
Catalpa — Beware of the coquette.
Catchfly — Pretended love.
Cedar — I live but for thee.
Cereus Creeping — Modest genius.
Cherry Tree Blossom — Spiritual beauty.
Chick Weed — Give an account of yourself.
China Aster — Love of variety.
Chrysanthemum, Rose Color — I love.
Chrysanthemum, White — Truth.
Chrysanthemum, Yellow — Slighted love.
Clematis — Beauty of mind.
Clover, Four Leaved — Be Vurie.
Clover, Red — Industry.
Clover, White— Think of me.
Cock's Comb — Immortality.
Columbine — Desertion.
Convolvulus — Uncertainty.
Corchorus — Return quickly.
Coreopsis — Love at first sight.
Coriander — Concealed merit.
Corn Cockle — Peerless and proud.
Cowslip— You are my divinity.
Cranberry Tree — Chaste wit.
Crocus — Cheerfulness.
Crown Imperial — Pride of birth.
Currant — Thy frown will kill me.
Cy pross — Despai r.

D.

Daffodil— Deceitful hope.
Dahlia — Forever thine.

Daisy — Innocence.

Daisy, Garden — I partake your sentiments.

Daisy. Michaelmas — Farewell.

Daisy, White — I will think of it

Dandelion — Love's oracle.

E.

Eglantine — Genius.
Elder — Compassion.
Eupatorium — Delay.
Evergreen — Poverty.
Everlasting — Never forgotten.

F.

Fern — Fascination.

Fig — I keep my secret.

Fil bert — Reconciliation .

Fir— Time.

Flax — Industry.

Flower of an Hour — Delicate beauty.

Forget-me-not — Forget me not.

Fox-Glove — Youth.

Fleur de Lis — Flame, or I burn.

G.

Geranium — Envy.

Geranium, Fish — Disappointed expectation.
Geranium, Ivy — Bridal favor.
Geranium, Lemon — A peaceful mind.
Geranium, Mourning — Despondency.
Geranium, Nutmeg — An expected meet-
ing.

Geranium, Oak — True friendship.
Geranium, Rose — Preference.
Geranium, Scarlet — Message of love.
Geranium, Silver Leaved — Recall.
Geranium, Wild — Thou art changed.

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

103

Gilly Flower — Bonds of affection.
Golden Rod — Encouragement.
Grape, Wild— Charity.
Grass — Submisssion.

H.

Hand Flower Tree — Warning.

Harebill — Lovely as this flower.

Flaw thorn — Hope.

Hazel — Reconciliation.

Heart's Ease — My thoughts are with thee.

Heath — Solitude.

Heliothrope — My heart is forever thine.

Helebric — Calumny.

Hemlock — You will cause my death.

Holly — Am I forgotten ?

Hollyhock — Ambition.

Honesty — I am fascinated. •

Honey Flower — Secret love.

Honey Suckle — Generous and devoted

love.

Honey Suckle, Chinese — Love unsought*
Hop — Injustice.
Horse Chestnut — Luxury.
Housetonia — Contentment.
Hyacinth, Blue or Purple — Jealousy.
Hyacinth, White — Unobtrusive loveliness.
Hyd ranger — Heartlessness.

I.

Ice Plant — Rejected.
Iris — Flame.
Ivy — Matrimony.

J.

Jacob's Ladder — Come down.
Jessamine, Night Blooming — Love's vigil.

Jessamine or Jasmine, Virginian — Soul of

my soul.

Jessamine, White — Amiability.
Jessamine, Yellow — I attach myself to you.
Jonquil — Can you return my love ?
Judas Tree — Unbelief.
Junioer — Protection.

K.

King Cup — I wish I was rich.

L.

Laburnium — Pensive beauty.

Lady's Slipper — Win me and wear me.

Larkspur, Pink — Fickleness.

Larkspur, Purple — Haughtiness.

Laurel — Treachery.

Laurel Ground — Perseverance.

Laurustinus — I die if neglected.

Lavender — Acknowledgment.

Lemon Blossom — Discretion.

Lettuce — Cold-hearted.

Lichen — Refusal .

Lilac, Purple — First emotions of love.

Lilac, White — Youthful innocence.

Lily of the Valley — Return of happiness.

Lily of the Valley, Scarlet — High-souled.

Lily of the Valley, White — Purity and
sweetness. •

Lily of the Valley, Yellow — Falsehood.

Linden Tree — Conjugal love.

Lobelia — Malevolence.

Locust — Affection beyond the grave.

Lotus Flower — Estranged love.

Lotus Leaf — Recantation.

Love in a Mist. Perplexity.

Love lies Bleedirg — Hopeless, not heart-
less.

104

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

Lupine, Rose Colored — Fane}.
Lupine, White — Always cheerful.

M.

Magnolia, Swamp — Benevolence.
Mandrake — I wound to heal.
Marigold — Cruelty in love.
Marjorum — Blushes.
Marsh Mallow — Consent.
Marvel of Peru — Timidity.
Meadow Saffron — Growing old.
Mignionette — Your qualities surpass your

loveliness.

Mint — Let us be friends again.
Mistletoe — I surmount all difficuJties.
Monk's Hood — Deceit.
Morning Glory— Affectation.
Moss — Ennui.
Mothenvort — Secret love.
Mouse Ear — Forget me not.
Myrtle — Love in absence.

N.

Narcissus — Egotism and self-love.

Nasturtion — Patriotism.

Nettle — Slander.

Night Shade — Dark thoughts.

O.

Oak Leaf — Hospitality.

Oats — Music.

Oleander — Beware.

Olive — Peace.

Orange Blossom — Woman's worth.

Orchis — A belle.

Ox-Eye — Patience.

P.

Pansy, or Heart's Ease — Modesty

Parsley — Useful knowledge.

Passion Flower — Holy love.

Pea, Everlasting — Wilt thou go with me ?

Pea, Sweet — Departure.

Peach — Your qualities, like your charms,

are unequalled.

Peach Blossom — I am your captive,
Pear Tree — Comfort.
Pennyroyal — Go away.
Peony — Anger.
Pepper Plant — Satire.
Perriwinkle, Blue — Sweet remembrances.
Perriwinkle, White or Red— Remember

me as I do you.

Pheasant's Eye — Sorrowful remembrances.
Phlox — Unanknity.
Pigeon Berry — Indifference, or a changed

heart.
Pine — Pitv

Pine Apple — You are perfect*
Pine Pitch — Time and philosophy.
Pine Spruce — Farewell.
Pink Carnation, Deep Red — Alas ! for my

poor heart.
Pink Carnation, Rose Colored — Woman's

love.

Pink, Double Red — Pure and ardent love.
Pink, Indian — Always lovely.
Rink, Mountain — Aspiring.
Pink, Variegated— Dignity.
Pink, White — Fascinating.
Plum Tree — Keep your promise.
Polyanthus — Purse-proud.
Poplar, White — Perseverance. t

Poppy, Red — Consolation.
Poppy, Variegated — Flirtation.
Poppy, White — Please for the moment.
Pride of China — Dissension.
Primrose — Believe me.

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

105

Primrose, Evening — Inconstancy.
Primrose, Rose Colored — Neglected merit,

Q.

Queen's Rocket — You are the Queen of

coquettes.

R.

Ragged Robin — Wit.

Ranunculus — I am dazzled by your charms.

Raspberry — Prudery.

Rhododendron — 1 ne'er shall see his like
again.

Rocket — Rivalry.

Rose, Austrian — You are all that's lovely.

Rose, Bridal — Happy love.

Rose-Bud, Moss — Confession.

Rose-Bud, Red — Admiration.

Rose-Bud, White — A heart that is ignorarit
of love.

Rose, Campion — Only deserve my love.

Rose, Carolina — Love is dangerous.

Rose, Chinese Dark — Forsaken.

Rose, Daily — Lightness.

Rose, Deep Red — Sensitive modesty*

Rose, Full Blown — Engagement.

Rose, Half Blown — Love.

Rose, Hundred Leaved — I will not trouble
you.

Rose, Japan — Beauty is your only attrac-
tion.

Roseleaf — I will not trouble you.

Rose, May — Precocity.

Rose, Monthly — Beauty ever new.

Rose, Moss — Pleasure without alloy.

Rose, Muck — Charming.

Rose, Thornless — Early attachment.

Rose, White — I am worthy of you.

Rose, White, Withered — I am in despair.

Rose, Wild— Simplicity.
Rose, Yellow — Let us forget.
Rose, York and Lancaster — War.
Rosemary — Remember me.
Rue — Disdain.

Sage — Domestic virtues.

Scabious — Unfortunate attachment.

Sensitive Plant — Sensitiveness.

Silk Weed — Usefulness.

Side Saddle Flower — Assumed eccentri-
city.

Snap Dragon — Presumption.

Snow Ball — Bound.

Snow Drop — Friendship in Adversity.

Sorrel, Wild— Wit ill-timed.

Sorrel, Wood — Maternal tenderness.

Speedwell — Female fidelity.

Spider Wort — I esteem, but do not love
you.

Star of Bethlehem — Reconciliation.

St. John's Wort — Superstition.

Stock, or Gilly Flower — Lasting beauty.

Straw, a Broken — Thus do I break my
fetters.

Strawberry Tree — Perfect excellence.

Sumach, Venice — Splendid.

Sunflower, Dwarf — Your devout adorer.

Sunflower, Tall — Lofty and pure thoughts.

Sweet Brier — Simplicity.

Sweet William — One smile.

Syringa Carolina — Disappointment.

T.

Tansy — Merit.

Thistle — Misanthropy.

Thorn Apple — I dream of thee.

Thyme — Hours fly like moments.

106

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

Tiger Flower — Pride befriend me.
Trillium Pictum — Modest beauty.
Trumpet Flower — Fame.
Tuberose — You are a lovely girl.
Tulip, Red — A Declaration of love.
Tulip, Tree Blossom — Rural happiness.
Tulip, Variegated — Beautiful eyes.
Tulip, Yellow — Hopeless love.

V.

Venus Car — Fly with me.

Venus Looking Glass — Flattery.

Verbena — Sensibil ity .

Vernal Grass — Poor, but happy.

Violet, Blue — Love.

Violet, White — Delicacy.

Virgin's Bower — Filial love.

Volkamenica Japonica — May you be happy.

W.

Wall Flower — Fidelity in misfortune.

Walnut — Intellect.

Water Lily, White— Purity of heart.

Wax Plant — Susceptibility.

Wheat — Prosperity.

Willow, Weeping — Forsaken.

Witch, Hazel — A spell.

Woodbine — Fraternal love.

Wormwood — Displeasure.

Y.

Yarrow — Cure for the heart-ache.
Yew — Penitence .

A woman's love, deep in the heart,
Is like the violet flower,

That lifts its modest head apart
In some sequestered bower.

LANGUAGE OP FLOWERS.

Take this sweet flower, and let its leaves
Beside thy heart be cherished near —

While that confiding heart receives
The thought it whispers to thine ear.

A.

Affectation — Morning Glory.

Am I forgotten ? — Holly.

An expected meeting — Nutmeg Geranium.

Ambition — Hollyhock.

A peaceful mind — Lemon Geranium.

Amiability — White Jessamine.

Acknowledgment — Lavender.

Affection beyond the grave — Locust.

Always cheerful — White Lupine.

A belle — Orchid-

Anger — Peony.

Alas ! for my poor heart. — Deep Red Car,

nation Pink.

Always lovely — Indian Pink.
Aspiring — Mountain Pink.
Admiration — Red Rosebud.
A heart that is ignorant of love — Rosebud.
A declaration of love — Red Tulip.

A spell— Witch Hazel.

Assumed eccentricity — Side Saddle Flower.

B.

Be mine — Four Leaved Clover.

Beautiful — Amaryllis.

Benevolence — Swamp Magnolia.

Beware of the coquette — Catalpa.

Beauty of mind — Clematis.

Bridal favor — Ivy Geranium.

Bonds of affection — Gilly Flower.

Bl ushes — Marj oru m .

Beware — Oleander.

Believe me — Primrose.

Beauty is your only attraction — Japan

Rose.

Beauty ever new — Monthly Rose.
Bound — Snow Ball.
Beautiful eyes — Variegated Tulip.

ios

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS

C.

Concealed love — Yellow Acacia.
Consumed by love — Althea, Frutex.
Constancy — Box .
Concealed merit — Coriander.
Cheerfulness — Crocus.
Compassion — Elder.
Consolation — Red Poppy.
Charity — Wild Grape.
Calumny — Hellebric.
Contentment — Housetonia.
Can you return my love ? — Jonquil
Cold-hearted — Lettuce.
Conjugal love — Linden Tree,
Cruelty in love — Marigold.
Consent — Marsh Mallow.
Confession — Moss Rosebud.
Charming — Muck Rose.
Cure for the heart ache — Yarrow.
Come down — Jacob's Ladder.
Chaste Wit — Cranberry Tree.
Comfort — Pear Tree.

D.

Deceit — Arum, Monk's Hood.

Distinction — Cardinal's Flower.

Desertion — Columbine.

Despair — Cypress.

Deceitful hope — Daffodil.

Delay — Eupatorium.

Delicate beauty — Flower of an Hour.

Disappointed expectation — Fish Geranium.

Despondency — Mourning Geranium.

Discretion — Lemon Blossom.

Dark thoughts — Night Shade.

Departure — Sweet Pea.

Dissension — Pride of China.

Disdain — Rue.

Domestic virtues — Sage.

Diappointment — Carolina Syringe

Displeasure — Wormwood.
Dignity — Variegated Pink.
Delicacy — White Violet.

E.

Excess of sensibility — Aspen Tree.
Envy — Geranium .
Encouragement — Golden Rod.
Estranged love — Lotus Flower.
Ennui — Moss.

Egotism and self-love — Narcissus.
Engagement — Full Blown Rose.
Early attachment — Thornless Rose.
Esteem and love — Strawberry Tree.

F.

Fading Hope — Anemone.

Falsehood — Yellow Lily.

Friendship — Acacia.

Feminine modesty — Calla ^Ethiopica.

Forever thine — Dahlia.

Farewell — Spruce Pine, Michaelmas Daisy.

Fascination — Fern.

Forget me not — Mouse Ear, Forget-me-not.

Flame — Fleur de Lis, Iris.

Fickleness — Pink Larkspur.

First emotions of love — Purple Lilac.

Fancy — Rose Colored Lupine.

Fascinating — White Pink.

Flirtation— Variegated Poppy.

Forsaken — Dark Chinese Rose, Weeping

Willow.

Friendship in Adversity — Snow Drop.
Fame — Trumpet Flower.
Fly with me — Car Venus.
Flattery — Looking Glass Venus.
Filial love — Bower Virgin.
Fidelity in misfortune — Wall Flower.

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

109

Fraternal love — Woodbine.
Female fidelity — Speedwell.

G.

Grandeur — Cactus, Common or Indian Fig.

Generous and devoted love — Honey Suckle.

Good wishes — Sweet Basil.

Gracefulness — Birch.

Gratitude — Canterbury Bell.

Give an account of yourself — Chick Weed.

Genius, modest — Creeping Cereus.

Genius — Eglantine.

Growing old — Meadow Saffron.

Go away — Pennyroyal.

H.

Hope — Flowering Almond, Hawthorn.
Hope in love — Bachelor's Button.
Humility — Broom. \
Heartlessness — Hydranger.
Haughtiness — Purple Larkspur.-
High-souled — Scarlet JLily .
Hopeless, not heartless — Loves lies Bleed-
ing-
Hospitality — Oak Leaf.
Holy love — Passion Flower.
Happy love — Bridal Rose.
Hours fly like moments — Thyme.
Hopeless love — Yellow Tulip.

I.

Immortality — Cock's Comb.

I never change — Arbor Vitae.

Impatience — Balsam.

I change but in dying — Bay Leaf.

1 burn — Fleur de Lis.

I'm too happy — Cape Jasminf

Indifference, or a changed heart — Pigeon
Berry.

I live but in thee — Cedar.

I love — Rose Color Chrysanthemum.

Industry — Red Clover. Flax.

Innocence — Daisy.

I partake your sentiments — Garden Daisy.

I will think of it — White Daisy.

I wound to heal — Mandrake.

I keep my secret — Fig.

I don't believe you — Apocyneme.

I am fascinated — Honesty.

I wish to speak to you — Bell Flower.

I attach myself to you — Yellow Jessamine.

I wish I was rich — King Cup.

I die if neglected — Lauruslinus.

I surmount all difficulties — Mistletoe.

I am your captive — Peach Blossom.

Inconstancy — Evening Primrose.

I am dazzled by your charms — Ranunculus.

I ne'er shall see his like again — Rhododen-
dron.

I will not trouble you — Roseleaf.

I am worthy of you — White Rose.

Injustice — Hop.

I will not trouble you — Hundred Leaved
Rose.

I am in despair — White Rose, Withered,

I esteem, but do not love you — Spider Wort.

I dreamed of thee — Thorn Apple.

Intellect — Walnut.

Indiscretion — Common Almond.

Importunity — Burdock.

J.

Jealousy — Blue or Purple Hyacinth.

K.

Keep your promise — Plum Tree.

110

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

\

L.

Let me go — Butterfly Weed.

Liberty — Brooklime.

Love — Half Blown Rose, Blue Violet.

Love returned — Ambrosia.

Love's tryste — Beech Tree.

Love at first sight — Coreopsis.

Lovely as this flower — Harebill.

Love, secret — Honey Flower, Motherwort.

Love unsought — Chinese Honey Suckle.

Luxury — Horse Chestnut.

Loveliness, unobtrusive — White Hyacinth.

Love, first emotions of — Purple Lilac.

Love, conjugal — Linden Tree.

Love, estranged — Lotus Flower.

Love in absence — Myrtle.

Let us be friends again — Mint.

Love's vigil — Night Blooming Jessamine.

Love, holy — Passion Flower.

Love, woman's — Rose Colored Carnation

Pink.

Lovely, always — Indian Pink.
Love, happy — Bridal Rose.
Lovely, you are all that's — Austrian Rose.
Love, a heart that is ignorant of — White

Rose-Bud.

Love, only desire my — Campion Rose.
Love is dangerous — Carolina Rose.
Lightness — Daily Rose.
Love, message of — Hundred Leaved Rose.
Let us forget — Yellow Rose.
Lofty and pure thoughts — Tall Sunflower.
Lasting beauty — Stock, or Gilly Flower.
Lovely girl, you are a — Tuberose.
Love, a declaration of — Red Tulip.
Love, hopeless — Yellow Tulip.
Love» filial — Virgin Bower.
Love, fraternal — Woodbine.
Love, generous and devoted — Honey Suckle.
Love's oracle — Dandelion.

M.

Misplaced devotion — Aloe.

My heart bleeds for you — Japonica Camellia.

My thoughts are with thee — Heart's Ease.

My heart is forever thine — Heliothrope.

Matrimony — Ivy.

Malevolence — Lobelia.

Music — Oats.

Modesty, sensitive — Deep Red Rose.

Message of love — Scarlet Geranium.

Maternal tenderness — Wood Sorrel.

Misanthropy — Thistle.

Modesty — Pansy, or Heart's Ease.

May you be happy — Japonica Volkamenica.

Merit — Tansy.

Modest beauty — Trillium Pictuin.

N.

Never forgotten — Everlasting.

Neglected merit — Rose Colored Primrose.

O.

One smile — Sweet William.
Old, growing — Meadow Saffron.

P.

Preference — Apple Tree Blossom, Rose
Geranium.

Perfected loveliness — White Japonica Ca-
mellia.

Pretended love — Catchfly.

Pride of birth — Imperial Crown.

Poverty — Evergreen.

Protection — Juniper.

Pensive beauty — Laburnium.

Purity and Sweetness — White Liljr.

LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS.

Perplexity — Love in a Mist.
Peerless and proud — Corn Cockle.
Patriotism — Nasturtion.
Peace — Olive.
Patience — Ox-Eye.
Perfect excellence — Strawberry Tree.
Pity — Pine.

Pure and ardent love — Double Red Pink.
Purse-proud — Polyanthus.
Perseverance — White Poplar, Ground Lau-
rel.

Please for the moment — White Poppy.
Precocity — May Rose.
Pleasure without alloy — Moss Rose.
Presumption — Snap Dragon.
Pride befriend me — Tiger Flower.
Poor, but happy — Vernal Grass.
Purity of heart — White Water Lily.
' Prosperity — Wheat.
Penitence — Yew.
Prudery, or excessive nicety — Raspberry.

R.

Reward of merit — Bay Meash.
Revenge — Birdsfoot Trefoil.
Riches — Butter Cup.
Return quickly — Corchorus.
Reconciliation — Filbert, Hazel, Star of

Bethlehem.

Recall — Silver Leaved Geranium.
Rejected — Ice Plant.
Recantation — Lotus Leaf.
Remember me as I do you — Red or White

Perriwinkle.
Refusal — Lichen.
Rivalry — Rocket.
Remember me — Rosemary. '
Rural happiness — Tulip Tree Blossom.
Return of happiness — Lily of the Valley.

Sympathy — Balm.

Sharpness, sourness — Barberry.

Spiritual beauty — Cherry Tree Blossom.

Slighted love — Yellow Chrysanthemum.

Submisssion — Grass.

Solitude— Heath.

Secret love — Honey Flower, Motherwort.

Soul of my soul — Virginian Jessamine or

Jasmine.
Slander — Nettle.
^Satire — Pepper Plant.
Sweet remembrances — Blue Perriwinkle.
Sorrowful remembrances — Pheasant's Eye.
Sensitive modesty — Deep Red Rose.
Simplicity — Wild Rose, Sweet Brier.
Sensitiveness — Sensitive Plant.
Superstition — St. John's Wort.
Splendid — Venice Sumach.
Sensibility — Verbena.
Susceptibility — Wax Plant.

T.

Talent — Borage.

Truth — White Chrysanthemum.

Thy frown will kill me — Currant.

Time— Fir.

True friendship — Oak Geranium.

Treachery — Laurel.

Timidity — Marvel of Peru.

Think of me— White Clover.

Time and philosophy — Pitch Pine.

Thus do I break my fetters — A Broken

Straw.
Thou art changed — Wild Geranium.

u.

Unchangeable — Globe Amaranth.
Uncertainty — Convolv ilus.

.12

LANGUAGE OF FLOWEKS.

Unobtrusive loveliness — White Hyacinth.

Unbelief-— Judas Tree.

Useful knowledge — Parsley.

Unanimity — Phlox.

Unfortunate attachment — Scabious.

Usefulness — Silk Weed.

V.

Variety, love of — China Aster.

W.

Welcome — American Starwort.
Wealth is not happiness— Scarlet Auricula.
Win me and wear me — Lady's Slipper.
Woman's worth — Orange Blossom.
Wilt thou go with me ? — Everlasting Pea.
Woman's love — Rose Colored Carnation
Pink.

Wit— Ragged Robin.

War — York and Lancaster Rose.

Wit, ill-timed— Wild Sorrel.

Y.

Your blush has won me — Azalea.

You are my divinity — Cowslip.

You will cause my death — Hemlock.

Youthful innocence — White Lilac.

Your qualities surpass your loveliness—

Mignionette.

You are perfect — Pine Apple.
You are the queen of coquettes — Queen's

Rocket.

You are all that's lovely — Austrian Rose.
Your devout adorer — -Dwarf Sunflower.
You are a lovely girl — Tuberose.
Youth — Fox-Glove.
Your qualities, like your charms, are un

equalled — Peach.

' O'er roses may your footsteps move —

Your smiles be ever smiles of love —

Your tears be tears of joy !"

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