iRIIBW Y(D®!K

T. L.MAGAGNOS
N? 16 Be ekman S*THE

FLORA BELLE

OR,

GEMS FROM NATURE

WITH TWENTY-FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS, COLORED.

J. L. COMSTOCK, A.M.

NEW YORK:

T. L . MAGAGNOS

1G BEEKMAN STREET.INTRODUCTION

It is generally expected that an author, or as in the present
case, an editor, before proceeding to the main matter ot his
work, should make his bow, as it were, and say a few prelimi-
nary words to place himself on a footing ot lamilianty, or at
least of acquaintance, with his reader. Such an introduction
may generally be compared to a “hasty plate of soup” before
dinner,—whether the meal that follows be substantial and
well cooked, or merely ‘ Lenten fare.' In this instance, the
reader who is not fond of soup, is requested to dispense with
it, and turn with fresher appetite to the main part of the enter-
tainment. It is never best, (at least we have never found it
so,) to make large promises, and we prefer greatly that the
reader should, if he can, find out for himself any humble merits
of our own, as well as the superlative ones of the subjects of
which we are to write. But the publisher, our Murray in this
matter, has indicated to us his wish that we should give the
said reader some inkling of what we intend to do—thereby
wishing, perhaps, to inspect “ a brick of our Babel” for his
own satisfaction. However this may be, of all men in the
world a publisher is the most imperative, and we shall comply
with his request as briefly as that prolixity to which we confess
a lamentable addiction, will permit.

In the first place, then, from a sufficiently careful observa-
tion of several other periodical works devoted to similar sub-
jects, we are convinced that a method considerably different
from that adopted in most such works, may be introduced intothis with advantage, in point of both usefulness and popularity.
Such works are too often without system ; utility and correct-
ness are sacrificed to mere superficiality and sentiment; and
instead of well arranged and reliable information and instruc-
tion, the reader is apt to receive a medley of isolated excerpts, of
which the first might as well have been the last, in which truth
can hardly be separated from error, and which, singly or col-
lectively, are of little permanent value. To one who wishes to
pursue the study of Botany with success, regularity and method
are particularly essential. Festina lente is his safest maxim. He
must begin by learning the elements of science as a child
learns letters. He must first acquire a thorough familiarity
with the simplest and broadest distinctions between the great
divisions of the Vegetable Kingdom, the reasons upon which
those distinctions rest, the names of the parts on which they
depend, the differences of organization, the modifications of
structure or of appearance, which are the foundation of the
modern science of Botany. In short, Botany cannot be under-
stood in its most interesting and most important view, without
a very considerable degree of patience and toil; especially in
taking the primary steps. It is like a noble fortification, of
which the outposts are the most difficult to be captured, but
which, when once in the hands of the invader, offer a com-
paratively easy access to the more important, but less strongly
guarded interior. Such, indeed, is the condition on which all
valuable knowledge must be obtained; and the assertion
is a safe one, that whatever learning can be easily and super-
ficially acquired, is in itself superficial. An eminent author
has maintained that the popular notion that Botany is a
science of easy acquirement, is a popular error, and to this
position we entirely assent. To the study of Botany, one who
wishes to master it as a science, must bring no ordinary com-
bination of faculties. To patience he must add quickness of
perception; to methodical habits of thought, a certain kindand degree of imagination ; to comprehensive views of nature,
the power to enter into the most minute details. On the one
hand, he must be calm and considerate ; on the other, ener-
getic, enthusiastic and inquiring ; capable as well of long con-
tinued and laborious effort as of dexterous and versatile exer-
tion. And yet, to assert that Botany is not calculated for a
popular object of study, would be as absurd as the same as-
sertion in regard to the science of music : and an argument
against the general pursuit of the former, based upon the fact
that every student cannot become a Linnaeus or a Lindley,
would be as fallacious as to contend that no one should study
music because he could not reach the fame of a Mozart or a
Hadyn. Indeed, a contrary argument, without a paradox
either, might be drawn from these very circumstances.

But we take it for granted that our readers need no such
reasoning to induce them to follow us when, in ensuing parts
of this work, we attempt to lead them, by a somewhat thorough
and regular course, to some acquaintance with the great mod-
ern system of Botany, as improved and extended by Lindley
and others, and which seems to have given to the science a
stability and precision which it has been comparatively late in
acquiring. It will, of course, be quite impossible, in such a
periodical, to enter minutely or largely into the details ot this
subject. All we shall aim at will be, to give the reader as
competent a knowledge of first principles, as will render him
capable of studying with pleasure and profit the learned and
systematic works of more able and distinguished authors. It
will be our purpose to devote a portion of each number to a
series of articles of this nature ; in which we shall, so far as
possible, avoid technical difficulties, and which, taken collec-
tively, at the end of the year, we hope to render a nearly com-
plete introduction to the Natural System of Botany, as expoun-
ded by its gieat advocate and teacher, Professor Lindley.
For this object we shall make a free, but we hope a judicioususe of the works of the celebrated Professor, as well as those
of other standard writers.

Another portion of the work will be occupied with a series
of notices on the subject of Fossil Botany: a branch of the
science hitherto but little appreciated or understood in this
country ; but which, being the connecting link between Botany
and Geology, we hope to make interesting to the inquirer in
both these sciences.

During the flowering season, monthly lists of the principal
native plants of the Northern and Eastern States, will be given,
accompanied by descriptions of the habit, appearance, and
structure of the more remarkable species, and proper direc-
tions for their collection and preservation.

Our explanations of the methods of cultivating and propaga-
ting the different varieties of popular flowers, of which portraits
will be given, will be, we hope, acceptable to all those who
are. fond of floriculture, and, as they will be based upon expe-
rience, or the suggestions of eminent florists, they may be re-
lied upon for propriety and correctness.

The highly interesting subject of Vegetable Physiology,
inseparable as it is from a competent knowledge of the Natu-
ral System, will form an important part of our consideration,
and we believe that by proper illustrations and explanations,
we shall be able to render it both instructive and enter-
taining.

Into the subordinate details of our proposed plans we do
not consider it necessary to enter. So far as the minor mat-
ters of taste or elegance of embellishment are concerned, we
may promise, that while they do not interfere with the general
scope of our graver and more important labors, they shall yet
receive a degree of attention sufficient to render them entirely
satisfactory.

In conclusion, we venture to hope that none of our readers,
especially those of the gentle sex, if any such we are so for-
tunate as to possess, will be led to imagine, from any thingwe have here written,	that our purpose is to	make	this work

too dry and scientific	for	general perusal.	Such	is by no

means our intention. We believe that such a work can be
rendered sufficiently scientific at once and popular : that with-
out sacrificing science	to	popularity, the two	can be so com-
bined as to instruct at	the	same time and to please.	We are

well aware that too many consider the difficulties which must
be overcome before any considerable knowledge of Botany can
be obtained, to be more than a sufficient bar to their efforts.
Difficulties, it is true, exist, and are of the essence of the sub-
ject ; but none which, for all the purposes at least of this
work, a diligent student cannot master; though, as we have
before intimated, no royal road through them exists.

Many are also deterred from seeking a knowledge of Bota-
ny, by a misapprehension of the true character of the science.
They believe the end proposed by its pursuit to be only the filling
of their minds with a mass of unmeaning technicalities, anti
hard and unintelligible names. A greater mistake cannot
possibly be made. Nomenclature is indeed of only secondary
importance, and without going so far as to assert witli Itous-
spau that “ one may become a first rate botanist, without
knowing a single plant by its name,” we may safely say
that he will never become a botanist who learns nothing
of plants except their names. Such knowledge would
truly be useless, meagre and insipid enough. But the pecu-
liarities of structure and of vital action, the remarkable opera-
tions of nature in adapting the physiological arrangements of
plants to the functions which they are destined to perform, the
singularities of their internal and external developement, the
combination of vessels, of nerves and of tissues of which they
are formed, so miraculously and beautifully fitted for the offi-
ces of sustentation and increase, form matters of inquiry and
ot reflection which cannot fail, in a well regulated mind, to
instil ideas of the most elevated and inspiring character, and
to lead the heart of the thoughtful student from an observationof the wonders of these creations up to the great Being whose
hand in them all is so evident.

Inferior to no study in interest of this kind, that of Botany
is peculiarly favorable to the pursuit of the inquirer, from the
readiness and ease with which the objects of its investigation
may be procured. Every flower and every leaf, the tiniest
grass, the most neglected lichen, may form a theme for lofty
contemplation. The eye of the botanist may become endued
with a sort of second sight. It may discern in the commonest
things of the earth wonders which are not found in the most
gorgeous palaces. It may perceive in the most ordinary
works of Nature an exquisiteness of design, an elaborateness
of execution, an adaptedness of means to the end proposed,
which are looked for in vain in the most exalted plans of hu-
man genius. And more, the true student of nature, too often
care-worn and oppressed by the toil and disappointments of
his harsher human existence, may forget all in the separate life,
in which, among all these wonders, he may become soothed
and consoled. There is to him more than “a pleasure in the
pathless woods,” more than “a rapture on the lonely shore,”
and he needs the impulse of neither misanthropy nor satiety,
to become in such scenes a wiser, a happier, and a better man.

It is in the spirit of these reflections that we approach the
task before us, confident of our success in inspiring our readers
as we proceed, with something like a similar feeling.

J. C. C.THE ILLUSTRATED BOTANY.

THE NATURAL SYSTEM OF BOTANY.

NUMBER ONE.

In attempting, through the pages of a periodical work, tocon-
vey proper ideas of the Natural System, to afford such aid to
the learner as will enable him to understand its importance,
and to overcome some of the difficulties with which it is sur-
rounded, the writer is conscious that he is engaging in a task
of considerable magnitude. Indeed, except among botanists
of high attainments, the Linnaean System has in this country,
until lately, been the common, if not almost exclusive object
of studv. With the exception of the excellent work of Dr.
Gray, and that of Professor Wood, the former of which is
probably the very best extant, and both which every learner
ought to possess, no American work exists, to our knowledge,
which professes to give, for the benefit of those who are un-
acquainted with the subject, more than the merest outline of
the Natural System, while many of those who pursue the study
of plants as a recreation, or as a popular branch of knowledge,
seem to be nearly ignorant of a System other than the Linnaean..
For such persons, who would scarcely think it possible, at
first, to read a full and minute treatise, our articles are more
especially intended, and it will afford us great satisfaction if
we are able to inspire in any such a degree of taste, and a
desire for farther information, which will lead them to the peru-
sal of the more lengthy and scientific works of those and other
eminent botanists. It has been considered, therefore, (without
offering further reasons,) that a monthly series of articles, in a
popular magazine, each of yhich may be easily read and un-derstood before the appear;!nee of the next, might be mnde
serviceable in this way, and might be so arranged as in a
connected form to afford the reader the assistance necessary to
render his further advances somewhat more easy and agreeable.

It is supposed that the student who intends to follow us in
these articles, has already an acquaintance with the Linnaean
S}rstem, and a knowledge of the parts of plants, sufficient for
the purpose of understanding at least some of the terms used.
For instance, when we come to speak of stamens and pistils,
of carpels and dissepiments, of bracts and ovaries, we shall
take it for granted that our «reader knows the part or organ
indicated by these names. Should he be deficient in such
knowledge, he will find in the articles on Vegetable Physiol-
ogy, which will be the monthly companions of these, much
important information, and for whatever more may be neces-
sary, he can consult almost any elementary treatise. Con-
sidering, then, that he is properly prepared to follow us, we
begin by some general remarks on Classification.

The science of Botany may be correctly divided into two
distinct departments. One of these may be termed Physiolo-
gical Botany, and has for its object the investigation of the
internal structure and method of the growth and reproduction
of plants. The other, which is closely connected with, and in
a great measure depends upon the first, concerns the arrange-
ment of plants into groups or divisions, and is termed Classifi-
cation. The utility of such an arrangement must be obvious,
when we think of the utter impossibility of studying and
remembering by themselves the peculiarities of every one of
the one hundred thousand species which the globe is estimated
t.o contain. For instance, suppose the grain which we call
fVhcat was lately discovered, and generally unknown; by
what method could one, who knew nothing of Classification,
designate it so that it might be distinguished from all others?
Without some systematic arrangement, and some definite
terms to denote its distinctive characters, this would be mani-
festly difficult and uncertain. It is on these distinctive marks,
or invariable peculiarities, that, in all branches of natural
science, systematic arrangements are founded, and accordingly
we find, that in the earliest periods of botanical research, somekind or degree of classification was adopted. This was no less
natural than necessary, and was founded on the same great
principles of general resemblance and similarity of properties
which form the basis of the most complete modern system.
The most superficial observer, says Dr. Smith, must perceive
something like the classification of nature. The Grasses,
Umbelliferous Plants, Mosses, Sea Weeds, Ferns, Liliaceous
Plants, each constitute a family strikingly similar in form and
qualities among themselves, and no less evidently distinct from
all others. It is singular, that in all other departments of natu-
ral science, such a method of classification is strictly adhered
to, while in Botany, principles have been introduced, which in
Zoology would lead to the greatest absurdities. The earliest
attempts at the classification of plants only extended to a few
simple divisions, formed from the widest distinctions. One
ancient writer, for instance, divides vegetables into water
plants, parasites, pot herbs, forest trees, and corn plants;
another into aromatics, gum bearing plants, eatable vege-
tables, and corn herbs. Many centuries elapsed before
any thing further was effected towards a more correct and
'precise arrangement, and it was not till the year 1570 that
Lobel, a Flemish botanist, made important improvements in
the former methods of distinction, and by the use of more defi-
nite characters than had before been employed, laid the groun-
work of the present system. Several authors of eminence fol-
lowed, whose principles of classification were the same. At
length, near the end of the seventeeth century, the necessity
began to be felt, of greater precision, and this led to the inven-
tion of a system, which, partly from the renown of its author,
•and partly from its simplicity and the readiness with which it
oiay be understood and applied, has obtained the greatest
celebrity. The first attempt at what is now called the Artifi-
cial System, was made by Rivinus, who, in 1G90, invented a
system depending on the formation of the corolla. He was fol-
lowed by Kamel and by Magnol, whose methods depended,
the first on the formation of the calyx, and the second on that
of the calyx and corolla together. It was reserved for Lin-
naeus, in 1731, to complete the ideas of his predecessors by the
invention of the system since so universally adopted, and namedafter its inventor. This, no doubt, contributed largely to the
dissemination of botanical knowledge, and was of much benefit
to the state of the science as it then existed ; but the researches
of modern botanists, aided by the great improvements in
optics which have so facilitated their observations on life and
structure, have shown that it is by no means suited to or suffi-
cient for the advancement of later times. Indeed, its chief
merit consists in the convenient clue which it offers to the name
alone of an unknown plant, while as to structure or properties
it affords no indication. It has been compared to the alphabeti
cal index of a book, which directs the reader to the point which
he wishes to ascertain, without giving'him any information as
to the general nature of the book, or of the method in which its
subjects are arranged. Indeed, Linnaeus himself was fully
sensible of its defects, and by no one more than by him have
the superior advantages of a Natural System been appreciated.
When he framed his Artificial System, he probably intended
it only for temporary employment, and to facilitate that
acquaintance with the vegetable kingdom which must precede
the formation of a perfect Natural System, and he anticipated
the time when greater progress should cause it to be aban-
doned, and botanists to revert to the system of nature. Though
not then fully developed, he said that the elucidation of the
principles of the latter should be the first and ultimate aim of
botanists, to this end should their labors be directed, and the
merest fragments of such a system should be carefully studied;
and he adds, “ For a long time I have labored to establish it,
T have many discoveries, but have not been able to perfect it;
yet while I live, I shall continue to labor for its completion.
Those are the greatest botanists who shall be able to correct,
augment, and perfect this method.” From this it is evident,
that those who, out of veneration for the name of the great
Naturalist, adhere to his system to the exclusion of one formed
on natural principles, and imagine they have his authority for
so doing, mistake his views and misrepresent his declarations.
The Linnaean, or Artificial System, as we shall hereafter cnll
it, in contradistinction to the Natural System, is not, how-
ever, even at present, without its advantages. To one who is
not ambitions of extending his studies into the higher regionsof the science, but is only desirous of becoming acquainted
with the names and characters of such plants as he may meet
with in his rambles, this System offers facilities which are well
calculated to encourage. To determine the class and order by
counting the stamens and pistils, is generally a very simple
matter, and when this is done, the discovery of the genus and
species can be readily effected, with the aid of a Manual and a
little practice in examination. It is not too much to say, how-
ever, that this System is, after all, of no further use, taken by
itself, than merely to assist in finding out the name of an
unknown plant, and even in its application to this purpose it
possesses many imperfections. The number of pistils or of
stamens is often inconstant in any species, and varies even
among individuals of the same species, or even in the different
fiowers of the same individual. This must of course lead to
great confusion, and every one who has experienced the fre-
quent difficulty of determining the name onty of a plant by the
artificial method, must have become aware of the necessity in
such cases of applying to other principles for assistance. Then
it is that the necessity of means of discrimination not afforded
by the mere number or positions of stamens or pistils, becomes
apparent. For instance, the genus Polygonum, some members
of which are commonly known by the names of Bind-weed
or Knot-grass, is placed in the class Octandria and order
Trigynia. Now out of sixteen species of this genus, which are
found in the northern and middle states, nine only are Octan-
drous, and some of these vary, while of the remaining seven
species two are Pentandrous, three Hexandrous, and two Hep-
tandrous, and out of the whole sixteen at least ten are not pro-
perly Trigynous. Now, if without any previous knowledge of
these facts, the student should find a Polygonum which has
five, six, or seven stamens, he would at once look for it in the
class Pentandria or Hexandria or Heptandria. Hr finds
nothing like it, and must endure his perplexity and disappoint-
ment until some one who has perhaps passed through the same
difficulties shall tell him that his plant is a Polygonum. Should
he inquire how this happens, when it evidently belongs to a
different class, the only answer can be that it is so much like
the Polygonums that it cannot be separated from them, andthey in most cases belong to Octandria. Thus it appears that
it is not by means of the Artificial System that the plant is to
be discovered, but through its resemblance to other Polygonums,
thus applying the very principles of the Natural System.
Again, the genus Rhamnus, or Buckthorn, is placed in the
class Pentandria, while the most common species, (R. alnifo-
lius,) is Dioecious; so that if, on observing that one individual
bears female and another male flowers, it should be sought for
in the class Dioecia, the result would be the same as before.
These instances are not exaggerated, and similar ones are by
no means uncommon. It has been proved that in fourteen
divisions of the Linnaean System, including one hundred and
seventy-three British genera, the number of such exceptions
amounts to forty-three, or nearly one quarter ; and that out of
two hundred and seventy-four North American genera, belong-
ing to eighteen Linnaean sections, there are no less than seventy-
eight exceptions, or more than a quarter of the whole. This
comprehends, too, only those variations which are constant and
uniform, and not merely accidental deviations. It is true, that
the labors of botanists have in a degree lessened the difficulty
by pointing out the most perplexing of these variations, in such
a manner as to prevent the loss of time and patience in futile
endeavors at finding genera in wrong classes', or species in
wrong genera; but this does not lessen the imperfections of the
system.The Forget-Me-Not.

This general favorite must be sought by the banks of rivers
and in marshy situations. Its little blue eyes peeping up on
every side, will assure the solitary traveller that he is not alone,
but, on the contrary, undergoing the inspection of more optics
than Argus possessed. It belongs to the class Pentandria (five
husbands), and order Monogynia (one wife). The generic
name Myosotis (mouse-ear), is owing to the hairy character of
their leaves, and their growing longitudinally together like the
ear of a mouse. Linnseus erected these rough-leaved plants into
an order by themselves, the Asperifolia (rough-leaved). These
plants have single petalled corollas, with five stamens and five
naked seeds. It is remarkable that most of the blue flowers in
this class are pink in the bud, the sudden change of which, from
a bright red to a vivid blue, as the flower expands, is apparently
caused by the loss of some acid principle. There are many
species in this genus, but none of any considerable importance.
The M. Arvensis or Field Mouse Ear, is an annual plant, covered
■with grey down, half a foot in height. Leaves oblong, rather
acute. Flowers very small, white, on short pedicels; calyx
acute ; seeds smooth and shining—it abounds on dry hills. The
M. Palustris, the only interesting one of the number, and which
ts represented in our plate, is so called on account of its growing
in swamps or marshes. It is perennial; seeds smooth ; calyx
subovate, without hair, nearly as long as the tube of the corolla ;
stem slightly branched, leaves spear-shaped. The southern bank
°f the Fairy bath at the Luxembourg in France, is covered with
a thick tapestry of this flower; they sparkle in July, clad in as
bright a blue as that of the cerulean sky. Presenting inferior
claims to admiration, on account of any superior merit or use,
this species is celebrated through the world. It owes this noto-
riety to a foolish and impossible story, that has taken wonderfully
with the public. About the best version is the following:—It is
related that a young couple who were on the eve of being united,
while walking along the delightful banks of the Danube,
saw one of these lovely flowers floating on the waves, which

Dseemed ready to carry it away. The affianced bride admired
the beauty of the flower, and regretted its fatal destiny. The
lover was induced to precipitate himself into the water, where he
had no sooner seized the flower, than he sank upon the flood ;
but making a last efl’ort he threw the flower upon the shore, and
at the moment of disappearing for ever, he exclaimed, “ Forget
me not,” a circumstance that ever after emblematized the flower.
As he was rather weak, he must have been quite near the shore,
to have been able to throw it, which establishes the fact of the
banks of the Danube being exceedingly precipitous. The M.
Virginiana is the last. The Virginia Mouse Ear is hairy ; seeds
bristled, with hooks; leaves ovate-lanceolate, acuminate; ra-
cemes divaricate (clusters turning backwards). Leaves very
large; blossom white, roundish, entire, as long as the calyx, *
crowned at the mouth. It is a weed in cultivated ground, rank-
ing with the rubbish. It flowers in July.

In vain I searched the garden through,

In vain the meadow gay,

For some sweet flower that might to you
A kindly thought convey.

One spake too much of hope and bloom
For those who know of man the doom;

Another, queen of the parterre,

Thorns on her graceful stem did bear ;

A third, alas ! seemed all too frail
For ruder breath than summer gale.

I turned me thence to where, beneath
The hedgerow’s verdant shade,

The lowliest gems of flora’s wreath
Their modest charms displayed.

Lured by its name, one simple flower,

From its sweet sisterhood I bore,

And bade it hasten to impart
The breathings of a faithful heart,

And plead—whate’er your future lot,

In weal or wo—Forget-Me-Not.

Moral op Flowers.The Passion Flower.

This flower is peculiar to America, but more particularly to the
forests of the southern continent; where Nuttall says of this genus
of scandent or climbing plants that—their immensely long and
often woody branches attain the summits of the loftiest trees, or
trail upon the ground, adorned with perennially green or falling
leaves, sometimes palmate, or lobed like fingers ; in others, entire,
and like those of Laurel. They sustain themselves by means of
undivided tendrils; and send out a long succession of the most
curious and splendid flowers, of which no other part of the world
offers any counterpart. Some of the flowers are exceedingly
fragrant, and succeeded by pleasant tasted acidulous fruits, re-
sembling berries or small cucumbers. Three species are indi-
genous in the United States, usually growing in light and dry
soils, from the lower part of the States of Delaware and Mary-
land, to the south and west indefinitely. The arrangement of
'he stamens in the form of a cross, and the triple crown, occa-
sioned the name given it by the Catholics, who first discovered
* it, as they at once considered it emblematic of the passion or suf-
fering of the Saviour. It belongs to the class Gynandria (union
°f husband and wife), and order Pentandria (five husbands).
The generic character is—a five-parted colored calyx ; five petals
inserted upon the calyx; the nectary or lepantheum (petal-like),
a triple crown of filaments; the fruit a pedicellated pepo, or berry.
Fhe useful species are, 1st, the P. Laurifolia. The bay-leaved
Passion Flower, a native of Surinam. The fruit grows to the
size of a small lemon. It has a delicious smell and flavor, and is
excellent'for quenching thirst, abating heat of the stomach, in-
creasing the appetite, recruiting the spirits, and allaying the heat
in fevers.

2d. The P. Maliformis. The apple-shaped Granadilla. It is
the Sweet Calabash of the West Indies. The flowers are large,
and the colors red, white and blue, in rings, as is usual in this
genus. The fruit is of the size of a large apple, yellow when
ripe, with a rind enclosing a sweet pulp, with many seeds of a
brownish color. It is served up at the table in desserts, where it
is considered a great delicacy. The high character, however,
borne by this fruit at the South, should not be considered as acriterion of its merit by us of colder skies. It is possible we all
know how to cultivate the senses to a high degree of perfection.
On the ocean, sailors have described minutely, a ship in the dis-
tance, which, as we approached it, proved the truth of their infor-
mation, when it was impossible for a landsman’s eye to discern
a speck in the horizon. Savages can hear miles off. John
Hunter’s sense of touch was so exquisite that he often told the
seat of disease by the pulse alone, when the combined symptoms
could not enlighten others; and the gustatory (taste) nerve may
be so educated as to perceive a delicious flavor in what, to us,
would be insipid. This is the only way in which I can account
for people relishing such fruits as I have just described. As a
general rule, the inhabitants of hot countries are the most indo-
lent of any on earth; not necessarily so, for the observer of na-
ture will find the heat alone a very insufficient cause of excuse.
In very cold climates, the food is principally oily and the wind
never blows. In hot climates we find aqueous vegetables and a
constant current. In Curacoa, on the shores of Columbia, N.
L. 12° 24', W. L. 69° 03', where we spent the fall of 1844, the
thermometer stood at 86° in the shade for an average of several
months; yet such was the constancy and power of the trade
winds, that it was perfectly comfortable at any hour of the day.
We were agreeably disappointed to find our experience so dif-
ferent from what we had anticipated of a sojourn in torrid regions.
The people, instead of partaking of the juicy fruits which nature
so opportunely provided, lived principally on meats, which they
washed down with enormous quantities of wine and brandy.
Their tastes were so improved (?) that all kinds of dressings for
poultry, &c., had to be sweetened, and it was no uncommon
thing to boil turkeys in molasses, and then proceed to bake them
in the usual way. It was a great trial for our stomacli to sit at
table and witness the rapid disappearance of meats and liquors,
followed by desserts that would nauseate any Northerner. We
were one day coaxed by a polite gentleman, with mustaches
that might have encircled his little cranium, to try this fruit; the
first mouthful was more than enough. The landlord, noticing
our dislike to the native productions, took from his closet and set
on the table, four little, withered, dirty-looking apples, evidently
considering them, poor as they were, an extra luxury. We were
convinced, from what wo saw on the island, that it would be arather difficult thing to find a healthy location for any one in-
dulging in the habits of these people. The ancients thought it
impossible for living beings to exist under the equator on account
°f the intense heat; and we partake, in a measure, of the same
kind of feeling when we believe accounts of the insalubrity of
places without inquiring into the customs of the inhabitants.—
The roots of this last species are emetic, narcotic, and poisonous.
They contain a principle resembling morphine, which in some
species extends even to the flowers and fruit. The most beauti-
ful of the kinds now cultivated is the P. Princeps, with clusters
of scarlet flowers, the one we have represented; the hybrids of
which are peculiarly elegant; it was at one time much cultivated,
and is now to a great extent; but the superior hardiness of the
blue, P. Cerulea, making it the most common, excepting the one
just mentioned, it is the most elegant of the genus. The flowers
are large and handsome; and the leaves assume, in autumn, a
vivid crimson that is exceedingly beautiful. Harte describes it
as the

All beauteous flower ! whose centre glows
With studs of gold; thence streaming flows
Ray-like effulgence. Next i' seen
A rich expanse of varying hue,

Enfringed with an empurol-d blue,

And streaked with rouDg Pomona’s green.

Hish o’er the pointal de;ked with gold
(Emblem mysterious to behold),

A radiant cross it1; form expands;

Its opening arms appear t’ embrace
The whole collective human race,

Refuge of al’ rnen, in all lands.

The fruit is egg-shaped, and disagreeable to the taste. This
flower is said to bloom about Holy Rood day, to commemorate,
according to the legends of the Church of Rome, the day in
Which Helena, the mother of Constantine, in 326, A. D., discover-
ed the Cross on which the Saviour was crucified. Our readers
Will know, of course, this depends alone on the accidents of the
°-limate. Th:s should have no local emblem, but embrace all.

Oh ! ne’er with cold and careless glance, gaze I on thee, sweet flower,

^or thoughtless pluck thee, as I’m wont thy sisters of the bower,

No—fancy gifts thee with a spell, unknown to all beside,

vV>.ich checks the hand thy beauty woos, nnd quells the glance of prideEach flower some chosen emblem is; one is for beauty’s bloom,

Another friendship claims ; a third sheds fragrance o’er the tomb;

But link’d with holy memories, to penitence how dear!

Thy shrine is aye the broken heart, thy dew contrition’s tear.

Yet glad and dear I hold thy lore, and oft with curious eye,

Do trace the mystic characttrs that in thy bosom lie.

Types of those fearful instruments of agony and scorn,

The Cross that bore the Lord of life, the nail, the twisted thorn.

Moral of Flowers.

The Violet,

The Violet is not only the name of a genus, but the type of
the natural order of Violacese; ihe order, according to Gery, is
composed of herbs ; in tropical climates, shrubby plants, with
mostly alternate simple leaves, on stalks, with leafy appendages
at their base, and irregular flowers. The flower cup is made
of five permanent leaves, often ear-shaped at the base. Blossom
is composed of five unequal leaves, one of them larger than the
others, and commonly bearing a spur or sac at the base ; the
summer buds rolled into a cylindric form. Stamens five, with
short and broad filaments, which are usually lengthened beyond
the introse united anthers, two of them commonly bearing a
gland or a slender appendage, which is concealed in the spur of
the corolla; the anthers approaching each other, or united in a
ring or tube. Style usually turned to one side, and thickened or
hooded at the apex. Fruit a one-celled capsule, opening by
three valves, each valve bearing a parietal placenta in the middle.
Seeds numerous, inverted, with a crusty skin. Embryo straight,
nearly the length of the fleshy albumen. The derivation of the
word Violet is very uncertain; about the best account concerning
it seems to be, that it sprung up on purpose to be the food of the
metamorphosed Io, daughter of Inachus, who had been changed
by Jupiter into a beautiful white heifer, but fed by jealous Juno’s
orders upon bitter herbs. It is written that it was the study of
this flower which induced John Bertram, a quaker of Pennsyl-
vania, to study plants. He had employed his time in agricultu-
ral pursuits without a knowledge of botany, but being in the field
one day, he gathered a violet and examined its formation, andreflected upon it until he became so prepossessed with the flower
that he dreamed of it. This circumstance inspired him with a
desire of becoming acquainted with plants ; he therefore learned,
lor that purpose, as much Latin as was necessary, and soon be*
came the most learned Botanist in the new world. Whatever
is conducive to man’s enjoyment or comfort, is sure to be widely
disseminated for his benefit, and always within his reach; the
Violet, consequently, is found in all parts of the world ; it dis-
putes the palm of supremacy with the Rose even in its own Per-
sian home. It came originally from the south of Europe, yet
there is at present no land with whose memory it is not embalm-
ed in song. Howitt, in speaking of a morning walk, says,—All
unexpectedly, in some embowered lane, you are arrested by the
delicious odor of Violets, those sweetest of Flora’s children,
which have furnished so many beautiful allusions to the poets,
and which are not yet exhausted; they are like true friends, we
do not know half their sweetness till they have felt the sunshine
°f our kindness, and again, they are like the pleasures of our
childhood, the earliest and the most beautiful. [A sentiment in
which the Editor begs leave to differ from Howitt; he cannot
understand why Christians should take so much delight in re-
calling babyish recollections; if they have no enjoyment, the
fault is surely their own ; and as day after day passes away, and
the termination of their pilgrimage draws nigh, if they feel not
the gales of refreshing from the Land of Promise, he thinks they
°ught to examine narrowly the road if it be the straight and narrow
path.] In March, they are seen in all their glory, blue and white,
uiodestly peering through the thick clustering leaves.

This genus is in the Class Pentandria ; Order Monogynia
h is characterized by the—Calyx, five-leaved; corolla, five-
petalled, irregular, horned at the back; anthers, cohering; cap-
sules, superior, one-celled, three-valved. First in the rank of
species we will take the Blue Violet—Viola Odorata Pur-
purea. This is an evergreen creeper, with heart-shaped, scal-
loped, smooth leaves; the flower-cup obtuse ; and the two lateral
leaves of the blossom with a bearded or hairy line. The run-
ners are furnished with fibrous roots, and send up annually tufts
°f leaves and flowers; these last are on the summits of delicate,
four-cornered stalks, which spring flrectly from the root; the
leaves of the blossom are longer than those of the flower-cup,egg-shaped, with the narrow end towards the stem, and of a
bluish purple color, except at the claws, which are somewhat paler;
they have an exceedingly agreeable odor, and somewhat bitter
taste, both of which can be obtained from them by boiling water.
The infusion is often used by chemists for testing acids and alka-
lies, being reddened by the former, and rendered green by the
latter. Besides its beauty, it is cultivated for medical use in our
gardens; for which purpose the blossoms should be collected
before they are fully blown, and rapidly dried, either by a heated
room or by exposing them to a current of very dry air. The
oflicinal preparation is a syrup, to make which, take of

Fresh Petals of the Violet, two pounds; boiling water, five pints. Macerate
for twenty-four hours; then filter the liquor through fine linen, withou. ex-
pression ; lastly, add twenty-nine ounces of sugar to every pint, and form a
syrup.—[Dub. P.]

It has a bright blue color, and the flavor of the flower; given
to iufants in the dose of a quarter of an ounce, it will act as a
gentle laxative ; though we must say, not as well as barley water.
Hasselquest tells us that this is one of the plants most esteemed
in Syria, particularly on account of its great use in making violet
sugar, of which Sorbet is composed. The most popular Sherbet
of the Turks, and which is drunk by the Grand Seignior himself,
is made of sugar and Violets. It is the emblem of Modesty.

The next in order is the Sweet White Violet—Viola
Odorata Alba, which is merely a variety of the purple, differ-
ing from it but in color. They were originally all white, but culti-
vation changes the color, and makes the plant more fragrant; it
is the emblem of Candor and Innocence. A careless observer
would be apt to overlook the Violet altogether, as they never
obtrude themselves into notice, but still retain the bashful timidity
of the nymph whom Diana changed into one of them, by partially
concealing themselves in their abundant foliage. A story is told
of its being given as a device to an amiable and witty lady, of a
timid and reserved character, with the motto, “11 faut me
clicrcher”—I must be sought after. In medicinal properties, it
of course closely simulates the other.

The last we shall mention is the Pansies, or Hearts Ease—
Viola Tricolor. It has an angular spreading, divided stem,
with oblong, deeply scalloped leaves, the appendages at the base
of the stalks ranged opposi i each other, with the odd terminal
leaf largest. It has beer^ well remarked that the tints of thisvariable flower, are scarcely less numerous than the names which
have been bestowed upon it. Pansy is a corruption of the
French name Pens^e, thought, as Ophelia says, “ and there’s
Pansies, that’s for thoughts.” This plant spreads itself every-
where, growing in corn-fields and waste as well as cultivated
grounds; it will grow in any soil and situation, but the self-
grown plants degenerate very rapidly, producing only small
dingy flowers. It is a plant that must be in company to shine,
as its own perfume is weak, and it requires a cluster to produce
much effect, both in regard to sight and smell. So rich and
varied are the tints, in purple and gold, of this flower, exceeding
far the workmanship of art, that it is impossible ever to find two
Pinks of my John, as it has been whimsically called, alike. The
fresh plant has an extremely glutinous taste, and makes, accord-
ing to Bergius, a useful mucilaginous purgative. It has been
celebrated, both in ancient and modern times, as a remedy for
the Crusta Lactea of infants, which is an eruption of broad
pustules, full of a glutinous liquor, forming white scabs when
ruptured; for this purpose a handful of the fresh herb, or half a
drachm of it dried, boiled two hours in milk, is to be taken night
und morning. Bread, with this decoction, is to be made into a
poultice and applied to the affected part; for the first eight days
rt makes it worse, but when finally persevered in is almost sure
to cure. It has also been useful as an expectorant, which power
rt owes to an alkaline principle, common to the genus, called
Violine.' This is of a white color, very soluble in alcohol, slightly
s° in water, and forms salts with the acids. As it exists in the plant
m the state of a malate, magnesia is given to the malic acid, with
Which it combines and sets free the Violine, which is afterwards
extracted from the precipitated matters; it is a powerful poison.

Nuttall says, that the most successful mode of cultivating the
various species in our own country, is in a moist or shaded rock
border, which is nothing more than a low mound, held together
by scattered angular stones. Phillips, an English writer of mfceh
eminence, says, that ihe sweet Violet, when growing naturally, is
found on banks where the soil is light, and where it has a partial
shade. It seems to love a mixture of chalk in the earth,as we have
observed that it propagates itself most rapidly in such situations
both by its runners,in the manner of strawberries, and also by seed.
He goes on to remark, that in the spring he found the banks be-tween two towns covered with Violets, principally white. The
soil was a kind of chalky loam, and on some of the banks he found
a considerable quantity of sweet Violets, of a murrey or pale
mulberry color, and others of a dingy flesh color not much un-
like common blotting paper. Near these he uniformly discovered
patches of white Violets on one side, and the purple variety on
the other, which evinced the change to be owing to the accidental
mixture of the farina of the two varieties, as he observed some
of the white Violets had the edges of their petals tinged with
purple, and the spurs of the greater part were tinged with that
color with a reddish cast. He came to the conclusion that the
soil in some degree assisted in contribuling to this unusual color
of the sweet Violet, as 011 a grass-plot where the soil was a mix-
ture of cold clay and chalk, Violets grew spontaneously of a rich
plum red color, and as odorous as the White or Purple Vio-
lets. Double Violets arc easily increased by parting the roots
in the autumn. The seeds of the Pansy may be sown at any
time. We must remember that ripening seeds always injures
the plant; it destroys this one, in nearly all cases; which can be
prevented by cutting off the branches when the beauty of the
blossom is past. They will then send out fresh branches and con-
tinue in bloom during the year. Transplanting adds to the
beauty of all the Violet species. The prizes of the Floral Games
of the Ancients consisted of a Golden Violet.

And in that golden vase was set

The Prize—the purple violet.	l.	e. l.

By nature urged, by instinct led,

The bosom of a flower he sought,

Where streams mourned round a mossy bed,

And Violets all the banks enwrought.

Of kindred race but brighter dyes
On that fair bank a Pansy grew,

That borrowed from the indulgent skies,

A velvet shade and purple hue.

The tints that streamed with glossy gold,

The velvet shade and purple hue,

The stranger wondered to behold,

And to its beauteous bosom flew.

But wounded to the Violet flew,

That boasts no depths of glowing dyes,

Arrayed in unbespangled blue,

The simple clothing of the skies.	Larghorne.The Monthly Rose.

We find the peculiarities of the various countries stamped, not
only on the inhabitants of the Animal Kingdom, but equally so
on the Vegetable. The Roses of China are distinguished by
their light and crispy qualities. This species was brought from
that country to England in 1789. It was at. first considered so
very delicate as to require a constant residence in a hot-house,
hut necessity soon placed it in pots, where it throve even better
than it had done before; and very soon it was transferred to the
open air, where it flourished to perfection. At present the usual
mode of propagating Roses is by slips or layers ; the first ones
s°ld, of this species, brought several guineas each, but their uni-
versal diffusion soon lowered the price to a merely nominal rate,
hi appearance it resembles the Damascena. The Rosa Semper-
florens—China Rost, has the germs of an oblong egg-shape;
germs and flower-stalks hairy; stem prickly. The flovver-stalks
spring from different heights, but form a flat top. It frequently
attains the height of ten feet. It is one of the earliest flowering
hoses, and in mild seasons, planted against a wall, will flower
m April. The variety represented in our plate bears beautiful
crimson flowers, from January to December. The Dutch are
said to have invented a method of preserving the dwarf species
a great length of time, by budding them on the larger kinds, and
m this way produce a tree covered with various and differently
colored species. This is the emblem of Beauty ever new.

The White Jasmine

This plant appropriately signifies Delicacy and Elegance.
Cowper describes the

Jasmine throwing wide her elegant sweets,

The deep green of whose unvarnished leaf
Makes more conspicuous, and illumines more,

The bright profusion of her natural stars.

It is the type of the natural order Jasminacese, which consistsof a few Asiatic herbs, with compound leaves and fragrant
flowers. It is in the class Decandria; order Monogynia. The
generic character of the Jasminum Officinale—White Jasmine,
is—coral salver-form, five to eight-cleft; berry two-seeded, each
seed solitary and losing its external coat, which dries and falls
off. The specific character is—leaves ranged in opposite rows
and taper form ; buds almost upright. This climber thrives well
in a common garden soil, and bears its white flowers from June
to October. This plant, when first introduced into France, was
very much admired for the delicate lustre of its star-like flowers;
they at first took considerable care of it, but at last left it mostly
to itself, when they found it would do better without their aid. Its
flexible branches twine around our window sills, and cause each
gale that sweeps by to almost intoxicate with its delicious odors.
It became neglected, and at the end of the seventeenth century
ihere was but one place in Europe where it could be obtained,
and that was in the garden of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, at
Pisa. Jealous that any one should possess this charming plant
but himself, he would not allow his gardener to give away
even a flower on any consideration, which order was disobeyed
by the man presenting his betrothed with a sprig in a birth-day
boquet. She had profited by the instruction her lover at times had
given her relative to the cultivation of plants, and observing her
prize with delight, as soon as he had departed, planted it, and was
so successful in its culture that she amassed a small fortune by
the. sale of the cuttings ; enough to render them independent
enough to marry. From this circumstance arose the proverb in
that place, “ that she who is worthy to wear a nosegay of Jas-
mine is as good as a fortune to her husband.” This plant, of
course, is only valuable as an odor; it was formerly celebrated
in Italy, in some parts of which even at the present day tie oil is
considered a specific for rheumatic pains and the cure of paralytic
limbs. This oil is obtained by alternating layers of the flowers
with cotton saturated with the oil of ben or any other scentless fix-
ed oil, and exposing the whole in a covered vessel to the rays of
the sun ; the flowers are renewed until the oil becomes saturated
with their odor,and it is then separated from the cotton by pressure;
there is no other way of eliminating the odor, as the scent is lost
entirely by distillation. The seeds of the Jasmine do not ripen
in our climate, but the plant is increased by layering down thebranches which take root in one year, and may then be separated
from the parent stock and planted where they are to remain.
Tyas says, that it may also be propagated by cuttings, which
ought to be planted in the early part of autumn, and the earth
covered with sand, ashes, or saw-dust, to keep the frost from
entering the ground.

The Honeysuckle,

The Woodbine, as this is generally called in poetry, is an
ornamental deciduous climber, bearing a shaded yellow llower
from May to July, and is celebrated for the delightful fragrance
with which it fills the air, in the evenings after rain, the refresh-
ing it receives causing it to put forth unusual energy. It belongs
to the natural order, Caprifoliaceae, and artificial class, Pentan-
dria; order Monogynia. The Lonicera Periclymenuri—
Honeysuckle, takes its generic name from Lonicer, a physician
and naturalist, who lived about the middle of the sixteenth cen-
tury. Its characters are,—calyx five-toothed ; corol tubular, long,
five-cleft, unequal; stamens protruded out of the corols ; stigmas
globose ; berry two or three-celled, distinct; seeds many. It has
another name, Caprifolium (which species in reality dillers from
tbis, in having two lips, or unequal), from the two Latin words
a goat and a leaf—because those animals are said to be re-
markably fond of it. The specific name is from the Greek, to
foil round about. It has a woody, shrubby, turning stem ; the
branches from it nearly opposite, round and smooth. The leaves
also opposed to each other, on very short foot-stalks, elliptical,
entire, sometimes hairy and whitish beneath. The flowers are
in a terminal head, spreading out in a radiate manner. It bears
fed berries, crowned with a five-toothed cup, bitter, and of a
sweetish flavor. There is a curious variety, with sinuated, varie-
gated leaves, called the Oak-leaved Honeysuckle. It is princi-
pally on the Oak tree that this flower delights to climb, adorning
file King of the Forest with its bright crowns and beautiful fes-
toons of perfumed garlands. And, as Phillips says, it seems
Peculiarly fitted for just such an ornament. In the wildernesswalks it should have liberty to climb the trees, and hang its
wreaths from branch to branch ; and where the ivy gives verdure
to the bare trunk, there should the Woodbine display its blos-
som and shed its odors. It is the emblem of Bonds of Love.
This whole tribe of plants belongs chiefly to the temperate re-
gions. They are generally bitter, and rather active or nauseous
in their properties; some few bear eatable fruit.

It was a tendril of the Woodbine that bound the fig leaves
around Adam and Eve, which, when cast off, after they left it,
took root and sprouted; that it was in there we have Milton’s
authority.

Let us divide our labors; thou where choice
Leads thee, or where most needs ; whether to wind
The woodbine round this arbor, or direct
The clasping ivy where to climb; while I
In yonder spring of roses, intermixed
With myrtle, find what to redress till noon.

The Pink.

This plant also is the type of a natural order, the Caryophyl-
laeeae, which are herbs with opposite entire leaves, destitute of
any appendages at their base, the stems swelling out at the
knots; flowers are regular; calyx of four or five sepals or cup-
leaves ; the corolla or blossom of the same number, sometimes
wanting; stamens as many or twice as many as the petals;
styles or stigmas two or five, distinct; capsule two or five-valved,
or opening only at the apex by twice as many valves as stigmas.
The primitive Pinks are simply red. and white, emitting a fra-
grant odor; but cultivation has altered the shades and doubled
the petals, and we have them now from a delicate rose color to
a perfect white, and from a deep red to a brilliant scarlet; in
many varieties, opposite colors on the same flower. This gar-
den Pink has become associated with the memory of a grandson
of Louis the Fifteenth, the young Duke of Burgundy. Some
flatterers tried to persuade him that Nature obeyed his will, by
proving, that Pinks which he had planted came up in a single
night, and by removing the pots and substituting others, reallymade him think it was so. One night, unable to sleep, he
wished to rise, but was then told it was midnight. “ Well,” replied
he, “ I will have it day.” The Dianthus Prolifer—Garden
Pink, is in the class Decandria; order Digynia. The generic
name is from the Greek, meaning divine flower, so named from
its pre-eminent beauty and fragrance ; it is characterized by the.
inferior cylindrical calyx, one-leaved, with four or eight scales at
the base ; petals five, with claws ; capsule cylindrical, one-celled,
opening at the top. Our species is the pretty pink-flowered
annual, occasionally found in gravelly pastures, with the flowers
clustered in heads. This plant is a native of Africa; it had found
its way into Spain at the time of Augustus Caesar; it was taken
from Biscay by the conquering legions he sent there to put down
a rebellion, and by them conveyed to Rome, where it was a
great favorite, and was universally worn in the chaplets of fra-
grant blossoms at meal times ; from whence it was disseminated
throughout Europe. It was early introduced into our own cpun-
try, and is now in its palmiest days. Its true origin not being
generally known, Shaw, an English poet, considered it a native
of Italy, where at present it is little valued, as the modern
Italians hold perfumes in aversion : in the following lines he
alludes to both ideas.

In fair Italia’s bosom bom
Dianthus spreads his fringed ray,

And glowing ’mid the purpled morn,

Adds fragrance to the new born day.

Oft by some mould’ring time-worn tower,

Or classic stream he loves to rove,

Where dancing nymphs, and satyrs blithe,

Once listened to the notes of Love.

Sweet flower, beneath thy natal sky,

No fav’ring smiles thy scents invite ;

To Britain’s worthier regions fly

And paint her meadows with delight.

It is the emblem of Lively and Pure Affection. Mary Rob-
tnson sings—

Each pink sends forth its choicest sweet,

Aurora's warm embrace to meet.

It has no medicinal properties that entitle it to much considera-
tion. Phillips says, that the new varieties can only be raisedfrom seed, and that when favorite kinds are so procured, they
maybe increased by pipings; and even when a sufficient num-
ber has been procured, this must not be neglected, as old woody
plants frequently degenerate or perish during the winter. During
the winter of 1821-2, which was unfavorable to Pinks, more
* than half the flowers in the country (England) lost their charac-
ter; so that the summer of 1822 produced only White Pinks,
excepting the old Red Pink, which has given name to a kind of
rose-color, and this variety we observed retained its color in all
situations. Mr. Hogg, a successful cultivator of this and some
other flowers, says the Pinks should never be suffered to remain
longer than two years without either change of soil or situation ;
and that when they are moved and transplanted in the spring,
they never do well or show half the beauty which those do that
are planted in September; the laced Pinks in particular appear
almost plain and without their distinguishing character. Em-
merton says, that Pink beds should be topdressed in the spring
if you have a desire to excel in blooms, with some old night soil
or sugar-baker’s scum, finely sifted and thrown over it; and
adds, that the strong blowing plants should not be allowed to
bloom more than eight or ten blooms, and those that are weaker
and of a less size, not more than four. A month before the
plant blooms, it will be well to lop off all the weak stems which
are sent upxand to clip the lateral pods also with a pair of scis-
sors. Phillips adds, that if from five to seven plants should be
placed in a star-shape, six or nine inches apart, they will eventu-
ally appear as one large plant, and produce a fine effect, mors
especially on grass lawns. When the roots become old and
woody they may be taken up and divided into slips, as it is de-
sirable to retain a good variety when it is once procured; this
more especially, as its odor is of a refreshing nature, which, to-
gether with the fact, that it retains its beauty a long time with-
out fading, when placed in wet sand, and is but little affected
by the steam of hot dishes, will always make it an elegant ad
dition to the dinner table, where its long stalks will enable the
hand of grace to arrange it in tasteful groups.

It is a well known property of many flowers, that they open
and close at regular periods, as accurately too, in many cases, as
a chronometer can mark the time ; species of the Broom and
Pink, some of which we have in the present number, displaythese phenomena. A Clock of Flora, or Dial of Flora, is given
in Loudon’s Encyclopedia, which we copy in this place as it
will be the most convenient for future reference.

dial of flowers.

Yellow Goatsbeard,

Late Flowering Dandelion,

Bristly Helminthia,

Alpine Borkhausia,

Wild Succory,

Naked Stalked Poppy,

Copper-colored Day Lily,

Smooth Sow Thistle,

Alpine Agathyrsis,

Small Bindweed,

Common Nipple Wort,

Common Dandelion,

Spotted Aehyrophorus,

White Water Lily,

Oolden Lettuce,

African Marygold,

Common Pimpernal,

Mouse-ear Hawkweed,

Proliferous Pink,

Field Marygold,

Purple Sandwort,

Small Purslane,

Creeping Mallow,

Chickweea,

Many flowers are admirable barometers, among which per
haps the Scarlet Pimpernal takes the lead. It is certai 1 in its in
dications, as the petals close at once on the approach of moisture
also, the awns of Barley.

See hieracium’s various tribe

Of plumy seed and radiate flowers,

The blooms of time their course describe,	I

And wake and sleep appointed hours.

Broad o’er its imbricated cup

The goatsbeard spreads its golden rays,

But shuts its cautious petals up,

Retreating from the noontide blaze.

Pale as a pensive cloistered nun,

The Bethlehem-star her lace unveils,

When o’er the mountain peers the sun.

But shades it from the vesper gales.

Tragopogon Pratensis,	A.M.  OPENING.  H. M.  3 5		P. M.  CLOSING. H. M.  9 10	
Leontodon Serotinus,	4	0	12	0
Helminthia Echioides,	4	5	12	0
Borkhausia Alpina,	4	5	12	1
Cichorium Intybus,	4	5	8	9
Papaver Nudicaule,	5	0	7	0
Hemerocallis Fulcw,	5	0	7	8
Sonchus Laevis,	5	0	11	12
Agathyrsis Alpinus,	5	0	12	0
Convolvulus Arvensis,	5	6	4	5
Lapsana Communis,	5	6	10	0
Leontodon Taraxacum,	5	6	8	9
Achyrophorus Maculatus,	6	7	4	5
Nymphea Alba,	7	0	5	0
Lactuca Sativa,	7	0	10	0
Tagetes Erecta,	7	0	3	4
Anagallis Arvensis, Hieracium Pilosclla,	7	8	2	3
	8	0	2	0
Dianthus Prolifer,	8	0	1	0
Calendula Arvensis,	9	0	3	0
Arenaria Purpurea,	9	10	2	3
Portulaca Oleracea,	9	10	11	12
Malva Caroliniana,	9	10	12	I
Stellaria Media,	9	10	9	10Among the loose and arid sands,

The humble arenaria creeps ;

Slowly the purple star expands,

But soon within its calyx sleeps.

And those small bells so lightly rayed
With Young Aurora’s rosy hue,

Are to the noontide sun displayed,

But shut their plaits against the dew.

On upland slopes the shepherds mark
The hour when, as the dial true,

Chicouium to the towering lark,

Lifts her soft eyes serenely blue.

And thou, “ wee, crimson-tipped flower,”
Gatherest thy crimson mantle round

Thy bosom at the closing hour,

When night-drops bathe the turfy ground.

Unlike silene, who declines
The garish noontide’s blazing light;

But when the evening crescent shines,

Gives all her sweetness to the night.

Thus in each flower and simple bell,

That in our path untrodden lie,

Are sweet remembrances which tell

How fast their winged moments fly.	*

Smits.

The Broom.

There is sometimes a little confusion in classing the Brooms,
which arises from not paying sufficient attention to the generic
(distinctions between the Genestaand Spartium. The Spartium
Scoparus—Broom, is a common European shrub, from three to
eight feet in height, with numerous five-cornered branches, which
are of a bright green color; the leaves are hairy, quite small, of
an oblong shape, and hang either separately or in threes. The
llowers, which are very numerous and showy, arc supported 011
short axillary foot-stalks, separate, and of a golden yellow, con-
tinuing in blossom from July to October, which are able to
convert, as Mr. Martyn observes, the most barren spot into anodoriferous garden. At this season Wordsworth thus de-
scribes it—

On me such beauty summer pours,

That I am covered o’er with flowers ;

And when the frost is in the sky,

My branches are so fresh and gay,

That you may look at me and say,

This plant can never die.

The butterfly, all green and gold,

To me hath often flown,

Here in my blossoms to behold
Wings lovely as his own.

The Furze and Broom are closely associated, both bearing
flowers of the butterfly order, the golden bloom of which so
pleased Linnaeus, that he fell on his knees enraptured at the
sight, which he beheld for the first time on his visit to England
in 1736. He conveyed some of the plants to London, but could
never preserve them through the winter. It is in the class Dia-
delphia, order Dccandria. Darwin says, in allusion to the union
of the stamens at the base, and there being but a single pistil:

Sweet blooms Genista in the myrtle shade,

And ten fond brothers woo the haughty maid.

The generic name is derived from the Greek, rope, because of
the use of the slender branches and bark in making cordage. It
is characterized by the calyx extending downwards; keel gene-
rally pendant; filaments adhering to the germ; stigma villose
lengthwise on the upper side. The seeds of our species are con-
tained in a compressed legun^e, hairy at the sutures.

The whole plant has a bitter nauseous taste, and when bruised,
a strong peculiar odor. The tops of the branches and seeds
are the portions used, from which alcohol and water will extract
their active properties. Cullen prescribed this plant as a cathfir-
fic and diuretic, in the form of decoction, made by boiling half
an ounce of the fresh tops in a pint of water down to half a pint;

which he gave a fluid ounce every hour until it operated.
1 his species is the Emblem of Neatness.

Genista is celebrated for having given name to a long line of
English princes, by Geoftry, Earl of Anjou, adopting it from the
incident of his wearing a sprig of Broom in his hat on a day of
battle. It is very uncertain from whence the name is derived;
some refer it to Genu, a knee, in allusion to the bending of thetwigs; others to Geno, to produce, because it grows wild in
abundance. It is characterized by a two-lipped calyx, five-
toothed, the two upper teeth very short; banner oblong, reflexed
back from the pistil and stamens. It is the emblem of Humility,
from its growing in sandy soils where nothing else will flourish.
When the husbandman intends reducing such wastes to culti-
vation, he first sows this kind of seed, which springs up in bushes,
confining the soil, and giving it sufficient stability to enable him
to sow others. Blake remarks, that in Belgium and Holland the
Broom is succeeded by the Acacia; the branching roots of
which, stretching out in various directions, sustain the soil, as it
were, in osier baskets; and finally they succeed in making the
desert bloom with the Rose. Blake also tells U3, that the sand-
hills formed in the vicinity of Bordeaux, formerly threatened the
destruction of the entire villages adjacent, of which it was calcu-
lated that no less than seventeen would be overwhelmed in the
course of a century; when M. Bremonlier was so fortunate as
to discover a means of averting the danger. Observing the sand
thus thrown up was not devoid of mixture, he scattered over it
the seeds of Broom and Maritime Pine, and in order to prevent
their being swept away by the wind, he covered them with
brambles and branches of underwood. The seed sprquted ; the
Broom first rose above the ground, and some time after the young
pines appeared ; the latter, however, made but little progress,
seeming to be choked by the rapid growth of the Broom ; yet in
the course of a few years the pines gained the ascendency, and
drove their antagonists from the field, or rather, like the canni-
bals, after destroying their enemy, fed upon their remains. We
need hardly observe that the inventor gained his object, and se-
cured himself a blessed memory.

The Genista Tinctoria, or Dyer’s Broom, has some medi-
cinal reputation, derived probably from confounding it with the
Sparbium Scopparium ; its common use is to dye a yellow
color, whence it derives its name. The Russian peasants use
it in a form of decoction, both externally and internally, as a
remedy for hydrophobia ; many trials have been made with it to
test its virtue in that respect, but they have all resulted in proving
it worthless.The Borage,

This is another type of a natural order, the Boraginacese,
consisting of herbs and sometimes shrubby plants, with round
stems and alternate rough leaves; the flowers often in one-sided
clusters, which are spiral before expansion; calyx of five leafy
and persistent sepals, more or less united at the base and regu-
lar; the limb five-lobed, often with a row of scales in the throat;
stamens as many as the lobes of the corolla, and alternate with
them; ovary deeply four-lobed, the style proceeding from the
base of the lobes, which in fruits become little nuts or hard
achenia ; seeds with little or no albumen. I he Boraga Offi-
cinalis—Borage, is in the class Pentandria, order Monogynia;
the generic name was formerly written Corago, from Cor, the
heart, and Ago, to affect, it being a great comforter in melancholy.
It was formerly cultivated much more than at present, but it fell
in general estimation as its medicinal value declined, and there
are not many who care much to preserve it for ornament alone,
although its fine blue star-like flowers should certainly insure it
a place in our gardens.

The generic character is—corolla rotate, throat closed with
rays. The species has all the leaves alternate, with a spreading
calyx. To see the fine small protuberances at its throat, you
must take off the corolla very carefully, which will enable you
also to see the manner of the attachment of the stamens. It is
an annual, juicy, European plant, about one or two feet high,
bearing flowers from June to September. It is a native in Eng-
land, the people of which, from the rough and prickly leaves
and general hairiness of the plant, have made it the emblem of
Bluntness. Every part of the plant abounds in mucilage, which
can be plentifully obtained from it by expression. It is used by the
English in the manufacture of a refreshing and pleasant summer
beverage, very popular, and much patronized by all classes,
known bv the name of Cool Tankard. With the French it
Is a great favorite, as the stem and leaves contain saltpetr*
and other saline ingredients. It forms a weak, though some-
what cooling medicine, and is used by them in catarrhal affec-
fions, rheumatism, diseases of the skin, &c. It is used in theform of an infusion, sweetened with sugar or honey; or the
simple expressed juice, which is undoubtedly the best for its ex-
hibition, is given in doses from two to four ounces. A poultice
is sometimes formed of the flowers; which is the last use to
which the plant is applied, as the distilled water, syrup and ex-
tract, have gone into oblivion. Mrs. 'Whitman writes :

Near where yon rocks the stream inurn,

The loDely gentian blossoms still;

Still wave the Star-flo-wcr and the fern,

O’er the soft outline of the hill.

The Geraniu 111.

The natural order of Geranacete comprises a numerous family
of herbs and shrubs, which are commonly strongly scented, as
the foliage of them all abounds with an aromatic, resinous mat-
ter, and an etherial oil. They belong to the class Monadelphia,
and were formerly included under one common name in the
same genus; but succeeding botanists have separated them into
three distinct genera, under different orders, which are known as
follows:

The genus Brodium (Heron’s Bill) has five stamens;
calyx five-leaved; petals five; scales five, alternate with the fila-
ments, and honey-glands at the base of the stamens; arils or
corri, five, one-seeded, awned, at the base of a rostrate or beaked
receptacle.

The Pelargoniums (Stork’s Bill) have seven stamens;
calyx five-parted, the upper segment ending in a nectariferous
tube, running down the peduncle or flower-stalk; corolla five-
petalled, irregular, the two upper petals unusually broad, with
colored veins; the filaments are ten, of which three are usually
without anthers.

The Geraniums (Cuanf/s Bill) have ten stamens; calyx
five-leaved; petals five, regular; glands five, honey-bearing, and
united at the base of the longer filaments.

The first consists of hardy plants, with little in the way of
beauty to recommend them. The second is a native of theCape of Good Hope, and comprises the great majority of
the entire natural order; they have been universally intro-
duced, and as they stand the confined air of our sitting-rooms,
they are found in every parlor, a practice, by the way, exceed-
ingly unhealthy, and which almost always does some mischief,
the constant inhalation of the odor of flowers being pernicious
to health. This genus furnishes us with nearly all our beautiful
looking and sweet smelling species, among others the variety
represented in our plate. With a good selection of them, it is
possible to have one in bloom every month of the year. A rich,
light soil, as a mixture of loam and peat, is the best for the gar-
den, when a good supply of decayed leaves can be procured ;
h they can, they are considered by florists much the best.
The true Geranium is well known by the extensive use made of
one of its species, the Maculatum, in the United States, where it
is indigenous. It is found mostly in moist woods, and, in fact,
in almost all low grounds. The root, which is thick and fleshy,
lies parallel to the surface of the ground, sending up every year
a straight round stem, about eighteen inches high, which parts
in pairs, of a pale green color. The leaves apparently spring
from the root; they are deeply divided into three, five, or seven
lobes, and are also pale green. The whole plant is thickly cov-
ered with rellexed hairs, and takes its name from the Latin,
Maculo, to spot or stain, from the stalk and leaves being mottled
with pale green spots; the flowers are large, and of a purple
color; the fruit consisting of five aggregate, one-seeded capsules,
attached by a beak to the permanent style, from the sides of which
a»*e separated five thin, flat awns or stiff beards, which coil up,
having cast off the seed contained in a cell at the base of each.
1 he root, which should be collected in the autumn, is, when
dried in pieces of from one to three inches long and a quarter
i»ch broad, very brittle, and easily reduced to powder. Bigelow
says, that it is one of the most powerful astringents we possess,
and that from its decided properties, as well as the ease of pro-
curing it, it may well supersede in medicine many foreign arti-
cles of its class which are consumed among us. Its active pro-
perties are readily given to alcohol and water. Bigelow says, he
has found it useful in a number of cases where astringents were
capable of rendering service. It is particularly suited to the
treatment of such discharges as continue from debility after theremoval of their exciting cause. The tincture forms an excellent
local application in sore throats and ulcerations of the mouth.
The dose is a drachm of the tincture, and twenty or thirty grains
of the powder, and a somewhat less quantity of the extract.

There is a strange peculiarity about this tribe that has been
well denominated a monkey-like habit of imitation ; one of its
species apes the Ivy ; another, the Pansy ; others the Oak, Maple,
&c.; while, by another mode of copying, we have the odors of
the Rose, Lemon, Musk, Fish, &c., &c.; yet, despite all this, the
experienced botanist will readily tell almost any of them at first
sight. The following is a list of the different emblems :

Phillips waggishly remarks, that in tracing back the nativity
of flowers, we are greatly assisted by the mythological writings
of the ancients, for without these records we should have pro-
nounced them all as being children of Nature ; and the relation-
ship which this favorite flower bears to the gods would have re-
mained unknown, as well as the history of its origin. It was
anciently called Paralisos, after the name of a beautiful youth,
who was the son of Priapus and Flora, and who died of grief
for the loss of his beloved Melicerta, but was preserved by his
parents, by being metamorphosed into this flower, which has
since divided the favors of the poets with the Violet and the
Rose. This is the type of the natural order, Primulacea. The
Primula Vulgaris—Primrose, is in the class Pentandria; order
Monogynia. The generic name is derived from the Latin,
primus, first, because it flowers early in the spring ; its character
is—umbellets involucred; calyx tubular, five-toothed; corn!

Apple Geranium,
Cranesbill Geranium
Fish Geranium,

Nutmeg Geranium,

Oak Geranium,

Rose Geranium,
Silver-leaved Geranium,

Present preference.

Envy.

Disappointed expectation.
An expected meeting.
Lady, deign to smile.
Preference.

Recall.

The Primrosesalver-form, five-lobed; tube cylindric; throat open, division of
corol, emarginate; capsule one-celled, with a ten-cleft mouth ;
stigma globular.

Our species is an evergreen herbaceous plant, perennial in its
duration, highly ornamental, and bearing a pale yellow flower
from March to May, often named, from its peculiar tint, the Sul-
phur Colored Primrose. The leaves are egg-shaped, with the
largest end towards the stem, toothed and rough, with hair un-
derneath; the flower-stalks rise from the root; tha stems diverg-
ing from one another at a common point, and bearing flowers
on their extremities ; they are as long as the leaves; the corolla
is flat. This is the theme of the English poet; it meets him on
every side, by the hedgebanks and in the woods of Great Britain.
It differs, in some particulars, from the P. Farinosa, the Bird’s
Eye Primrose of the United States. The leaves and roots smell
like aniseed, and when dried form a most powerful sternutatory,
which is the only medical use the plant subserves. Phillips
says, that the Primrose always seeks the shade of hedgerows, the
banks of sheltered lanes, and the borders of woods and coppices,
and is but seldom found spangling the open meadow like its
relative, the Cowslip. From this we should learn to place it on
the banks of our wilderness wastes, and to scatter it thickly be-
neath the trees of the shrubbery. It will grow in almost any
soil,but thrives best in a clayey bank. When transplanted in the
spring, it receives a check to its flowering, which often causes it
to blossom freely in the autumn. A variety occurs with double
flowers of a lilac color, and it has been changed to a dingy red
by rich earth being accidentally scattered over it. It is the em-
blem of Early Youth, representing the age between child and
Womanhood.

_______Pale	Primroses,

That die unmarried, ere they can behold
Bright Phoebus in his strength.

Winter Tale.The Blue Bottle Centaury.

According to ancient fable, this plant was called Cyanus,
after a youth of that name, whose attachment to cornflowers was
so strong, that he employed his time chiefly in making garlands
of them, seldom leaving the fields as long as his favorite flower
was to be found, and always dressing himself in the fine blue
color of the flower he so much admired. At last he was found
dead in the corn field, in the midst of a quantity of Blue Bottles
he had gathered, which Flora, by changing his body into them,
made ever after memorials of his love. The Centaurea Cy-
anus—Blue Bottle, is in the class Syngenesia, order l^rus-
tranea. The generic name is derived from the fabulous history
of Chiron, a Centaur, who taught mankind the use of herbs and
medicinal plants. It is related that he cured a wound inflicted
by a poisonous arrow of Hercules, by the aid of one of the
species of these plants. Its character is, calyx various, mostly
imbricate, roundish ; egret simple, various ; receptacle bristly;
corols of the ray funnel-shape, longer, irregular. Our species is
an ornamental annual, bearing a handsome blue flower, from
June to August. It is a native of Europe, and nowhere more
abundant than in the corn fields of Britain. It is naturalized in
the United States. The scales of the common calyx are mi-
nutely toothed; leaves long and narrow, with nearly parallel
sides and entire, the lowermost toothed. By cultivation, of
course, the hues and florets are multiplied, and it has become
one of the summer favorites of the parterre. Phillips says, that
it is a hardy, annual plant, that will grdfc^ in almost, any soil, but
it succeeds best when sown in the autumn ; for those sown in
the spring seldom produce so many flowers, and it will not bear
transplanting. The only care required is, to keep the plants free
from weeds, and thin them when they branch too near each
other.

He also gives directions for obtaining a beautiful blue, almost
equal to the ultramarine, from the flowers. After collecting a
quantity of them, pick out the petals or florets from the centre of
the flower, which are of a darker blue than those of the outside,
and pound them whilst quite fresh, in a glass or marble mortarso as to obtain the juice ; to which add a small quantity of alum,
and then put it in clean shells for use. The blue derived from
the outer florets will of course be of a paler color. This plant
is the fitting emblem of Delicacy. It is used only in the
arts : as Diana 110 longer ensures success in its exhibition, it of
course was found wanting when weighed in the balance, and
the days of its medicinal reputation have passed away.

The Mezereon.

“ Thou hast thy wish, all love to see
Thy simple bloom, Mezereon tree,

Long shalt thou hold thy gentle sway,

For when thy wreaths must fade away,

Beneath the summer’s scorching ray,

Thy stems shall glow in vesture gay,

With scarlet berries, rich array.”

This plant, long before a leaf is put forth, clothes itself in its
summer robes, often even when the flowers have to be surrounded
by the snow. These are of a pale rose color, celebrated for their
fragrancy, and disposed in clusters, each consisting of two or
three flowers, forming together a kind of spike at the upper part
of the stem and branches ; at the base of each cluster are decidu-
ous floral leaves. It rises three or four feet in height, covered
with a smooth, dark grey bark, having the appearance of dead
wood, and which is very easily separable. The leaves, which
spring direct from the ends of the branches, are lance-shaped,
about two inches long, smooth, of a pale green color, and whitish
below. The fruit is an oval, fleshy berry, of a shining, bright
red color, containing a single round seed. As we must give
the generic character in another place, it may be omitted here.
It is a native of the northern parts of Europe, in every part of
which it is very abundant. The bark of the stem is the part
found in the shops; we have generally procured it in bundles
of about three or four feet in length, and an inch in breadth. An
alkaline principle, called Daphnine, has been obtained from it;
this is in prismatic crystals, grouped together, colorless, transpa-rent, slightly soluble in cold water, very soluble in boiling ether
and alcohol, and of a bitter, somewhat austere taste. The root is
remarkably hot and acrid, and has long been a popular remedy
for the toothache. The recent bark, when applied to the skin,
will raise a blister, and even when dried will vesicate in twenty-
four hours. It has been used with success in chronic rheuma-
tism, scrofulous affections, and obstinate diseases of the skin.
Dr. Withering cured a case of difficult swallowing, arising
from paralysis, which had lasted three years, in a month, by
directing his patient to chew frequently small pieces of the root.
The dose of the powdered bark is ten grains; of the decoction,
from a gill to half a pint a day. To make this, boil two drachms
of the bark of Mezereon with four drachms of Liquorice root,
bruised, in three pints of water down to two, and strain. The
leaves sometimes poison children, who are attracted by their
shining appearance; the French authors say, fifteen of them
will kill a Frenchman; while Pallas, that it takes thirty of the
same kind even to physic a Russian. It is the emblem of a
Desire to Please, being compared to an imprudent and coquet-
tish nymph, who, in the midst of winter, arrays herself in the
robes of spring.

Theory of Propagation.

As we have been giving various directions in this number,
relative to the cultivation of plants, more especially to the modes
of propagation by slips and layers; we will, consistently with
our original plan, which was to explain as we went along,
give the reasons for so doing. As we have admitted that plants
were living, and to some extent, sentient beings, it may strike
our readers with some surprise, when we speak so confidently
of making this abstruse and puzzling subject so plain, that all
can comprehend it with ease. The greatest bar to a true view
of it, is the fact of our ideas of living beings being generally as-
sociated with the higher orders of the animal kingdom; and we
would suppose that cutting off a man’s or a dog’s leg and plant-
ing them, was as likely a method of producing races of theirrespected kinds, as that the same method would succeed in the
case of plants. As we cannot perceive much resemblance in
he higher, let us examine the lower orders of animals, and see,
as the vital machine becomes less complicated, if such subdi-
visions ever produce any results to compare with those presented
by vegetables. We find that the Sponge, an acknowledged
animal, forms a bud on itself, which in time drops off and be-
comes a perfect animal, as will any portion that happens to be-
come separated. Our analogy, without proceeding farther, will
be concluded by instancing the Polypus, which can be divided
into as many animals as it contains atoms, which last phenome-
non we wish to bring distinctly before the mind, for, on a proper
understanding of it, our whole subject rests. A plant can be
advantageously viewed in the light ol a vegetable Polypus, which
in truth the confervas are, to all intents and purposes, as their
buds and branches consist only of simple cells. Above this
rank, the embryo leaf is the real germ of the future plant; the
base representing the root; the middle portion, the first internode
of the stem ; and the top, the future leaves and branches. The
well known fact, that leaf cuttings will strike root and grow,
confirms this view of the subject. Every one of these prismatic
atoms has the power of developing another like itself, which
springs from its top part; this, by its ascending growth, as Gray
observes, forms the second joint of the stem and the blade of the
second leaf; while, by its descending growth, it can reach the
soil only by sending its woody tissues down through the first
joint to the same final termination in the root. This second one,
of course, according to the general law, lorms another upon its
own summit, with its proper leaf; the wood which this gene-
rates passing downwardly, penetrating all the preceding atoms,
and at length reaching the soil in the same manner. Thus the
stem results from the evolution of one integral element after an-
other, each developed from, and implanted upon the summit of
its predecessor, and contributing by its wood to the increase of
the common trunk in diameter, and ultimately to the extension
of the roots. As might be expected from this, if marks are made
at certain distances on a root, you will find these distances are
not altered by growth ; but if you make similar marks on a stem
or branch, the distances will increase, showing that it grows its
whole extent; this prevails in all exogenous plants.Embryos, or germs, or latent shoots, exist then in every part
ol' the plant, and on the least irritation will be developed into a
state of active vegetation. Each separate branch and node of
stem is a distinct individual; so that instead of being one, as we
generally recognize it, a tree is a vast assemblage of the same
species, treated as an individual while the mass of stems and
branches remains united, but no longer. The agriculturist is a
builder of vegetable cities and towns 011 a vast scale, accomplish-
ing his object by causing some of the inhabitants of one place
to remove to another, where they found separate communities
on their own account. His art consists of three parts : first, in
using means which give the germ he intends to remove or emi-
grate, a separate existence; secondly, in weaning it from the
parent plant; and thirdly, in providing for its wants until it can
shift for itself.

There are three modes of multiplying plants by divisions:

The first, by layers.

The second, by scions or slips.

The third, by grafts.

In making a layer, you bend down a pliant branch without
separating it from the plant, and use some contrivance to fasten
it in the ground ; a slight incision is made at the spot where it
is confined. The irritation that ensues is generally sufficient to
occasion a small accumulation of sap, from which the germs of
several roots will shoot out; when these have acquired a suf
ficient power of independent existence, the connecting branch
is cut, and they are thus permanently separated. In doing all this
the gardener but follows the indications which Nature points om
to him, for many creeping plants thus propagate themselves with-
out the aid'of man. The lowermost branches which run on the
ground, are often covered with earth, washed over them by rain,
and being frequently wounded by some accidental causes, such
as gravel or pebble stones, the same irritation ensues, and the
same results follow that we have just described ; the connecting
branch, instead of being cut, is deprived of its nourishment by
the young plant, and thus rots and perishes. Laurels, and the
greater number of evergreen plants, are propagated by layers.
The same plan is pursued in vineyards. Comstock says, that a
branch of the vine is laid under ground, and the extremity of it
raised above the soil in that spot where it is wanted to producea new plant If the branch be long and pliable, several plants
may be made to spring from it. This is called a serpentine
layer, because the branch lakes a serpentine direction, being
made alternately to sink below and rise above the ground, as
often as it is intended that new roots and stems should spring
from it. Layers are sometimes made in arches, by burying the
extremity of the branch only ; the separation is afterwards made
when the branch has struck root; this mode is particularly suited
to the Raspberry, and every species of brambles. The Ana-
plastic operations of modern surgery bear a slight resemblance
to this plan ; they consist in covering the skeletons of noses,
patching burnt cheeks, &c., &c., by taking a piece of the integu-
ment from one part of the face, generally the forehead, and filling
up as they require it; exactly resembling a tailor’s mode of patch-
ing cloth, except that a small link always remains to nourish the
new skin until its vessels have struck into the surrounding parts,
when the connection is dissolved. There is a class of aerial
roots which fall to the ground, and taking root, spring up into
trees, which, in turn, send out shoots that obey the same law,
and so 011 ad infinitum; the whole still retaining their connection
with the parent trunk. Of this kind is the Screw Pine, a palm-
like tree, often seen in our conservatories; the Mangrove, o-f
the tropics, and the famous Banyan, which alone makes a forest.
Humboldt managed to take to Europe a great number of rare
and curious plants, by placing the layers in baskets filled with
earth, instead of at once in the ground; when ready, he cut the
connecting branch, and thus had his prize in a portable form.
The latter end of February, and the beginning of March, is the
most favorable time for this operation. The process by slips is
very similar to the other; it is merely cutting off a branch and
planting it, differing from the layer, by being separated from its
parent before it is able to provide for its own wants; thus re-
sembling a child brought up by hand. They should be planted
near the surface, in order to facilitate the sprouting of stems.
The last method is by scions or grafting, in which a branch is
cut off from one plant and placed in an opening made in an-
other. This is the best mode of improving the quality of fruit;
without it, our Apple and Pear species would be poor speci-
mens in comparison with what they now are ; of course, in a
graft, the tree will bear its own species and the graft also. Thisprocess increases the size of fruits al the expense of the seeds.
The Rose Acacia, when not grafted, bears seeds; when grafted,
it bears none, but the blossom is made finer. It is said to pro-
duce sometimes a change of flavor, and retard vegetation. The
only care necessary to be taken in the process, is to fasten on the
graft with soft ligatures, and in such a manner that the vessels
of the respective barks may come in contact; the wound made
is generally covered with the composition ball used for such
purposes. The season for grafting is either in the spring, while
the sap is ascending, or in the autumn, for that of the following
spring.

The Adiantu.m—Maiden Hair, has puzzled botanists for
a long time to find out its nature, which it seems determined
to conceal from these learned researchers, and they are yet
ignorant of its flowers and fruit. Tyas observes, that it con-
fides to Zephyr alone the invisible germs of its young family.
The Creator of all things selects the cradle for her children ; and
it pleases Him sometimes to form a sombre veil with their waving
tresses, which ever conceals from the vulgar gaze the cave where
the solitary naiad sleeps, and where she has slept from the be-
ginning of ages ; at other times they are borne on the wings of
the winds to the summits of lofty towers, or the tottering rem-
nant of an old chateau, where they shine like verdant stars;
and sometimes, disposed in light festoons, they adorn the retired
and shady spot which shepherds love. Thus this wild plant is
not to be understood by science, but hides its secret origin from
our curious inquiries. It is the prettiest of all ferns; and Pliny
states, that though you plunge it under water it will remain dry.Linnocan and Natural Systems.

tn accordance with the general wish that we would enter
me e fully into the description of both the Linnaean and Natural
Sys us, we have prepared plate 3, which shows at a glance every-
thing dating to the classification of the former. The numbers
in the plate correspond to those of the Introduction, a reference
to the classes of which will explain the figures. Linnaeus took
great pains to trace the notion of sexes in plants to the remotest
periods of antiquity. He informs us that Empedocles, Anaxa-
goras, and other ancient philosophers, not only attributed the
distinction of sexes to plants, but maintained that they were
capable of perceiving pleasure and pain. Hippocrates and The-
ophrastus distinguished several trees in the same way ; the latter
of these writers affirming that the fruit of the palm will not germi-
nate unless the pollen of the male be shaken over the female
flowers previous to the ripening of the seed. Dr. Grew, of Eng-
land, was the first one who did much for the spread of the theory ;
yet it still made little progress till the time of Linnaeus, who, al-
though he can have no title to the claim of discoverer, is univer-
sally acknowledged as the chief supporter and improver of the
doctrine. He first attempted to show that vegetables are endowed
with a certain degree of life ; and secondly, that they propagate
their species in a manner similar to animals.

“ That vegetables are really living beings,” says he, “ must be
obvious at first sight: because they possess all the properties
contained in that accurate definition of the great Dr. Harvey,
namely, Vita est spontanea propulsio humorum. Universal ex-
perience teaches that vegetables propel humors or juices ; hence
it is plain that vegetables must be endowed with a certain degree
of life.”

“ Every animal must not only begin to exist, and have that
existence dissolved by death, but must likewise pass through a
number of intermediate changes in its appearance and affections.
Infancy, youth, manhood, old age, are characterized by imbe-
cility, beauty, fertility, dotage ; are not all thpse vicissitudes con-

Dspicuous in the vegetable world. Weak and tender in infancy;
beautiful and salacious in youth ; grave, robust, and fruitful in
manhood; and when old age approaches, the head droops, the
springs of life dry up, and in fine, the poor tottering vegetable
returns to the dust from which it sprang.”

“ The term, disease, means nothing more than a certain cor-
ruption of life. It is well known that vegetables are subject to
diseases as well as animals; when over-heated, they turn thirsty,
languish, and fall to the ground ; when too cold, they are tor-
mented with the chilblain, and not unfrequenlly expire ; they are
sometimes afflicted with cancers; and every plant is infested
with insects peculiar to its species.”

Linn03us then follows, with Dr. Harvey’s idea of every living
being springing originally from an egg, and he asserts that seeds
are the eggs of vegetables ; and goes on to show that before the
production of a seed a union must take place between the sta-
mens and pistils of the flower, which organs, he says, “ always
precede the fruit; as soon as the anthers come to maturity,
which constantly happens before the maturity of the fruit, they
continue to throw out their pollen as long as the flower lasts ;
but decay and fall off whenever the fruit comes to perfection.”

“ The anthers of all plants are uniformly situated ill such a
manner, that the pollen may, with the greatest facility, fall upon
the stigma or female organ.” [The Editor would say, that the
exceptions to this rule arc only apparent. Flint remarks, that
there are stamens which cannot reach half the height of their be-
loved pistil. Nature varies her arrangements so as not to be
defeated in her object. These Lilliputians strive in vain to reach
their gigantic Venus. As they cannot reach her, she conde-
scendingly comes down to them. In this way the Imperial
Crown, the Ancoly, and the Campanula hang down ihcir stems,
which position, so graceful in the flower, is a foresight of nature.
The pollen of the stamen comes in contact with the stigma of
the pistil by falling upon it; and as soon as the mystery is ac-
complished and the flower fecundated, the peduncle which sus-
tains it turns up again toward the sky. Its bower of love was
concealed; but it shows the cradle of its children. Whenever
you see flowers gently inclining their bells toward the turf, you
may infer that the stamens which they inclose are shorter than
the pistil. And there are some, the habits of whose loves are stillmore amusing; these are the wedded dames, who, in compas-
sion to their little husbands, slightly bend their elastic persons,
contemplate them for a moment, and afterwards raise themselves
erect, still bearing the marks of their yielding weakness. Such
are the loves of the Nigella, the Passiflora, and the Epilobium
Augustifolium, the pistils of which incline upon the stamina.]

Linnaeus finally sums up a long series of arguments by say-
ing that the accumulated force of all that he has adduced amounts
to a full demonstration of his propositions ; and goes on to state
that when the flowers are in full blow, and the pollen flying
about, every one may see it adhering to the stigma, as the Pansy,
Bellflower and the Iris will show; that the stamens and pistils
of most plants are of equal height, the former surrounding the
latter,so that by the intervention of the wind, disturbance of insects,
&c., the pollen may be properly scattered. They both flourish
at the same time. The flowers of most plants expand by the
heat of the sun, and shut themselves up in the evening or in rainy
weather; the final cause of which must be to keep the moisture
from the pollen, lest it should be thereby coagulated, and of
course prevented from being blown upon the stigma. Many
plants that grow below water, emerge when their flowers begin
to blow, and swim upon the surface until fructified, when they
sink down to ripen their fruit.

We will close this part of the subject with some interesting
anecdotes, which, from their nature, have rested the Linnaean
doctrine on an immovable foundation ; a want of the knowledge
of which has sometimes caused great injustice, as shown in the
story of Baal, a gardener of Brentford, in England, told by Kay.
He had sold a large quantity of the seeds of the Brassica Flo-
rida to several gardeners in the suburbs of London. These
gardeners, after sowing their seeds in the usual manner, were
surprised to find them turn out to be a different species from
what Baal made them believe they had purchased ; for instead
of the Brassica Florida, the plants turned out to be the Brassica
Longifolia. The gardeners-, upon making this discovery, com-
menced a prosecution of fraud against Baal in Westminster
Hall. The court found him guilty of fraud, and ordered him
not only to restore the price of the seed, but likewise to pay the
gardeners for their lost time and the use of their ground. “ Had
these judges,” says Linnmu^ “been acquainted with the sexualsystem, they could not have found him guilty, but have ascribed
the accident to the fortuitous impregnation of the Brassica Flo-
rida by the pollen of the Brassica Longifolia.”

Dr. Hasselquist, in a letter to Linnaeus, dated Alexandria, May
18th, 1750, says : “ The first thing I did after my arrival, was to
see the Date tree, the ornament and a great part of the riches of
this country. It had already blossomed, but I had nevertheless
the pleasure of seeing how the Arabs assist the fecundation, and
by that means secure to themselves a plentiful harvest of a vege-
table which was so important to them, and known to them many
centuries before any botanist dreamed of.the difference of sexes
in vegetables. The gardener informed me of this before I had
time to inquire ; and would show me, as a very curious thing,
the male and female of the Date or Palm trees; nor could he
conceive how I, a Frank, lately arrived, could know it before ;
for, says he, all who have yet come from Europe to see this
country, have regarded this relation either as a fable ora miracle.
The Arab seeing me inclined to be further informed, accompanied
me and my French interpreter to a Palm tree which was very
full of young fruit, and had by him been wedded or fecundated
with the mate when both were in blossom. Unless this is done,
the trees bear no fruit. He said that lie finds the male flowers
full of a dew of the finest and purest kind, of a sweet and
pleasant taste, resembling that of fresh dates, but much more
refined and aromatic j this was confirmed by my interpreter, who
has lived thirty-two years in Egypt, and has had therefore oppor-
tunities enough of tasting the nectar ot the blossoms and the
fresh dates.”

In the garden of M. de la Serre, at Paris, was a female Tur-
pentine tree, which flowered every year without furnishing any
fruit capable of vegetation. This was a sensible mortification
to the owner, who greatly desired to have the tree increased.
Messrs. Duhamel and Jussieu very properly judged that they
might procure him that pleasure by the assistance of a male
Pistachio tree, and accordingly sent him one very much loaded
with flowers. It was planted in the garden, near the Turpen-
tine tree, which the same year produced a great quantity of
fruits that were well-conditioned, and rose with lacility. d he
male plant was then removed, the consequence of which wasthat the Turpentine tree, in none of the succeeding years, bore
any fruit that upon examination was found to germinate.

There was a Palm tree at Berlin, which being the only one of
its species in the vicinity, never perfected any fruit, though every
year full of the flowers containing pistils. In 1749, when the
tree was in full bloom, a slaminate branch was sent by post from
Leipsic to Berlin, a distance of twenty miles, and suspended over
the barren Palm. The consequence was that the tree produced
an abundance of fruit, that year, to the great amazement of
the inhabitants; it came to full perfection, and many young
Palms were raised from the seed.

We have said enough in relation to the Artificial Orders,
without noticing them again. The Genera and Species are
the same in both the Natural and Linneean Systems ; it was
impossible to alter the descriptions of the Northern Light with-
out doing harm. The names of the Genera are mostly arbi-
trary ; some are borrowed from the older poets’ fables; some
from the effects they produce when taken internally; some from
their situation or place; and some from individuals; and incon-
sistent as the method is, it was still more foolishly carried out;
there is lamentably no method in the madness. The specific
names fare a little better; 'some do profess to describe something
recognizable about the plant. The name of Linnaeus is given
to a depressed abject Lapland plant, long overlooked; and that
of Ambrosia, the food of the gods, to pig-weed.

A nomenclature, founded on the fructification, must necessa-
rily be imperfect when taken out of its proper sphere, and made
to subserve purposes for which it was never intended. The
fifth class of Linnaeus, for instance, contains the most deadly
poisons ; the most esculent vegetables ; the most agreeable spices ;
the most acrid irritants; the most nauseous scents, and the most
agreeable flavors, all combined together. In it the Potatoe and
Egg plant; Peruvian Bark and Coffee; Henbane, Milkweed,
Tobacco, Lobelia, Gentian, Beets, Elms, Carrots, Pepper, &c.,
all find a place. No one was more sensible of this than the
Prince of Naturalists himself, who says, that there is a natural
method or Nature’s system, which we should diligently endeavor
to find out. That such a system is 110 chimera will appear par-
ticularly, from the fact of no plant being yet discovered that has
not an affinity with some others. Any one cau see that theGrasses, Mosses, Compound flowers, Mints, &c., resemble each
other so much as to form natural families. In this manner a few
well determined orders are easily arranged, but beyond it all is
uncertainty and confusion. It has been said, with truth, that the
System of Linnaeus may be compared to a Dictionary, in which,
though all the words in it are contained by heart, a person would
still be ignorant of the language, unless to it was added a
knowledge of the Grammar to teach the value of the rela-
tive terms. This Grammar must be studied in the Natural
System, though whether the right one is yet discovered is a mat-
ter of some doubt, and there are not a few who confidently ex-
pect the advent of a Gould Brown. Dr. Smith remarks, in his
Grammar of Botany, art. 85,—That there is scarcely a principle
that can be assumed as universal, or without exception, in Natu-
ral Classification. Number, in the parts or divisions of each
organ, proves often fallacious. Insertion, or the mode of con-
nection of the several organs and their comparative situation
with regard to each other, is found far less exceptionable. Struc-
ture, or the different forms of the same organ in different instan-
ces, is of very great moment.

Linnaeus and Jussieu concur in considering as of primary im-
portance the structure of the Embryo and the Cotyledons; the
former of whom declared that the number of the Cotyledons
appeared to him to afford a sure basis, or a primary source of
discrimination for a Natural System. Dr. Smith states that this
principle was good, but some correction of the commonly re-
ceived ideas and terms became necessary since the structure and
economy of seeds have been more closely investigated.

Linnaeus composed a Natural System having 59 Order.-. So
far, however, from considering this perfect, he expressly states
that he left it as a kind of model for his successors, merely to
serve as a general guide.

Bernard Jussieu, who never published anything, but, like So-
crates, taught in conversation, improved on the System of
Linnaeus, so much so as to be called the Father of this branch of
the science. His nephew, M. A. Laurent De Jussieu, published
his uncle’s theory. This was still further improved and develop-
ed by De Candolle, since whose time it has been continually
changing, perhaps for the better.

It should be remembered that Natural Classification aims atcombining in a family all plants not only resembling each
other in appearance, but also in properties: for instance, the
Palms of Linnaeus, comprising Palms and their relatives, as the
Cocoa nut, Frogslut, &c., were all characterized as Farinaceous
diet; the Pomacea, as Pear, Currant, &c.,—Refrigerants. It is
only plants of the same family that can be grafted upon one an-
other : a knowledge of thi3 fact will often save useless trouble ;
and not only so, but prove very advantageous in other respects.
It is said that in a recent voyage undertaken with a view of dis-
covering where the celebrated La Perouse was shipwrecked,
the whole of the crew was afflicted with a scorbutic complaint,
which was greatly relieved by feeding on an unknown plant of
the Cruciform family (which is, in ali its branches, anti-scorbutic)
growing on the coast of New Holland,—a remedy which was
pointed out to them by the botanist attached to the expedition.

Jussieu’s system has 15 classes distributed into natural series,
in which are 100 orders, each defined by rather full definitions,
taken in the first place from the parts of Fructification, and
illustrated by secondary characters founded upon any other cir-
cumstance. As might be expected, there is at the end a large
assemblage of Genera not reducible to any of these orders :
though many have been since reduced, enough remains to show
the imperfection of any Natural System. The following are the
Classes and Orders somewhat modified ; they are given to con-
vey a general idea of his plan. Our work next year will be
founded on Lindley’s Natural System, which we will defer enter-
ing more fully until then.

JUSSIEU’S CLASSES.

			C L ASS	
Acotyledones,	-	•	-	1
i	Stamens hypogynous,			2
Monocotyledones, <	ii	perigynous, -	-	3
(	tt	epigynous,	-	4
/ {	' Stamens	epigynous, -	-	5
1 apetalous, «	1 11	perigynous,	*	6
\ (	* it	hypogynous,	-	7
	(Corolla,	hypogynous,	-	8
. , / monopetalous, < DicotyledonesX	1 •* I “	perigynous, epigynous, j	anthers combined, anthers distinct,	9  IJ  11
J (	Stamens, epigynous,		-	L2
/ polypetalous, <	(i	hypogynous,	-	13
r (	<<	perigynous	*	14
\declines irregular,		-	-	15SERIES OF THE ORDERS.

1. Fungi, Mushroom Tribe.

2. Musci, Moss	“

3. Algae, Sea weed “

4. Lichens	“

5. Filices, Fern	“

0. Hepaticac, Liverwort “

7. Naides, Duck meat *•

8. Aroideae, Arum “

9. Typhae, Cat tail “

10.	Cyperoideac, Sedge Grass Tribe.

11.	Gramineae, Grass	“

12.	Palmae, Palm	“

13.	Liliacea3, Lily	“

14.	Asparagi, Asparagus	“

15.	Narcissi, Bulbous root	“

16.	Irideae, Iris	“

17.	Juncece, Rush	“

18.	Bromeliae, Pine apple	“

19.	Asphodeli, Asphodel	“

20.	Commelineae, Spider-wort	“

21.	Alismaceae, Arrow head	“

22.	Colchiceae, Colchicum	“

23.	Orchideae, Orchis	“

24.	Musae, Banana	“

25.	Cannae, Indian reed	“

26.	llydrocharides, Tape grass	“

27.	Aristolochiae, Wild ginger	“

28. Eleagnae, Eleagnus

29. Hymeleae, Leatherwood

30. Proteae, Silver tree	“

31. Laurinece, Laurel

32.	Polygoneae, Dock	“

33.	Atriplices, Pig weed	“

34.	Amaranthi, Coxcomb	“

35.	Plantagineae, Plantain	“

36.	Nyciagines, Mirabilis	“

37.	Plumbagines, Marsh rosemary "

38.	Lysimachiae, Primrose	“

39.	Pediculares, Bartsea	“

40.	Acanthi, Acanthus	“

41.	Jasmineae, Lilac	“

42. Vitices, Verbena

43.	Labiatae, Mint	“

44.	Scropularioe, Digitalis	“

45.	Solanae, Potato	“

46.	Boragineae, Borage	“

47.	Convolvuli, Convolvulus	“

48.	Polemonite, Plalox	"

49.	Bignoniae, Trumpet flower	“

50.	Gentianae, Gentian	“

51.	Sapotae, West India plum	*'

52.	Apocynese, Dogbane	“

53.	Ebonaceae, Ebony	“

54. Plcnaceae, Persimmon Tribe.

55. Rhododendrae, Rose bay “

56. Ericeae, Heath	“

57. Guaicanae, Lignum vitae “

58.	Campanulaceae, Bellflower	Trib

59.	Chicoraceae, Dandelion	“

60.	Cinarocephalae, Burdock	“

61.	Corymbiferae, Boneset	“

62.	Dipsaceae, Teasel	“

63.	Rubiaceae, Bed straw	“

64.	Cnprifoliae, Honeysuckle	“

65.	Araleae, Ginseng	“

66. Umbellil'eiae, Parsley

67. Ranunculaceae, Ranunculus “

68. Papaveraceae, Poppy	“

69. .Cruciferae, Cruciform	“

70. Capfarides, Cleome	“

71. Sapindi, Soap berry

72.	Acerae, Maple	“

73.	Malpighiae, Barbadoes cherry “

74.	Hypericae, St. Johns-wort	“

75.	Guttiferae, Gamboge	“

76.	Auranteoe, Orange	“

77.	Meliae, Tea	“

78.	Vites, Vine	“

79.	Geraniae, Geranium	“

80.	Malvaceae, Hollyhock	“

81.	Magnoliae, Tulip tree	“

82.	Annonse, Anona	“

83.	Menispermte, Moon seed	“

84.	Berberides, Barberry	“

85.	Tiliaceae, Basswood	“

86.	Cista*, Rock-rose	“

87.	Rutaceae, Rue	“

88.	Caryophylleae, Pink	“

89.	Sempervivae, Houseleek	“

90.	Saxifragae, Sassafras	“

91.	Cacti, Prickly pear	“

92.	Portnlacceae, Purslane	“

93.	Ficoideae, Iceplant	“

94.	Onagrae, Willow-herb	“

95.	Myrti, Myrtle	“

96.	Mclastomae, Deer grass	“

97.	Salicariae, Wax bush	“

98. Rosaceae, Rose

99.	Leguminosae, Pea	“

100.	Terebintaceae, Sumach	«•

101.	Rhamnae, Buckthorn	“

102.	Euphorbiae, Spurge	«

103.	Cucurbitaceae, Melon	««

104.	Urticeae, Hop	“

105.	Amentaccae, Catkin	“

106.	Coniferae, Cone-bearing	•*The termination in the aceae is now generally applied to the
Orders, for the sake of ensuring uniformity, even where some
degree of awkwardness attends its application.

The 11th, 18th and 23d classes of Linnaeus have been rejected
by many Botanists of high reputation, and the plants distributed
by them among others; Monogamia, the 6th Order of the Class
Syngenesia, and those Orders of course belonging to the re-
jected Classes, have shared the same fate.

The Artificial System should never be neglected by any one
who wishes to understand Botany, for on a good knowledge of
it depends, in a great measure, the progress made even in the
Natural System. The knowledge of the greatest number of
species, in the opinion of Linnaeus, constituted the best botanist;
it is obvious that such information would soon enable any one,
without hesitation, to give a correct judgment on the relative
merits of the various plans presented for his consideration. This
department has been justly termed the artis robur, the strength
or sinews of the science. As Sir James Edward Smith ob-
serves, “ Species are the only distinctions, perhaps, that arc indu-
bitably natural;” and to stamp them clearly, as well as concisely,
is the most important, certainly the most difficult office of the Phi-
losophical Botanist. The name should be either a characteristic
adjective, expressive of the character, aspect, color, quality and
use of the species, or a substantive, not necessarily agreeing with
the generic name, by which some circumstance in the history
of the plant, or some synonym, may be recorded.

SONGS OF THE LINNAEAN TRIBES.

We were very much pleased with a little work for the Botani-
cal student, published in England. The great charm of the
book resides in its songs, which we give, confident that, although
the style is so very simple and familiar, a better knowledge of
the names and habits of plants, and their relations to each other,
will be obtained from them than could possibly be attained in
any other way. Each tribe comes before its type or chief, and
3ings its gathering song.

We would advise all, both young and old, to commit these
verses to memory, by doing which they will plant seed that will
sooner or later produce a good crop of botanical knowledge. Inour own teaching, we have found this plan by far the most effi-
cacious, giving, with the least time and labor, the greatest results.

SONG OF THE MONANDRIAN TRIBES.

Flower of the Ocean, though Nature refuse
Bright tints to thy bloom or fragrant dews,

Sahcornia we name thee our chieftain’s pride,

And we honor thee still for virtues tried.

Child of the Ocean, thy lowly form

We will follow alike through sunshine and storm,

Our chieftain’s crest is thy simple flower,

And thy name is our watchword in every hour.

SONG OF THE DIANDRIAN TRIBES.

The Speed-well flowers from hill and dale,

The Salvia bright and the Privet pale,

With fragrant grass we bear in hand,

For the lady who leads our gallant band

Fair flowers should deck fair lady’s head,

And balmy sweets in her path be spread ;

Oh noble lady, refuse not thou

The wreath we place on thy honored brow.

SONG OF THE TRIANDRIAN TRIBES.

The Crocus is ours with its petals of gold,

For us does the Iris her banners unfold,

We clothe the green hill and the verdant dell,

And the Shepherd loves in our land to dwell,

His flocks in our boundless pastures he feeds,

And his cattle graze in our countless meads.

Princess, our homage to thee we yield,

And hail thee as Q.ueen of the forest and field.

SONG OF THE TETRANDRIAN TRIBES.

Tnou to whom our vows belong,

Princess, listen to our song,

A golden couch we spread for thee,

With clustering heaps of Galium flowers,

The Shepherd's Staff shall be our spear
To guard thee in thy noontide bowers.

The scented Woodwoof, while we sing,

To thy honored couch we bring,

The woodland Cornel's flowering bough
We hind around thy snowy brow.SONG OF THE PENT ANDRIAN TRIBES

Oh talk not of Araby’s spice-scented gales,

Come wander awhile in oar own fertile vales,
Sweet blossoms are springing wherever we tread,
And the Woodbine is hanging its wreaths overhead.

Its graceful boughs by the night winds are bent,
And how sweetly they give out their fragrant scent.
Say canst thou envy Araby now,

Or ask for a garland to twine round thy brow I

Oh talk not of India’s rose-hung bowers,

And the hues of rainbow-tinted flowers,

Look thou on our rich and varied store,

And envy the gardens of Gul no more.

SONG OF THE HEX AND RIAN TRIBES.

Fair blossoms o’er thy path we fling,

Narcissus, peerless flower of spring,

And the Vale Lily, lo ! we bring.

With Calamus we strew the bower,

But Bethlehem's Star shall be the flower
To guide us through the darkest hour.

SONG OF THE HEPTANDRIAN TRIBES.

We turned with untiring zeal to explore
The tangled wood and the Highland Moor,

And there the hennit flower was seen,

The lone and the lowly Wintcrgreen.

Chief of a single tribe, to thee
We bring the prize on bended knee.

SONG OF THE OCTANDRIAN TRIBES.

Like bold Robin Hood and his merry men,

In the good green wood ’tis our joy to roam,

We deepen the shade of the forest glen,

And our branches we wave round the peasant’s home.

A feast of sweet berries to cheer him we spread
When he comes in our sylvan shade to recline,

The Heather we give for his rustic bed,

And the Maple bowl for his honeyed wine.

• We enrich the young shepherds who fly to our bower
With many a prize for their favorite maids,

And we crown our gifts with the Truelove flower,
Which unfolds its green leaves in our forest gladesSONG OF THE ENNEANDRIAN TRIBES
Chieftain for thee, on the slender spear,

The crown of Butomus flowers we rear,

By the sedgy streams of the deep green vale,
We dwell with the summer nightingale.

She flies from India’s sultry groves,

To tell us sweet tales of her Eastern loves.
When the latest notes of her liquid song
Are floating the woodland valleys among.

The buds of the Roseate flowers expand,

As if waked to life by the music bland ;

Princes receive from the nymphs of the spring
The Butomus blossoms thy votaries bring.

SONG OF THE DECANDRIAN TRIBES.

Oh, Arbutus tree,

We pluck from thee
The spray that forms our chieftain’s crest,

With thy berries bright
As the rosy light
The sun gives out when he sinks in the west.

Through enchanted groves,

Where the poet roves,

In Araby’s fair and sunny clime,

He sees not a gem
On its golden stem,

More lovely than this in its season of prime.

SONG OF THE DODECANDRIAN TRIBES.

In desert spots and chalky dells,

The pale Reseda meekly dwells,

Yet hid within her petals lie
Tints that with Ophir’s gold may vie,

The princely banner proudly spread
Above the courts where monarchs tread,
Gleaming with many a glorious hue,

From this pale flower its splendor drew.

Let none behold with cold disdain,

The frailest blossom of the plain,

Let none the simplest being scorn,

Though humbly placed and meanly born,
The lowliest thing may have the power
To cheer and bless the loftiest bower;
Queen of the Meadows, thee we greet,

And lay our tribute at thy feet.SONG OF THE ICOSANDRIAN TRIBES.

Pomona, from the vintage bowers
We come with mingled fruits ancl flowers,

The Strawberry from its lowly bed,

We pluck before thy shrine to spread,

With the Service wild, and the Woodland Plum,
So thy faithful votaries come.

From the glowing Raspberry's wavering stem
We gather many a ruby gem,

We rifle the boughs of the Cherry tree,

To find an offering fit for thee,

The sweet Ulnaria’s fragrant bloom,

We gather to form a regal plume.

And o’er these proffered gifts we throw
The Roses that around us grow,

The matchless Rose, whose sweet perfume
Outlives its fair but fleeting bloom,

And breathes around the faded flower
The odors of its opening hour.

SONG OF THE POLYANDRIAN TRIBES.

Chief of our tribes, to thee we bring
Meet offering for a sylvan king.

As thy royal diadem,

The Clemtdis is wreathed for thee,

Enriched with many a ruby gem,

From the glowing Peony.

Her gift, the azure Pasquc flower sends,

A blossom fit for courtly bowers,

Her aid the bright Papaver lends,

And blends it with her scarlet flowers.

And golden Caltha cups we bring
To pledge thee in the flowing tide,

And Lilies from the crystal spring,

And Globe flowers from the mountain side.

SONG OF THE DIDYNAMIAN TRIBES.

Come, honey bee, with thy busy hum,

To our fragrant beds of wild Thyme, come
And sip the sweet dew from the Betony,

The Marjoram and the Euphrasy.

Come, honey bee,

We spread for theeA rich repast in wood and field,

And a thousand flowers
Within our bowers,

To thee their nectared essence yield.

SONG OF THE TETRADYNAMIAN TRIBES.

Blossom of the time-worn tower,

Fragrant Wall-Jlowcr, thee we bring
To be our chieftain’s chosen flower,

And round his path the odors fling,

Emblem of love, sincere and warm,

And friendship that survives the storm.

SONG OF THE MONADELPHIAN TRIBES.

We come, the highway sides to grace
And strew the banks with Malva flowers;

With gay Geranium’s varied race

We have decked the lanes and woodland bowers.

On the marsh, in the shade of verdant hills,

Her blossoms AlUiea delights to rear,

And deep in her green retreat distils
The healing balm to the shepherd dear.

Boldly we brave the blast and storm,

Unharmed by Ocean’s tempestuous roar,

While lair Sanatera erects her form,

And hangs her wreath on the sandy shore.

SONG OF THE DIADELPHIAN TRIBES.

Our splendid sails, like the butterfly’s wing,

Are gay with the rainbow’s hues,

And our silvery keels sweet odors fling,

As they sweep the morning dews.

The treasures of gardens and cultured plains,

We bear on our gallant prows,

Feasts for the flocks and the shepherd swains,

And plumes for regal brows.

Come taste our sweets, come wreathe our flowers,
While the sunbeams gild our sails,

For we fold thee wherever the dark cloud lowers,
And tempt not the stormy gales.

SONG OF THE POLYDELPHI AN TRIBES.

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,

Or by hedgerow paths in the vales below,

Or through turfy forest glades.

Pluck not the flowers like the Saxon maid,

Nor anxiously watch, if they flourish or fade,

By the moon of a midsummer night;

Nor aloft, as a spell, hang her tassels of gold,
Like the Cambrian swain, nor like Druids of old
Bid them dwell in mystic rite.

SONG OF THE SYNGENESIAN TRIBES.

Though we boast not Triandria’s corn and grass,
Yet our Thistles feed the laboring asB—

And the small birds rejoice in the leafy bowers,

As they feed on the seeds of the Groundsel flowers.
With us the cerulean Cyanus is seen,

And our own fair Daisy decks the green,

And the Siiccory opens its azure eye,

Beneath the light of the summer skv.

Fair are our flowers, but yet more fair
Are the seeds that lightly float on the air.

When the fading blossom has lost its grace,

A feathering down supplies its place,

And wafts its seed on the passing gale
To its rightful home on hill or vale.

Those winged seeds are thickly stored,

In the urn of the purple Salsify,

The Coltsfoot keeps a secret hoard,

And in the Camomile cups they lie.

Chief of the woodlands and queen of the meads.
Accept our flowers and our downy seeds.

SONG OF THE GYNANDRIAN TRIBES.

In the quiet shades
Of our forest glades,

The fair Epipactis her blossom unfolds,

And the Orchis race,

Our field banks that grace,

The wandering shepherd with wonder beholds.

In our pastures green
Ladies'1 tresses are seen,
in our woods Cypripedeum’s purple flower;

, And Sistcra there,

Her nest doth prepare,

And Hcrminium brings her musk to our bower.With insects’ gems,

On their verdant stems,

The Ophrys tribe in our borders we see,

Queen of the flowers,

These treasures are ours,

And we bring them with loyal hearts to thee.

SONG OF THE MONCECIAN TRIBES.

From the flowing stream, we bring to our chief,
Sagittaria flowers with arrowy leaf;

And the reed-like Typha, the sceptre fair
That our rural sovereign delights to bear,
Euphorbia we bring from the wild sea shore,

And the sedging Carex from land and moor.

Not these alone are our treasured store,

For our Beech masts fatten the forest boar.

We have Cameron’s Oak, and McGregor’s Pine,
And Buchanan’s Birch to yield us wine,

And Highland Hazel of bold Colquhoun,

While Mackintosh brings the Box for a boon.

SONG OF THE DICECIAN TRIBES.

Princess, we lay on thy floral shrine,

Light wreaths the graceful Humulus weaves,
Our northern Myrtle with these we twine
The sweet Myrica’s fragrant leaves.

The dark festoons of the Tamus cling
To the silvery Willow's bending spray,

Whose blossoms like down from the cygnet’s win
Shed a golden light on the vernal day.

The pearly tufts of the Mistletoe,

With the evergreen Buxus leaves we bind,
And the Aspen's slender boughs that throw
Their trembling leaves to the summer wind.

In the battle’s shock our tribe has stood
Renowned for many a valorous deed,

And our faithful bows of the Yew-tree wood,

Shall guard our queen in the hour of need

SONG OF THE POLYGAMIAN TRIBES.

The silvery Purslane's simple flowers,

Are all the humble prize we claim ;

We have no roses in our bowers,

No fragrant blossoms known to fame.Unknown and unadmired, our race

Springs up, and blooms and fades away,
And few have sought our resting-place,

Or watched our buds from day to day.

Yet in the simplest blossoms dwell

Such proofs of power and wise design,

As to the wondering spirit tell,

The hand that formed them is divine.

•

SONG OF THE CRYPTOGAMIAN TRIBES

Chieftain, from our varied store,

What tribute shall our tribes provide 1
We have gems on Ocean’s shore,

And beneath the flowing tide,

And many a precious treasure laid
On the mossy bank in the forest glade.

We will bring our gallant chief
The waving locks of Maiden-hair,

And Fragile with graceful leaf,

Fit for lovely dames to wear,

And the Royal Osmund's palmy bough.

A plume that suits a warrior’s brow.

Chieftain, to thee we duly bring,

Our countless gifts from land and sea,

And lo ! to crown our offering

The nectared draughts we pour to thee,
Peziza's lowly daughters bear,

In their ruby cups so rich and rare.

The Crown Imperial.

The Fritillaria Imperials—Crown Imperial, is in the
Class Hexandria; Order Monogynia. The generic name, Fritil-
laria, is from Frilillus, the Latin for dice-box, from the spotted
color of the petals, or, perhaps, some other fancied resemblance.
Its characters are: corol inferior, six-petalled, bcll-form, with a
nectariferous cavity above the claw of each ; stamens the lengthof the corol; seeds flat. The specific name, Imperialis, is de-
rived from its commanding deportment and brilliant colors.
Flowers under a leafy crown, nodding. Leaves, lancelinear,
entire. Some consider it the emblem of Majesty, others of
Pride. Dr. Langhorne says :

From Bactria’s vales, where beauty blows
Luxuriant in the genial ray,

Where flowers a bolder gem disclose,	•

And deeper drink the golden day.

From Bactria’s vale, to Britain’s shore,

What time the Crown Imperial came,

Full high the stately stranger bore
The honors of his birth and name.

In all the pomp of Eastern state,

In all the Eastern glory gay,

He bade, with native pride elate,

Each flower of humbler birth obey.

In the Flora Historica, Phillips gives the history of this
flower at full length. We will copy his article. The Crown
Imperial, says he, is one of the flowers that was first intro-
duced into England in the time of Shakspeare. Gerard, who,
in his day, was the principal writer on plants, tells us, in 1597,
that he had then plenty of the Fritillary in his garden, at Hol-
born, but he calls it a rare and strange plant. It was first sent
from Constantinople, into the Christian countries of Europe, by
Clusius, who forwarded it first to Vienna, in the year 1576,
stating it to be a native of Persia, growing in the woods of that
country. It was, therefore, for some time, called Liliuni Persi-
cum, Persian Lily ; but as there was already another Persian Lily
growing in the European gardens, Alphonsus Pauciuis, Phy-
^ sician to the Duke of Florence, when he sent a drawing of it to
M. John de Brancion, named it Corona Imperialis. Madame de
Genlis thinks the name originated from the celebrated Guirlande
de Julie, Chapelain having, under the painting of this flower,
written a poor metamorphosis in compliment to Julie, who was
a great admirer of Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, who
lost his life in the battle he gained in the plains of Lulzen. The
poet says, that had this monarch gained the Imperial Crown, he
would have offered it with his hand, to Julie; but as the fates havemetamorphosed him into this plant, it is given to her under the
name of Couronne ImpCriale, which title appears to have been
adopted in all the European languages. Modern Botanists have
since bestowed the name of Fritillaria on a family of plants, of
which this is, from deportment and brilliancy of coloring, the
chief.

The Lily’s height bespoke command,

A fair imperial flower,

It seemed designed for Flora’s hand,

The sceptre of her power.

In the Turkish language, this flower is called Tusai or Tuschai,
as well as Turfani or Turfanda; and as it was obtained from
the Turks under this name, it ought, in justice, to have retained
its original appellation.

The Lily of the turbaned countries towers above all the flowers
of our vernal parterres, throwing up its tall stem amidst the dwarf
flowers of April, like the tall palm amidst trees, or a pagoda
arising out of a Chinese town. At the end of its stem is sup-
ported a circle of Tulip-shaped corollas, turned downwards,
which have the appearance of so many gay bells, the stigma
answering for the clapper. The whole being crowned by a
coma, or tuft of green leaves, gives it a singular and agreeable
effect; and when the bulbs are suffered to remain two or three
years in the earth, which should be a light, dry soil, free from
manure, they frequently send up a stem that carries two or three
whorls of pendulous flowers above each other: it is then called

the Triple Crown.

Numerous varieties of this flower have been raised lrom seed,
by the patient perseverance of the Dutch florists; but the most
desirable varieties are those of the gayest colors, such as the bright
yellow and brilliant red, as the dingy colors and variegated kinds
make less show in the garden. This Imperial flower is not
without its body-guard, to keep its admirers at a proper distance,
for it possesses so strong a scent of the fox, combined with that
of garlic, as to ensure it protection from meddling fingers, and its
safety from the saloon vase. [And also from the writings of the
poet; notwithstanding its extremely beautiful appearance, this
elegant looking flower, on account of the strong disagreeable
odor of its blossoms, is universally disliked, Ben Jonson men-tions it in a nosegay, composed of almost every flower in the
garden :

Bring Cornllag, &c., &c., &c.

Bring Crown Imperial, &c.., &c.

Evans remarks :

Then heed ye not the glittering gem,

That gleams in Fritillaria's diadem.

This is about all.—Ed.] It is the same property of the plant
that hinders its being rifled of its nectareous juices, which are not
only rejected by the bees, but refused by every kind of insects.
But the beauty and splendor of this magnificent flower will ever
secure it a situation in pleasure grounds, and it is equally adapted
to decorate the centre of large flower borders, or to intermix with
dwarf shrubs in more sylvan scenes; and it is one of the few
flowers which, like noble personages, is seen to the best effect
when planted singly.

The more closely we attend to the natural history of plants,
the more surely are we delighted with the works of Nature. To
the Crown Imperial a large flower is bestowed, that has not the
gift of closing its petals like the Tulip, and most other flowers,
to secure the parts of fructification from the wet and inclement
seasop in which it flowers; but to counteract this apparent in-
convenience, a pendulous position is given to the corolla, which
effectually protects the important parts of the flower, like a bell-
glass, until impregnation has taken place, when the peduncles
change to an upright position, in order to facilitate the ripening
of the seed. The singularity of the nectary or honey-cup of this
flower is too peculiarly conspicuous to have been overlooked by
the curious; it is a white glandular cavity at the base of each
petal; and as long as the flower remains in vigor, a large drop
of limpid nectareous juice is hung to each nectary; and thus
we are struck with the important uses of the petals, in addition
to that of a covering to the stigma and anthers, for they appear
to be organs by which the polarised primitive matters are directed
to their evolution, and to their different attractions:	[These	italics

show a specimen of senseless jargon in which scientific men
now-a-days rarely indulge. It arises from considering Electri-
city as the source of life !—Ed.] We have consulted some of
the first botanists of the age on the use of the nectareous juicein nourishing the parts of fructification, and assisting the impreg-
nation of the seed, and we have met with that diversity of opi-
nion which could hardly have been expected on a subject that
seems so clearly developed. A lady experimenting on the
Crown Imperial for this purpose, “ robbed the petals of this deli-
cate fluid about 10 o’clock in the morning, and every evening,
during which period it became usually replaced in the degree of
about one-third the natural quantity, when suffered to remain
undisturbed. Those bells from which the honey was taken
regularly every morning and evening, did not produce seed;
two bells, irregularly robbed, formed poor seed-vessels; while
those on the same plant, remaining in the natural state, brought
the seeds to perfection.”

As it takes six years to obtain flowering bulbs from the seeds
of the Crown Imperial, it is seldom propagated in this way.
Those who are disposed to exercise their patience in this way,
and raise varieties from the seed, have only to follow the direc-
tions which we will give for increasing Tulips, and there is no
fear but success will attend the operation.

The Crown Imperial has a large, round, scaly root, that throws
off' young offsets, by which it is generally increased in our gar-
dens, but it is more frequently obtained from the shops which
import it from the Netherlands, and from Holland. The roots
should be planted at least six inches deep, and not refhoved
oftener than every thiqi year, when the young plant may be
separated from the parent bulb, and planted in a soil as already
noticed, the strongest of which will flower the following spring,
if removed at the proper season, which is about the beginning of
July, when the stalk is decayed.

As our flower gardens and pleasure grounds in the United
Stales increase, this plant rises into notice ; its odor will of course
prevent its being cultivated where the collection is small and con-
fined. Where there is sufficient room, however, it will always
be indispensable ; and although in a Republic, we shall annually
see the Crown Imperial performing its reign in quiet splendor,
unconscious of the cares that attend other crowns.The Ashwort.

This plant belongs to the Class Syngenesia : Order Polygamia
Superflua: in the Natural System to the Order Composite, the
Linnacan name for which was Columniferae, from Columna, a
pillar, and fero, to bear, consisting of plants whose stamina and
pistil have the appearance of a column in the centre of the flower.
This Order furnishes a choice collection of herbs, both annual
and perennial, shrubs and trees; they are very different in size
and height; pretty thick and deciduous, of a beautiful appear-
ance, with an erect stem, which is formed by its branches and
foliage into a round head. The wood is, in general, soft and
light; the stems cylindric; and the young branches, though
commonly of the same figure, are sometimes angular. In many
plants of this Order, the flowers generally open about nine in the
morning, and remain expanded until one in the afternoon. The
calyx sometimes single, at others double; petals from four to
nine, five being the prevailing number; stamens from five, up-
wards ; anthers roundish ; seed-vessel generally a capsule, some-
times a pulpy fruit of the berry or cherry kind. The plants all
mucilaginous and lubricating.

The Cineraria—Ashwort, takes its common name from the
meaning of its Latin one. The genus is characterized by—
calyx simple, many leaved, equal; egret simple. There are
three species common in the United States.

The Cineraria Heterophylla rises to the height of about
eight inches; it has a peculiar hairy appearance. The leaves
which proceed directly from the root, have long stalks, are of an
oval shape, diminishing into a long narrow base; many times
these shapes vary; those from the main stem continue about the
same width most of the length, deeply cut, with the divisions
ranged opposite each other on the mid-rib. The flowers which
are yellow, and bloom in May, grow in flat bunches, the stalks
somewhat like the bracts of an umbrella, but spreading from dif-
ferent heights.

The C. Canadensis is very much like the other, with blue-
formed clusters. There is a Southern species blooming in Au-
gust, but of very little account. In England, this plant is a greatFavorite, and its flowers highly prized ; it is termed the Sky
flower, and is the emblem of Household Virtue.

The enamored of the sun,

At his departure hangs her head and weeps,

And shrouds her sweetness up, and keeps
Sad vigils/like the cloistered nun,

Till his reviving ray appears,

Waking her beauty as he dries her tears	Moore.

The Poppy.

We are told that the ancients, who regarded sleep as the
grand physician and the great consoler of human nature, crowned
the god of Sleep with a wreath of Poppies. The palace of
Somnus was represented as a dark cave, into which the sun’s
rays never entered ; at the entrance grew Poppies and other
somniferous herbs ; the Dreams watched over his couch, attended
by Morpheus, his prime minister, holding a vase in one hand,
and grasping Poppies in the other. It is of course the emblem
of Sleep.

“ From the Poppy I have ta’en
Mortals’ balm and mortals’ bane I
Juice, that creeping through the heart,

Deadens every sense of smart;

Doomed to heal or doomed to kill,

Fraught with good or fraught with ill.”

This flower was anciently consecrated to Ceres, because it
was the first food the disconsolate goddess was prevailed on to
taste, after the loss of her daughter, Proserpine. The Papaver
Rheas—Scarlet Poppy, a native of Europe, but naturalized
in our own country, there, as here, beautifully mingles its splen-
did blossoms with our sustaining corn ; and it is said, when
found profusely scattered, to be a proof either of poor land or
bad husbandry :—

There nodding Poppies mock the hope of all.

But if the defendant may be allowed to speak for itself, we shall
hear a different story :That Ceres with rtiy flower is grieved
Some think, but they are much deceived,

For where her richest corn she sows
The inmate Poppy she allows,

Together both our seeds doth fling,

And bids us both together spring.

The ancients had this opinion, for seeds of the Corn Rose, as
it was called, were offered up in the sacred rites of Ceres, to en-
sure the prosperity of the corn. Phillips says, that where it
abounds, it denotes a light and shallow soil, and it is singu-
lar, that in England, when such land is ploughed up in the
spring, when there can be no Poppies to scatter their seed, and
although it'be where none have ever been seen, yet it is a
great chance that such lands shall not be covered with these plants
during the summer. He frequently observed this phenomenon
when lands were first broken up, and even in situations distant
from other corn lands saw the plains glow with the red petals of
the Wild Poppy. The Persians still continue to sprinkle the
seeds of Poppies on their rice and wheaten cakes, which is also
frequently practised in Germany, where lhe seeds are given as a
cooling diet to singing birds. The stem of this plant is covered
with straight spreading hairs, the leaves deeply gashed, lhe parts
ranged opposite each other. It has a large number of flowers.
The capsules are sleek, and nearly globular. It blossoms in June.
We saw a number of these carefully planted in the Cemetery at
Sag Harbor last summer, round an infant’s grave, by the be-
reaved parent, mournfully and gracefully hanging down their
heads to express extreme sorrow.

The generic name is derived from pap or papa, the food of
babies, because the flowers or fruit was formerly, and the custom
is not in disuse, mixed with it when given to children for the
purpose of procuring sleep. It is in the Class Polyandria : Or-
der Monogynia. The characters are—calyx two-leaved, cadu-
cous ; corol, four-petalled; stigma, a broad disk, with radiating
lines; capsule one-celled, dehiscent by pores under the perma-
nent stigma. Every one of the species is able to afford the
Opium of commerce in a greater or less quantity ; but the plant
irom which it is commonly derived, is the Papaver Somniferum
—Wii ite Poppy, which has two varieties, derived from the color
of the seeds.“ Within the infant rind of this small flower,

Poison hath residence and medicine power,

Oh mickle is the powerful grace that lies
In herbs, plants, stones, and their true qualities.

For naught so vile that on the earth doth live,

But to the earth some special good doth give,

For naught so good that strained from that fair use
Revolts from true birth stumbling on abuse."

This is an annual plant, with a smooth, erect, whitish, and
nearly round stem, varying in height from two to six feet, ac-
cording to circumstances and favorable situation ; it is sometimes
branching. Tire leaves are quite large, gashed, and closely em-
brace the stem, upon which they are alternately disposed; they
•arc glaucous or clothed with a sea-green mealiness, which is
easily rubbed oft’. The llowers are very large, of a silver-grey
color, tinged with violet at the base, and come out in June; the
fiower-cup, which is composed of two leaves, falls when the blos-
soms expand. The petals are four in number, subject, however,
to the multiplication which is always the effect of cultivation.
The capsule is very similar to the species we have already de-
scribed ; it is in it that its virtues chiefly reside ; although every
part of the plant abounds in the opaque milky juice, all ot this
does not contain morphine. Like some other plants we have
mentioned, the Poppy does not seem poisonous until a certain
age, for in Persia, when they thin the plants, lhe young ones are
used as pot-herbs; and we have the authority of Hippocrates for
believing them nutritive. Lin nee us considered the Poppy a na-
tive of Europe ; at any rate, it grows wild in almost every part of
it but England ; cultivated there to a great extent, not only for
its Opium, but the bland oil its seeds contain, which is used in
painting, making soap, and adulterating Olive oil. Its principal
cultivation is confined to the East, Turkey, Egypt, the East
Indies and olht'r parts of Asia, where Poppy fields can only be
compared to our corn fields. The account of its culture by Kerr
is the same as that of Discorides, given eighteen hundred years
ago. The field being well prepared by the plough and harrow,
and reduced to an exact level superficies, it is then divided into
quadrangular areas of seven feet long and live ieet in breadth,
leaving two feet of interval, which is raised five or six inches,
and excavated into an aqueduct for conveying water to everyarea, for which purpose they have a well in every cultivated field.
The seeds are sown in November and October. The plants are
allowed to grow six or eight inches distant from each other,
and are plentifully supplied with water; when the young plants
are six or eight inches high, they are watered more sparingly;
but the cultivator spreads over all the areas a great quantity of
manure, mixed with nitrous earth which he has scraped from the
highways and old mud walls. When the plants are near flower-
ing, they are watered profusely to increase the juice. When the
capsules are half-grown, no more water is given, and they begin
to collect the Opium. At sunset they make two longitudinal
double incisions upon each half-ripe.capsule, passing from below
upwards, and taking care not to pentrate the internal cavity of
the capsule. The incisions are repeated every evening until
each capsule has received six or eight wounds; then they are
allowed to ripen the seeds. The ripe capsules afford little or no
juice. If the wounds are made in the heat of the day, a cicatrix
would have been formed too soon. The night dews, by their
moisture, favor the exstillation of the juice. Early in the morn-
ing, old women, boys and girls collect the juice by scraping it
off the wounds with a a small iron scoop, and deposit the whole
in an earthen pot, where it is worked by the hand in the open
sunshine until it becomes of a considerable spissitude. It is then
formed into cakes of a globular shape, and about four pounds in
weight, and laid into little earthen vessels to be further exsiccat-
ed. These cakes are covered over with the Poppy or Tobacco
leaves, and dried until they are fit for sale. They frequently
adulterate it with an extract of the plant procured by boiling,
and various other substances which they keep secret.

Another method is, to make an extract from those capsules
which have refused to yield their juice by exudation. Both
methods were known to the ancients. Newman was informed at
Genoa and Leghorn, by the Turks, that in some places the heads,
stalks and leaves are committed to the press together, and that
this juice inspissated allords a very good Opium.

It was formerly supposed that the first preparation, by exuda-
tion, which is far the most valuable and powerful, was never
sent here, being consumed in the countries that make it. The
experiments of the English cultivators have proved that this is a
mistake, and that we really receive the strongest kinds is beyonddoubt. Wood and Bache say, that commerce is supplied with
Opium chiefly from Hiudostan, Persia, and the Asiatic domi-
nions of Turkey. When good, it has a strong, peculiar, narcotic
odor, and a bitter, somewhat acrid taste. When long chewed, it
excites much irritation in the mouth, and even blisters when un-
accustomed to its use. The color is of a reddish brown or deep
fawn, the texture compact and uniiorm, its specific gravity L336.
When drawn over paper it leaves an interrupted trace of a light
brown color. It is often soft in the interior of the mass, and is in
this state tenacious; but when exposed to air it generally hardens,
and ultimately becomes brittle, breaking with a uniform shining
fracture, and affording, when pulverized, a yellowish brown pow-
der, which becomes adhesive upon a slight elevation ol tempera-
ture. It readily inflames upon the application of a lighted taper.
It is partially soluble in water, alcohol, ether, wine, vinegar, and
lemon juice, to all of which it imparts a deep brown color. We
are told that when it is triturated with hot water, five parts out
of twelve are dissolved, six suspended, and one remains unal-
fected. This is viscid and tenacious, presenting characters
strongly analogous to those oi’ Caoutchouc.

Morphine and Narcotine are the two most important princi-
ples obtained from Opium ; the former of which is considered
to possess nearly all its good properties without the injurious,
and is now universally used ; and to be found either in the form
of Sulphate or Acetate in all our shops. Opium is a stimulant
narcotic; and as well known, perhaps, as the remedy of love-
sick stupids, as for it3 valuable medicinal properties. Like most,
in fact all poisons of its class, a very large dose is less fatal than
one just sufficient to produce death. About six years ago we
carefully weighed out sixty grains or one drachm of Opium,
wrapped it in paper, and placed it in our pocket. We retired
early, perhaps four hours afterwards, having taken tea in the in-
terval ; we awoke covered with a cold, clammy sweat, and gasp-
ing respiration, and there was enough consciousness still left to
be aware of the real cause of all this, which darted with terrible
conviction across our mind ; awakening our brother who slept
with us, and who we must say behaved very lazily, we dis-
patched him for fifty grains of Ipecac, and to alarm the house.
He did both, and we remember little more for several days after-
wards, a state of low delirium having supervened. We foundthat on that eventful evening, a peculiar clicking noise was heard
throughout the house, unaccountable to every one, which must
have proceeded from our respiration. By lhe bed-side the con-
tents of the stomach were discovered with the Opium. It must
have been ejected immediately after retiring; which was the
means of saving us. Zinc, the sulphate of which (white vitriol)
should be given by the teaspoon-full, and Ipecac used in the same
way, and with as great quantities of warm water as can be given,
are the best remedies; the stomach pump is an invaluable aux-
iliary. Constant friction should be kept up over the whole body
with warm hands. Our own escape, however, despite the theo-
ries of science, we firmly ascribe to Providence. We found
none of the exhilarating effects produced from it, for which it is
taken by the Mahomedans and Hindoos, nor do we think that
such effects uniformly follow its exhibition. For information on
which subject we must refer to the Confessions of an English
Opium Eater.

A test to ascertain its presence is given by Dr. Hare, founded
on the fact, that meconic acid forms a red salt with the peroxide
of iron. He precipitated the meednate of lead by the addition
of a few drops of a solution of the acetate of lead to the sus-
pected liquid: applies to the precipitated meconate by* means
of a dropping tube, about thirty drops of sulphuric acid, by which
the meconic acid is separated ; and finally adds in the same way
a solution of the red sulphate of iron, which gives the striking
red*color of the permiconate of that metal. By this mode, a drop
of laudanum can be detected in six fluid ounces of water !

Phillips says, to show that Poppies were cultivated to ornament
the royal gardens of Rome, in the early days of that city, we
have only to call the attention of our readers to the interview
which took place between Tarquin the Proud, and the messen-
ger who was sent by bis son from the city of Gabii. The Car-
nation Poppy, which adds so considerably to the gaiety of our
gardens during the months of July and August, and which is so
much neglected in England and cultivated in France, is only a
variety of the P. Rheas. In its double state it is a flower of
great beauty, both 011 account of its crumpled and delicate tex-
ture, elegance of shape and variety of colori some being per-
fectly white, others plain rose, blush-scarlet and crimson, and on
others the pencil of nature seems to have blended the dyes in themost finished 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 astonishing the beholder
who sees so large and so beautiful a corolla escape from so small
a dwelling. The 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 their
flowers. With what amazement and delight do we frequently
regard the ingenuity of the mechanic when he displays the move-
ments of a watch or musical box, encompassed in a case of
diminutive size; but the most complete and costly of these
baubles are as inferior to the works which Nature has employed
on the Poppy, as the clumsiest wheel of a country wheelwright
is to the finished mechanism ot the most finished watchmaker.
The calyx of the Poppy not only shuts in the numerous and
•large petals of the flower with its innumerable chives, bearing
their anthers on points as fine as hairs, each anther containing
an innumerable number of fertilizing particles, but it also con-
tains the capsule, which in itself cannot be examined without
exciting our utmost admiration of the wisdom with which it has
been formed by the Universal Creator. The capsule is covered
by a shield-formed stigma, thickly perforated, so as to admit the
fecundating particles of the farina, which are so disposed around
the eleven chambers of the capsule, that each seed receives its
regular portion of this matter by means of an umbilical cord, not-
withstanding that there are frequently six thousand of these vege-
table eggs contained in one capsule. When we reflect that each
of these small seeds is so admirably perfect in its minute dimen-
sions as to contain all the essentials necessary to form a plant on
the following year, which is in turn destined to produce at least
twenty capsules, we must exclaim with Pope,

How wondrous are Thy ways,

How far above our knowledge and our praise.

The Carnation Poppy will thrive in any soil or situation; but
Mr. Pirolle tells us that the seeds should only be gathered from
the most double kinds, and that the capsules should be taken
from the centre stalk of the plant only ; it is a kind well adapted
to ornament newly planted shrubberies, or the foreground oflarge flowering shrubs, as also to give a gaiety to those parts of
the parterre where the early flowers have decayed.

The Papaver Orientale—Eastern Poppy, was discovered
by Tournefort, in America, from whence he sent the seed to the
royal garden of plants at Paris, from whence our seeds are derived.
It is a perennial plant, easily propagated by dividing its rools in the
autumn ; and though a native of the East, will bear the severity
of an English winter without injury, especially if planted on u
dry soil; rather more care should be taken with it in the United
States. The seeds should be sown as soon as ripe in pots filled
with a rich and fresh loam. These pots require the protection
of a greenhouse or frame for the winter months, and the follow-
ing spring the young plants may be transplanted into a bed or
other pots, and removed again in the autumn. From the mag-
nificence both of its size and color, it belongs rather to the fore-
ground of the shrubbery than to the borders of choice flowers. The
petals are generally of a bright red, with black rays at the base,
but they sometimes vary to a reddish orange color. It is no small
recommendation to this plant that it flowers freely under the
shade of trees, as we have but few plants that blossom in the
shade with a red flower.

Papaver Nudicaule—Naked Stalked Poppy. This is one
of our own species, found in Labrador; it produces a yellow
flower with a fragrance similar to that of the Jonquil, especially
in the morning and evening. As its residence implies, it is a
hardy perennial plant, generally raised from seed sown either in
the autumn or spring. The flowers continue in succession from
June to August,sometimes varying to a pure white. There is an-
other species, the English P. Cambricum, which is deliciously
fragrant. This plant was of course introduced in Thompson’s
Castle of Indolence.

Hassclquest mentions the case of a Dervise on board the same
vessel, who not having proportioned his store of Opium to the
length of his voyage, would have committed suicide had they
not landed him to obtain a supply. A Persian prince had so
habituated himself to take Opium at certain hours, that he found
it impossible to forego the accustomed bane, and died one day,
on a journey, because his attendants had omitted to carry a
supply.

In the time of Gesner, the village Damons and Phillises provedthe sincerity of their loves by placing a petal of the Poppy in the
hollow of the palm of the left hand, which, on being struck by the
other hand, gave a sound that denoted true attachment, or faith-
lessness when it failed to snap.

By a prophetic Poppy leaf I found

Your changed affection, for it tave no sound,

Though in my hand, struck hollow, as it lay,

But quickly vanished like your love away.

Millions of pounds of Opium are annually consumed for the
purpose of degrading man below the brute; and so profitable is
the trade, that the commerce of England, extensive as it is, could
not spare the China proceeds, but must unjustly, and foolishly for
them in the end, make the Chinese government allow its intro-
duction whether they would or not. Since the temperance refor-
mation in America, ardent spirits have, in numberless instances,
been supplanted by this pernicious drug ; an artifice, however,
that will never succeed in sufficiently disguising its effects, for
bad as rum is, the use of this deadening soporific is infinitely
worse; and the bloated countenance and shallow brain will
always mark the Opium Eater.

The Vine.

“ The drink that’s in the drunkard’s bowl,

Is not the drink for me,

It kills his body and his soul,

How sad a sight is he.”

The generic name is derived from Vieo, to fasten, from the
care necessary in tying up its branches. Its characters are:
petals cohering at the tops, shrivelling ; berry two or five-seeded
superior.

Pliny tells us, that the god of wine, Bacchus, was crowned
with Vine leaves, which thus composed the first crown that was
ever made or worn j this was done because he first taught its
use. It sprang from the blood of the giants, who, having made
war on the gods, perished in the battle; on this account the
Egyptians, who, whatever was their ignorance in other respects,
seemed to be aware of such matters, held it odious, neitherdrinking it themselves, nor offering it in libations to the gods
Ovid says:—

Nor were the gods themselves more safe above,

Against beleaguered heavens the giants move.

Hills piled on hills, on mountains, mountains lie,

To make their mad approaches to the sky,

Till Jove, no longer patient, took his time
T’ avenge with thunder their audacious crime,

Red lightning played along the firmament,

And their demolished works to pieces went,

Singed with the flames, and with the bolts transfixed,

With native earth their blood the mousters mixed.

How strangely distorted, and reversed in the order of time, is
this vision of the drunkennessof Noah,and building of the towet of
Babel;	and it shows also, in the refusal of the Egyptians	to dr ak

wine,	how faithfully they remembered and repudiated	the	tin-

filial act of Noah’s son. Would 1 hat their modern descendants
were as conscientious as the sons of Jonadab, the Rechabites,
who, even at the present day, in the East, “ drink 110 wine,” and
maintain the worship of the true God.

The Vine is a native of the countries between Persia and
India: it was introduced into Greece by the Phoenicians, who
brought it there at the instance of some of the great men who
were anxious to raise their own wine, and who succeeded well
in the attempt; from thence we hear of its introduction into Eu-
rope, some say into Marseilles at first, and afterwards into Eng-
land; in which last place it has always been carefully cultivated.
It is at present found in every temperate climate on the earth
wherever there is any civilisation ; of which it might rank as a
characteristic.

The Vitus Vinifera—Grape Vine, is a hardy, deciduous
climber, bearing queen flowers in June and July. It is charac-
terized by its very deeply cut and lobed leaves, sometimes naked,
and at others downy, the first prevailing the most. The fine
seeds contained in the germen of each of the flowers often lose
two or three of their number in ripening ; the great number borne
by the Vines often exhausting the strength, not only ot the soil,
but of the Vine itself. To give it at this time as much aid as
possible, the weeds are carefully rooted up, the superabundant
branches pruned, and the grass thinned. It is, of course, the
emblem of Intoxication.Arrangement of Flower Gardens.

BY HENRY PHILIPS, F.R.S.

When we are too much confined for want of land to delight
by the appearance of extent, we should endeavor to please by
beauty; and, where the bounds are too limited to display taste
on a large scale, elegance should be associated with neatness.
Addison says that there are as many kinds of gardening as of
poetry; the makers of parterre and flower gardens he styles the
epigrammatists and sonneteers in the art; contrivers of bowers
and grottoes, treillages and cascades, he compares to romance
writers; whilst those who lay out extensive grounds he honors by
the title of heroic poets. Thus, to imitate the serpentine wind-
ings of large plantations in small gardens, is scarcely less ridicu-
lous than to write heroic strains in an epitaph on a cock-robin;
and it discovers an equal want of taste and good judgment, when
we see large grounds frittered into the trifling minutiae of a par-
terre displaying hearts and diamonds, where nature ought to
appear as if at liberty to sport in all her gay luxuriant frolics.
F.ven in the choice of our plants, we should take into considera-
tion the extent of our grounds, for large plants in small gardens
are like the use of high flown language when improperly selected
for familiar subjects. The all-wise Creator, who raised the ce-
dar, formed also the smallest moss; but the former he planted on
the mountains of Lebanon, whilst the latter was placed on a peb-
ble. From this wise ordinance of nature we should learn to se-
lect Flora’s miniature beauties for the small parterre, leaving the
towering and wide spreading plants to ornament extensive
grounds.

Flowers never appear to so great advantage as when forming
a foreground in the shrubbery, or to the borders of woods. In
such situations they seem to have planted themselves, as*if for
the sake of shelter; whilst the boldness of the trees and shrubs
add as much to the delicacy of their blossoms, as the mass offoliage contributes to the brilliancy of their colors. The bolder
flowers should be half obscured by shrubs, for, by being but par-
tially seen, their effect is materially heightened. The smaller
flowers must occupy the sloping sides of banks, because they are
then brought near to the eye, and they will generally be found
growing naturally in such situations. A greater part of the earlier
flowering plants may be set under the branches of shrubs and
trees, as they thus fill up spaces that would otherwise appear
naked in the spring, and their decaying state is veiled over in
the later season by the foliage of the boughs. The same arrange-
ment should be made in small gardens, by covering the ground
under rose bushes and other shrubs, which blossom in the sum-
mer, with the earlier flowers of the year, such as snowdrops,
crocuses, &c., which are rather benefited than injured by the
partial shelter; and the space of ground they would otherwise
require in the parterre may be allotted to those plants that will
not flourish in such situations.

The error most frequently commuted in planting the parterre,
is the inattention shown to the succession of the flowering of
plants; but without a perfect knowledge and due regard to this
material part of the art of gardening, the parterre will frequently
become destitute of flowers at different seasons of .the year;
whereas, the desirable object of continuing an uninterrupted suc-
cession of gaiety in the flower garden, may be attained by atten-
tion in the selection and planting of flower roots. Our first step
in this case should be to collect a sufficient quantity of those that
blossom 'artiest in the spring, as, at this time, the number of spe-
cies is not large, and each sort should therefore be planted in
greater abundance, so as to give effect by a mass of color. A
want of attention to render the parterre gay, at this period, is the
great defect of most gardeners. No flowers are more delicately
beautiful than those which blossom at this season of the year,
when they are received with a double welcome, because their
appearance seems, in some degree, to banish the dreary months,
and thus to prolong the duration of Flora’s cheerful reign.

A very essential part to be attended to is, to observe that the
plants of the spring, sut :i as the hardy and early kinds of nar-
cissus, anemones, snowdrops, crocuses, double daisies, &c.,
should be planted in considerable quantities in one spot; for,
when they are divided into little clumps, they make no strikingappearance, as we have noticed in many instances. At this sea-
son, also, the ground, under such as are not evergreen, should be
completely covered with primroses, harebells, and such other
flowers as will flourish in these situations, observing to contrast
the colors as much as possible, but not to mix them indiscrimi-
nately.

When this is accomplished, we may justly exclaim in the
words of Cowley:

But with no sense the garden does comply,

None courts or flatters—as it does—the eye.

Who would not choose to be awake,

While he’s encompassed round with such delight
To ears, the nose, the touch, the taste, the sight 1
Who that hath reason and his smell,

Would not among roses and jasmines dwell,

Rather than all his spirits choke
With exhalations of dirt and smoke 1

We shall not be very minute in giving directions for the sum-
mer arrangement, that season being generally well and amply
provided for by Flora herself; but we have to speak of a very
material part of the duties of those who, at a later period, under-
take to furnish the parterre with its beauties. Formerly, Flora
took her departure as soon as Ceres and Pomona made their ap-
pearance, as if the country was not sufficiently spacious to con-
tain the three goddesses at one time; but since we have natural-
ized the plants of lhe tropics to our climate, we have the delight
of seeing these three deities in perfect reconciliation, walking hand
in hand, and continuing their embraces until driven by Boreas
into temporary shelter. The vine is now seen suspending its
purple clusters over the blushing petals of the China rose ; the
barberry bush hangs its crimson fruit over the variously colored
asters of China; the mountain ash droops its clusters of coral
berries over richly painted dahlias; the juniper mixes its blue
powdered berries as a contrast to the golden marigolds of Africa;
the purple and the sweet-scented white clematis entwine their
branches with the native bramble, interweaving the happy gifts
of Flora and Pomona on the same festoon; the Indian chrysan-
themum waits to deeorate its branches in all the hues of Iris, so
as to rival and succeed the mellow fruits of the orchard. Thus
we now see the well dressed parterre clothed in the various robesof distant climes, cheering the month of November, and daring
the rigors of December, until its beauties are overtaken and hid-
den by the falling snow.

The flowers of the autumn are generally of a larger size and
richer color than those of the spring and summer, consequently,
they are less delicate and more showy in their appearance; and
as many of them, such as the hollyhock, the sunflower, and
dahlia, grow to a considerable height and size, their proper place
is among the shrubs; for, since there are but few trees or large
shrubs that make a show at that time of the year, the plantation
will be greatly enlivened by this arrangement. The chrysan-
themums are also better adapted to beautify the foreground of the
shrubbery than to ornament the parterre; and in planting them
in such situations, it should be observed to place them so that the
shrubs may form a screen from the north, which will add consi-
derably to their time of duration. It is also desirable to give as
good a contrast as possible to the color of the blossoms, by the
shade of the foliage before which they are planted, observing to
place purple flowers before shrubs whose foliage is of a yellowish
cast, as the common laurel; and those with white petals in front
of the darkest foliage, giving the yellow or copper-colored blos-
soms to the blue-greens. Again, in planting the china-asters,
where the colors are not ascertained, they should not be planted
too near the chrysanthemums, excepting in front of the white
variety, as the general colors of these two kinds of flowers are
too similar to harmonize agreeably; but where the purple astei
can be planted near the yellow chrysanthemum, and vice versa,
the effect of the colors is heightened. In planting flowers, an in-
discriminate mixture is generally bad, although it may be admit-
ted in some instances. Nature seldom confuses her colors, and
we should, in arranging them, endeavor to imitate her operations,
and let the dyes

In bright suffusion glow,

That now with gold empyreal seem to glow,

Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view,

And emulate the soft celestial hue.

Now beam a flaming crimson to the eye,

And now assume the purple’s deeper dye;

But here description clouds each shining ray,

What terms of art can Nature’s power display 1 Falconer.FLORAL ARCHITECTURE.

The decorative parts of architecture were originally derived
from flowers and plants. The lotos flower presents us with a
model of the principal embellishments of Indian buildings, and
the palm-tree seems to have given the first idea of columns to
the ancients. Hiram ornamented the capitals of the celebrated
pillars he wrought for Solomon with lilies and pomegranates;
and the Corinthian capital is stated to have been first invented
by Callimachus, a famous architect, who, being engaged to make
some pillars at Corinth, took the form of his enrichment from the
following accidental circumstance :—Passing a basket, covered
With a large tile, that had been placed on the ground over a root
of acanthus, the stalks and leaves of which had burst forth, and
spreading themselves on the outside of the basket, were bent
back again at the top by the corners of the tile, the beautiful ap-
pearance of this combination so delighted Callimachus by its ele-
gance and novelty, that he immediately adopted the form of the
basket surrounded with the acanthus as a capital lor his pillars.

Repton remarks, that the general forms of enrichment may be
thus classed:—“The Gothic maybe derived from the bud or
germ, the Grecian from the leaf, and the Indian from the flower;
a singular coincidence,” says this British architect, “which seems
to mark that these three styles are and ought to be kept perfectly
distinct.” The pagodas of the Chinese seem to us to have been
modelled after the form of some species of pine trees [Phillips].
It is a remarkable fact that the candlestick of the Tabernacle,
Exodus xxv. 31, was, with regard to its ornamental work, fash-
ioned exactly, in all its parts, after the almond blossom, flower-
cup, bud, fruit, and even the stem.

We are indebted to the courtesy of Rufus Porter, Esq.,
Editor of the Scientific American, for the following plate, which
so aptly answers our purpose.Explanation.—In this cut is
shown a beautifully arranged plan
for a 6mall flower-garden, of the
dimensions of about 2-1 by 10 feet.

A. Dwarf Sun-flower : yellow.

B. Purple Flocks : reddish purple.

C. London Pride : scarlet.

D. Bachelor’6 Buttons: blue.

E. Double Marygold: orange.

F. White Chrysanthemum.

G. Morning Glory : various.

H. Zinia, Splendid : do.

I. African Hibiscus: variegated
.1 Red and White Malope.

K. Crimson Coreopsis: variegated.
L. Mourning Bride : dark purple.
M. Sweet William : diversified.

N. Carmine Pinks.

O. Clove Pinks : diversified.

P. Double Feverfew : white.

Q. Evening Primrose : pale yellow
R. Great Nasturtium : scarlet.

S. Golden Eternal Flower: yellow.
T. Variegated Marygold.

U. Purple and White Candy Tuft.
V. Escholtzia : bright yellow.'

I W. Red arid White Petunia and
Convolvulus,
i X. China Aster: various.

Y. Dwarf Poppies: varitgated.

Z. Larkspur: brilliant blue; and La-
dies’ Delight : variegated.

* Ferennial Flax : blue.

|| French Marygold : orange.Leaves.

These epitomes of vegetable nature, containing within them-
selves the germs of independent existence, are indispensable to
the growth of the plant. They are its lungs; by their means
the ascending sap is separated from its superfluous oxygen, and
a supply of carbonic acid taken in, and combined with it to fit it
for its offices of nourishing the various parts. The quantity of
water they perspire is almost incredible. Hales placed a sun-
flower, 3g feet high, presenting a surface of 5.616 square inches,
in the air in favorable circumstances, and found that it perspired
from twenty to thirty ounces avoirdupois every twelve hours, or
seventeen times more than a man. Many experiments have
been tried since on the same subject. It is found that some will
perspire even more in the same ratio than the sunflower; the
amount varying of course with the warmth and dryness of the
air and exposure to light; in damp evenings it is not at all per-
ceptible. This can only be understood by explaining the pecu-
liar structure of the leaf, which consists of a series of cells, mostly
six-sided, covered with two membranes. Looking at these
through a compound microscope, we discover an immense
number of pores communicating with each other by open lines
like network; these are called stomata; they vary in shape in
different plants, but most commonly incline, like the cells, to
a six-sided form. They are always most numerous on the
lower surface of the leaf, only enough being on the upper, as a
general rule, to act as safely valves, and prevent the accumulation
of too much watery matter ; they are also so arranged as to close
when there should be a limit to the perspiration. Leaves, which
exist entirely under water, have none whatever. They vary in
number. The Rheum Palmatum—Rhubarb, has l,00Qjfn the up-
per surface,and 40,000 on the under; the Dianthns Caeyophyllus—
Carnation, has .38,500 on both surfaces ; and lastly, therHydrangta
Quercifolia—Oak-leaved Hydrangea, has none on the upper,
and 100,000 on the lower. This common hot-house plant re-
quires a constant supply of \yater, and if not assiduously sup-
plied, the leaves soon wither and become crisp. The whole
apparatus of the leaf is nothing more than a contrivance to ex-pose as much green surface as possible; this green matter, or
Ciilorophylle, as it is called, consists of minute grains lying
loose in the cell of the framework of the leaf, and is only formed
when exposed to light; by it alone the sap is purified. Yet in
some cases the stem performs the office described. The dodder
has no leaves; many of the cactuses are perpetually destitute
of foliage, as well as some euphorbias; yet in all these cases,
the true leaf is still present but unexpanded, the green color of
the stem betraying its active agent. Nuttall says, “in the Xylo-
phyllum and Ruscus (the butchers-broom), the ambiguity of the
stem and leaf attains its utmost; for the apparent green leaves
perform at once the functions both of branches and foliage, the
extreme branchlets appearing perfect leaves, but possessing the
singular faculty of producing flowers, either on their surface, as in
Ruscus, or in the depressions of their margin, a circumstance
exhibited in the curious Xylophyllum. In Cypressus Disticha, the
smallest branchlets possess a common function with the leaves,
being equally green when growing, and both alike deciduous to-
gether. In all these examples it is clear, that the foliage is only
dispensed with, when the succulent or herbaceous stem becomes
capable of performing the foliar functions; because the aerating
of the sap, and the elaborating it for the maintenance of the other
parts of the plant, are the indispensable foliar functions.

A leaf, then, as will be seen from what we have observed, is
nothing more than an expansion of the stem, made up like it of
two parts, cellular and woody ; the first, of course, consisting of
the green pulp, the second, the framework in which it is laid.
The woody matter in the leaf serves the same purpose it did in
the stem, giving support and affording tubes for the conveyance
and distribution of the sap. When the leaf is expanded hori-
zontally, its most general position, it presents two different kinds
of surfaces, the one to the sky and the other to the earth. This
difference is owing merely to an arrangement of structure for the
regulation of its perspiration, for the leaves of aquatic plants
undergo changes to meet their situation ; and in the acacias
that have true vertical leaves, both sides are precisely alike.
These last constitute more than half of the forests of New Hoi
land, and are the cause of that peculiar distribution of light and
shade for which they are noted, and which was undiscovered till
the time of Robert BrownA leaf is said to be sessile when it expands immediately
from the stem; the portion next the stem is called its base, the
termination or farthest portion, the apex. When there is but one
piece, no matter of what shape, the leaf is simple; when more,
it is compound ; a distinction, however, in some cases impossi-
ble to determine. In the latter case they are generally jointed,
and in the usual season fall off separately ; and this should be
remembered the more as the simple or compound leaf, which-
ever the case may be, runs through the genus, and in almost all
cases in the natural group. Goethe, the great German poet,
wrote a book, the Metamorphoses of Plants, to prove, among
other things, that the almost infinite forms of leaves with regard
to outline, &c., owe their origin to the various modes in which
the woody skeleton is ramified in the parenchyma. This distri-
bution is termed venation; his theory is the one adopted by our
most learned botanists of the present day. The veins or bones
of the skeleton-frame either divide at the base, and run parallel
to each other their whole length, forming the parallel-veined
leaves, which are peculiar to endogenous plants; or else there is
a back-bone which sends off others from it, which, in turn, meet
in all directions, called, from the resemblance to the meshes ol a
net, netted-vcined leaves, belonging almost entirely to the exo-
genous plants. All that now remains to a perfect understand-
ing of the varieties of these two grand divisions, will be disco-
vered at a glance by reference to the plate, where numerous spe-
cimens are presented for illustration. The leaf-stalk is called
the Petiole; its expanded portion the Lamina or Blade; the stalk
generally runs through to the end, forming the midrib. The
terms to express the names of the leaf are borrowed from the
names of different objects, which we will now proceed to ex-
plain.

SIMPLE LEAVES

Fig. 1. Orbiculate—Round, both diameters equal, circumference circular

2. Reniform—Kidney-shaped, roundish and hollowed at the base, without

angles.

3. Cordate—Heart-shaped, ovate and hollowed at the base, hinder part nc

angles.

4. Lunulate—Moon-shaped, round and hollowed at the base, hinder part

no angles.

5 Triangular—Three-cornered, disk surrounded by three prominent angles.Fio. 6. Hastate—Javelin-shaped, triangular, base and sides hollowed, angles

spreading.

7. Laciniate—Jagged, variously divided into parts, indeterminately sub-

divided.

8. Cartilaginous—Bristly, edge strengthened by a tough border, differing

from the leaf.

9. Crisp—Curled, circumference larger than the disk—all such, monsters.

10. Hispid—Rough, disk covered with a stiffish sort of frangible bristles

COMPOUND LEAVES.

It. Biternate—Three leaves on a stalk, each leaf temate.

12. Bipinnate—Double-winged, when the leaves of a pinnate leaf are pinnate.

13. Triternate—Three leaves borne on each petiole, each leaf composed of

three in itself.

DETERMINATE LEAVES.

14. Inflex—Bending inwards, leaf is bowed upwards towards the stem.

15. Seminal—once cotyledons, and are the first to appear—seed-leaves.

16. Floral—Flower-leaves, placed at the coming out of the flower.

17. Perfoliate—Base of the leaf continued across the stem, till it grates to-

gether around it.

18. Fasciculate—Bundled, coming out from the same point.

19. Imbricate—Corded and erect, so as to lie one over another

Leaves present different forms according to their habits, but as
a general rule, the cause of all alterations may be discovered by a
comparison with the true type. Sometimes they become succu-
lent, as in the ice plant, where the skeleton is entirely concealed ;
at other times the parenchyma seems wanting, and they are scale-
like, or present a spinous appearance. In many instances the
petiole undergoes peculiar transformations- by which pitchers,
saddles, and many other curious objects are produced. These
are obviously for useful purposes, and to supply water when it
cannot otherwise be produced, and thus sustain men or animals.
The Ceylon monkey-cup, or Chinese pitcher-plant, is one of
them. The leaves are sent out at once from the stem ; the cen-
tral woody portion becomes a tendril sometimes nearly a foot
Ion", swelling out at its extremity into a handsome cylindrical
pitcher, always holding, unless recently emptied, about seven
ounces of perfectly pure water, secreted by the plant itself, and
furnished with a tightly fitting lid, to prevent evaporation. Tra-
vellers tell us that not only do they take advantage of this con-
trivance of nature for their benefit, but that the monkeys have also
discovered the secret, and will coolly lift up the lid and drain thecup when no stream is at hand to satisfy their thirst. The blad-
der tillandsia will hold nearly a quart of rain water. The tra-
veller, Dam pier, speaking of this plant, says, “ We stuck our
knives into the leaves, just above the root, and that lets out the
water which we catch in our hats, as I have done many times
to my great relief.” The side-saddle plant will scarcely hold
above a gill, and unless when pierced by some insect, is gene-
rally full. The two iulter species we have mentioned, collect
the water and do not secrete it themselves.

In our estimation, the most wonderful change the petiole or
leaf itself undergoes is that of the fly-trap. Nuttall says that it
has hitherto been solely found in the immediate vicinity of Wil-
mington, in North Carolina, where it occurs in abundance in
mossy bogs. The leaf is thick, opaque, and wedge-shaped, and
jointed to its extremity is the curious and celebrated trap. This
is of a circular form, and completely edged with peculiar bristles
which fit into each other perfectly when the leaf is closed. The
irritability resides chiefly in certain glandular or secreting hairs,
which arc disposed on either side the trap lobes. Should a fly
or any other insect alight on the trap, it instantaneously folds up
and causes a sure and speedy death. Some have supposed that
they did this to provide themselves with nutriment, by feeding
on the elements which putrefaction set free. It may be so ; but
from their situation we would conjecture they were already plen-
tifully supplied with such aliment. The sensitive plant will fold
itself up to escape the touch, but there are some that, to show
signs of sensibility, need neither sun-light nor touch. The mov-
ing plant is, a3 Linnaeus observes, wonderful on account of its
voluntary motion. No sooner, continues he, had the plants raised
from the seed acquired their ternate leaves, than they began to
be in motion this way and that. This movement did not cease
during the whole course of their vegetation, nor were they ob-
servant of any time, order or direction ; one leaflet frequently
revolved, whilst the other 011 the same petiole was quiescent;
the whole plant was very seldom agitated, and that only during
the first year; but sometimes most of the leaves would be in
motion at the same time. This motion does not depend on any
accidental or external cause, such as touching, heat, cold, light
or darkness, for they will neither excite it nor prevent its continu-
ance. Bractea or floral leaves are peculiar to some plants; theygrow very near the blossom, and are often mistaken for the
flower; they are frequently painted a." in the hydrangea, whose
pink and lilac bractea are often taken for real flowers, a mistake
which is, in our opinion, of very little importance, as the only mode
of telling the difference, when it can be told, is that they possess
few of the regular organs of the flower, and produce neither fruit
nor seed. In the lime tree, painted cup, sage, &c., they can be
easily examined.	*

Leaves vary exceedingly in point of size; from the extreme
minuteness of those of the moss, which sometimes require a
microscope to obtain a fair view, to the talipot of Ceylon, which
are fifteen feet broad and twenty long, a single one being suf-
ficient to shelter twenty men. The natives, when travelling,
make huts of them, use them as paper, and finally adore them.

Climate seems to have a great deal of influence in regard to
the fall of leaves. Under the equator the trees are perpetually
verdant, and the leaves rarely fade till they are six years old; yet
moved to a colder latitude they will be annually naked. The
opposite holds true with Northern plants transported to Southern
regions. The currant, originally a native of the colder parts of
Europe, became perennial when taken to St. Helena; and re-
versing the example, the evergreen quince of the South parts
every year with its leaves in our latitude. If the kidney bean is
protected from the frost it will continue green all the year round.
We would not be understood to say that an evergreen leaf lasts
as long as the plant. All such, on the contrary, as well as the an-
nual and perennial, throw them ofT; the only’difference being,
that we do not notice their loss, if others come out in their stead,
and the same appearance is still presented to us. All kinds of
plants are short-lived, no separate part lives a great while ; new
leaves, new bark, new wood must be continually formed, or the
whole will decay. We will speak of this hereafter, but will merely
state at present that when the vital principle of the leaf has done its
work, when the main-spring is unwound as it were, the separate
part, like a crushed finger, dies, and the living part casts it off.

One would naturally expect that large trees would put forth
large leaves, as they are well able to endure the burden; but it
is found that no such proportion exists, except perhaps in the case
of the talipot, which exceeds in size and dimensions a ship’s mast.
The leaves of the oak will not compare with those of the burdock,nor the pine with the skunk cabbage. The difference, however, is
probably made up in the immense number; for the exceptions
to the general rule, the large leaved trees, bear but very few in
comparison with others.

Vernation or Prefoliation is the name given to the manner
in which the future leaves are folded in the bud ; the study of*
this will richly repay all the trouble bestowed on it, even if no-
thing more was gained from it than the opportunity of observing
how very closely nature regulates even the minutest operation.
In respect to the manner of their folding they are either (see
plate),

1st. Convolute—rolled together: when the margin of one
side surrounds the other margin on the same leaf in the manner
of a cowl or hood, as in the pepper, lettuce, cranberry, goats-
beard, &c\, and many grasses.

2d. Involute—rolled in: when their lateral margins are rolled
spirally inwards on both sides, as in the honeysuckle, apple, pear,
nettle, elder, buckthorn, water lily, liverwort, buttonwood, &,c.

3d. Revolute—rolled back: when their lateral margins are
rolled spirally backward 011 both sides, as in rosemary, loxglove
primrose, thistle, water pepper, fire-weed, &c.

4th. Conduplicate—doubled together: when the sides of the
leaf are parallel and approach each other, as in the oak, hazelnut,
trumpet flower, raspberry, <Vc.

5th. Equitant—riding : when the sides of tUp leaves lie paral-
lel, and approach in such manner as the outer embrace the inner,
as in the yellow day lily, iris, calamus, sedge, pasture grass, &c.

(3th. Imbricate—when they are parallel with a straight sur-
face, and lie one over the other, as in the bell flower, &c.

7th. Convolute. 8th. Involute opposite. 9th. Obvolute—
rolled against each other: when their respective margins alter-
nately embrace the straight margin of the opposite leaf, as in the
pink, &c.

10th. Plicate—plaited: when their complication is in plaits
lengthwise, as in the passion flower, Guelder rose, hollyhock, &c.

11th. Involute alternate. 12th. Revolute opposite.	13th.

Equitant ancipital. 14th. Equitant triquetrous.

When the leaves first shoot they are without any external
covering, but the cold of early spring in our climate, chills and
hardens them, so that instead of expanding they become chilledand checked in their growth. They harden into scales, which serve
as a protection lor the internal ones, which being thus protected,
do not fully coinc out until the atmosphere has been warmed
sufficiently to enable them to become fully developed. This is
beautifully shown in the bud of the maple; the outer scales are
•short, hard, reddish, and rather hairy; as you examine inwards,
they are longer and softer until you find the true leaves. So
dilFerent is the weather-case from the leaf, that examples of the
same species under different circumstances have to be shown to
prove that this is the real mode of tlfeir formation, and that scales
and hairs are in reality nothing but modified leaflets. The best
instance, and the one commonly shown, is that of the horse-
chestnut, which, in its native clime of India, unfolds it3 leaves
to the mild and genial atmosphere without any risk of such de-
generation being required, and is totally free from scales and
hair.

There are some curious leaves at the lower part of the plate,
which being of no particular benefit, do not need description.
The green color of leaves, which is best adapted to our organs
of vision, is manifestly a providential arrangement, for upon no
other color could we constantly rest our eyes without eventually
causing disease. Captain Parry tells us that his men were so
dazzled by the continual glare of the snows of the polar regions,
as to become for the most part blind; and fatal results would
inevitably have ojiowed had he not by meanfs of green specta-
cles or crape of that color worn over the eye, obviated in some
measure the pernicious effects. The pleasant impressions pro-
duced by the innumerable hues of this color have been well de-
scribed by Cowper:

No tree in all the grove but has its charms,

Though each its hue peculiar ; paler some,

And of a wannisk grey ; the willow such j
And poplar that with silver lines his leaf;

And ash far stretching his umbrageous arm ;

Of deeper green the elm ; and deeper still,

Lord of the woods, the long surviving oak.The Trumpet Flower.

This beautiful flower is the type of a natural order of the
same name, of little known importance except as ornaments;
they are mostly trees or twining shrubby plants, sending out a
great number of large and extremely showy flowers, celebrated
for their splendor and beauty. The Bignonia Radicans—
Trumpet Flower, belongs to the class Didynamia, order An-
giospermia. The generic name was given to it in honor of that
polite scholar, the Abbe Bignon, v. no was Librarian to Louis the
Fourteenth, of France. Its characters are—calyx cup-shaped,
and of a leathery consistence, with a marked five-toolhed Border ;
the corolla bell-formed, tive-lobed, and swelled out on the under
side ; the capsule a kind of two-celled pod, which is long, and
has the seeds alternately attached; the seeds very thinly and
delicately winged. Some of these are deciduous, with the leaves
falling off in the usual season ; others are evergreens. They are
mostly tropical flowers. Our species, the B. Radicans, is occa-
sionally found by the banks of rivers, among the bushes, but
more commonly cultivated ; in the southern states, of winch it is
a native, it is very common. It has a creeping, long branched
stem, which occasioned the specific name, which often ascends
upwards of forty feet, adhering with great tenacity wherever it
attaches itself, doing this in a manner similar to the Ivy by send-
ing out fibres from the branches, at short intervals. The leaves,
which are ovate and toothed, are arranged in two rows 011 the
sides of a common stalk. The flowers, which are produced in
terminal clusters from branches of the same year, are of a yel-
lowish scarlet. The corolla is trumpet-shaped, and three times
the length of the cup in which it is set. The flowers are noted
for generally contaming the rudiments of a fifth stamen, which
is nearly developed. Another variety of this species has bright
scarlet flowers. It continues in flower during July and some
part of August.

This is known in France as the Jasmin de Virginia, and in
England as the American Jasmine, though why such names
should be given to it I am at a loss to determine. In the lattercountry it is the only one of the species that will live in the
open air; when there, it bears an orange-colored flower from
July to August It is the emblem of Separation, about which
Robert Tyas says—How many ravishing harmonies spring up
on every side from the association of plants with the animal
creation! The butterfly embellishes the rose; the nightingale
sings in our groves; and the industrious bee enlivens the
flower which yields its sweet treasures. Throughout nature the.
insect is associated with the flower; the bird with the tree; and
the quadruped with the plants. Man alone is able to enjoy
all these things; and he alone can break the chain of concord
and of love, by which the whole universe is bound together.
His greedy hand bears off an animal from its native clime, wit!
out thinking of its habits and its wants ; and yet more frequent
neglects the plant, which is made to forget, in its new slaver
the attractions of its own country. Does he import a plant
He neglects the insect which animates it, the bird whic
adorns it, and the quadruped which is nourished by its leaver
and reposes under its shade. Behold the Virginian Jasmine,
with its beautiful verdure and flowers; it always remains a
stranger amongst us (English). We always prefer our lovely
honeysuckle before it. From the woodbine the bee gathers
honey, the goat browses its verdure, and its fruit is the food of
legions of the feathered tribe. Could we see the humming bird of
Florida hopping about its slender branches, for in the vast forests
of the new world it prefers its beautiful foliage to that of any other
shrub, we should doubtless regard with greater admiration and
pleasure, the rich Virginian jessamine. The humming bird
makes its nesl in one of the leaves, which it rolls into the shape
of a horn ; it finds sustenance in the nectareous vessels of its red
flowers, which are similar to those of the foxglove; and its little
body, when resting on the Trumpet flower, appears like an
emerald set in coral. It is sometimes so tame and fearless that
it may be taken with the hand. This little being is the soul and
life of the plant that cherishes it. Separated from its aerial
guest, this beautiful twining plant becomes a3 a desolate widow
who has lost all her charms.

Piety has made this flower emblemise the Christian whom his
Master has left; though outward show remains the same, a name-less charm is wanting which nothing but the absent Dove can
impart.

My Saviour, can it ever be
That I should gain by losing thee 1
The watchful mother tarries nigh,

Though sleep has closed her infant’s eve,

For should he wake and find her gone,

She knows she could not bear his moan.

But I am weaker than a child,

And Thou art more than mother dear;

Without Thee, Heaven were but a wild.

How can I live without Thee here 1

The days of hope and prayer are past,

The day of comfort dawns at last,

The everlasting gates again

Roll back, and lo! a royal train

From the far depths of light once more

The floods of glory ctutward pour ;	,

They part like shower drops in mid air,

But ne’er so soft fell noontide shower,

Nor evening rainbow gleamed so fair
To weary swains in parched bower.

KEBr.E.

The Forget-Me-Not.

We have given this flower again for the sake of showing its
beautiful appearance when grouped with others, and in conform-
ity with th<* general request to give some directions for its culti-
vation. We extract what follows from the Flora Historica of
Henry Phillips. It has become a favorite flower with the Ger-
man people, as Goethe’s “ Lay of the Imprisoned Knight” will
evince.

Ah ! well I know the loveliest flower,

The fairest of the fair,

Of all that deck my lady’s bower,

Or hind her floating hair.

Not on the mountain’s shelving side,

Nor in the cultivated ground,

Nor in the garden’s painted pride,

The flower I seek is found.
aWhere time on sorrow’s page of gloom

Has fixed its envious lot,

Or swept the record from the tomb,

It says Forget-me-not.

And this is still the loveliest flower,

The fairest of the fair,

Of all that deck my lady’s bower,

Or bind her floating hair.

This flower has been figured as a device on the seals of lovers,
and had its praises sung in their verses :

To flourish in my favorite bower,

To blossom round my cot,

I cultivate the little flower
They call Forget-me-not.

It springs where Avon gently flows,

In wild simplicity,

And ’neath my cottage window grows,

Sacred to love and thee.

This pretty little flow’ret’s dye,

Of soft cerulean blue,

Appears as if from Ellen’s eye

It had received its hue.	,

Though oceans now betwixt us roar,

Though distant be our lot,

Ellen ! though wc should meet no more,

Sweet maid, Forget-me-not!

it frequently flowers in May, and continues to give out a suc-
cession of flowers until the end of August. It is increased by
separating the roots, and planting ihem in a moist but free earth;
and when planted thickly on banks or borders of streams, or
ornamental lakes, it is seen to peculiar advantage. When culti-
vated in pots, it ought to be shaded until the slips have taken
fresh root; after which the pots should be placed in an open and
free air, giving them water when the weather is dry. When in
blossom, they may be taken into the house, where these elegant
little blue flowers, with their bright yellow eye, cannot fail to
attract all the admirers of nature’s charms. This plant is some-
times seen growing naturally in dry grounds, but in such situa-
tions, both the plant and the flowers are very diminutive in com-
parison to those growing in or near the water. We earnestlyrecommend the cultivation of this rustic little beauty, and par-
ticularly so to those cottagers who live near towns, as by trans-
planting the trailing branches from their borders into small pots,
they would find it a profitable employ to send them to market,
for few people would withstand the temptation of purchasing
these alluring flowers that carry in their eye the tale of Forget-
me-not.

We have lately found the Myosotis Versicolor growing in con-
siderable quantities 011 the graves in a church-yard. This beauti-
ful but miniature flower exhibits a rare instance of plants pro-
ducing flowers on the same stem of such opposite colors as blue
and yellow. We observed several plants of this species of myo-
sotis, with some flowers perfectly yellow, some crimson, and
others blue, all blossoming at one time on the same stem.

We arc informed that the decoction, or the juice of the Myo-
sotis Palustris, has the peculiar property of hardening steel, and
that if edged tools of that metal be made red hot, and then
quenched in the juice or decoction, and this repeated several
times, the steel will become so hard as to cut iron, or even stone,
without turning the edge.

In the Netherlands it is common to make a syrup of the juice
of the Myosotis, which is given as a remedy against consump-
tive coughs.

It belongs to the Natural Order Boraginaceaj, which are herbs
or shrubby plants of an innocent mucilaginous nature, with just
enough astringency to make the juice (from holding in solution
the salts which cause it) of a demulcent and pectoral nature.
The germen is deeply divided into four lobes, having the style
proceeding from their base, which becomes, when in fruit, little
nuts. The seeds, as a general rule, contain little or no albu-
men.	/

Whore flows the fountain silently
It blooms, a lonely flower,

Blue as the beauty of the sky,

It speaks, like kind fidelity

Through fortune’s sun and shower	t

Forget-me-not.	F.	G.	Halleck.The Bramble.

There are not less than twenty native species of this genus
in the United Slates; some valued for scent, some for the ele-
gance of their flowers, and some for the deliciousness of their
fruit; while others are viewed by the farmer as troublesome
pests. They belong to the Natural Order, Rosaceae, in which, in
point of affinity and close resemblance, they are placed next its
type, the rose, differing from it only in having the whole calyx
spread out flat, and the clustered seeds each coated with a pulp.
The generic name comes from the Latin, ruber, red, so called
from the red color of its fruit. Its characters are—calyx five-cleft,
inferior; corol five-petalled; pistils numerous; berry composed
of many juicy, one-seeded racines on a dry receptacle. It belongs
to the class Icosandria, order Polygynia. We will particularise
a few of the most useful varieties, and first, the

Rubus Ideus—Garden Raspberry, is generally from four to
six feet in height, with a prickly stem ; the leaf-stalks are hol-
lowed lengthwise, with a rounded groove ; the leaflets arranged
on them in two rows, in threes or fives, of an oval, tapering
shape, and covered beneath with a fine down. It blooms in
May ; the flowers are white, in irregular bunches. Of the fruit
a syrup is used for medicinal purposes, to allay thirst in fevers,
and sometimes, though under a mistaken idea, in Calculus.

Rubus Villosus—Tall Blackberry. This well known
bramble is found almost everywhere among the brushwood of
neglected fields and pastures, borders of woods, along the roads
and fences, and wherever it can find access, intruding into the
farmer’s fields and his wife’s garden. Like the preceding species*
it grows to the height of from four to six feet, the stem branch-
ing, somewhat furrowed and angular, covered with hair, and
extremely rough and bristly. The leaves are in threes or fives,
on a hairy grooved petiole; the leaflets of an oval taper-form,
sharply notched on the margin, covered on both sides with hair,
the under side being very soft and downy. Both the leaf and
flower-stalks are hairy and prickly, and the expectation which is
thus raised from the care shown by nature in guarding the tree,
is fully realized afterwards in the abundant and delicious fruit.The flowers, which are large and white, grow in clusters; the
calyx short, with awl-shaped divisions; the fruit, at first green,
and then red, is, when ripe, a black color, agreeable both to sight
and taste.

Its bark has been considered a valuable and powerful astrin-
gent, about which Professors Bigelow and Chapman express
decided and very favorable opinions. The former says he has
tested its efficacy, both internally and externally, in a sufficient,
number of cases to become satisfied ol its efficacy wherever
astringents are required ; and the latter remarks—“that of all the
vegetable astringents, this, I have reason to believe, is among the
most active and decidedly efficacious in certain cases. To the
declining stages of dysentery, after the symptoms of active in-
flammation are removed, it is well suited, though I have given
it, I think, with greater advantage under nearly similar circum-
stances in cholera infantum. To check the inordinate evacua-
tions which commonly attend the protracted cases of this disease,
no remedy has ever done so much in my hands. Even two or
three doses will so bind the bowels that purgatives become
necessary. Being so powerfully astringent, this medicine is use-
ful in all excessive purgings, and especially in ihe diarrhoea of
very old people, as well as when it occurs at the close ol dis-
eases. During my attendance at our public institutions I had
abundant opportunities of testing its efficacy in those cases.”
The flowers appear in May, and continue till July; the fruit
ripening generally some time in August. The jelly made from
the berries is very useful, both as an article of diet and remedy
in dysenteric affection. The roots are branching, cylindrical, and
of all sizes, from the thickness of the thumb down to that of a
straw; they are woody, and except the thin bark, whose proper-
ties we have described, are inert; on this account the small roots
only should be selected. A pint and a half of water is poured
on an ounce of the roots and boiled to a pint, a wine glass of
which is given four times during the day. Twenty-five grains
of the powdered root is its general dose.

Rubus Trivialis—Dewberry. This is often called low black-
berry, to distinguish it from the other. 1 he stem is very slender,
and like most of the genus, prickly; it is very pliable, running
along the ground, and when accidentally buried, and somewhat
bruised, putting forth roots. Both leaf and fiower-stalks arecovered with prickly needles, having the points curved back-
wards. The appendages at the base of the leaves are narrow
and sharp pointed; the leaves, in threes or fives on the stalk,
oblong-oval, sharp, and unequally cut on the edges, green on
both sides,and somewhat hairy. The flowers are separate, large,
and white, coming out in May and June, and succeeded by the
usual large black fruit, extremely sweet and pleasant to the
taste. This flourishes best on barren sandy soil. Its medicinal
properties are exactly similar to the foregoing, the principal'dif-
ferences between which appear to be the size and the fruit of the
R. Trivialis ripening sooner than that of the other.

Rubus Chamjemorus—Cloudberry—So called from its moun-
tain situation, as it is only found, as a general rule, in elevated
places. It is a herbaceous plant, quite small, the stem unarmed,
and having a white flower on a long downy stalk, which is erect;
the petals are oblong; leaves simple, and heart-shaped at the
base. It is common to both continents. It flowers in June;
the fruit is a beautiful amber-colored berry, not very pleasant to
the taste. Linnaeus directed its berry to be taken as a cure for
consumption, spitting of blood, and scurvy. It is, however, little
known and less used.

Rijbus Fructicosus—Common Bramble. This is character-
ized as an ornamental deciduous trailer, common to the hedges
of Britain, bearing a pink flower from June to September. The
stem is angular and furrowed ; leaflets are five, obtuse, shining,
and even above,and hoary beneath ; cluster*, decompound, hoary.
Tyas says, that the Bramble is made the emblem of Envy, be-
cause it interferes so much with the growth of other plants. It
produces suckers which spread rapidly, ripen, and drop their
leaves in one year, and resume their foliage, produce blossom,
flower and fruit, and die the next. Thus, also, like Envy, it is
short-lived, as the envious are usually disappointed, and see the
deserving receive their reward.

The following is from that beautiful work, entitled the Moral
of Flowers; whatever we have omitted about the Bramble
in the foregoing history, will be supplied below :—Who does
not remember the time when on a sunshine holiday, a black-
berry gathering was the highest treal, and when its insipid fruit
was eaten with a relish far beyond that which the rarest hot-
house novelty can afford in riper years ? Who does not remem-ber also, the shrinking awe with which he passed the tempting
oranch after Michaelmas day; believing with a credulity that
would have done honor to the darkest ages, the vulgar supersti-
tion that on that day the devil casts his club over the fruit? It
is amusing to see how gravely Threlkeld rebuts the tradition :
“ I look upon this as a vulgar error,” says he,^ “ that the devil
casts his club over them after Michaelmas ,• for the earth is the
Lord’s, and the fulness thereof.”

But whilst reviving these youthful recollections, we must not
forget to notice the connection this plant has with the popular
nursery ballad, “ The Babes in the Wood.” However success-
fully the rising emotion had been combated in the preceding
stanzas, the following lines, even at the hundredth repetition, were
sure to open the flood-gates of childish sorrow:

Their little hands and pretty lips,

With blackberries were dyed,

And when they saw the darksome night,

They sat them down and cried.

Nor must Beattie’s allusion to

“ This tale of rural life, a tale of woes,

The orphan babes, and guardian uncle fierce,”

be passed over; we even now almost share the varied emotions
of the infant minstrel, whilst reading the following stanzas :

 “ with berries smeared, with brambles torn,

The babes now famished lay them down to die ;

’Midst the wild howl of da rksome woods forlorn,

Folded in one another’s arms they lie;

Nor friend nor stranger hears their dying cry,

‘ For from the town the man returns no more;’

But thou who Heaven’s just vengeance darest defy,

This deed with fruitless tears shalt soon deplore,

When death lays waste thy house, and flames consume thy store.”

Gilpin, the elegant author of “ Remarks on Forest Scenery,’!
seems to have outlived all these early predilections, for he treats
this poor plant most unmercifully. After speaking of the vari-
ous shrubs and flowers which might adorn the foreground of a
picture, he says, “ Of all this undergrowth, I know but one plant
which is disagreeable, and that is the Bramble. It does not
nang carelessly twisting round every support, like others of thecreeping tribes, but forms one stiff, unpliant curve, nor has it any
foliage to recommend it. In short, it is a plant that should not,
I think, presume in landscape farther than has just been allowed.
It has little beauty in itself, and harmonizes as little with any-
thing around it, and may be characterized among the most in-
significant of vegetable reptiles.”

Shakspeare treats its fruit with as little ceremony; for when
Thersites, a scurrilous Grecian, would show his contempt for all
the leaders in the camp, he says of Ulysses, “ he is not proved
worth a blackberry.” The former writer does allow it may be
seen with effect, “ scrawling along the fragments of a rock, or
running among the rubbish of a ruin.”

This reminds us of a passage in Hasselquist’s travels, who, on
visiting the poor remains of Scanderette, one of Alexander’s mag-
nificent cities, observed a species of Bramble before unknown to
him, growing among the ruins. His botanical research, unwit-
tingly to himself, found a just comment on that passage in
Isaiah: “ Thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and
brambles in the fortresses thereof.”

What dost thou here, pale flower1?

Thou that afore wert never seen to shine
In gay parterre, or gentle lady’s bower,

In lover’s wreath or poet’s gifted line.

Why from thy lowly haunts,

Art thou now called to have a place and name
’Mid buds whose beauty fancy’s eye enchants,

Whose fragrance puts thy scentless leaves to shame I

’Tis that, though suffering ill,

Yea spurned and trodden by each passer-by,

Blossom and berry dost thou proffer still,

As all unmindful of the injury.

Hardest of lessons this,

To suffer wrong with meekness—few, how few
The hand which smites unjustly, stoop to kiss,

Or blessings on the foeman’s pathway strew.

Then welcome, lowly flower 1
Welcome amid the fragrant and the gay ;

For which of all the buds in summer bower
Can fitter lesson to proud man convey 1

Blackberries, when moderately eaten, are very wholesome, nu-tritious, as well as slightly aperient; but taken as they often are,
in inordinate quantities, they sometimes produce a great deal of
mischief. The class of fruits to which it belongs, are apt to
disagree, on account of their acidity.

The Coriander,

The Coriander belongs to the Umbelliferae, one of the most
decided natural orders which every one is familiar with, and
which is easily known by the umbrella-like manner in which the
flower-stalks are disposed. In this order the calyx is entire or
five-toothed ; the petals and stamens are five; the pistils two,
and the ripe germen or fruit always separable perpendicularly
into two seeds, variously shaped, hanging from the top of a
central, thread-shaped, often cloven receptacle. The fiowers are
disposed in umbels, and these again generally subdivided, each
either with an involucrum or without, and in most instances
regular, though in some anomalous. The stem is herbaceous,
rarely shrubby; leaves alternate,#for the most part repeatedly
compound,rarely simple; footstalks sheathing ; the fiowers white
or purplish, sometimes yellow. These are Dr. Smith’s charac-
teristics, who also tells us that botanists in general shrink from
the study of this order; nor have these plants much beauty in
the eyes of amateurs, but they will repay the trouble of a care-
ful observation. The late M. Cusson, of Montpelier, bestowed
more pains on them than any other botanist has ever done, but
the world has as yet been favored with only a part of his re-
marks ; his labors having met with a most ungrateful check in
the unkindness and mortifying stupidity of his wife, who, in his
absence from home, is recorded to have destroyed his whole
herbarium, scraping off the dried specimens for the sake of the
paper on which they were pasted !

The generic name, Coriandrum, is derived either from two
words, signifying the pupil of a man’s eye, 011 account of the
roundness of the seed, or from another, meaning a bug, be-
cause of the nauseating bug-like odor of the fresh plant. Its
cha racteristics are : corolla rayed ; petals inflexed, emarginate ;involucres universal, one-leaved; partial halved ; fruit spherical.
It is a native of the fields of Europe, but in the opinion of many,
merely naturalized there from the extensive cultivation, aad that
it came originally from Italy. It is an exolic in our country, and
not much cultivated, as we import the seeds from Europe.
The Coriandrum Sativum—Coriander, is a yearly plant,
about from twenty to twenty-six inches in height, with a smooth
round stem, which is generally branching, with leaves somewhat
resembling those of the common parsley. The fiowers, which
appear in June, arc of a white or whitish-red color, and disposed
in subdivided umbels, like, as we have before mentioned, to a
great many of its order. The germen ripens in August; the
flower-cup remains at the base, and it is sometimes even pointed
with the style. This curious plant seems to have a double
smell; when first gathered it is exceedingly offensive and dis-
gusting, the peculiar fetid odor keeping every one at a distance,
and entirely preventing its use, and acting as a link to bind it to
the poisonous plants with which it claims affinity in the same
order; and very probably it is for this very purpose the smell is
given out, for after some time both smell and taste become grate-
fully aromatic, and we obtain a useful medicine. The volatile oil,
to which both are owing, may#be easily obtained by distillation
with water, and thus furnish us with all its active properties in
an elegant and pleasing form for exhibition. As the oil will
dissolve in alcohol, maceration in that article will cause its pro-
perties to be equally well procured ; but to water used in the
same way little or no power is given.

It grows best in a sandy loam; the seeds should be sown as
soon as the frost will pcrmijf, which will generally be in the
mild and dry portion of March. The seed should be buried half
an inch. Half an ounce will'suffice for a bed six feet long and
four wide, if sown in rows, a.'fthey ought to be, at distances of
nine inches apart.

The unfavorable account given us of this plant by Diosco-
rides, was probably owing to the fresli state in which it was
taken, as similar results to those which he describes are at the
present day found to be produced when the recently gathered
plant is eaten in Spain and Egypt, where mania, lethargy, and
other disorders of the brain, follow its exhibition as a cordial
At the present day the seeds are very extensively used by theconfectioners in the manufacture of comfits for children, as well
as by	the	practitioners as an aromatic, and in	combination	with

other	medicines. Dr. Cullen says, that infused	along with lemon,

they more powerfully correct the odor and taste of this than any
aromatic we possess, and are, I believe, equally powerful in ob-
viating the griping that senna, taken alone, is very ready to pro-
duce. In every package of senna that leaves the apothecary’s
shop there is a quantity of these or fennel seeds; so long and so
well has their worth been appreciated. These seeds are round,
almost perfectly globular, about an eighth or tenth of an inch in
diameter, and of a light grey or yellowish color. It is the em-
blem of Hidden Merit.

I seek not the gaze of the haughty and proud,

My coat was not made for display,

I only desire that my seeds be allowed
To lessen some pain every day.

The Hawthorn

This is an English importation, about which Aime Martin
says:—Now all nature is enlivened with hope and with joy ;
the swallow has returned to us once more, and the nightingale
warbles her enchanting songs in the neighboring thickets, an-
nouncing the duration of fine weather:

Around the hawthorn flings its rich perfume.

Poor vine-dressers! now be assured that the cold frosts shall not
again destroy the tender vine-buds, the hope of your long and
careful labors. Happy laborers, "the rude north winds shall not
blight your verdant plains; but the sun shall gild them with his
genial rays, and ripen the fruit ye seek for. The Hawthorn has
been made the emblem of Hope, because the young and beauti-
ful Athenian maids brought its branches, covered with flowers, to
decorate their companions on their nuptial day, whilst they bore
larger boughs of it to the altar. I he altar of Hymen was lighted
by torches made from the wood of this tree; and it also formed
the flambeaux which illuminated the nuptial chamber. We aretold that the Troglodytes, in the simplicity of their mind, tied
Hawthorn branches to the dead bodies of their parents and
friends ; and at the interment of the corpse they strewed its
branches upon the body, and afterwards covered it with stones
during the whole of the ceremony. They considered death as
the dawning of a life that should never cease. The boughs
were used in England as one of the principal decorations of the
May-pole. Shakspeare says:

Gives not the hawthorn bush a sweeter shade
To shepherds looking on their silly sheep,

Than doth a rich embroidered canopy
To kings, that fear their subjects’ treachery 1
O yes it doth, a thousand fold it doth.

It is in the class Icosandria, order Digynia. The generic
name is derived from a Greek word meaning strength, on ac-
count of the hardness of its wood. Its characters are : calyx
superior, five-cleft; petals five ; berry inferior, two-seeded. The
well known Crataegus Oxycantha—Hawthorn, is naturalized
in the United States. It is an ornamental as well as useful tree,
deciduous in its habit; the leaves are obtuse, subtrifid, serrated,
and quite smooth; the flower-stalk and calyx very nearly smooth ;
the leaves of the latter lance-shaped and sharp. The flowers ap-
pear in May and June, they are generally white, with now and
then a rose tinge; these, in the autumn, are succeeded by the
berries, which are of a beautiful scarlet, growing in clusters, and
could ill be dispensed with, as beautiful as well as rich and
lively ornaments to our pleasure grounds and forests when there
are but few of the gems of Flora to adorn the landscape. This
kind of fruit is called haws, which gives name to the thorn.

The Crataegus Crus Galli—Common Thorn Bush, is a
thorny branching shrub, with tough leaves, which are smooth,
irregularly cut on the margins, and somewhat ovate; the thorns
are as long and as strong as large needles ; ihe fiowers are of a
dead white, and grow generally in flat terminal clusters; like
the other, it flowers in May and June.

Crat.egus Coccinea—Red Thorn, has not so many spines;
the fiowers are similar to the other, but succeeded by large, red,
and not unpleasantly tasted fruit.

They belong to the natural order Rosaceae, and are included
in the sub-order, Pomae, or Apple-like tribe; the whole order isknown everywhere in temperate climates, and valued for its
healthy and important fruits. It is said that in the days of chi-
valry, if a lady favored the suit of her loved, she wore Hawthorn
leaves, tied with carnation riband, which signified “ hope in
love.” To us it promises a beautiful spring; to the Greeks it
symbolized auspicious marriages; to the Ethiopian tribe, im-
mortal life. In the Moral of Fiowers, its authoress says:

How true a type this hawthorn hough,

Of youthful dreams in life’s first morn,

So thick the fragrant blossoms grow,

What curious eye detects below
The frequent thorn 1

But wait a few brief days, and soon
That bough of all its glory shorn,

Its fragrance spent, its blossom gone,

Will to thine eye show one by one
Each pointed thorn.

Thus crowned with light and linked with flowers
Seems life in youth’s enchanting morn,

But soon, how soon the tempest lowers,

And stripping Fancy’s fairy bowers
Lays bare the thorn.

The Parasites.

The great characteristic difference between plants and ani-
mals is the fact, that the former live on inorganic and the latter
on organic substances. Yet nature does not even allow this
to be always true, as there is a curious race of vegetables,
the Parasites, that will only exist on the elaborated juices of
others ; so nice is nature in all her gradations that she will not
jUq^y science to form exact boundaries in any instance. A
common instance of this is the Dodder of our northern states, a
species of which ruins, by its warm and destroying attachment,
the flax of Europe, as well as its clover, being sometimes equally
destructive in our own fields. The celebrated missletoe is an-
other, of which, according to Nuttall, there is but one species in-
digenous in the United States, in which, however, it preservesThe Origanum Dictamnus—Dittany of Crete, is in the
class Didynamia, order Gymuospermia. Its specific name is
derived from the Greek words meaning a mountain and rejoice,
because it grows in elevated places. Its characters are: strobile

Tlic Dittany.

its wierd reputation. Its motio, “ I surmount ail difficulty,”
gives a good specimen of its character. It grows chiefly, it is
said, on the summit of fruit trees, though it makes the proud oak
sometimes become its slave, and yield its substance to support it.
The Druids had a species of admiration for a weakness so supe-
rior to strength; the tyrant subjugator of the oak appeared to
them alike formidable to men and the gods. In the same tribe
we find the largest, and certainly the strangest flower in the
world. It was discovered on the stem of a kind of grape vine,
by Dr. Arnold, in the island of Sumatra, in 1818; he called it
the Rafflesia Arnoldi, from the governor’s name and his own*
He considered it the Titan of the vegetable kingdom, and says,
with much truth, that the human mind never had conceived such
a flower. The circumference of the fully expanded flower is
rather over nine feet; its nectarium calculated to hold nine pints ;
the pistils larger than cow’s horns, and the entire weight of the
blossom, of which alone with its appendages the plant consists, is
computed at fifteen pounds. The color is a light orange, ap-
proaching to a reddis*h hue, mottled'with a yellowish white.
Since Dr. Arnold first discovered it, some other species belong-
ing to the same genus, have been discovered in the East, which
last fact forms a material help in judging of the truth <?f the ex-
istence of such a plant. The analogy, in this instance, in the
vegetable and animal kingdoms, as we have observed in another
work, holds good; the Parasite invariably injures the plant to
which it is attached, and repays with the vilest ingratitude the
sustenance and support afforded by its friend. We have, in our
own history, nourished a vip‘er which fortunately showed the
sting before much injury could be effected, and whose memory
is always associated with the Missletoes.’The. Kitabi Gulistan.	Ill

four-cornered, spiked, collecting the calyxes. Specific charac-
ters : lower leaves tomentose; spikes nodding.

Tyas tells us, that when Juno presided at the birth of chil-
dren, under the name of Lucina, she wore a wreath of this
liower, which was purposely obtained for her on such occasions,
from Mount Ida in Crete. Ordinary mortals followed her exam-
ple in obtaining the flower, and it has since then been so much
improved that the Queen of Olympus would herself scarcely
recognize it. The agreeable fragrance of this shrub, and its
medicinal qualities, which rendered it so celebrated among the
ancients, still procure it much esteem. Our specimen ig an orna-
mental evergreen under shrub, an inhabitant of the greenhouse,
bearing pink flowers from June to August.

The Origanum Marjorana—Sweet Marjoram, is another
species of this genus. It has been long cultivated in the gardens
for various purposes, .as it excels the wild or common Marjo-
ram in all its good properties. The leaves and tops have a plea-
sant smell, and a warm, aromatic, bitterish taste. Considerable
quantities of an aromatic oil are obtained from them, which is so
much used as to be for a long time an article of commerce. It
is used considerably in nervous complaints with the same inten-
tions as lavender, to which it is by many preferred. The dried
leaves make a well known domestic snuff, useful in many of the
minor affections of the mucous membranes of the head. The
tops are sometimes used by country people to dye woollen cloth
purple, or linen of a reddish brown color. It is the emblem ofi
Birth.

The Kitabi Gulistan.

There was a celebrated Persian poet who wrote a volume
called Kitabi Gulistan, or the Book of Flowers. My anec-
dote merely relates to the way in which he was incited to
write it, as he tells his own tale. You will remember that he
lived in a climate where it is a great luxury to pass a great part
of the night out of doors, wandering about in their gardens full
of beautiful trees and flowering shrubs, which give out theirscent to the evening air. The poet was one fine evening walking
with a friend in a garden in the neighborhood of Bagdad; a
lovely and refreshing spot, he says, “ its heart-gladdening groves
intertwining over our heads.” He describes the moon shining
on the landscape, and making a sort ol pattern on the ground
like a variegated carpet, from the reflection of the trees and
flowers, The walks, he says, looked in the gleaming light as if
strewed with spangles of crystal and clusters of fruit hung from
the trees, shining like the Pleiades. Such is, you know, the
Eastern style of description. He wandered about, conversing
with his .friend, until the night was far advanced, and they began
to think of returning to the city. As they were about to take
their departure, he observed his friend gather up the skirt of his
robe, and fill it with flowers and sweet-scented herbs; roses,
hyacinths, spikenard, and sweet-basil. The poet, turning to his
companion, observed that the treasures he had collected were
of little value, since they would last so short a time. “ The
flower of the garden,” said he, “ has no continuance, nor can we
confide in the promise of the rose-bower; and philosophers have
told us that whatever is not lasting, merits not our affections.”
His friend inquired, “ What, then, is the alternative ?” The
poet replied, I can write such a Kitabi Gulistan, or book of a
flower garden, that neither the rude storm of autumn shall be
able to lay the hand of usurpation on its leaves, nor the revolu-
tions of the seasons convert the serenity of summer into the
gloom of winter. “ What,” he exclaimed, “ could a basket of
such fleeting flowers avail his friend! Rather let him pluck a
single leaf from the flower garden of the poet. A rose gathered
from bowers that surrounded them, could only live a few days at
the utmost; but the rose-bower he would himself raise in the
book he proposed to write, should bloom on for ever.” His
friend dropped the flowers he had gathered, and seizing the robe
of the poet, said, in the words of an Arabian proverb, “ As the
generous man promised, so he performed.” Saadi willingly
pledged himself to perform his promise. The next day he wrote
two chapters, and he adds, “ the rose still continued to flourish in
the garden when the book of the Gulistan was finished.”

Meadow QueenFlowering and its Results.

Linn.eus supposed that buds sprang from the pith, this being
found necessary to their development. We have before con-
sidered the plant as full of germs, which merely required a little
irritation and favorable circumstances for their active develop-
ment. When these concur, the germ swells, forming a protube-
rance we call the bud. These different periods are considered,
by botanists, as follows: the eye, or point which first gives rise
to the bud ; when it swells it is termed the button, and when it
begins to unfold, the bud. There are three kinds of buds; the
first producing flowers alone; the second, leaves (these we have
considered); and lastly, those from which both flowers and leaves
spring. The first kind is full and round ; the second, smaller,
and more pointed ; and the third, both in size and shape, form-
ing a medium between the two. The relative position of the
different parts of the flower-bud, is called their .Estivation or
summer state, in opposition to that given to leaves in Vernation
or spring state. The many varieties distinguished by botanists
may be reduced to two, the spiral and the valvular. In the first
of these the same arrangements hold as in the leaves, plates of
which are unnecessary, as those of the leaves will answer the same
purpose for illustration; in the valvular, the leaves of the calyx
or corolla are disposed in a true circle, without overlapping, and
the edges alone consequently brought into contact.

The number of the sepals and petals is distinguished by pre-
fixing to their names the proper Greek numerals. Sometimes
either or both of these taper into a long, narrow stalk, somewhat
like the petiole of a leaf; the narrow portion is called the claw,
and that expanded the limb. In fig. 4th, A is the claw and B
the limb ; this form prevails in the Cruciferous tribe, pinks, &c.

A corolla with one undivided petal, 110 matter how arranged,
is called monopetalous (monos, one; petal,blqssomleaf),and of
any number more than one, polypctalous (many petals) ; this
last term geherally expresses the absence of cohesion, whatever is

Hthe number. Fig. 3d shows the first kind of corolla; fig. 4th
the second. The floral envelopes, taken together, are called the
Perianth, see B in fig. 3.

The staminate system of a flower is called the Andrjscium,
the pistillate system the Gynjscium. In fig. 1st we have the
flower with the corolla, Andrmcium and Gynoecium. A, The
petals of the corolla ; b, the germen or ovary ; c, the style ; d, the
stigma ; e, the filaments; f, the antherae. The pistillum and sta-
mina separate in fig. 2 ; b, the germen ; c, the style ; d, the stig-
ma ; cc, the filaments, with the antherae bursting and discharg-
ing the pollen.

The Receptacle is that termination of the flower-stalk upon
which are inserted, or rather grow out of, all the parts of the
flower. It should be understood that only the stamens and
pistils are essential to the flower; all other parts may be dispensed
with, without, as far as we know, in any way injuring the seed.
All the different organs arise from the receptacle in successive
series, one within or above the other; where the point of inser-
tion is easily observed, the calyx, corolla and stamens are said
to be hypogynous, that is, below the pistil. When the petals and
stamens arc inserted upon the calyx, they are said to be peri-
gynous, around the pistil. When all the surrounding parts are
consolidated with the ovary, and seem to grow from its summit,
they are said to be epigynous upon the pistil. These explana-
tions are, in part, necessary to understand fully the synopsis we
have given of the Natural System.

A Spatha is a sheathing calyx, opening lengthwise, on one
side, and consisting of one or more valves; generally proceed-
ing from it, is an elongated receptacle of flowers, called a spa-
dix. The common Arum affords an instance of this, known to
every one ; there is a beautiful specimen of the kind now in
'loom in possession of our friend Mrs. Watson. Phillips re-
mrks, that its alabaster white calyx, expanding into so elegant a
• H:-like shape, seems a fitting present from Flora to the hand

I lobe, when she presents the imperial nectar to Jupiter. Its
ranee in a group of plants reminds us of a beautiful antique
;> or burning incense, which allusion the flame-colored spa-
nning out of the centre of the white calyx, considerably in-
os. Fig. 5 shows a Narcissus issuing from its spatha. A,
ovvov; n, the spatha.The calyx of the grasses is called a glume, from a Latin word,
meaning a husk. Fig. 9 shows this—A, is the glume; B, the
arista or awn. In the oat and wheat this forms the chaff, which
is used for various purposes of stuffing; these are considered by
some as only membranous bracts. These awns are sometimes
employed as hygrometers. To do this, Comstock directs that
the middle part of the awn, which is twisted or formed like a
screw, must be used, one end of it to be cemented to the centre
of a circular plate, which is marked off into degrees; to the other
end, a bristle, to serve as an index, must be attached. The
whole being covered with a glass, forms a hygrometer or mois-
ture measure. When the weather is damp or rainy, the awn
untwists and moves the hand in one direction, but as the atmo-
sphere becomes dry it ceases at first to move, and then turns in
a contrary direction. The moisture of the hand will set these
awns in motion, making them appear like living animals.

Calyptra, a cap or hood, is the kind of calyx found only
among mosses. Fig. 7th shows the fructification of a moss.
A, the Calyptra. It is a veil of a conical shape, resembling a
thimble.

The Volva, or wrapper, of a mushroom, is shown in fig. 8. A
is the volva. As the plant grows arid becomes larger, it bursts
its wrapper, which remains around it in the form of a ring, as
seen in our figure.

Fig 11, at A, shows a Bractea accompanying the flowers of
the Tilia.

Inflorescence, as Lindley observes, signifies the ramifica-
tion of that part of the plant intended for reproduction. It has
various methods of flowering distinguished by different names,
of which we shall mention a few; and first, an Umbel. This
is produced when several peduncles or flower-stems proceed
from a common centre, in a whorl, like the braces of an in-
verted umbrella, and reaching the same height, form nearly a
level head of flowers. Carrot, dill and fennel are examples of
this. Fig. 10 shows a compound Umbel. A, the universal
Umbel; B, the Umbellula or partial Umbels; C, the universal
Involucrum, which wrapper is so called when it belongs equally
to the whole of an aggregate flower; D, the partial Involucrum
enclosing several sets of florets.

An Amentum is an assemblage of flowers, composed of scalesand stamens or pistils, arranged along a common thread-like
receptacle, as in the chestnut and willow; these scales are all
calyxes. See fig. 6. The common name for this is catkin ; the
whole usually fall off in a single piece after (lowering.

A Racemr, fig. 19, consists of numerous scattered flowers,
each on its proper stem, proceeding from a common stalk, and
generally pendulous. The lowest flowers being the oldest, are
the first to expand, and the others follow in regular succession ;
the fruit is often produced and ripened before the summit has
ceased bearing new flowers. Ex. Grape, currant and poke-
weed.

A Verticillis or whorl is when the flowers are sessile or on
very short petioles, forming a ring at intervals around the stem.
The mint is an instance ; sometimes they are only opposite, and
not continued round the stem, as in the dead nettle. Leaves
are said to be stellate, star-like, when inserted in this manner.
No. 15 is a Verticillis (Latin, verto, to turn).

The Corymbus or false Umbel, is formed when the same ap-
pearance is presented as in the Umbel, but the flower-stalks,
instead of rising from a common centre, are produced from dif-
ferent heights: consequently the lower ones are long and the
upper ones short. See fig. 13. It prevails in the yarrow, spear-
leaved golden rod, <Vc.

A Spike is an assemblage of sessile flowers, or those with
extremely short peduncles arising from a common stalk, being
the same as a Raceme, except the want of stalks in the flowers.
The lowest blossom and die before the upper range begin to
expand. When very closely crowded, as in the Indian corn, an
ear is formed. See fig. 23. Ex. Barley, Virginian Speed-
well, &c.

A Cyme, like an Umbel, has its flower-stalk springing from
a common centre, but differs from it in their being sub-divided;
the snowball and elder afford familiar examples; but the most
beautiful specimen of the kind is perhaps that of the Laures-
tinus. Fig. 2(5.	,

The Panicle is formed similar to a Raceme, differing from it
m the sub divisions of the foot-stalks. It is sometimes com-
posed of small spikes fixed by separate stalks to a common
stem. The oat is a common example, see fig. 27. When
contracted, of a somewhat pyramidal form and oval, it iscalled a Thyrse, as in the lilac, horse-chestnut, bunch of
grapes, Ac.

Jn vol. i., page 15, of this work, we spoke of the Nectary, its
various forms and uses. Fig. 16, AA, is the Horned Nectaria
in the Aconitum ; BB, two peduncles that support them. Fig.
22. A Nectarium that crowns the corolla shown in the cup of
a Narcissus. Fig. 24. A calcynine nectarium shown in the
[lower of a Tropoeolium; A, the nectarium. Fig. 25 shows
one of singular construction, shown in the flower of the Parnas-
sea. A line heart-shaped Nectaria, terminated by threads, each
of which is crowned with a little ball. Some suppose the nectar
is for the nourishment of the stamens and pistils.

It is said that no less than one-twelfth the vegetable kingdom
is constituted by those flowers which grow in heads, formerly
called compound, which last name is now applied to the family
of Syngenesia. An immense host of little tiny perfect flowers,
requiring the microscope for a fair view, is crowded together in
these heads. Fig. 7 shows a paleaceous receptacle of a com-
pound flower, shown in Rudbeckia. A A, the Pales? or chaff
which shoots up from beneath each floret, parting it also lrom
all the others on the disk. B, the tubulose florets ol the disk,
so called from its shape (tube-like). In fig. 20, it is separated,
so as to be more fully examined. C is the ligulate (strap-like)
corolla of the radius; D, one of these fallen off. The sun-
flower is perhaps as good an example as any ol this kind.

As we have sufficiently observed the different modes in which
the flower makes its appearance, and observed it in all its vari-
ous stages, let us again examine nature, and discover what she
designs to accomplish after making such great show. When
the proper time elapses, the anther box becomes filled with a
rich store of carefully prepared Pollen. Every one is ac-
quainted with its general yellow, flowery appearance ; though
not confined to this color, as it is sometimes white, red, blue,
<Stc. We have just placed some under a compound micro-
scope ; it has lost its dusty appearance, each atom resolves itself
into an egiz-shaped body, from which proceeds a little string;
this form is always the same in every species, differing in a deter-
minate manner in separate families. Pouring a little water upon
it, it swells, and the true shape becomes perceptible; the water
is rapidly absorbed until it bursts and discharges from it anelastic vapor. This is seen in fig. 12; A, the pollen under the
microscope; B, the elastic vapor discharging from it. The
active motion exhibited in the minute particles while in this
state has given rise to a great number of foolish theories. It is
a mere mechanical motion owing to the absorption of the water.
Dr. Martyn Paine observed, that “ microscopical deceptions and
microscopical phenomena have become technical terms among
those that employ this instrument most.” Mr. Hunter states,
that “ as the naked eye, when viewing an object rather too small
for it, is not to be trusted, it is much less to be depended on,
when viewing an object infinitely smaller, brought to the same
magnitude by a glass.”

Flint says, that nothing is more charming than this diffusion
in the fructification of our maize, the most beautiful vegetation
that any country can offer. When the southwest breeze whis-
pers, and a slight humidity inspires a voluptuous languor, in
riding by these noble fields of maize, the pollen floats along the
forest spikes, like a delicious shower of aroma, with a fragrance
more delightful than ever breezed from the spicy fields of Araby
the blest. Then the different kinds growing near each other are
intermixed upon the same ear. What is called the silk of the
ear conveys the pollen to the kernel and fructifies it. Where
there is not a silken thread to convey the pollen to the kernel, it
will be found wanting. It is certainly a most interesting fact in
vegetable nature, that this dust shed by the stamen upon the
pistil is a necessary condition of the fecundation of plants, in
virtue of which they produce those seeds or eggs that reproduce
their kind.

When this process of fructification is finished, every part of
the flower not destined to help form the fruit, withers and disap-
pears. Recalling to remembrance the fact of all parts of the
flower being in reality nothing but metamorphosed leaves, we
must look at the pistil as one folded inwards and united at the
margin ; the line formed by this union is called the ventral suture,
or inner seam, and always looks to the axes of the flower. In-
side this leaf, which is thus placed to guard them, is a number
of little bodies called ovules or eggs. As the lruit bears the
name of carpel, the covering of its germ is called a pericarp
As the seed enlarges, the vessel in which it was contained en-
larges with it, and after a time assumes the appearance of fruit.This structure is easily discernible in the pod o£ a pea; the
under surface rough and downy, covered with stomata, and act-
ing like all ordinary leaves upon the air (which is a property
common to all leaves, 110 matter how transformed, while they
expose the chlorophylle by retaining the green color), is called the
epicarp ; the upper surface forms the delicate skin that lines the
interior of the pod, and is named the endocarp; the middle
juicy portion is the mesocarp. Fixing this simple explanation
in the mind will be the means of clearing up every difficulty
relative to the formation of the fruit. [Carpos is the Greek name
for fruit; Epi means upon or over; Endo, the inside ; Meso} the
middle; Peri, around.] See fig. 32. A, The under sutures,
along which are fixed the seeds ; fig. 33, A and B, the two sutures
to which the seeds are fastened alternately.

The peach shows by its hairy skin, the epicarp, or under sur-
face of the original leaf; the juicy part is nothing more than an
enlargement of the mesocarp; and the contracted fibres of the
original upper surface of the leaf, now called the endocarp, be-
come indurated, and are at length converted into a shell or hol-
low stone, to afford a more secure shelter for the seed. A Drupe
or stone fruit, as this class is named, shows the contraction of the
endocarp by the wrinkles and seams with which the stone is
■covered. Fig. 36 shows a drupe; A is the nucleus or stone;
B, the pulp or enlarged mesocarp. Belonging to the drupes is
the almond and cocoanut, which differ from the peach in hav-
ing the mesocarp assume the form and texture of coarse, woody
fibres instead of a pulpy mass. The cocoanut is a tree of the
palm kind; the husk of the nut is as large as a man’s head ;
when the cocoanuts have just fallen from the tree, which they
do when ripe, with the least motion of the wind, they are the
most delicious luxury of the torrid regions. Very little idea
can be formed of either the taste or internal appearance, from
the manner in which we receive them. When cracked directly
after falling, the inside, although white and without apparent
seeds, looks somewhat like an orange; it is completely filled
with cells holding liquor; these gradually dry up and cling to
the sides, forming the white pulpy substance which we see; the
liquor runs free; it is a foolish idea that it is absorbed by the
white pulp,—that only can be done when diseased; consequently
cocoanuts without liquor should not be eaten.A Pome i^mother form of the fruit in which the carpels are
united with each other and with the calyx ; the whole is invested
with the thickened and juicy tube of the calyx; all such fruits
are known by the eye at the summit, consisting of the leaves.
Of this kind is the apple, pear, quince, &c. Fig. 37 shows a
Pome ; A, the capsule ; B, the pulp.

A Berry has its mesocarp soft and juicy; the endocarp be-
coming absorbed \yhen the fruit is ripe. Fig. 38. A, the seeds ;
B, the pulp.

A Strobilus or cone is merely a hardened catkin, enlarged
into a seed-vessel. Fig. 30. This is seen in the pine, cypress,
and fir tree. These consist of the numerous assemblage of a
number of separate fiowers on a common receptacle or head.
They are separated from each other by bractae or floral leaves
which,remaining after flowering,are changed into a kind of scales
to serve as a protection for the seeds; lying over each other like
the shingles of a house, they afford a perfect and extremely sim-
ple as well as ingenious mode of protection. A well known
example of this kind is afforded in the pineapple. The stalk
serves as an axis on which a great number of fiowers that grow
directly from it, without stems, are congregated together; as
the fruit grows, it becomes united or soldered with its neighbors
adjacent; traces of each, however, can be detected by the pro-
tuberances on the summit. A crown of leaves surmounts the
whole, giving us the appearance of a single fruit, for which it
would be unhesitatingly taken by a person unacquainted with
botany.

In fig. 14 is shown the fruit of a lily. A, the valvules of the
capsule : B, a seed; C, the arillus opened to discover the seed.

Many modes of classifying fruits have been adopted ; we will
give Mirbel’s as a sample.

FIRST CLASS—NAKED FRUITS.

Order 1st. Simple fruits remaining closed.

“	2d.	“	“	opening at maturity.

“	3d.	“	“	dividing into many parts when ripe.

“	4th.	Compound	“	proceeding from a germ to which the style adheres

“	5th.	“	“	«•	<<	“ “ not bearing the style.

“	6th.	Simple and succulent fruits contained in a nut.

“ 7th. “	‘	“	“	containing many separate seeds.Second Class has few covered fruits.

“ Lo on each seed, within its slender rind,
Life’s golden threads in endless circles wind ;
Maze within maze, the lucid webs are rolled,
And as they burst, the living flame unfold.
The pulpy acorn, ere it stvells, contains
The oak’s vast branches in its milky veins;
Each ravelled bud, fine film, and fibre line,
Traced with nice pencil on the small design.
The young narcissus in its bulb compressed,
Cradles a second nestling on its breast,

In whose fine arms a younger embryo lies,
Folds its thin leaves, and shuts its fioret-eyes.
Grain within grain, successive harvests dwell,
And boundless forests slumber in a shell.”

The Tulip.

This flower, so much admired in the eastern parts of. the
world on account of its splendor and variety, has from time im-
memorial been made the emblem by which a young Persian
makes a declaration of love. Chardin tells us that, when these
young turbaned swains present a Tulip to their mistress, it is
their intention to convey to her the idea that, like this flower, they
have a countenance all on fire and a heart reduced to a coal.
Phillips tells us also that the Turks regard this flower with so
much delight, that a feast of Tulips is celebrated annually in the
Grand Seignor's seraglio, the description of which, when related
to us in the flowery garb of their language, leaves ev;~ the de-
lineation of the fairy scenes of the Arabian Nights tales in the
shade. Vases of the purest crystal, filled with the gayest Tulips
the world produces, are scattered over the scene, like the stars
which look down upon them for number; galleries, amphithea-
tres, and pagodas, are erected, and covered with lights that pre-
sent to the imagination the sparkling of every jewel which nature
has produced or art polished; showers of rose-water refresh the
air, and the verv tapers shed the most exquisite odors, and the
banks are covered with carpets, whose colors are as vivid as theclouds which surround the setting sun ; pyramids of cooling
fruits meet the eye at every turn, whilst innumerable birds of
song, whose golden cages are suspended by strings of pearl,
seem to mistake the scene for the arrival of Phoebus, and being
awaked by the delights of the feast, mix their warblings with the
melodious sounds of the instruments, which seem touched by in-
visible musicians.

In the centre of the seraglio, a splendid pavilion shades the
Sultan, who carelessly reposes on the skins of the most costly
and curious animals, with all the nobles of the court in their richest
robes and shawls seated at his feet, to behold the winding dances
of the lovely women, in all the luxurious display of their light
and sparkling attire, who sometimes encircle and at others glide
around the vases of Tulips, whose beauty they celebrate in
song and action. During these festivals, Cupid often urges his
votaries to dare the bowstring of the Sultan, by making a sighing
Selirrr present a Tulip to a languishing Fatima. This gay flower
having been obiained from the Turks, was called TuLiPA,from the
resemblance of its corolla to the eastern head-dress called Tulipan,
or turban, and from hence our name Tulip, as well as ihose of
the French Tulipe, the Italian Tulipiano and the German Tulpe.
Moore alludes to this similarity in his Lalla Rookh.

What triumph crowns 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 beneath the invisible west wind’s sighs.

We are not able to discover any mention of the Tulip in the
works of Pliny, which induces us to think that it is not an indi-
genous plant of the Levant, but that it was introduced from
Persia and other eastern parts in later days, and that it has
since so naturalized itself as to appear indigenous. Where
the climate allows the Tulip to propagate itself by seed so
readily as in the neighborhood of the Levant, it is not extraordi-
nary that it should be found growing in the wild state, as it is
frequently discovered in the vicinity of Constantinople. Mr.
Ilobhouse tells us he found the Tulip growing spontaneously
under the hedges between Smyrna and Bournabat. But this
flower appears to have been scarce at Constantinople even solate as the middle of the sixteenth century, as in the year 1554
seeds and bulbs of ihe Tulip were sent to Vienna with an ob-
servation that they cost an enormous price. Gesner tells us
considerable about the Tulip, and that he saw it at Augsburg;
and from him a species very common and well known in the
United States has been named the T. Gesneriana. Clusius
tells us, that a friend who had received a quantity of Tulip bulbs
committed them to his care, but thinking they were worthless he
threw them in a heap together on the ground, where to his as-
tonishment they produced a great variety of flowers. He also
gave more than a hundred of them to an apothecary at Vienna,
to be preserved in sugar, in the same manner as the roots of the
orchis, in order to ascertain if they possessed not the same qualities.
A merchant of Amsterdam had a cargo of Tulip roots as early as
1562, and taking them for a sort of onion, ordered some to be
roasted under embers and ate them with oil and vinegar, as such ;
the rest he set in the kitchen garden among the cabbages, where
most of them perished, except a few lhat George Pye, a merchant
of Mechlin, took under his care, which produced a variety of
beautiful flowers. It is also related that a sailor having taken
some goods to a Dutch merchant, had a herring given him for
his breakfast, but seeing what he supposed to be a kind of small
onions lying on the counter, the tar carelessly took up a handful,
which he ate with his fish. These proved to have been tulips of
such value that it was estimated a magnificent breakfast might
have been given to the heads of the Dutch government for less
expense than the cost of the condiment which the sailor so inad-
vertently took with his herring. It was introduced into Eng-
land in 1578, when its sceptre was under the sway of a female
monarch, who encouraged such importations. It was towards
the middle of the seventeenth century that the rage for flowers,
and particularly for Tulips, was carried to such excess both in
Holland and France as to produce bankruptcy and ruin to many
families; it would be almost impossible for us to credit the ex-
traordinary accounts handed down respecting these gambling
speculations. Betting to a ruinous amount was often made res-
pecting the eventual superiority of promising seedling bulbs;
and for the possession ol breeders of high merit, from which
fine seedlings might be expected, as large a sum was given as
the fleetest raee-horse of the turf ever sold for. About the year1636, this spirit of floral gambling was carried to such excess
at Haarlem, that during three years it is said to have yielded
that city a sum not less than fifty millions of dollars, for tire
price of these bulbs rose higher than that of the most precious
metal. Sixteen, eighteen, and twenty-five thousand dollars was
no wonderful price for some single roots. We are told of a
person who possessed a very fine Tulip, but finding there was a
second root of the same kind in Haarlem, he repaired to that
place, which after having purchased, at an enormous price, he
placed on a flag-stone and pounded to a mummy with his foot,
exclaiming with exultation, uNoio my Tulip is unique ! ” The
Dutch government was at length obliged to issue a proclama-
tion to suppress the ruinous excess of the votaries of Flora.
In Paris it was equally extravagant, but more fleeting; the
troubles in England preventing the infection reaching that
country.

As the Tulip is rarely propagated by seed in this country, we
shall briefly explain the nature of a breeder. It is a bulb which
has attained maturity, but is not too aged to have lost its vigor,
and which is yet considered at its zenith in the eighth or ninth
year from the seed. When such a Tulip throws up a strong
tall stem, headed by large petals, blunt or rounded at the end;
and if it be self-colored, or of one uniform equal color, on both
sides of the petals; or if the base be either pure white, or bright
yellow, and the anthers and stigma black or very dark, it is ac-
counted a breeder of first rate qualities; and the bulb of such a
breeder is planted deeper than usual in a sheltered and sunny
situation, and the greatest care taken to prevent its leaves from
being injured by wind or hail; the stem is tied to a stake,
the corollas protected from the scorching rays of the sun as from
Ihe rain, and the perfecting of the capsule encouraged; the seeds
are carefully gathered when ripe, and from these seeds, in the
course of years, many fine varieties of flowers are expected,
partaking of the fundamental good properties of the breeder.
When the self-color of the petals of a breeder begins to break,
the bulb is regarded as past its highest vigor, and no judicious
florist will ever use it, but cut oft the capsules as soon as the
flowers have decayed, to prevent an unnecessary expenditure
of the juices of the bulbs.

The criterion of a perfect Tulip of the late flowering kind is,that the stem should be strong, elastic, and about thirty inches
above the surface of the 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 the 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 of the dower at the
bottom of the cup should be clear white, or yellow, and the
variously rich colored stripes which are the principal ornament
of a fine Tulip, should be regular, bold, and distinct on the mar-
gin, and terminate in fine broken points, elegantly feathered or
pencilled. The centre of each leaf 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 free from any remains of the
original color. It is certain that such appear very beautiful and
delicate; but the greatest connoisseurs agree that it is best to have
an abundance of rich coloring distributed in a regular manner,
except at 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 perfect flowers.

The Tulip, when raised from seed, differs so materially from
the parent plant that we can never expect to procure the same
variety but by the viviparous nature of the bulb. It has a solid
bulb, and sends the stem from the centre, and is entirely ex-
hausted in flowering and forming seed, and no part of the old
bulb remains excepting the dry outer husk ; but the stem is
attached to the stool of the bulb, to which is also fixed an entire
new bulb ; so that, if dissected in the winter, the flower which was
destined to charm the admiring eye the following spring, will be
perfectly seen in miniature. 1 he oflsets are weaker and smaller
bulbs, that require from two to four years before they produce
flowers; these should be separated from the large bulb when
taken out of theground; but the small bulb that is formed under
the husky coat, and which is the one that succeeds the floweringbulb, should not be removed or injured. The young physiolo-
gist cannot have a better example given him of the harmony
and unity of the various parts of a plant in its process towards
performing its destined duties to nature, which are to propagate
the species, than the Tulip presents; for the most indifferent ob-
server must be struck with the wonderful security with which
the parts of fructification are guarded from the night air and
tempestuous weather by the petals, which form themselves into
the shape of an egg; and so closely are they shut that neither
damp air nor wind can enter to retard the formation of the pollen ;
for sooner shall the wind snap the stem than separate the petals,
although they regularly open to admit the rays of the sun to ma-
ture the parts that are necessary for the formation of the seed.
In cold and ungenial seasons, the petals retain their concave
shape, and act as so many reflectors to assist the ripening of the
pollen; whilst in dry and hot seasons the petals curl backwards,
so as to throw off the too powerful rays of the sun, but continue
to close towards sunset until the impregnation of the stigmas has
taken place; after which the petals decay and fall off, leaving
the capsule to benefit by all the nourishment the stem affords, and
to enjoy the light and air uninterrupted. Florists, who are care-
ful of their choice Tulips, erect awnings over them, which causes
the corolla to remain longer, although it retards the ripening of
the pollen. Hogg recommends a fresh, rich, loamy soil, of rather
a sandy nature, which should be dug at least twelve months
before it is used, and to which a small portion of well rotted
dung should be added. He tells us that an intelligent old Tulip
grower assured him that the best was :—three-eighths rich yellow
loam ; one-fourth leaf mould ; one-sixth horse manure, two years
old; and one-eighth sea sand, well incorporated and laid in a
bed or stratum for plants, two feet deep. We have a decided
objection to Tulip beds for pleasure gardens, on account of their
formality and the blank that remains after flowering; those not
of the first quality may add greatly to the beauty of a garden
when planted in clumps six and eighteen 1o a spot. Situations
sheltered from the winds, and where a partial shade is afforded
from the afternoon sun, are the best; by this manner of planting,
the vacant clumps will be filled up by the branches of later
dowering plants. They should be allotted to the ground so as
to embellish those spots most deficient in flowers at the seasonof their blooming, which is confined to the months of May and
June, except the dwarf early blooming Tulip, T. Suaveolens,
another of our exotics, which blossoms somewhat earlier. Phil-
lips, from whom the most of the preceding is taken, says, the
proper time for committing the bulbs to the ground is late in the
fall, and a circular spot from two to three feet in diameter will
be sulficient to plant eighteen bulbs. Having prepared the spots,
lay little patches off, where each bulb is to be placed, and then
cover with light sandy soil, piled above; lay the compost gently
over the clump, covering the bulbs three inches higher than the
rest of the border, so as not to retain rain. The brown coat of
the bulb must be carefully taken off before doing this. The
decay of the stem and leaves shows the time for taking up the
bulbs, which should then be placed in a dry, airy, shaded situa-
tion, without touching their skins. The Suaveolens is the kind
used for forcing in pots, and they prosper better in earth than
water, for in the latter their bulbs uniformly perish after flower-
ing. It belongs to the class Hexandria; order, Monogynia.
The generic characters are: corol six-petalled, liliaceous; style,
none; thick stigma, with an oblong, three-sided capsule. The
Yellow European Tulip—Tulipa Sylvestris, has a very
fragrant, just perceptible smell; it has a one-flowered, smooth
stem, bearing a nodding flower, with sharp petals bearded at the
end, and lance-shaped leaves. Their medicinal qualities entitle
them to no consideration ; though in common with the natural
order, Liliace®, to which they belong, bitter and acrid principles
may prevail in the buds.

The Lily.

Aime Martin remarks that this delicate and beautiful flower
has for centuries received its tribute of admiration from the lovers
of nature. Who has not felt a glow of delight in perusing that
gorgeous description of the Lily which Christ himself gave to his
disciples? Of all the poetry ever drawn from flowers, none is
so beautiful, none so sublime, none so imbued with the very spiritin which they are made as that of our Lord : “And why take ye
thought for raiment? consider the Lilies of the field how they
grow : they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet, I say unto
you, Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like unto one of
these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much
more clothe ye, O ye of little faith !” Phillips remarks, that the
Lilium Candidum—White Lily, is indisputably a native of the
Holy Land; and that a flower of such magnificence of deport-
ment and sweetness of odor should have early attracted the at-
tention of the Greek and Roman naturalists, arises from a natu-
ral cause, since we find them as anxious to make additions to
the plants of their country as the botanists of modern days. The
easy propagation of the bulbs in those countries soon increased
its numbers almost equal to the native plants of those delightful
climates. The heathen nations held this flower in such high
regard as to consecrate it to Juno, from whose milk it originally
sprang. Jupiter wishing to render Hercules immortal, that he
might rank him among the divinities, prevailed on Juno to take
a deep draught of nectar prepared by Somnus ; the queen of the
gods fell immediately into a profound slumber, and Jupiter
placed the infant Hercules to her breast, in order that the divine
milk might enter his frame and cause the desired immortality.
The infant, enjoying the delights of the celestial breast, drew the
milk faster than he could swallow, some drops of which, there-
fore, fell to the earth, from whence this flower immediately sprang
up, from whence arose its name of Juno’s Rose. Aloist tells us
that Celestial Beauty is represented surrounded by a glory, half
of the head hidden in the clouds, holding a Lily in one hand and a
compass and ball in the other; Earthly Beauty is represented
by a garland of Lilies and Violets. All nations agree in making
this flower the symbol of Purity and Modesty, and it is, as we
before stated, the emblem of Beauty ; and perhaps no inhabitants
of the earth blend it so happily as the ladies of crur own country.
In the Hebrew language, the name Susannah signifies a Lily.
It is related by Bayle that Charles the Fifth, in his religious
retirement, planted a Lily, at the end of August, 1558. The
monarch died on the twenty-first of the following month, and it
is pretended that, at the moment of his death, the bulb of this
Lily shot out a stem on a sudden, with two joints, supportingflowers as odoriferous as these flowers are in Spain at their usual
season. This was cut, we are told, and placed upon the great
altar of the church of St. Juste, on the borders of Castile. In
England it was among the earliest exotics that graced the gar-
dens, and probably one of the plants gained from Palestine, by
means of the early crusaders. It appears to have been a great
favorite with the ancient Greeks; and in the wedding ceremo-
nies of the modern ones, the priest is supplied with two chaplets
of Lilies and ears of corn, which he places on the heads of the
bride and bridegroom, as emblems of purity and abundance.
The Romans regarded it with equal admiration ; it was planted
by them in baskets. Pliny mentions it as next to the rose in
beauty, and says, the root, when dry, was frequently steeped in
purple wine, in order to produce purple flowers; the success of
which plan we are not aware of. The white Lily is of so easy
a cultivation that it will prosper in almost any soil or situation ;
and as it readily increases by offsets from the parent bulb, it is
become a common inmate in most cottage gardens, and held in
less esteem than many inferior flowers which the difficulty of
propagation renders rare, and consequently valuable. The off’
sets should be removed from the old bulb every third year,
and the month of August is the proper season for transplanting
them. They should be covered with about five inches of earth,
but on no account removed in the spring of the year, as this
is found to check their flowering for several years. As this
species sends up a stem from three to four feet in height, it is
better calculated to plant amongst shrubs than in the small quar-
ters of the flower garden ; and when mixed with clumps of roses,
the effect is as agreeable to the eye as appropriate to the emble-
matic combination of Purity and Beauty. It gives a great relief
and cheerfulness to heavy clumps of evergreens, and is a charm-
ing accompaniment to borders of woods or wilderness scenery.
It continues in flower from the middle of June to the middle of
August, and as its fragrance is of an agreeable kind in the open
air, no garden should be without this noble and highly ornamen-
tal flower.

The Lily belongs to the class Hexandria, order Monogynia,
and is the type of the natural order Liliaceae. The generic
name is of obscure origin, some deriving it from the Greek,
meaning smooth and handsome. Its characters are; corolla

isix-petalW, bell-shaped, with a longitudinal nectareous line ;
capsules, the valves of which are connected by cancellated hair.
Candidum comes from the Latin, candido, to bleach or make
white. According to Nuttall, the United States affords five or
six of these species, which generally affect low and rich meadows,
or fertile shady woods and thickets.

Lilium Bulbiferum—Orange Lily. This flower, although
less elegant in its shape, and entirely destitute of fragrance, is a
great ornament to the garden, both on account of its stately
height, occasioning the name of Superb, and its orange colored
petals. We have many varieties of this species of Lily, some
of which are of so great antiquity as to be thought natives of the
British soil, from which they were introduced. It is found wild
in Austria, Italy, and other southern parts of Europe; also in
Siberia and Japan. The orange Lily has been known to pro
duce double flowers, but this variely is not permanent. Some
years back a bulb produced double flowers in a garden near
Ghent, but in the succeeding year it returned to its natural shape,
and then again blossomed with double corollas, after which it
was entirely lost. The trivial name of Bulbiferum is given to this
Lily from a singular gift of nature which some of the varieties
of this flower possess, that is, of having three distinct modes of
propagating its species; first, by its oviparous power of produc-
ing seeds or vegetable eggs; secondly, by its viviparous nature
in throwing off young bulbs, or perfect bodies, from the side of
the parent bulb ; and thirdly, by a bulbous bud which is formed in
the angle between each leaf and the stem, and which at maturity
drops off, and taking root in the earth, swells out into the scaly
bud peculiar to Lilies only. This kind will prosper in situa-
tions that are partially shaded, which makes it particularly de-
sirable for planting among flowering shrubs, so as to fill up the
vacancies occasioned by the fall of the lilac and laburnum. It
is not delicate as to soil, but it flowers strongest in a soft, gentle
loam, not too moist. The bulbs should be planted in clumps,
five in each, separated at about two feet distance each way, and
covered with about five inches of mould.

The Lilium Superbum is one of our own native species, but
one which has received the utmost attention from our transat-
lantic neighbors, to whose notice it was first introduced in 17)27.
It is certainly one of the most magnificent of the Americanplants. Beautiful and rich as many of them confessedly are, this
exceeds them all, hearing as it does a pyramid of yellowish red
flowers, from twenty to fifty in number, in full bloom in the
early part of July. As this is rather more tender than most of
the other Lilies, it is advisable to cover the bulbs with old tan-
ners’ bark or coal ashes during the winter, which may be removed
after the frost is over and before the plants appear above ground.
Where these plants grow naturally and plentifully, the roots are
frequently eaten as food, being first roasted under the embers.
The ladies of Europe have long held in the highest esteem a
cosmetic for the skin which is prepared from these flov^ers by
means of a vapor bath. It is said to improve and preserve the
freshness of the complexion, and remove pimples and freckles.

“ The Lily’s height bespoke command,

A fair imperial flower,

She seemed designed for Flora’s hand,

The sceptre of her power.”

Observe the rising Lily’s snowy grace,

Observe the various vegetable race,

They neither toil nor spin, but careless grow,

Yet see how warm they blush ! how bright they glow !

What regal vestments can with them compare,

What king so shiny, and what queen so fairt

It is not poets alone who half-worship flowers. What an
enthusiastic devotion is that which sends a man from the attrac-
tions of home, the ties of neighborhood, the bonds of country,
to range plains, valleys, hills and mountains, in search of a new
flower! What a spirit must have animated hundreds of those
botanists who have sacrificed every personal convenience and
every selfish motive for the sake of illustrating the volume of
nature, and opening almost a new existence upon those whose
researches are necessarily limited. No wonder that the most
lovely ornament for the young virgin was a wreath of flowers
the most glorious distinction of the warrior a chaplet of bays.
No wonder that the bier of the early dead was strewn with
these passing emblems of a passing < xistence.—Tyas.The Fuchsia,

This belongs to the natural order Onagraceae ; all the species
are American, though principally found in the southern conti-
nent ; a few came from the West Indies. It is in the class Oc-
tandria, order Monogynia ; the generic name was given in honor
of Leonard Fuch, a famous German botanist of the sixteenth
century, whose skill as an artist in the drawing of plants was
considered unrivalled. We do not find that it bears any other
name in Europe, nor has its original South American one been
ascertained. Its characters are, calyx funnel-shaped, always
closed, superior, and soon falling ofF; it has four petals, often
considered nectaries, which are in the throat of the calyx, alter-
nately, consistently with the ideal type, with its divisions. Stig-
ma four-sided and capitate; it has an oblong four-celled berry
containing numerous seeds.

The Fuchsia Coccinea—Ladies’ Ear-drop—is,as Phillips re-
marks, a beautiful exotic plant, and although now cultivated in
most parts of Europe, and in the civilized world, was unknown
there until 1788, when it was presented to the Royal Garden at
Kew, in Englapd, whence it was afterwards distributed as a stove
plant. From the stove it was removed to the green-house, and
it is now found to be sufficiently hardy to stand in the open gar-
den, if planted in warm situations where it is sheltered from the
north by a wall or buildings; and like the China roses which
were for some years treated as tender plants, the Fuchsia is found
to grow with greater luxuriance in the open air, than when nursed
as a house plant. We have placed the Fuchsia in the language
of flowers as the emblem of Taste ; for with its richly colored
blossoms there is a peculiar harmony and beauty in the unas-
suming appearance of the flowers, which hang with so much
gracefulness from amongst the elegant shaped foliage of this plant.
The length of the stamens also adds greatly to the beauty of
these pendant blossoms, having the appearance of so many gems
suspended from a small roll of the richest violet colored ribbon,
over which the beautiful carmine calix hangs like a hall ex-
parfcled parachute, allowing only a glimpse of the purple petals
to be seen between the openings, the whole being headed by anemerald colored receptacle for the seed. The calyx buds, before
they are expanded, have the appearance of ripe barberries; and
the young branches and leaves of the plant have the berries
tinged with the same fine crimson color, which contributes
greatly to the beauty of the plants.

The Fuchsia grows from four to six feet in height; but when
protected from the frost it is frequently much higher. We have
seen it in conservatories from ten to fifteen feet, having all the
lower branches pruned off, and thus forming a tree of the most
enchanting appearance; the least breath of air setting all the
pendant fiowers in graceful motion, an effect which cannot be
given to the plant when kept as a shrub or trained to the walk
It loves a light rich earth; and is easily increased by cuttings
planted under a bell-glass, in the same manner as myrtles are
raised, observing to give air so as to prevent damping off When
a number of plants are required, it is more desirable to raise
them from seed, which should be sown in pots of rich earth
placed in a hot bed.

The Mallow,

Who cut up Mallows by the bushes, and Juniper roots for their meat.

Job xxx. 4.

Phillips remarks, that from the above exclamation of Job, we
learn that the Mallow afforded food in early times, to those wan-
dering tribes that have ever preferred to pitch their tents in
the wilderness, and depend upon the spontaneous productions of
the earth for their subsistence, rather than dwell in the settled
habitations where they would be expected to assist in the labor
of multiplying the gifts of nature. The name is thought to be
derived from the Hebrew word for salt, given on account of its
saline properties, though some are of opinion that it was derived
from a Greek word, on account of its softening and laxative
properties, and quote Horace to prove the Roman method of
using it. The Greeks also ate this plant both boiled and raw
in salads, with lettuce and other vegetables, and the Chinese and
Egyptians still use a species of it in their diet. It formed oneof the funeral flowers of the ancients, it being customary to plant
it around the graves and tombs of departed friends. It has been
made, in floral language, the emblem of a mild and sweet dis-
position.

It is the type of the natural order Malvaceae, which are herbs
with arboreous, shrubby, or herbaceous stems; rough fibred
bark ; the leaves with stipules alternate, mostly simple, occasion-
ally digitate; the flowers axillary or terminal, very rarely with
imperfectly separated organs. It is in the class Monadelphia,
order Polyandria. Its generic characters are: Calyx double,
outer three-leaved ; capsules many; united in a depressed whorl;
one-celled; one-seeded.

Pliny tells of two kinds of Mallows that were cultivated in the
gardens of the Romans, which he says were distinguished from
the wild Mallow by the size of the leaves. He also tells us that
the leaves of the marsh Mallow were used as a counter poison
against the sting or bite of all venomous reptiles from the wasp
to the serpent; and that the juice of Mallows given warm was a
celebrated medicine for such as were gone melancholy or were
deranged in mind. Mallows, he also tells us, were sown in the
fields for the purpose of enriching the grounds.

The Common Mallow—Malva Sylvestris—is a native of
Europe; is the officinal article of our pharmacopoeia. Although
its blossoms so very frequently meet the eye, from its flowers
succeeding each other from the month of May to the end of
October, yet they never tire the sight, their petals being of a
delicate reddish purple, sometimes varying to a white, or inclin-
ing to a bluish cast, with three or four darker streaks running
from the base. It is fortunate for the husbandman that nature
shoulcf allot this plant for the banks and borders of fields, rather
than to scatter over meadows, since its spreading branches would
in a great measure destroy the turf; and as cattle in general re-
fuse to eat this plant, it would soon overrun and smother vegeta-
tion.

The Malva Rotundifolia—Dwarf Mallow—has been pro-
bably introduced, though it now grows wild. It is common in
cultivated grounds and about houses and sidewalks, and, like the
former species, continues in flower all summer. Its leaves are
round, somewhat kidney-shaped, with imperfect lobes supported
on long horny footstalks; the stipules, or appendages at theirbase, iance-shaped and fringed with parallel hairs. Their flower-
stalks are crowded together, much shorter than the leaf-stalks,
hairv, and come out from the angle formed by the stem and
branch. The leaves of the cup are egg-shaped on the inside,
and long and narrow without; the blossom of a purplish white,
deeply notched at the end; the fruit flat, the circumference con-
taining numerous capsules. The Mallow is of easy culture in
anv garden soil; but in its native place, England, notwithstand-
ing the strong recommendations of Gerard, one of their much

3	C

admired authors, this hardy annual plant is banished entirely
from the kitchen garden; but it is frequently seen among flower-
ing shrubs, where the Malva Crispa—Syrian Crisped Mal-
low, has a good effect both by the singularity and agreeable pale
color of its curiously curled and plaited leaves. The Hortus
Kewensis notices thirty-four other exotic species that have been
brought from various parts of the world. In England there are
more than sixty species, some of them only humble herbs, while
others are tall shrubs; and some of the tribe reach the height of
large trees, the trunks measuring from twenty to thirty feet in
diameter. Several beautiful species of the Mallow have been
lately brought from the Cape of Good Hope, and are now under
process of naturalization in both England and America. In the
United States we have upwards of a dozen well defined species
of the Mallow, four of which are exotic, and probably ihe one
introduced last, its derivation uncertain.

The herbs and flowers of both the Rolundifolia and Sylvestris
are the parts commonly employed ; they have a slimy taste with-
out smell, abounding in mucilage, which of course water will
dissolve, and thus serve as a vehicle for extracting its active
properties. By means of the infusion or tincture of the flowers,
which is of a bright blue, the chemists lest the presence of acids
and alkalies, the former changing it to red and the latter to green.
All parts of the plant of course partake of its mucilaginous na-
ture ; but the roots and seeds are seldom employed.

The infusion is useful in coughs and colds; it forms a good
poultice, and is now and then employed in catarrhal, dysen-
teric, and nephritic complaints, for which purposes they will
sometimes afford satisfactory results.The Black Hellebore

The Helleborus Niger—Black Hellebore, is a genus of
the class Polyandria, order Polygynia. Its name is derived from
the river Eleborus, by whose banks it grew profusely, and which
was so called from the deadly nature of this plant seen in those
who partook of it; its Greek derivatives meaning the Bread of
Death. Its characters are :—calyx none ; petals five, or more ;
nectaries two-lipped, tubular ; capsules many-seeded. We have
an officinal tincture of the root of this plant, prepared by pour-
ing on two ounces of it, well bruised, two pints of half alcohol
and half water, and after macerating fourteen days, to filter. Its
resinous matter, volatile oil, &c.., dissolve in the alcohol: and the
gum, albumen, &c., dissolve in the water, and we have all its
active properties. The dose is from thirty to sixty drops, night
and morning, for amenorrhcea, and less as a tonic, pro re natfl.
This root is knotted, black on the outside, whence its name
niger, with many straw-like fibres, yellowish brown when fresh,
but much darker upon drying. The leaf-stalks are quite long,
springing directly from the root, bearing compound leaves, com-
posed of five or more ranged opposite, with a terminal one ; they
are smooth, very shining, and serrated on their upper portion, of
a leathery consistence, and ovate, lance-shape. The fiower-
stem, like that of the leaves, springs directly from the root, to the
height of from seven to ten inches; it is round, growing rather
smaller towards the top, and of a deep crimson at the base; the
flowers are large apd nodding, accompanied with floral leaves
to answer the place of a flower-cup. The blossom-leaves are of
a pale rose color, sometimes tinged with green. Phillips tells
us that few plants have been more celebrated by the physicians
of antiquity than the Hellebore, and hence it makes a conspicu-
ous figure in the poetical fables of early writers ; but it seems to
have been entirely neglected by the English poets, and there is
but little attention paid it by the American, who have in truth
enough to do to celebrate their own floral gems without minding
exotics. The Black Hellebore—Helleborus Niger, de-
mands our attention, both from the early season of its flowering
and the beauty of its blossom. It is generally called the Christ-mas Rose, because it frequently expands its petals at that season,
which having a resemblance to the common dog rose of our hedges,
has gained it this name. Our caution is equally demanded,
against the whole of the Hellebore family of plants, on account
of the dangerous properties of their roots and leaves, which are
a most virulent poison. It is sometimes named after Melampus,
who travelled into Egypt, which was the seat of science at that
period, to study medicine. He afterwards cured the daughters
of Prcetus, king of Argos, of mental derangement, with Helle-
bore, and from this circumstance it became so famous a medi-
cine for mad people that it was a common proverb used to hypo-
chondriacal persons, “ Sail to Anticyra,” an island in the Gulf of
Corinth, where it flourished in abundance. Melampus, it is
said, became acquainted with its cathartic properties by observ-
ing its effects upon goats. The princesses he cured were ordered
to bathe in a cold fountain after taking the medicine, and this is
the first instance upon record of the use of calhartics and bathing
with a medicinal view. Melampus gained still greater honor by
correcting the defects of lphiclus’ constitution by prescribing the
rust of iron to be taken in his wine for ten days successively.
Thus we find the celebrated steel medicine of the present day
was in use as long back as 3350 years. At that early period
the physicians were held as a sacred order of men, and none
durst profess physic in Egypt without being admitted a member
of the College of Priests. They were also considered the sooth-
sayers and prophets from their pretending to be assisted by in-
cantations and charms, the origin of which arts seems almost
coeval with physic itself; and these solemn mysteries were no
doubt resorted to in order to create a veneration and faith in the
minds of the patients for their physicians, which, however ridicu-
lous to us, might have had great effect on the minds of the vul-
gar, as it is an established opinion that the body is often influ-
enced by the affections of the mind. We have made this
digression to show the origin of many of the Greek and Roman
superstitious customs respecting plants.

The Black Hellebore was used by the ancients to purify their
houses and hallow their dwellings ; and they believed that strew-
ing or perfuming their apartments with this plant would drive
the evil spirit away. This ceremony was performed with greet
devotion, and accompanied with solemn hymns. In the samemanner they blessed their cattle with Hellebore, and kept them
free from the spells of the wicked. For these purposes it was
dug up with many religious ceremonies, as that of first drawing
a circle round the plant with a sword, and then turning down to
the East, an humble prayer was made by the devotee to Apollo
and Esculapius for leave to dig up the root, and the flight of the
eagle was particularly attended to during the ceremony of the
rites, it being considered so ominous as to predict the certain
death of the person who took up the plant in the course of the
year. In digging up the roots of some species of Hellebore, it
was thought necessary to eat garlic previously, to counteract
the poisonous effluvia of the plant; yet we find that the root was
afterwards dried and pounded to dust, and snuffed up in the
nostrils in the manner of snuff, as it is related that when Car-
neades undertook to answer the books of Zeno, he sharpened his
wit and quickened his spirit by purging his head with powdered
Hellebore.

Notwithstanding the great reverence with which the ancients
regarded this plant, it was considered by most of their writers as
a rough medicine; and as many people are in the habit of giv-
ing the powders of Hellebore to their children for the worms, we
shall show its dangerous properties by mentioning the case of
Martyn :—“ Some years ago, when the ground was covered with
a deep snow, a flock of sheep in Oxmead, near Fulborn, in Eng-
land, finding nothing but this herb above the snow, ate plenti-
fully of it. They sobn appeared terribly out of order, and most
of them died, a few being saved by timely giving them some
oil, which made them cast up this herb. I went to the spot, and
as he pointed out the herb that poisoned them, I found it to be
the species of Hellebore called Niger Fcetidus”—our common
Bear’s Foot, which is also a European herb, deriving its name
from the offensive odor it exhales. This is the most acrid species
in the genus ; the leaves are the portion used, and although these
are milder than the foot-stalks, yet when given to children, as we
mentioned before, for worms, the most violent and distressing
effects, sometimes terminating in death itself, ensue. In the
hands of science it is hard to manage. It may be given either
in powder or decoction. The dose for a child ol from three to
six or seven years old, is from five grains to a scruple of the
dried leaves, or half a wine glass of a tea made by boiling adrachm of the dried leaves in half a pint of water; this repeated
for two or three days in succession will generally effect the ex-
pulsion of tcenia, for which it has been highly recommended.

This reputed specific for the cure of melancholy and madness,
was an inmate of the English gardens prior to 1597, as Gerard
tells us that it was then growing in his own. Like the snow-
drop, the Black Hellebore should be planted in considerable
quantities to produce an effect; it lovfes a pure air, and will not
therefore flourish in the precincts of very large cities, especially
where much coal is used as fuel. It blossoms, with a yellow
flower, in February, in cold seasons a little later, and is there-
fore a proper plant to give contrast to the snow-drop, either in
wilderness walks or under trees in the shrubbery. It grows wild
in mountainous situations in Lombardy, Italy, Austria, Siberia and
Switzerland. It is called indiscriminately wolf’s bane, aconite,
(fee.; and should never be allowed a place in the kitchen garden,
since fatal accidents have arisen in mistaking this root for that
of horse-radish. They may be propagated by parting the roots
at any time between the months of June and October. In the
neighborhood of Paris it is quite common to cultivate them in
pots, as an ornament for the house. With every desire to caution
the ignorant against the use of these dangerous plants, we can-
not avoid recommending the faculty to turn their attention to
this herb formerly so celebrated. Mr. Walker tells us “ he re-
members in the depot for French prisoners of war in England,
in 180(i, that a peculiar disease, called Nyctalopia, was preva-
lent among them. The symptoms which distinguish the disease
are, that the patient becomes by degrees perfectly blind from
the moment of sunset till the re-appearance of the sun next
morning. This affected a great number of the prisoners, who
were obliged 1o be led about by their comrades immediately
after sunset, and all of them at the time were laboring under
symptoms of extreme dyspepsia. After a variety of treatment
had been ineffectually applied, the powder of Black Hellebore
Was given them as snuff; as most of them were attached to the
use of this article, and had for a long time been deprived of it,
they took the Hellebore with avidity, and generally recovered
from their Nyctalopia in the course ol a very lew days, and the
dyspepsia symptoms were at the same time greatly relieved.
There is no doubt that in many affections of the head thesame treatment would be found extremely efficacious, and well
worthy of trial in many chronic diseases of the eye, particularly
in the early stage of gutta serena. Of this plant Juvenal sarcas-
tically remarks, “ Danda est hellebori multo pars maxima avaris.”
The roots of the H. Viridis and II. Orientalis have been substi-
tuted for those of the II. Niger, but it is of little consequence, as
their medicinal qualities are nearly alike.

The Thorn Apple,

This is in the natural order Solanaceae, the cla?3 Pentandria,
order Monogynia. Its generic characters are:—corolla funnel-
form, plaited; calyx tubular, angular, deciduous; caps four-
valved. Specific character : pericarp spinous, erect, ovate;
leaves ovate, smooth. Some years ago, in this city, there was
considerable excitement about this plant. A number of recently
arrived German emigrants, unacquainted with its dangerous
properties, boiled the leaves for table greens, and eat heartily of
them, and the most disastrous results followed, ending in the
death of two or three. It is said that, in some instances, the
scenes recorded by Beverly were re-enacted. “ This being an
early plant, was gathered very young for a boiled salad, by some
of the soldiers sent hither to quell the rebellion of Bacon, and
some of them ate plentifully of it, the effect of which was a plea-
sant comedy, for they turned natural fools upon it for several
days. One would throw up a feather in the air, another would
dart straws at it with much fury ; another, stalk naked, was sit-
ting up in a corner, like a monkey, grinning and making mows
at them ; a fourth would fondly kiss and paw his companions,
and sneer in their faces with a countenance more antic lhan any
in a Dutch droll. In this frantic condition they were confined,
lest in their folly they should destroy themselves. A thousand
simple tricks they played, and after eleven days returned to them-
selves again, not remembering anything that had passed.”

Last summer we were called to visit three children in one
house, in Second street, near Avenue C, who had eaten of the
plant. We found they all presented the same appearance, themost obvious symptoms were a peculiar noise in respiration, in-
dicating some difficulty; a heavy, deep sleep, from which it was
impossible to rouse them ; a slow and full pulse, and cool skin,
without any perspiration ; when the lids of the eyes were lifted,
a converging squint was strikingly perceptible ; they were lying
in this state then about twelve hours. As they had complained
of considerable sickness at the stomach before sleep was induced,
we followed out the indications of nature in prescribing a powerful
Jose of Ipecac; in a little while this operated, and, together with
the warm bath, prompt application of mustard poultices to the
feet, thighs, &c., they recovered in about four hours. No unfa-
vorable effects remained, and before night they were all racing
the streets ready for another mishap.

The Datura Stramonium—Thorn Apple, is an annual plant,
from three to five, and sometimes seven feet in height, varying
with the quality of the soil, as it is of rank and vigorous growth.
The root is very large, light colored, and has numerous fibres ;
it sends up a straight, smooth stem, which, though simple below,
is repeatedly forked above, and in the large plants, hollow. The
leaves, the short round stalks of which come out from the forks
‘ of the stem, are from four to six inches in length, of a dark green
color on the upper surface, and much paler beneath, somewhat
triangular in shape, and irregularly toothed on the margins.
The fiowers are very large, solitary, standing on short foot-stalks,
which come out from the angle formed by the leaf and branch;
the calyx is five-angled, tube-shaped, supporting a funnel-shaped
blossom, with a long tube and plaited border, which terminates
in fine awl-shaped teeth. There are two varieties common with
us, one having green stems and white flowers; and a dark red-
dish stem, minutely dotted with green and purplish fiowers,
striped with deep purple on the inside, which latter is the D.
Tatula, of Linnaeus, as Dr. Smith, upon examining the herba-
rium of Linnaeus, found it was merely a variety of the other.
The base of the flower-cup, after the other parts fall off, unites
with the germen and becomes a part of the fruit. The capsule
is four-valved and four-celled, oval-shaped, large and fleshy,
and contains a great number of seeds, which, when ripe, are
thrown out in all directions, and should make us very careful
how we let it grow near our doors and gardens, for then it will
be almost impossible to extirpate them. All parts of the plantpo ssess officinal properties, but the seeds and leaves are the
most generally used ; the former are given in the dose of a grain
twice a day ; of the extract made by evaporating the decoction,
one-eighth to one-quarter of a grain : of the powdered leaves,
two or three grains. Applied to the eye, it is equally useful with
Belladonna for dilating the pupil, for which purpose it is used
by surgeons, as well as in cases of irritable ulcers, inflamed
tumors, swelling of the mammae, and hemorrhoidal affections.

“ Their flowers mysterious, let thy knowledge shil't

The useful poison and their healing gift.”

Phillips remarks that in symbolical language the Datura is
made the emblem of deceitful charms, and the common Stra-
monium is given to represent disagreement. This dangerous
narcotic plant clothes itself with such an elegant indented foliage
and garnishes its branches with corollas of so graceful and neg-
ligent a shape, and of so pure a white, that all suspicion of its
deleterious nature seems lulled to rest, while, like the Lamias of
old, its charms only allure that its powers may destroy. Children
are no longer in danger of being devoured by the Lamia); but
they are not free from danger where the Stramonium flourishes,
as we have known several instances of its baleful effects to young
persons who have endeavored to chew this plant. We feel it
the more necessary to caution the unwary against the dangers of
this powerful plant,since it has had its medicinal virtues so much
extolled as to induce the ignorant into a belief that it must natu-
rally be an innocent and harmless vegetable ; but it should be
impressed on the minds of persons in general that those plants
which afford the most efficacious medicine in the hands of the
skilful practitioner, arc the most dangerous in those of the igno-
rant, and should therefore never be used as a household remedy.
This is employed occasionally as an anodyne, on account of its
narcotic properties not inducing constipation like opium. Its
effects, however, are frequently formidable, and even fatal, when
administered by the incautious. Swain mentions a case wherein
a decoction of three of the capsules of the Stramonium in milk
produced a paralysis of the whole body, so that the patient be-
came mad. He continued seven hours in this situation, then
came to himself and slept quietly the remainder of the night.
Mr. J. A. Waller observes that a temporary madness is uniformlythe result of this poison. Keat records a case of a man who
drank a decoction of the fruit, and became melancholy, lost his
voice, his pulse disappeared, and the limbs became paralyzed;
after which madness came on. The smell alone of this plant
causes inebriety, and it has been used for the most dreadful pur-
poses in eastern countries. Garcias tell us that thieves mix it
in the food of those they intend to rob; and Acosta mentions
that abandoned females frequently give it to their incautious
gallants. In Java these unfortunate women take it themselves
as a stimulus, and are so expert in its administration that they
know how to temper it in such a way as to make its effects last
for as many hours as they please. Indian princes have been
known to make use of it to render their rivals stupid, and then
to expose them to the people to show how incapable they were
to govern. Waller observes in his Domestic Herbal that the
fumes of this plant received like those of Tobacco have in nc
instance that he has heard of been productive of any ill effects ,
whilst at the same time he says he had often witnessed the most
beneficial results from its use in this manner in asthmas and old
inveterate coughs. Some persons smoke the Stramonium alone,
others mix it with tobacco. The most common method seems
to be to make a mixture of one third part of the stalks, fruit,
leaves and seeds of it properly dried, cut and bruised, and two
thirds of tobacco. This plant is unquestionably a native of
America. Kalm says, that in many parts of our extensive coun-
try, it is one of the most troublesome weeds that grow about
the villages where the land is cultivated, and that it has been fre-
quently observed in the earth brought with plants fjpm various
parts of our continent. The earliest English writers who have
mentioned the Datura, call it the Thorny Apple of Peru. It ap-
pears to have travelled through the East Indies and Persia to
Europe, as we find the seed was first brought from Constantino-
ple to England, and presented to Gerard ; who observes that he
made great use of the plant in his profession as a surgeon, not
only for burns and scalds, but also for virulent and malign
ulcers, apostemes, and such like. This author tells us that he
dispersed the seeds of the plant through the land. We have
thus a positive proof of the time of its introduction, and that its
place is wrong in the catalogue 6f British plants. It has so far
naturalized itself to the English soil, and some think it did so inour own, that it is frequently found in waste places and on dung-
heaps, and is often found a troublesome intruder into the par-
terre, for the seeds being dug into the earth will remain for seve-
ral years, and vegetate when again turned up to the air. When
sown on a rich soil the plants grow to a great size, which
renders them unsuitable for the flower borders; but amongst
flowering shrubs it has a good effect both by its large foliage and
its long tubular flowers which appear from May to September,
according to the latitude. In the natural history of the Stramo-
nium, this singular provision of nature is observed, that at night
the leaves nearest the flowers rise up and enclose them, so as to
form a shelter from the humidity of the air. The generic name
of Datura, by which the plant is known throughout Europe, is
the original one by which it was received from the Turks. It is
called Thorn Apple from the nature of its fruit. Nicolaus Mo-
nardes, a Spanish physician, tells us in his work published in
1564, that he received the first seeds of this plant from Peru, un-
der the Indian name of Cachos ; and that it came* strongly
recommended to him as a medicinal plant, which the Indians,
as well as the Spaniards in Peru, held in high estimation. The
Purple Thorn Apple—Datura Fastuosa—of which there is
a variety with double flowers, is much more desirable for the
garden than the common species. The flowers of this species
are of a fine purple on th'eir outside, and of a glossy white
within. These have an agreeable odor for the moment, but if
long inhaled become less pleasing. This species is a native of
the East Indies and Egypt, and was first cultivated in England,
by Mr. Miller, in the year 1731, and brought over some twenty
years afterwards

It is not impossible to have a flower in bloom every day in
the year; there is a book wherein each particular one is dedicated
to a Roman Catholic Saint, and the successive times of its
blooming described. This is Hone’s Every Day Book, published
in London, in 1826.Garlands of Flowers,

BV HENRY PHILIPS, F.R.S.

The interest which flowers have excited in the breast of
man from the earliest ages to the present day, has never been
confined to any particular class of society, or quarter of the globe.
Nature seems to have scattered them over the world as a medi-
cine to the mind, to give cheerfulness to the earth and furnish
acreeable sensations to its inhabitants. The savage of the forest,
in the joy of his heart, binds his brow with the native flowers of
his woods, while their cultivation increases in every country in
proportion as the blessings of civilisation extend. From the
most humble cottage garden to the proudest parterre of the
palace, nothing more conspicuously bespeaks the good taste of
the uossessor than a well cultivated flower garden ; and it may
generally be remarked, that when we see a neat cottage court
well stocked with plants, the inhabitant is respectable and pos-
sesses domestic comforts; whilst, on the contrary, a neglected
garden but too frequently marks the indolence and bespeaks the
unhappy state of the owner.

Every rank of people seems equally to enjoy flowers as a grati-
fication to the organs of sight and smell; but to the botanist and
the close observer of nature, beauties are unfolded and displayed
that cannot be conceived by the careless attention of the multi-
tude, who regard these ornaments of nature as wild and savage
persons would a watch ; they are dazzled with the splendor of
the case and the beauty of the appendages, but look no further,
because they know not where to look. The artist, while he en-
joys the external covering, looks into the interior, and as he
regards the movements and learns their various uses, he is struck
with admiration at the ingenuity of the mechanism. The bota-
nist has the same delight when he looks into the blossoms of
flowers, for he there beholds the wonderful works of Al-

Kinighly with amazement—there he sees movements and regula-
tions with which all the combined ingenuity of man cannot
compare. We may learn from profane history how much the
study of vegetables induces the mind to its proper sense of grati-
tude, and how much it created in the breasts of the heathen them-
selves a veneration and religious awe for the Author of all things ;
for although they were not blessed with a knowledge of pure reli-
gion, they had too much good sense to suppose that vegetation
was a matter of chance ; and they therefore attributed each gift
of nature to some peculiar god, their minds not being sufficiently
expanded to conceive a just idea of the Deity, except indeed
those master-minds who traced, in the regularity and uniformity
displayed in all organized nature, the hand of one supreme
creator, and who adored him under the name of Pan, the uni-
versal spirit. The worship of Flora among those heathen
nations may be traced up to very early days. She was an ob-
ject of religious veneration among the Phocians and Sabines
long before the foundation of Rome; and the early Greeks wor-
shipped her under the name of Chloris. The Romans instituted
a festival in honor of Flora as early as the time of Romulus, as
a kind of rejoic'ng at the appearance of the blossoms, which
they welcomed as the harbingers of fruits. The festival games
or Floralia were not, however, regularly instituted until five
hund d and sixteen years after the foundation of Rome, when, on
consulting the celebrated books of the Sybil, it was ordained that
the feast should be annually kept on the twenty-eighth day of April,
four days before the kalends of May. These prophetic books
had a college of priests appointed to undertake the charge of
them, and were held in such reverence that they were never con-
sulted unless the state was in danger, and then only with the
greatest solemnity. From the writings of Pliny the elder, we
learn that the worship of this goddess had been greatly neglected,
and that it was not until after some unfruitful seasons that the
Sybilline books were consulted, which ordained that the feast
of Flora should be celebrated with regularity, so as to ensure the
well-flowering and kindly-shedding of the blossoms of all species
of plants.

This festival was introduced into Britain by the Romans, and
was kept up as late as the time of Henry the Eighth. Flowers,
among the Eastern nations, were not only used as a stimulus tothe palate, or that two senses might be gratified at the same
time ; but it was thought that certain plants and flowers facili-
tated the functions of the brain, and assisted materially to neutral-
ize the inebriating fumes of liquor. Even the warriors did not
hesitate to crown themselves with flowers during the principal
repast, which custom the Romans undoubtedly derived from the
East. The most celebrated Parisian milliner is not more eagerly
sough tafter in modern times than the plaiter of garlands was in
the days of antiquity, if we may judge from the account which
Pliny has handed down to us. The Sicyonians were considered
to surpass all other people in arranging the colors of these gar-
lands, and giving them the most agreeable mixture of per-
fumes, which art they derived from Glycera, a woman of great
ingenuity among them. We are also told of two renowned
Greek physicians who compiled several books on the virtues
of chaplets, enumerating such as were hurtful to the brain, and
others that refreshed the spirits. It was also a frequent custom
among them to mix the flowers of their chaplets in their wine
when they pledged the health of their friends, as the following an-
ecdote will show. Notwithstanding the great pains which Cleo-
patra took to please and amuse Antony, it was a considerable time
before she could gain his entire confidence, as it appears that he
would never eat or drink at her table without causing his taster
first to partake of every viand, in order to discover if treachery
lurked disguised in the midst of the luxuries of this subtle queen.
This jealousy seems to have increased about the time he was
preparing his expedition against Augustus, when the artful beauty
who had so captivated the warrior, took the following device to
satisfy him of her true attachment, and at the same time ridicule
his mistrust and timid fears. The queen had a chaplet of
flowers prepared for Antony, the edges of which were dipped
in the most deadly poison, whilst that which was formed for her
own head was as usual mixed with aromatic spices. At the
banquet, the general received his coronet of flowers, and when
they had become cheerful through the aid of Bacchus, Cleopatra
pledged him in wine, and taking off the garland from her head,
and rubbing it in her goblet, drank off the contents. Antony was
just following her example; but just as he had got the fatal cup
1o his lips, the queen seized his arm, exclaiming, “ Cease your
calous fears, and learn how I have not the means to seek of yourdestruction, could I live without you;” 011 which she ordered a
prisoner to be brought before them who, 011 drinking the scented
wine, instantly expired in their presence. The fondness which
the ancients evinced for flowers was earned to such an excess as
to become almost a vice. When Antony supped with the far-
famed queen of Egypt, the floors of the apartments were gene-
rally covered with fragrant flowers; and when Nero sat at ban-
quet in his golden house, a shower of flowers and odorous es-
sences fell upon him; but Heliogabalus turned these vegetable
beauties into curses, for it was one of the pleasures of this mon-
ster to smother his courtiers with flowers. The Italians who
still retain some of the Roman customs, have artificers called
festaroli, whose office it is to make garlands or festoons of flowers
and other decorations for feasts. The Catholic Church still con-
tinues the use of flowers in its religious ceremonies; as do the
Chinese, who consider them grateful to the gods ; they hold some
particular kinds in great veneration, especially the Eukeanthies,
of which, at the commencement of every new year, when the
plant is generally in blossom, large branches are placed in all the
temples as an acceptable offering. The Mexicans, from time im-
memorial, have studied the cultivation of flowers and odoriferous
plants, which they employed in the worship of the gods. Allu-
sion in the history of flowers is often made to the celebrated Gar-
land of Julia; and it may not be improper to notice that it was
a piece of ingenious gallantry of the Duke de Montausier towards
the beautiful Julie de Rambouillet. After he had gained the pro-
mise of his mistress’ hand, he was, according to an ancient custom
which in France is still observed, to send every morning to his
future bride, till the wedding-day, a nosegay of the finest flowers
of the season. But he did not stop here ; he had painted 011 vel-
lum, by the best artists, in a folio volume magnificently bound,
the finest cultivated flowers; and all the most distinguished poets
of ihe day divided amongst themselves the task of making verses
upon the flowers. The great Corneille wrote for the Orange
flower and the Everlasting. Julie, on the day of her marriage,
found this precious book on her toilet table. The misfortunes of
ihe French Revolution transported this interesting monument of
the gallantry of the seventeenth century to Hamburgh, where it
was put up for sale in the year 1795; but the purchaser of this
combination of poetry and painting is unknown.The Wallflower.

There are about ten species of this plant well known in the
United States; most are, however, exotics. It is in the class
Tetradynamia, order Siliquosa, which class has the advantage of
forming a perfectly natural as well as artificial order; the generic
name was derived by Linnaeus from the Arabic Keiri, and means
a hand-flower. Its characters are: Germ with'a glandulous
toothlet on each side ; calyx closed, with two leaflets gibbous at
the base; seeds flat. Specific character: leaves lanceolate, acute,
smooth, subserrate ; stem shrubby. The Cheriantijus Cheri—
Wallflower, is a great favorite, as much so perhaps as any
of the species. Phillips, from whom we have drawn largely,
remarks that, in floral language, the Wallflower stands as the
emblem of fidelity in misfortune, because it attaches itself to the
desolate, and enlivens the ruins which time and neglect would
otherwise have rendered terrible. It hides the savage strokes of
feudal times on the castle walls, fills the space of the wanted
stone on the mouldering church, and wreathes a garland on the
crumbling monument no longer noticed by friendly relatives.

For this obedient zephyrs bear

Their light seeds round yon turret’s mould,

And undisturbed by tempests there
They rise in vegetable gold.

Langhorne.

It is the flower with which romance writers embellish all their
decaying battlements, falling towers and monastic ruins; and it
seems as necessary to their stones, as the dark ivy, the screeching
owl, and the gliding spectre itself.

Who loves my flower, the sweetest flower
That swells the golden breast of May,

Thrown rudely o’er this ruined tower,

To waste her solitary day 1

Why when the mead, the spicy vale,

The grove, and genial garden call,

Will she her fragrant soul exhale

Unheeded by the lonely wall 1	Langhorne.

During the reign of terror in France, the misguided populaceof Paris, not satisfied with the devastation their frenzy occasioned
in the capital, fled to St. Denis with an intent 1o destroy every ves-
tige of the royal monuments, and to scatter in the wind the ashes of
their sovereigns which were deposited in the sacred abbey at that
place. Some time after, this spot was visited by the poet Trenuil,
who found heaps of sculptured fragments, which the madness
of the rabble had thrown into an obscure court of the abbey,
covered over with fragrant Wallflowers, which gave rise to his
verses:

Mais quelle est cette fleur que son instinct pieux
Sur l’aile du Zephir am&ne dans ces lieux 1
Quoi! tu quittes le temple ou vivent tes racines,

Sensible Giroflee, amant des ruines,

Et ton tribut fulele aceompagne nos rois ?

Ah puisque la terreur a courbee sous ses lois
Du lis infortune la tige souveraine,

Que nos jardins en deuil te choisissent pour reine,

Triomphale sans rivale, et que ta sainte fleur
Croisse pour le tombeau, le trone et le malheur

Tombeaux de Saint Denis.

The common Wallflower is a native of the South of Europe,
and is found wild in Switzerland, France, and Spain; and we
may presume it was one of the earliest of the English cultivated
flowers, from its being so constantly found on the ruins of their
oldest buildings. It is in the natural order Cruciformes, because
the flowers have only four petals, in the form of a cross. The
silique is a pod, consisting of two valves and generally one
dissepiment extending its whole length; and the seeds are fixed
on both sutures, differing from the legume, where the seeds are
fixed on one and the same suture, but alternately between the
two valves. The Wallflowers which grow out of the crevices
of old buildings are of a much hardier nature than those of the
garden, for as they can receive but little moisture by the fibres
of their roots, their stem becomes firm and woody, and able to
bear the frost without injury; whereas those cultivated in the gar-
den become succulent, and consequently more susceptible of
cold. The two principal varieties of the Wallflowers are the
yellow, and the red or bloody. These, by the intermixture of im-
pregnation, have created numerous trivial varieties, as the yellow
striped with a reddish brown, or the red striped with yellow.Thompson, whose pen was not able to describe so sweet a flower
by so terrible a name as that of bloody wall, distinguishes it as

The yellow Wallflower, stained with iron brown,

And lavish Stock that scents the garden round.

We have frequently sown the seeds of the rich iron-brown colored
Wallflowers on old walls, and they have uniformly degenerated
into a plain yellow. We therefore consider this to have been
the natural color, and the dark lines first caused by the impreg-
nation of its relative the scarlet stock. It has been cultivated in
the double state for upwards of two hundred years. The Ciie-
rianthus Fructicluosus—Wild Wallflower, is an orna-
mental evergreen shrub, common ^o old walls in Britain, and
bearing a yellow flower from June to July. Leaves lanceolate,
entire; hairs two parted, appressed or none; pods linear; stigma
with recurved lobes. Some English writers say that this flower
blossoms in April and May, and add that it is no doubt owing
to the artificial combination of various materials that afford nu-
triment to the seeds of many vegetables, which are thence stimu-
lated and come into being, and thus grow on and around ruined
fortifications and castles, among whose relics the botanist finds
frequent objects of interest; the Campanula nods on the battle-
ments, and the Wallflower gives her odors to the breeze, as it
sighs around the lonely pile which had once echoed only to the
voice of cheerfulness and revelry.

A most beautiful variety of this plant has been lately intro-
duced from Russia to England, by Mr. Lambert, which has been
named the Chameleon Wallflower, as its petals at first are of a
bright yellow, but gradually become paler until they are nearly
blanched white; after which they change to a purple tint, so that
the top flowers are yellow, those in the middle white, and the
lower blossoms of a lilac or purple hue. This variety is perfectly
hardy, but not permanent, as in some instances it has changed to
a copper color, and in others to a plain yellow or white. It ap-
pears to us a mixture of the yellow Wallflower with the white
and purple stock. We possess but few flowers that ornament
the garden so gaily and so sweetly as the Wallflower. When
planted in clumps of six and ten plants each, the effect is both
gay and agreeable. By cutting off the branches of seed-pods, they
will blossom a second time, and they have often been kept forseveral years by this means, which also ensures flowers early in
the spring. The yellow Wallflower is the most conspicuously
gay in the shrubbery, but the dark iron-brown is the most es-
teemed on the border of the florist. It frequently happens that
some plants when growing upon rich soil produce flowers with
five petals; it is the seed of these that should be principally
saved, as they frequently produce double flowers. April is the
season recommended to sow the seeds of the Wallflower, which
are soon of sufficient size to transplant out either in a nursery
bed or on the spots they are intended to embellish. They should
always be planted sufficiently early in the autumn to obtain a
good rooting before the frost approaches, and the drier and poorer
the ground, the better will these plants endure it; but when
planted in a rich compost of vegetable mould, manure, and loam,
and well mixed, they arrive at an unrivalled degree of perfection,
particularly when potted in the spring and kept in a north-east
aspect, where they receive only about three hours sun each day.
These should be housed during the winter, giving them but little
water until they begin to show fiower-buds, when they may be
more freely watered, and if they prove of good kinds they will
be found to repay the attention by the beauty and size of their
flowers. The perfectly double varieties being destitute of the
organs of fructification, produce no seed, but may be propagated
by slips planted in the spring, which readily take root if kept
moist; but these seldom make such fine plants or produce so
large petals as those raised from the seeds of semi-double flowers.
This plant was formerly prized in scorbutic affections; but as
many others much better than itself have supplied its place, it
is now only valuable for its beauty and sweet odor.

“ Wearest thou to-day the wreath of fame,

Oh heed it not, Oh heed it not!

A few brief years thy place and name
May be alike forgot,

And but a lowly flow’ret wave
Upon thy un remembered grave.

“ Here ends the semblance—never more
This ruined pile shall rise ;

But man, a seraph blest shall soar,

When what is mortal dies,

If while earth’s changing paths he trod,

His heart and hopes were fixed on God.”	tThe Sunflower,

This magnificent genus of plants is entirely American. It
belongs to the class Syngenesia, order Polygamia Frustranea.
Its generic characters are :—calyx imbricate, ragged, leafy ; re-
ceptacle Hat, chaffy; egret two-leaved, somewhat chaffy, cadu-
cous. There are a great number of species. The Helianthus
Divahicatus—Small Sunflower, is a showy plant, often found
in woods, and flowering in August and September. It has. a
smooth, round, straight stem, covered with a sea-green mealy
powder. The leaves are rough, slightly cut at the margin, taper-
ing to a long point from a roundish base, three-nerved, and
placed opposite each other. The cultivated plant, from its spicy
and pleasant perfume, and numerous florets, would hardly serve
as a model for its forest brother, which has both in a much less
degree. The branches of the panicle are either two or three-
parted. It rises to the height of from five to seven feet.

The Helianthus Decapetalus—Ten-rayed Sunflower, has
its upper leaves alternate; it bears a showy yellow flower in
August, and rises four feet high.

The Helianthus Frondosus—Rebel Sunflower, a variety
of the former,common in Canada, has below a smooth stem, which
is rough below, higher up it is straight; rises about five feet in
height, rather short peduncles, which bear a small flower with
eight rays, from August to September.

In the United States the Sunflower is cultivated on a large
scale for the purpose of preparing oil from the seeds, which is
good tasted, and fit for salads and any other purposes for which
olive oil is used. The whole plant, and particularly the flower,
exudes a thin, pellucid, odorous resin, resembling Venice tur-
pentine.

Phillips tells us that this Peruvian plant has been named He-
lianthus, from two Greek words, meaning the sun and a flower,
because its magnificent corolla bears a resemblance to the great
luminary of day; and on this account it was used in the reli-
gious ceremonies of the ancient Peruvians, who worshipped the
god of day—the virgins who officiated in the temple of the Sun
being crowned with the Helianthus made of pure gold, andwearing them also on the breast, and carrying others in their
hands, which, reflecting the rays of their deity by the brilliancy
of the metal, formed an effect of the most imposing grandeur.
The Spaniards, who were amazed at this display of gold, were
still more astonished when, in May, they saw the fields covered
with these flowers, which had been so closely imitated by the
artificers of the new world, that the precious ore appeared less
admirable than the workmanship in the eyes of those rapacious .
conquerors. The Sunflower is made the emblem of False
Riches, because gold of itself, however abundant, cannot render
a person truly rich. It is related of Pytheus of Lydia, that pos-
sessing valuable gold mines, he entirely neglected the cultivation
of his lands, which naturally became so unprofitable as not to
afford the common necessaries of life. His wife, who showed
herself possessed of as much good sense as wit, at a banquet
supper which Pytheus had ordered to be prepared, directed that
all the dishes should be filled with gold, in different shapes and
states, instead of viands. On the removal of the covers, this in-
genious woman exclaimed to the guests, “ I set before you what
we have in greatest abundance, for we cannot reap what we do
not sow.” This lesson made a proper impression on the mind
of Pvtheus, who acknowledged that Providence distributes its
various riches like a tender mother, who has love for all her off-
spring, however numerous. This gaudy flower naturally brings
to ruind the enormities which the treacherous Spaniards com-
mitted on the plains, where this plant springs spontaneously, led
on by the most ravenous appetite for plunder; the infatuated
pillagers attempted to enlighten the unfortunate heathen, who, in
the simplicity of their hearts, poured out their adorations to the
sun, as the grandest object which their imaginations could con-
ceive, and their glaring and favorite flower will ever remain as
a memento of the folly of those, who attempt to inspire ihe
ignorant with an idea of pure religion, through the assistance
of craft and cruelty. Had the Spaniards returned to Europe
loaded with plants and seeds, which would have been an excite-
ment to industry, instead of gold and precious stones, which
naturally lead kingdoms,as well as individuals, to voluptuous idle-
ness, the Spanish nation might, at this period, have been one of the
most wealthy and happy kingdoms in Europe, instead of being
impoverished by pride, and depopulated by dissensions. Thefirst mention we have of the annual Sunflower in England, is by
Gerard, who notices it in the year 1596, under the name of the
Flower of the Sun or the Marigold of Peru. He tells us that
it had grown to the height of fourteen feet in his garden at Hol-
born, producing flowers that measured sixteen inches over, and
adds, that in Spain, it has been known to reach the height of
twenty-four feet. The French call this flower Soleil and Tourne-
sol, from a vulgar error that the blossoms turn to the sun ; where-
as the flowers branch out on all sides of the plant, and those
which face the east at the opening of the day, never turn to the
west at the close of it. They have been seen pointing towards
every bearing of the compass on the same plant. It is unfit for
the small parterre, but when planted among shrubs or young
trees, or on the borders of woods, its imitative suns shine to advan-
tage. It is a flower we would recommend to young students in
botany, since its great size will enable them to understand the class
and order in which it is placed, better than any other plants of the
same class. Linneeus adopted the term Syngenesia, a generat-
ing together, for this class, which, as it includes all the com-
pound flowers, from the modest daisy to the gay dahlia, forms one
of the most interesting classes. It contains a natural order of
plants, perfectly distinct from any others which the vegetable cre-
ation presents to our view; consequently their arrangement in
the artificial system of the illustrious Swede is peculiar to them-
selves. It could not be defined by the number of stamens and
pistils, since all the numerous genera contain the same, which
made it necessary to fincl other characters in the flowers, so as to
form the basis of subdivision. For this purpose Linnaeus adopt-
ed the polygamy or intermixture of sexes in the florets. The
characters pf the class Syngenesia, being of a decidedly different
nature from other flowers, may be easily known. It consists,
first, in the congeration of the anthers, which is uniform through-
out all its numerous genera; and secondly, that more than one
floret is always contained in each calyx; this is sufficient to
determine any plant belonging to the class Syngenesia. The
Sunflower, more particularly the single one, presents you with a
clear idea of the class and order to which it belongs, since you
see the parts on a large scale. The common receptacle sup-
porting all the numerous florets on its surface, each of these
florets is in fact a separate monopetalous flower, having withinitself ifie parts necessary for the formation of the seed. These
numerous florets are surrounded by a ray of petals, whose office is
to protect the whole interior assemblage of flowers, as the houses
of a city are surrounded by a wall. This flower is placed in the
third order or division of the class Syngenesia, and which order is
named Polygamia Frustranea, because the florets of the margin
next the petals are neuter, that is, containing neither stigma nor
anthers—-which is expressed by the term frustraned, from frnstra,
to no purpose. The florets of the disk or centre of the flower are
bisexual, containing a pistil, headed by a divided stigma, termed
bipartic, which is surrounded by five anthers. Each of these florets
is succeeded by a seed, and so numerous are the florets in a large
single Sunflower, that Barchin tells us he has known them to
contain 2362 seeds in one flower. The more double this flower
becomes, the less seed it produces ; as it becomes double by the
change of the tubular into ligular florets, like the petals in the
ray, only smaller. The seeds of the Sunflower, when peeled,
have a taste similar to sweet almonds, and from their oily nature
they are an excellent food for fattening domestic poultry; but it
is with difficulty they can be protected from the ravages of small
birds, many of whom eat them with the greatest avidity, leaving
the receptacle like an empty honeycomb. For ornamental pur-
poses, the.seed should be saved from the largest and most double
flowers, which will be found on the top of the principal stem,
those on the side branches being smaller, and frequently having
abortive seeds. When the seeds are ripe, the heads should be
cut off with a part of the stem, and hung up in a dry, airy place
for a few weeks, when they may be rubbed out and put in bags
or boxes until the time of sowing, which is during the month of
March. The seed should be sown on a bed of common earth,
and when the plants are about six inches high they may be
removed with a ball of earth to their roots and planted where they
are to flower; but we prefer setting the seeds where they are to
remain, as the plants are generally finer than those to be removed.

The Helianthus Multiflorus—Perennial Sunflower, is
a native plant of Virginia; it was early introduced into various
countries. It is easily increased by parting the roots, will stand
a smoky atmosphere, and continues giving forth flowers all
summer.

The last species of much importance to mention, is the Heli*anthus Tuberosa—Jerusalem Artichoke, a plant that was
formerly much cultivated for the sake of its tubers, which were
formerly relished; the supposition, however, having obtained
credence that these were very unhealthy, tending to produce
flatulency and dyspepsia, has almost sunk them in oblivion.
It should be understood that this is not the true Artichoke, which
is the fleshy receptacle of the Cynara Scolymus, and still pre-
serves its esculent reputation. Mr. Noble says :—The Artichoke
is but very little known as a farm crop as yet, and its properties
and uses are not understood or appreciated as they should be.
This root possesses a strong propensity to grow. It seems to
thrive on almost every kind of soil, and is less affected by the
seasons than any other crop with which I am acquainted, though
the better the soil, and the more favorable the season, the greater
will be the product of this as well as other crops. Of its ability
to stand late frosts and severe drought, I had the fullest proof the
past season. While all other crops in this section of the country
were nearly destroyed by these influences, my field of Artichokes
stood out in bold relief, as if in defiance of the worst weather
that could blow, grew on and produced a splendid crop. As a
root crop it possesses decided advantages over all others, in
being more certain, and costing less in its production ; while in
the point of value in nutriment I believe it is not inferior to
any. (The opinions of some learned men to the contrary not-
withstanding.)

In addition to the value of the roots, the tops, when cut in sea-
son and rightly cured, furnish a large amount of fodder (say
from three to five tons per acre), which is much relished by
sheep, horses, and cattle; and to these advantages, it does not
require planting after the first season, and the crop may be left
in the ground all winter, without any danger of injury from freez-
ing; 011 the contrary, the roots are benefited by the frosts of
winter.

I have fed these roots to all kinds of stock, and they all seem
to relish them much. The two last seasons I have fed them to
my whole flock of sheep, and the effect evidently was to increase
the growth of wool, and cause the ewes to yield an abundance
of milk, as shown by the large fleeces, and the fine, thrifty, and
vigorous lambs. Previous to using Artichokes, I fed potatoes in
the same manner, but I give the former a decided preference.I have tried several modes of cultivating the Artichoke. The
plan I would recommend is, to put the ground in good order, as
for potatoes or corn; then with a plow open furrows four inches
deep and three feet apart, as straight as possible, so that a plow
or cultivator can work between, close to the rows. Then drop
the sets ten inches apart in the furrows—if large sets are used,
they can be cut into pieces of three or four eyes each, like pota-
toes—then cover with a plow, and smooth with a light harrow.

The after culture to consist of a thorough harrowing about the
time the first plants make their appearance, followed by two or
three dressings with a cultivator, at suitable intervals during the
early part of summer—nothing more is necessary to insure a
good crop.

I generally leave the crop in the ground till the frost is out in
the spring. I then plow the ground and gather all the roots that
can be found, then plow again and gather again. When all are
gathered that can be found in this way, there will be enough
roots left to fill the ground with plants for a new crop. When
the young plants appear above ground, all that is necessary to be
done, is to go through with a cultivator, and cut them up in such
a manner as to leave rows as when first planted. By repeating
this cultivation two or three times, the work will be done for a
second crop.

It is advisable to plant Artichokes where they can remain
quite a number of years, as it is difficult to eradicate the roots
from the ground; and besides, the trouble and expense of re-
planting is thereby avoided.

It will, of course, be necessary to manure the ground occa-
sionally, unless it is uncommonly rich. This can easily be done
immediately after gathering the crop in the spring.

The classical origin of the Sunflower is given as follows :—
Clytie, daughter of Oceanus, was very jealous of Apollo, and
deeply affected by his inconstancy, she brooded so long on her
misfortune, as gradually to pine away and die. A.t a solemn
conclave held at Olympus, she was changed into a Sunflower,
and bearing his likeness, still turns to her beloved as he daily
pursues his course, giving thus a perpetual token of her un-
changing and devoted affection. Moore says :

The Sunflower turns to her god when he sets,

The same look which she turned when he rose.Uplift, proud Sunflower, to thy favorite orb,

That disk, whereon his brightness seems to dwell,

And as thou seem’st his radiance to absorb,

Proclaim thyself the garden’s sentinel.

Bernard Barton.

And when along the rising sky,

Her god in brighter glory turned,

* Still there her fond observant eye,

And there her golden breast she turned.

When calling from their weary height,

On western waves his beams to rest,

Still there she sought the parting sight,

And there she turned her golden breast.

But soon as night’s invidious shades,

Afar his lovely looks had borne,

With folded leaves and drooping head,

Full sore she grieved as one forlorn.

Such duty in a flower displayed,

The kind observers smiled to see,

Forgave the pagan rites it paid,

And loved its fond idolatry.

In ihe Encyclopedia of Plants, the editor follows the above
poetical notion, bnt its falsity is so fully known, and as we have
spoken of the error before, we may leave the subject. Our
plate represents one of the largest and most brilliant of the Sun-
flower species, perfectly similar to the one Gerard has described
in the preceding pages.

The Orchis Tribe.

The class Gynandria, to which this tribe belongs, is perhaps
the most curious of all the curious classes Linnajus presents to
us; the ostensible character from which the name is derived, is
the insertion of the stamens upon the pistil; but these organs are
so different generally, in both shape and color, from those we
conunonly see, that with a few exceptions their total absence
would be imagined by one unacquainted with these facts.Modern arrangement has divided the family we are about con-
sidering into upwards of 300 different genera, some of which
are named, Orchis, Satyrium, Orphrys, Habenaria, Gymna-
denia, Hermirum, Aceras, Goodyeara, Bartholina, Serapias,
Disa, Pterygodium, Neottia, Ponthicoa, Diuris, Thelyriitra,
Listera, Epipactis, Pogonia, Caladenia, Glossodia, Ptero-
8tylis, Calcya, Calopogon, Arethusa, Bletia, Geodorum,
Calypso, Malaxis, Isochilus, Corallarrhiza, Stelis, Orni-
thedium, Cryptarrhena, Aekides, Simodorum, Pleurotiiallis,
Octomaeria. Most of these species are of perennial duration
and grow in moist and shady places, where vegetable earth
abounds ; some of them, more especially in tropical climates, as
the tribe of Epidendrons, exist only as parasites, and are at-
tached to the bark of trr -s by their fleshy fibred roots. Many of
them have tuberous roots, which gradually change to the charac-
ter of thick and branching fibres, all of which arc annually and
laterally renewed ; and Nuttall remarks, so that in many of the
tubers, as those of the Aplectrum and Epidendrum, the annually
rejected inert and withering tubers form concatenated links of seve-
ral individuals, possessing different degrees of vitality and powers
of reproduction. Most of them, with the exception of the fibrous
and clasping roots which we have mentioned, are of difficult
propagation, though we can promise some little success in their
cultivation ; nor will many of them exist at all, except in the
shade of the forest and amidst recent vegetable soil. Invariably
entire leaves of an oblong shape, embracing at the base a simple
stem, are their characteristics, with the flowers arranged in spikes
or racemes. The majority of them are in the order Monandria,
and a few in Diandria. They are well distributed into sections,
by three different forms of the anther, the texture of the pollen
being used by Mr. Brown for further distinction. To describe
minutely all these genera would require volumes; in our com-
pass it would be difficult to explain thoroughly one of them;
we will consequently give all we can—a bird’s-eye view. Phil-
lips remarks, that this family of plants, so singular in their con-
struction and so beautiful in their appearance, should so often be
excluded from the parterre, evinces a want of taste in floricul-
ture, or a strong predilection for ancient prejudices and absurd
opinions. Even the poets have failed to celebrate this flower,
which so richly enamels our vernal pastures with its spiral bios-soms, and so sweetly contrasts its purple spikes with the yellow
furze of the English hills. The Greeks named it Orchis from
the form of the roots in many of the species ; and this appellation
is now general in most European languages. In addition to
the Greek name the Latins often called it Satyrion, because the
early Romans believed it to be the food of the satyrs, and that it
excited them to those excesses to which fabulous history so much
addicls them. In mythology the Satyri are represented as demi-
gods, who chiefly attended upon Bacchus; but Pliny speaks of
them from report as animals which inhabited a part of India.
It is related by Pausanias, Plutarch, and other ancient historians,
that a satyr was brought to Sylla, as that general returned from
Thessaly. The monster was taken alive, and is stated to have an-
swered in every degree the descriptions given of the satyrs by
the painters and poets. Sylla was so disgusted with the sight
of the monster, that he ordered it to be instantly removed. The
Orchis root being represented as the favorite diet of the imaginary
satyrs, it naturally became celebrated as one of the most stimu-
lating medicines known ; and it is so described by all medical
writers on simples, from Dioscorides down to the present day ;
but most of these accounts are too ridiculous and indelicate to
transcribe, and we trust they will be so far disregarded as not
to shut this beautiful plant out of the gardens of this enlightened
age ; nor would we debar the medical man from ascertaining
the real quality of these bulbs, the juice of which is so strongly
recommended as a cooling application to inflamed surfaces, and
a resolutive to accelerate the suppuration of indolent tumors, to
say nothing of its powers in the electuary diasatyrion. It i3 told
us that the Orchis owes its origin to the lascivious son of the
satyr Patellanus and the nymph Acolasia, who presided at the
feasts celebrated in honor of Priapus. The youth being present
at the celebration of the feast of Bacchus, injured one of the
priestesses of that god, which so incensed the bacchanalians
against him that they tore him in pieces; and all the remedy
which his father could obtain from the gods was, that his man-
gled corpse should be transformed into a flower, which should
retain his name of Orchid as a blot upon his memory. [For a
true version of this distorted narrative see 1 Samuel ii. 22.] The
Persians and Turks call the roots of the Orchis Salop ; and it is
with these bulbs, as well as the palmated roots of other species

Lof Orchis, that they prepare their favorite drink of salop, which is
made palatable by the addition of milk and ginger. This beve-
rage is drunk hot. The florists have not proved more negligent
in cultivating these curious plants than the botanists have been
anxious to collect the different species of them from all quarters
of the known world, and from their exertions we now possess
eighty distinct species, besides numerous varieties of several of
the kinds.

We cannot passover the natural tribes without recommending
them to the notice of all true admirers of flowers. The idea that
they will not bear cultivation is as foolish as the old story of their
springing from the blackbird and thrush. Several species have
been transplanted with success, and the early varieties never
fail to draw attention by the beauty of their spotted foliage and
the riches of their purple and lilac colors. The plants are gene-
rally collected as soon as they have appeared above the ground,
taking them up with as much earth as possible about their roots,
and planting them in the garden in a similar soil to that from
which they were taken, and where they have often remained for
several years without the ground being disturbed, and been
found stronger than in their natural situations. Phillips, in the
year 1812, planted many of these bulbs under some trees, on a
small bank in a garden, and in 1816 several young plants were
found growing in a turf plot adjoining, which must evidently
have sprung from the seeds of those planted on the bank; they
were of the vwris, mascula and nstulala kinds. It would be
more desirable to collect the bulbs in the summer, which might
be easily done by placing a small stick in the earth, on the north
side of the plant when in flower, and to take them up in July
and October, before the foliage be entirely decayed. The
Ophrys are far less common than the Orchis, but these are most
frequently found in chalky soils, that are kept moist by the par-
tial shade of coppice wood. It germinates by seed. That it does
not increase by a viviparous nature, like many other bulbs, seems
pretty certain, by our not finding any of these plants growing in
clusters like the crocus, snowdrop, tulip, or hyacinth. Like the
meadow Orchis, it has two distinct bulbs, united at the top, one
of which only sends up a stein: and during the season that this
bulb is nourishing the flowers and seeds, it becomes shrunk
and shrivelled, but the dormant bulb swells and increases instrength, and sends up a flowering stalk the following year, leav-
ing its companion bulb to rest and recruit in its turn. When
these bulbs are divided the plant is sure to perish, as has been
experienced by taking off the dormant bulb and planting the
flowering one in a small pot, where it continued to flourish and
produce blossoms; but on examining the earth in the autumn,
there was no part of the bulb remaining, whilst those that had
been planted with the two bulbs were found as already describ-
ed—the one in a shrivelled state, from which the stem was de-
cayed, and the other become full and pushing out its stem. The
name of Ophrys, which is given to these plants, is derived from
the Greek, eyebrow, one species having anciently been used
either to blacken the eyebrows or to make them grow. The
Ophrys Muscifera—Fly Ophrys, is so named from its great
resemblance to a fly, and on this account it is made to represent
Error or Mistake in floral language. It is generally in flower
from the end of May to the beginning of July; it has a slender
stem, from twelve to eighteen inches in height, and is rarely
seen with more than three leaves, which sheathe the stem at the
base, which are of a pale green color and lanceolatc-shape. The
flowers expand in succession, beginning at the bottom, and it is
not common to see more than three or four expanded at the
same time; as the lower ones decay, others open higher up, at the
spike, until the whole have blossomed. A spike seldom con-
tains more than fifteen flowers, and seldom less than four or
five. They are thinly scattered on the stem, which adds con-
siderably to the deception, for were they numerous it would
lessen the effect. The calyx divides with three lanceolate leaves
of pale green, out of which issues a corolla or petal, so bent, cut,
or painted, as to resemble a fly with its head in the calyx. The
velvet-like pubescence of the corolla, and the blue mark dividing
the chocolate-color, contribute much to the resemblance of this
vegetable substance to an animal body.

The Ophrys Apifera—Bee Opiirys, the one represented in
our plate, flowers about a month later than the Fly Ophrys, and
the flowering spike is thicker and shorter than the other, being
generally from six to ten inches in height. The flowers are con-
siderably broader and closer set, and in shape and color resemble
a small humble-bee. The spike seldom produces more than
four or six flowers, but, like the other, continues a considerablelime in blossom before it withers, unless too much exposed to
the sun and winds. The leaves are of an ovate lanceolate-shape,
silvery underneath, and larger than those of the Fly Ophrys.
It was included among the Insectifeka of Linnaeus, and is a
native of several parts of Europe, and loves a somewhat chalky
and meadow soil. It is of course the emblem of Ixdustry. As
the seed ripens in August, it would be worth the experiment of
those who have room and a suitable soil, to scatter it on the
ground in favorable situations, similar to that in which it grows
naturally ; but as most bulbous roots raised from seed, require
some years before they have strength to send up flower-stalks,
these must not be expected for at least three or four years. We
should recommend, at the same time, that a portion of the seed
should be sown in a bed of earth congenial to the nature of the
plant, and very slightly covered with vegetable mould, as we
observe the plants to be generally most abundant amongst de-
cayed leaves. We should also recommend the bed to be kept
covered with moss, which would keep the earth moist and pro-
tect it from frost, which should be kept down by laying slender
twigs over it, and pegging them down with little forked branches.

The Cypiupedium, or Ladies’ Slipper, is another member of
this wonderful family ; its large, puffed up, bladder-like lip gives
it the name. Many of its species have four petals, the under one
bifid. In rich woods, where there is plenty of shade, these are
commonly certain to be present, and may easily be found when
in flower, which is from May to June. Nuttall says, they have
copiously fibrous roots, and, with the exception of the C. Nudi-
caule, leafy, simple stems, more or less pubescent; the leaves are
very broad, nicely plaited, and spring directly from the stem;
the flowers, of which there are from one to three 011 a stein, are
part white, but mostly yellow or red predominates. In Europe,
there is but one species. In India there are several very strange
species, the most of which have evergreen leaves. Six species,
yielding in nothing, in respect to either beauty or size, to any
found elsewhere, belong to our country.The Narcissus,

This beautiful genus of flowers is a great favorite in the
United States. As the species are almost entirely cultivated for
the show, we meet with it generally in the double form, where it
is, as usual with flowers in such cases, completely transformed.
We find the stamens changed in their growth and turned to
petals, and the pistillium metamorphosed into the infertile rudi-
ments of one or more additional flowers. They are in the class
Hexandria, order Monogynia. The generic characters are :—
corol bell-form, spreading, six-parted, equal and superior; the
nectary one-leaved and bell-form, enclosing the stamens. Phil-
lips remarks, that this beautiful family of flowering bulbs, so
celebrated by the ancient poets, have many names, and fol-
lowing him, we shall commence with the species distinguished
by the name of Daffodil—Pseudo Narcissus, which was one
of the flowers the daughter of Ceres was gathering when she
was seized by Pluto. It was evidently considered by the earlier
English writers as a kind of lily, and we are of opinion that the
name i3 a corruption of Dis’s lily, as it is supposed to be the
flower dropped from the chariot of that god in his flight with
Proserpine. Gerard calls them Daffadowndillies ; and they are
known as chalice flowers, from the shape of their nectary, and
Lent lilies, from the time of their flowering. That which bears
the earliest, is the N. Minor—Spanish Daffodil, which is noted
for its resistance of cold, and its rapid propagation by roots,
though the flowers are of diminutive size, yet they make a pleas-
ing variety with the snowdrop and other early flowering plants,
and give a gaiety to the walks of the shrubbery, when planted
in large clusters. The common Daffodil is a native of England,
where it blossoms in March, but with us, more commonly in
May, and is useful for the embellishment of wet pasture, ihe
banks of orchards, the borders of woods and cottage gardens.
They should be planted with a liberal hand, amongst the ever-
greens that are seen from the principal walks and windows of
the house, avoiding as much as possible the appearance of the
gardening art, by clumps set at distances. They should be scat-
tered, as it were, by nature’s hand, sometimes half obscured byshrubs, and at others springing out of the green turf, beneath the
spreading branches of some sable-clad tree ; for beauties but half
discovered are the most coveted, as the charms of the moon’s beams
are increased by passing clouds. The single Daffodils require no
further attention than to observe the spot where they grow,so as not
to cut their roots by the hoe or spade ; but the double varieties
should be taken out of the ground with other curious bulbs ; for
by remaining in the earth they will return to their single natu-
ral state, which the florist improperly terms degenerating. These
bulbs should be replanted about the end of October, observing
to open a space of ground the size intended for the clump, and
then cover them with earth. It is said that its flowers often fail,
and an amusing story is told of this being cultivated with great
care in Holland, and returned to England under the name of
Phoenix or Soleil d’ Or; after tending the forced plant with much
care, they were surprised they possessed in it nothing better than
the false Narcissus.

Narcissus Poeticus—Poet’s Narcissus, is an ornamental
bulbous plant, having a perennial root ; segments reflexed and
imbricate at base ; cup expanded, flat, their anthers shorter than
the tube; leaves erect, narrow. This favorite flower has been
made the emblem of Egotism and Self-love, from the well
known story of the boy Narcissus, who was changed into this
plant for slighting the fair Ecbo in favor of his own shadow

Narcissus on the glassy verdure lies,

But whilst within the crystal fount he tries
To quench his heat, he feels new heats arise,

For as his own bright image he surveyed,

He fell in love with the fantastic shade;

And o’er the fair resemblance hung unmoved,

Nor knew, fond youth, it was himself he loved.

She saw him in his present misery,

Whom spite of all her wrongs she grieved to see ;

She answered sadly to the lover’s moan,

Sighed back his sighs, and groaned to every groan.

Ah youth ! beloved in vain, Narcissus cries,

Ah youth, beloved in vain, the Nymph replies.

Farewell, says he, the parting sound scarce fell
From his faint lips, but she replied, farewell.

Then on the wholesome earth he gasping lies,

Till death shuts up those self-admiring eyes,To the cold shades his flitting ghost retires,

And in the Stygian wave itself admires,

For him the Naiads and the Dryads mourn,

Whom the sad Echo answers in her turn ;

And now the sister nymphs prepare his urn,

When looking for his corpse, they only found
A rising stalk with yellow blossoms crowned. Addison’s Ovid.

On this account the flower retains the name of Narcissus in all
the enlightened nations of Europe, though some etymologist de-
rived ihe word from the Greek, narke, signifying stupor, from its
narcotic quality. The Poet’s Narcissus produces but one flower
on a stalk, which inclines to one side, and takes a horizontal
position. The corolla is of a,pure white, and expands quite
flat, the petals being rounded at the joints ; the cup or nectary in
the centre is very short, and fringed on the border with a bright
purple circle ; sometimes this flower is found with a crimson
edge to the nectary, and we occasionally meet them with two
flowers issuing from one spathe. They flower in England, from
the middle of April to the end of May ; somewhat later, of
course, with ourselves, and have a very agreeable and sweet per-
fume. The double white Narcissus, a variety of the poet’s
flower, is generally esteemed, either in the garden or when planted
in pots for the house, and but few flowers are better cultivated to
fill the vase of the saloon or ornament the epergne for the dinner
table. The Polyanthus Narcissus is so called, on account of its
producing many flowers on one stalk. The generic name of
this species, Tazetta, is from the Italian, and signifies a little cup,
given on account of the smallness of its nectary. It is a native
of the East, and some say also of the southern parts of Europe.
The Chinese call it the Shuey seen for, and it is used by them
for religious purposes at the New Year. These bulbs are sent
every year from Chinchew, being only kept in Canton during
the time of their flowering. They are planted in pots, made to
* retain water, filled with sand or small stones. It is a valuable
flowering bulb, both on account of the early season at which it
blossoms, and the numerous flowers it gives out from one stalk,
as well as for its agreeable odor; on this account the florists in
Europe have taken great pains in improving it by cultivation,
and raising numerous varieties of it from seed. The bulbs
should be planted in October, in good fresh earth, of rather a
light loamy nature, with a small portion of sand well mixed withit. The bulbs that are planted in pots should receive but
moderate watering, so as to keep up a slight moisture ; but at the
time of their flowering a more plentiful supply of water will
greatly assist them. From the end of October to the middle of
November is the proper time to place these bulbs in the glasses
to flower with hyacinths, and for this purpose the variety called
the Cyprus Narcissus is the most desirable. It should be ob-
served not to place the same bulbs in water two successive years.
After they have flowered, and the leaves are quite decayed, they
should be laid in a shady situation to dry, but not where they
may receive a draught of air ; in this state they may be preserved
until the season for planting them in the natural ground or in
pots of earth.

The Narcissus Jonquilla—Jonquil. This has also a pe-
rennial bulbous root. The spathe is one or three-flowered;
segments reflexed, spatulate ; cup much shorter than segments,
saucer-shaped, spreading, erenate. This, in floral language, is
made the emblem of Desire, and is distinguished from other
species of Narcissus by its rush-like foliage, and hence the name
derived from juncvs, a rush. It is the most fragrant of all the
species of Narcissus, generally too much so for some rooms. It
flowers well in water, and forms a good figure in the grass
with other Narcissuses, as its color is of the brightest yellow.
When planted in the open ground, it prospers best in a south-
east aspect, and it flowers stronger if an oystershell or tile be
put beneath the bulb to prevent the roots running too deep
into the earth. The bulbs of a single Jonquil may remain
undisturbed in the earth a number of years, but the double
variety should be taken out of the ground when the leaves are
quite decayed, as it will otherwise return to its natural single
state, to the disappointment of the admirers of double-petalled
flowers. When planted in the open garden, the Jonquil should
be placed in clumps of considerable size, as it then makes an
agreeable figure, both by its rushy foliage and its fine yellow
flowers, and its roots are less liable to get cut up or injured than
when scattered three or four in a bunch in various parts of the
border. They should be sheltered from the southwest wind by
evergreen shrubs, which will also be found to lengthen the dura-
tion of the flowers and improve their appearance, contrasting
to advantage with the dark foliage.The Hop.

The Humulus Lupulus—Hop, belongs in the class Dicecia,
order Pentandria. The generic name is derived from the Latin
humus, moist or fresh earth, which is the soil it loves. Its char-
acters are :	Male—calyx five-leaved ; corolla, none. Female—

calyx one-leaved, spreading obliquely, entire; corolla none; styles
two ; seed one, within a leafed calyx. Pliny considers its spe-
cific name given on account of its growing among the willows,
and was as destructive, by winding around and choking them up,
as the wolf (lupus) to the flock. It belongs to the Nettle family
—Urticacese. It is a native of most countries in Europe, as well
as of the United States, proving that whatever is really valuable
to man is found universally diffused and ready to his hand for
use. From its great value it is more frequently seen in the cul-
tivated state, than when growing wild. It is not only very use-
ful but very ornamental. The root is perennial. The stems,
which are annual, are long and climbing, turning from right
to left, quite rough, and covered with small prickles, which are
bent backwards. The leaves are placed opposite each other on
long winding footstalks ; the smaller ones are somewhat heart-
shaped, the larger more deeply lobed, generally cut into three or
five parts, toothed on the margin, veined, a^td noted for their ex-
treme roughness. The flowering branches are axillary, or come
out from the angle between the leaf and stem ; they are rough and
angular. The appendages at the base, between the petioles, are
of a reversed egg-shape, generally numbering from two to four.
The flowers are of a greenish yellow color, and exceedingly nu-
merous, and present a very, we can use no other term, genteel ap-
pearance ; on which account, gentility, instead of its old em-
blem injustice, has been proposed as a substitute in floral lan-
guage. It has no corolla; the anthers are oblong, supported
on short filaments, and have two terminal pores which burst to
eject the pollen. The calyx of the barren plant has five spread-
ing concave leaves, somewhat oblong in shape ; those of the
fertile flowers are in the form of a catkin. The germ is com-
pressed, somewhat round, supported by two short styles which
have long, narrow, sharp-pointed, and hairy stigmas. The calyx,scales, and corolla swell into a permanent strobile, which bears
roundish seeds. These, when full grown, are the part sold in
commerce under the name of Hops, which name is derived from
the Anglo-Saxon hoppan, which signifies to climb, given on ac-
count of the habits of the plant. The flowers make their ap-
pearance in August.

Dr. Ives of this city instituted a very interesting and valuable
series of experiments relative to the properties of this plant.
He found that there was a characteristic taste belonging to

O O

leaves, stem, and all parts of the plant; and besides this, in the
woody scaled catkin, an aromatic heavy odor, and strong bitter
taste, which upon examination was found to proceed from a
semi-resinous substance in lhe form of small yellow globules
formed on the outside of the scales of the calyx and corolla, and
about the base. In this substance, as Dr. Smith observes, appears
to reside the whole bitterness and fragrance for which it is so
universally prized. It is separated by rubbing and sifting, when
it appears like a fine yellow powder; if the fingers are warm, it
will, from its resinous nature, adhere to them, and also burn freely.
It is called lupuline.

The hop has for a long time been used in the manufacture of
beer, and is annually brought into our city in immense quantities.
It communicates an agreeable flavor, and brewers consider it has
also a preservative quality in preventing the rising or fermenta-
tion. As the Hop is very light and considerable is used, an
enormous loss takes place from its absorption, as one barrel of
wort is absorbed by every sixty pounds used in brewing. Were
it in our power to introduce a substance that would prove twenty
times more troublesome and costly in the manufacture of beer,
vve would willingly do so, but we are compelled to state that the
introduction of lupuline has of course all the advantageous pro-
perties of the Hop, without any of its inconvenience. It has
been calculated that one pound of this substance could be ob-
tained from every six pounds of Hops. It is a valuable tonic,
and very useful in dyspeptic complaints, either fermented or in
tincture and infusion. Hop pillows are sometimes, without
doubt,useful as anodynes; and poultices made with them are of
universal application. The young shoots of the plant are boiled
and eaten as asparagus, and are considered healthy. As the fibres
of the vine are tough and flexible, a coarse cloth has been madeof them in Europe; but the most common form is that of bags
for storing the hops themselves, for putting them away or carry-
ing them to market. From two to five grains of the lupuline is
generally given as a dose, twice a day.

The Mandrake.

This is a deciduous herbaceous plant, perennial in its duration,
and bearing a white flower in May. Its leaves are white, large,
broad, and smooth, like the leaves of the beech tree. It is in the
natural order Solanacese, and belongs to the class Pentandria,
order Monogynia. The name is probably derived from the Ger-
man vnandragem, resembling a man. A great many foolish
stories are still circulated and believed respecting this renowned
plant, and by request we will give its history, which we take
from Phillips, an English writer, and whose description is con-
sequently suited to that country :	This plant, which has been

rendered celebrated by absurdity, is indigenous to classic ground ;
and on this account, as well as the wonderful tales that have been
handed down to us from antiquity, it naturally excites some de-
gree of interest in the inquisitive mind. In symbolical language,
the Mandrake is made the emblem of anything rare or extraor-
dinary ; and from the earliest ages appears to have excited great
veneration among the inhabitants of eastern countries, on ac-
count of its supposed extraordinary properties and of its rarity.
It is generally believed to be the same plant which the ancient
Hebrews called Dudaim. That these people held it in the highest
esteem in the days of Jacob, is evident from the notice of its
having been found by Reuben, who carried the plant to his
mother; and the inducement which tempted Leah to part with
it, proves the value they set upon this celebrated plant. As we
have no authority for believing the Hebrews used the Mandrake
for superstitious purposes, it is most probable that they were ac-
quainted with its anodyne and soporific qualities; and perhaps
it was the only opiate known in that age, which alone would
render it an invaluable root to persons who could receive no medi-
cal assistance except what their own household afforded. It wasthought to possess the property of making childless wives become
mothers; and hence some suppose Rachel became so desirous
to possess the Mandrake that Reuben had found. The Greeks
were evidently acquainted with its dangerous properties, as is
shown by the names bestowed on it; that of Cireium being de-
rived from Circe, a witch celebrated in fable for her knowledge
of magic and venomous herbs. The fables, originally intended
to instruct and caution the ignorant, were frequently so transformed
in the songs of poets as to lose their intention ; and they were
still more disguised by the crafty, who imposed upon the credu-
lous through some pretended miraculous stories of antiquity.
Thus, we are told by old medical impostors, that when the Man-
drake was taken from the earth, it gave a dreadful shriek, and
struck the daring person with death who had the presumption to
dig it from its bed ; and therefore it was obtained by fastening
the root to the tail of a dog, who thus drew it from the ground,
and on whom the penalty descended. The Romans appear to
have been very superstitious as to the manner of taking up this
root. Pliny tells that those who undertook this office took par-
ticular attention to stand where the wind was at their back ; and
before they began to dig, they made three circles around the
plant with the edge of the sword, and then turning to the west,
proceeded to take it up. We are disposed to think this ceremo-
ny was fin-! observed to prevent the too frequent use of so dan-
gerous a plant among the idolators of the early ages. In later
times, when the darkness of ignorance spread its wings over
Europe, this plant and its substitutes formed a profitable article
with the mountebank doctors of the early ages, when credulity
was at a sufficient height to believe that this root was a pre-
ventive against mischief and dangers of every kind. With this
belief the Germans formed little idols of the roots, to which they
gave the name of abrunes, which were regularly dressed every
day and consulted as oracles; and their repute was such that
they were manufactured in great numbers and sold in cases.
They appear to have been brought over to England in this state,
during the time of Henry the Eighth, and met with ready pur-
chases, it being pretended that they would, with the assistance of
some mystic words, be able to increase whatever money was
placed near them; and to give greater importance to these pre-
tended miracle workers, it was said that the roots of these plantswere produced from the flesh of criminals which fell from the
gibbet, and that they only grew in such situations; others pre-
tended it grew only in one small spot in China, from whence
they were procured with the greatest risk and danger. Gerard
states, to overcome this prejudice, that both himself and servant
had frequently dug up these roots without receiving harm, or
hearing any of the shrieks it was pretended these roots sent forth.
Madame de Genlis speaks of an author who gave the name of
Mandrake to certain sprites that are procured from an egg, which
must be hatched in a particular manner, and which comes forth
a littfe monster, half chick and half man, that must be kept in a
secret chamber and fed with the seed of spikenard, and that it
will then prophesy every day; which grave author also tells his
readers that some people of a weak judgment and fond of the
marvellous, pretend that these Mandrakes pay a tribute of a pis-
tole a day; but this he assures them is not true, and that all they
can do is to make their masters lucky at play, discover to them
treasures, and foretell what is to happen. In the Hist. Plant,
ascript. Boerhave, it is stated that this plant, brought into a
chamber or closed room, procures sleep to those that want it.
The Mandrake is a species or rather belongs to the family of the
deadly nightshade, which grows with a long taper root like the
parsnip, frequently running three or four feet deep. These roots
are frequently forked, which assisted to enable the old quacks
to give it the shape of a monster. This plant does not send up
a stalk, but immediately arises from a circle of leaves which at
first stand erect; but when grown to their full size, which is
about a foot in length and five inches broad, of an ovate lanceo-
late shape, waved at the edges; these spread open and lie 011
the ground ; they are of a dark green, and give out a foetid scent.
About the month of April in England, the flowers come out
among the leaves, each on a scape about three inches long; they
are of a bell shape, with a long tube and spread into a five-eleft
corolla. The color of the flowers of an herbaceous white ; but
frequently it has a tinge of purple. The flower is succeeded by
a globular soft berry, when full grown, as large as a common
cherry, but of a yellowish green color when ripe, and full
of pulp intermixed with reniform seeds. It grows naturally
in Spain, Portugal, Italy and the Tjevant; it is also indige-
nous to China, where it enters into the compositions preparedby the most skilful physicians of that country, and taken by
the mandarins with the flattering hope of having their exist-
ence prolonged by its powers. It is propagated by sowing the
seeds in the autumn, soon after they are ripe, which come up in
the spring, but if the seeds are kept until the spring they seldom
succeed. The earth should be light and of considerable depth,
for the root cannot make its way through chalk or gravel; and
when the soil is wet these plants do not prosper, as they are apt
to rot during the winter; but in good light earth and in warm
situations, the Mandrake root will continue sound longer than
the life of man. It should never be removed after it has attained
any considerable size ; as it is hardly possible to take it up with-
out breaking the lower fibres, which so stints the plant that, al-
though it may live, it seldom recovers its former strength.

Pliny observes, that for medicinal purposes, the plant should
be taken up about the time of vintage, as it is then fullest of its
powerful juice. The same author observes, that in some coun-
tries they eat the fruit or berries of this plant; but those who do
not understand the manner of preparing them, sometimes lose
their tongue, and become dumb after eating them. We learn both
from ancient and modern writers, that the Mandrake root is an
anodyne and soporific of a dangerous nature, if not administered
with great judgment, as it has been known to excite maniacal
fury, and has sometimes proved to be a mortal narcotic. The
berries have, however, been eaten without producing this effect;
but we cannot help condemning all such idle experiments, since
it is known that the seeds certainly possess deleterious qualities.

Roots,

It has been well observed that a root is never green, even when
exposed to the air and light. Its principal office seems to be to
fix the plant to the earth, and supply it with nourishment. The
mode in which it fulfils the former office is evident enough, but
the latter needs some explanation. We have before mentioned
the little bundle of leech-like mouths or tubes,, called spongioles;
these are endowed with a peculiar power of only sucking up anddigesting what is proper for the plant; they have little sentinels
at the doors which reject improper and poisonous substances.
The life-power, in many instances, holds a close analogy with
the mind, and like it, what is offensive at first, may, by continual
repetition, become at last agreeable, and even sometimes neces-
sary ; we have a good example of this in the influence of tobacco,
opium, and many other articles on the human frame, which fur-
nishes instances of what is called Tolerance of the Vital Powers.
Dr. Mitchell, of this city, had some peaches sent to him which
were perfectly salt; some brine had been accidentally thrown at
the base of the tree ; the salt bribed the sentinels, as it were, to
admit its particles, and it thus became universally disseminated
even in its fruit. Alcohol has found entrance into the drunk-
ard's veins, and when drawn from the arm has been ignited by
a torch. These, of course, are rare instances, yet answer to
illustrate the general principle. The root is that portion of the
embryo called its descending axis, which, when acted upon by
the same influences as the stem, goes downwards, while the other
ascends. Like an icicle, as a general rule, they increase in length
by the addition of new matter to their extremities, which, of
course, is furnished from within, and not like the freezing par-
ticles, from without.

With respect to duration, roots are either annual, biennial, or
perennial. As roots are reservoirs of nourishment for the plant,
which is expended in its growth, when it happens that the plant
consumes its supply as fast as it is elaborated, and ripens seed,
that most exhausting process to a plant, it has nothing after this
is done to afford it sustenance, and consequently dies the same
year it springs up ; such plants are termed annual. But there is
another kind which lays up a large store, and by not flowering,
or even spending much in the way of stems and branches, hav-
ing oftentimes but a mere bunch of leaves above the surface of
the ground to assist the working up of the food, waits the second
year, when its growth is remarkably rapid and vigorous, shooting
forth a large stem, and bearing flowers and fruit, and having
consumed all its capital, perishes like its predecessor—these are
termed biennial. The third class or perennial, while one por-
tion is consuming, is busily employed in laying up a store for
the ensuing year, and thus continues to live a long while.

The first class, or annual plants, have always branching, fibrousroots, merely adapted for absorption from the soil; they resem-
ble, in shape, the inverted branches of a tree : such are mustard,
barley, peas, beans, cucumbers : see fig. 43.

The second class, from their accumulation, swell out into
various shapes; those of the carrot are a common example, fig.
44; the reservoir being in the main trunk.

The third class have many forms, the rose, geranium, &c.,
are examples. Many of them become annual by transplantation
into cold climates, and vice versa.

Fig. 39 shows a scaly bulb, as in the white lily. Fig. 40, a
solid bulb, as in the crocus. Fig. 41, Transverse section of a
coated bulb. Fig. 42, a tubulous and pendulous root, as in the
peony. Fig. 45, a creeping root.

Fig. 35 shows the seed of a bean split in two; A A are the coty-
ledons or seed-leaves, to afford sustenance and protect the germ,
d Is the plumula or ascending axis, which is finally developed
into a stem on which the leaves and fruit are formed, e The
descending portion or root, which we have already described,
b Is the plant itself, in miniature. The point of union of the
ascending and descending axis, the crown or neck ; it is also
sometimes termed the collar. The name cotyledon comes from
the Greek, kotule, a cavity. The number of these varies in differ-
ent plants; all having two are called Dicotyledons, like the bean;
if but one, they are Monocotyledons, as the grasses and lilies. If,
as in the case of the mosses, we cannot trace any seed-leaves,
we term them Acotyledons. There are, sometimes, though
rarely, plants having more than two, to which the name of Poly-
cotyledons is applied. As the number of these seldom varies in
the same family, they have been assumed as a ground of classi-
fication by many botanists. An ancient botanist remarks, that
the embryo continues imprisoned within its seed, and remains
in a profound sleep, until awakened by germination, it meets
the light and air to grow into a plant similar to its parent. If,
therefore, the simple laws upon which plants are constructed are
kept in view, they will afford a ready explanation of all the
diversities exhibited by vegetables.The Heliotrope.

Tii is flower, though in a different genus, and totally unlike the
sunflower, is often confounded with it. To both of them has
been ascribed the now obsolete notion of their having the pro-
perty of turning to follow the course of the sun in the heavens;
a property possessed in a minor degree, undoubtedly, by many
flowers, but which arises from mechanical causes mostly, and is
by 110 means universal. We have many species common to our
country, but the one represented in our plate is, perhaps, the
finest of all. It is much prized as a hot-house plant, both in this
country and in Europe.

The Heliotropium Peruvianum—Peruvian Heliotrope, is
an evergreen trailer, a native, as its name denotes, of Peru.
The generic name was given by Jussieu, who, while botanizing
in the Cordilleras, suddenly inhaled the most exquisite perfumes.
He expected to find some brilliantly colored flowers, but per-
ceived only some pretty clumps of an agreeable green, bearing
flowers of a pale blue color. The clusters are generally com-
posed of small, delicate, fragrant flowers, of a faint purple or
white, sometimes red or bluish white. On approaching nearer
to them, he observed that the flowers turned gently towards the
sun, which they appeared to regard with reverential love. Struck
with this peculiar disposition of the plant, he gave it the name
of Heliotrope,which is derived from two Greek words, signifying
to turn with the sun. The learned botanist, delighted with the
acquisition, collected a quantity of the seeds and sent them to the
Jardin du Roi, at Paris, where it was first cultivated in Europe.
The ladies collected it with enthusiasm, placed it in their richest
vases—called it the flower of love—and received with indiffer-
ence every boquet in which their favorite was not found. It
bears sweet, lilac looking flowers, from May to September. The
character of the genus is :—calyx tubular, five-toothed ; corol
salver-form, cut in five pieces, and toothed in these divisions,
with an open throat, The specific character is:—leaves oblong,

Mlanceolate; stem shrubby; spikes numerous, agregate, corymbose.
Amie Martin remarks, that the Orientals say that the perfumes
of the Heliotrope elevate their souls towards heaven. It is true
they exhilarate us, and produce a degree of intoxication. The
sensation produced by inhaling them, may, it is said, be renewed
by imagination, even though years have passed away since the
reality was experienced. We think, however, it requires a very
considerable exercise of this power to produce such an effect,
and even then not more in this ease than it does in others. The
Countess Eleanora, natural daughter of Christian IV., King of
Denmark, who became so notorious by the misfortunes, crimes
and exile of Count Ulfeld, her husband, offers to us a striking
proof of the power of perfumes 011 the memory. This princess,
at the age of thirteen, had become attached to a young man to
whom she was subsequently affianced, but who died in the cas-
tle while they were making preparations for the marriage. Elea-
nora, in despair, wished to take a long, last look of the object of
her love, and if alive, to bid him a last adieu. She was conducted
into the chamber where he had just expired, and the body already
placed 011 a bier and covered with rosemary. The spectacle
made such a deep impression on ihe affianced maiden, that
though she afterwards exhibited courage equal to her misfor-
tunes, she never could breathe the perfume of rosemary without
falliim ii’.fo convulsions.

O

Heliotropium Indicum—Common Turnsole, is distinguished
by its rough, sharp leaves, somewhat heart-shaped. The spikes
are solitary, and do not present so pleasing an appearance as the
other. It flowers in July ; the mild blue color harmonizes well
with the leaves. Its fruit is bifid. The whole heighl of the
plant is from six to fourteen inches.

Heliotropium Curassavicum—Emily’s Brooch, is a low
plant, from six to ten inches in height, giving out yellowish
white flowers, in June, on spikes, which grow in pairs. Ihe
leaves are long, narrow, lance-shaped and thick, without either
apparent hair or veins.

There is another species commonly known, with white
flowers, and inodorous. These are all in the class Pentandria,
order Monogynia.

Tyas remarks, that an anonymous writer has made it em-
blematical of flattery, as it is said, when a cloud obscures the sky,to droop its head. But others suppose, that like the lover, whose
heart is sad when absent from his mistress, so the Heliotrope
droops because it is deprived of the cheering rays of the sun it
seems to adore. We give it, in accordance with this last opi-
nion, as the emblem of Devoted Attachment.

There is a flower whose modest eye
Is turned with looks of light and love,

Who breathes her softest, sweetest sigh
Whene’er the sun is bright above.

Let clouds obscure or darkness veil,

Her fond idolatry is fled,

Her sighs no more their sweets exhale,

The loving eye is cold and dead.

Canst thou not trace a moral here,

False flatterer of the prosperous hour.

Let but an adverse cloud appear,

And thou art faithless as the flower !

The Ranunculus,

This type of a natural order, the Ranuncuiaceae, is found in
the class Polyandria, order Polygynia. The generic name is de-
rived from rana, the Latin name of frog, because most of the
species grow in fenny places where these animals abound. It
contains a great number of acrid, bulbous, or tuberous-rooted
perennial plants. Its characters are :	Calyx	five-leaved ; petals

five to eight, with a honeyed pore at the claw; seeds naked. Many
of its species are remarkable for the virulent poison which often
lurks beneath their beautiful exterior; most of them will blister
Ihe skin if applied externally to the human body, not to men-
tion the fatal effects that would result from taking them into
the stomach. Some of them are double and much valued by
florists, commanding as they do very high prices. The subject of
°ur plate is one of these, and, with its various colored, double
flowering varieties, is one of the greatest ornaments of the gar-
den, presenting brilliantly colored flowers, nearly as large as roses,
and coming out at an early season of the year. The roots oflhe.se in a dry state, consisting, as Nuttall observes of little tufts
of cylindric tubes, are commonly imported, as well as those of
the Anemone from, Holland, the great mart of the florist. It
grows naturally in Persia and olher eastern countries. The
Turks cultivated it at Constantinople, for several ages before it
was generally known in other parts of Europe. In their lan-
guage, it is called Tarobolos Catainarlale, and their account of it
is, that a vizier, named Cara Mustapha, who delighted to con
template the beauties of nature in solitude, first observed, amongst
the herbage of the fields, this hitherto neglected flower, and wish-
ing to inspire the then reigning Sultan with a taste for plants
similar to his own, he decorated the gardens of the seraglio with
this new flower, which he soon found had attracted the notice
of his sovereign, upon which he caused it to be brought from all
parts of the East, where varieties could be found. But enclosed
within the inaccessible walls of the seraglio, these flowers re-
mained unseen by the rest of the world, until bribery, which
surmounts the loftiest towers, and breaks the strongest bolts, en-
tered the palace of the Sultan, and secured the roots of these
highly cherished plants, which soon flourished in every court in
Europe. We are told that this fine flower was one of the fruits
of the Crusades, and that St. Louis first brought it into France.
It must soon have been lost in that country, for Gerard, in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, tells us, that this kind of Ranunculus
“ groweth naturally in and about Constantinople and Asia, on
the further side of tjie Bosphorus, from whence plants have been
brought at divers times, but have perished by reason of the long
journey and want of skill in the bringers, who suffered them to
lie in a box, that when received, they were as dry as ginger.
The other kind, he says, grows in Alleppo and Tripoli, and in
Syria, naturally, from whence plants were received, and which
flourish as if they were in their own country.

The Dutch, who studied floriculture as an art connected with
commerce, soon turned the cultivation of the Ranunculus to a
profitable account; and they still continue to export these roots
in great quantities to every part of Europe and America, although
the English are said to have raised a greater variety of them than
any other nation. Maddock, who had upwards of eight hundred
sorts, says there are more varieties of this than of any other
flower; and he observes, that the seed in no instance ever pro*duces two flowers alike, or one similar to the parent plant, so
that the diversity of them may be carried to an amazing extent.
The finest and most approved sorts are propagated by dividing
the tubes, or by offsets from them ; a means of proceeding which
will make them retain all their original character for more than
twenty years. The most hardy of the garden species, even the
African—R. Sanguineus, which makes a brilliant appearance
by its vivid scarlet color, are but little esteemed in comparison
with the Asiatic. The African differs from it in having fewer but
larger leaves, which are of a darker green than those of the lat-
ter kind. The stem seldom produces more than one flower and
never exceeds two; but these are considerably larger than those
of the Persian, and very double, and a stem is frequently thrown
up from the centre of the flower, bearing a second corolla of a
smaller size. There are several varieties of this one kind, of the
color of the jonquil, another of the hue of the golden marigold,
with a green heart; but the variety most esteemed is of a fine
red color, spotted with yellow, called the Golden Turban. As
these kinds are less susceptible of frost than the Persian,
the roots are generally left in the earth throughout the year;
but this is a bad practice, as, when the soil or season is wet, they
are sure to return to their natural red color, by which means the
most beautiful varieties are frequently lost. This has not what
is generally termed either a palmated or tuberous root, but con-
sists of fibres. When the plant begins to vegetate, there grow
out of the part which surrounds-the eye many thin white threads,
that are of equal dimensions all their length, till they have fin-
ished their growth; they then swell out at the part adhering to
the trunk, and form one or more claws adhering to the old one,
which after having furnished the new ones with the nutritive
juices they contained, or enabled them to procure strength, the old
tubers are decomposed, and consequently vegetate but one year,
after ihe manner of many bulbs, or in a similar way to the buds
of trees, which throw out branches that form other buds whilst
the original is no more. Our species varies more in its color
than even the tulip, running from a black down to white, through
all the shades of reds, yellows, and browns; and indeed all colors,
excepting blue, may be found in these gaily painted flowers—the
criterion of whose perfection is, that they should produce a strong
stem not less than from eight inches to a foot, and that theyshould bear a flower at least two inches in diameter, well filled
with concave petals, that diminish in size as they approach the
centre. The corolla should be of a hemispherical form; its
component petals should be imbricated in such a manner as
neither to be too close and compact, nor too widely separated, but
have rather more of a perpendicular than a horizontal direction,
to display their colors with better effect. The petals should be
broad, and quite free from fringe or indentures at the edges ; the
beauty of their coloring consists in their being dark, clear, rich,
or brilliant; either of one regular color throughout, or otherwise
variously diversified, on white, ash, pale yellow, gold or fine
colored ground, either in regular stripes, or spots, or marble
mottled.

The aspect most congenial to them is that of the east, where
the situation is open, but free from draughts and sheltered from
the violent westerly winds that generally prevail during the early
part of their growth. The soil recommended by Maddock, the
greatest cultivator known of the Ranunculus, is a fresh, strong,
rich, loamy earth. An earth that cakes on the surface is the worst
that can be used to cover the tubers, and where the soil isol that
nature we should recommend a mixture of sand, more particu-
larly as the fibres of the tubers do not depend on the surface soil
for nourishment, but run deep into the earth. On this account
the earth should be dug out two feet in making the beds, and a
stratum of six inches be placed of well rotted manure; the hole
then filled up with common pulverized earth ; on this the tubers
should be placed about four inches from each other, with their
claws downwards ; and where the earth is of a cold or wet na-
ture, a little sand should be placed beneath each plant, and the
whole covered with a fine, light soil, as nearly as possible one
inch and a half in depth, which may be so much higher than the
bed of the border where they are planted in clumps. This should
be done in very early spring, and should severe frosts come on,
cover the spots of ground with loose moss or straw, which must,
however, be removed at the earliest opportunity, as it may make
them mouldy, and finally kill them if too long smothered. A
light cover of moss laid between the plants when they appear
above the surface, will be useful in breaking the force of hasty
showers and the waterings it is sometimes desirable to make.
When the foliage is changed and partly decayed, it will be wellto take the roots oat of the earth, doing it so as not to break off
the tubers. The stems should next be cut close off, and their
claws well cleansed and separated after they become dry and
brittle. A sieve, worked in water, is sometimes useful in doing
this. They should then be dried in a shaded place, and after-
wards tied in bags which hang suspended in a dry room. The
offsets attain perfection in the season of their formation ; but
where there are few, and it is desirable to increase the number,
the tubers may be carefully divided with a sharp knife; for on
closely examining the crown of these roots, several small protu-
berances will be found, from each of which a shoot will arise.
Seed for raising these plants should be procured lrom semi-
double flowers, that grow on strong tall stems, where the petals
are of a clear and rich color. It should remain on the plant till
it has lost its verdure, and become dry and brown. The heads
are then to be cut off and dried, and put in a warm dry place
until they are wanted for sowing, when they should be put on a
tea-tray and placed before the fire till they are just warm, and
the seeds can be carefully scraped off with a small knife. When
done properly, they will have the appearance of clean coarse
bran, with a spot in the centre of each cuticle, which is the ker-
nel. When the seed is thus prepared, it should be sown in a
shallow frame provided with sashes; the soil should be previously
taken out three feet deep, and spread thin upon the ground till it
has been perfectly frozen throughout, in order to destroy vermin;
filled again with the frozen earth, it shouid remain till all has
thawed and subsided to its old bulk ; on its smooth surface the
seeds should be sown so as to cover it, and light glasses placed
over the whole till the seed begins to swell, and a little earth sifted
over the whole gradually once or twice a week, till the seed dis-
appears, taking care to remember that the thickness of a twenty-
five cent piece will entirely prevent their vegetation. It is well to
carefully break the earth around the plants as they first sprout
up. Under a hot sun, it is necessary to admit fresh air, and
sometimes also the summer shower. This attention is requisite
till the foliage is dry and brown. The roots are then to be taken
up, as already advised ; those with two or three claws will blow
the following summer.

Neither the Persian nor African Ranunculus was known to the
Romans at the time of Pliny, who has described four specie®without noticing the beauty of the flower. From its caustic and
burning qualities, the green leaves were used to draw blisters
and take off marks in the skin, as well as for leprosy. Pliny
tells us the root was chewed as a cure for the toothache, but that
if kept long in the mouth it destroyed the teeth. The ancients
Also used it to poison the points of their arrows. Dr. Bigelow
tells us it is a remarkable fact, that a great portion of the weeds
which are most troublesome in the United States, are of Euro-
pean origin, having introduced themselves in this country.
Among others, are the Ranunculus species or Buttercups, as
they are commonly called ; the whole of which have a remarka-
ble resemblance to each other, which shows their relationship at
first sight. The Ranunculus Bulbosus—Bulbous Crowfoot,
is known by its compound leaves, and its erect, many-flowered
stem ; the stalk that supports the flower is deeply furrowed, the
flower-cup turned back, and the root bulbous, from whence its
name. It is found in dry pastures, mowing lands, and road-
sides, where it flowers abundantly from May to the middle of
June. We are told that a curious practice prevailed at one time,
in several countries of Europe, of applying this root to the wrist
or fingers for the cure of intermittents. The operation, when
used medicinally, is violent and uncertain, and will ahtfays pre-
vent its general use. In some cases, ill-conditioned sloughing
ulcers followed its external application, which were healed with
difficulty ; in others, gangrene. Linnaeus tells us that the beg-
gars of Sweden blister their feet with it in order to assist them,
by producing ulcerations, in extorting charity from passengers.
Cows will not touch this genus, with the exception of one species,
which they are said, in England, to eat with avidity. Iiogs, of
course, devour it with perfect impunity. Cultivated Ranunculus
seems to lose, in a great measure, these pernicious qualities, but
we are not aware that it is used for any medicinal purposes.
The Asiatic Ranunculus is the emblem, in floral language, of the
sentence, You are radiant with charms.

Yellow king cups, bright as gold,

I love your blossoms to behold,

Making all the meadows gay,

In the pleasant month of May,

Till the mower cuts you down,

And turns your yellow flowers to brown.The American Cowslip.

The genus to which this plant belongs, is in the class Pentan-
dria, order Monogynia. Its characters are: Calyx five-parted;
corol also five-cleft, and wheel-form, reflexed ; oblong capsule,
one celled, opening above; short stamens, inside the tube with
converging anthers ; stigma obtuse.

Meadia’s soft chains five suppliant beaux confess,

And hand in hand the laughing belle address;

Alike to all she bows with wanton air,

Rolls her dark eye and waves her golden hair.	Darwin.

The petal, stamen, and the pistil trace
Of common blossoms and of unknown race;

The first well pleased you mark with grateful sight,

And view the last with hope’s bewitching light.

What sudden pleasure when some object rare,

Confined peculiar to one soil and air,

More precious far from expectation grown,

By some blessed turn upon the sight is thrown.	Delille.

The Dodecatheon Meadia—American Cowslip, is an orna-
mental perennial, bearing light purple flowers in May and June.
The leaves spring from the root, and lie flat on the ground. The
elegant stem of a single root of this plant rises from the centre
of the rosette of large leaves. It was first found by Michaux
in the Alleghany Mountains, and was subsequently discovered to
be very common in the woody country of Northern America.
One of our own writers compares them to a cluster of bright
yellow polyanthuses. Our gold Cowslips, he adds, look like a
full branch of large clustering king-cups; they carelessly raise
themselves on their prim stalks, their corollas gazing upward to
the changing spring sky, as they grow amidst their pretty leaves
of vivid green. They adorn almost every meadow, and shed a
glow of beauty wherever they spring. Phillips remarks that
the delight with which the botanist views a newly discovered
plant, can only be conceived by the students of nature; it seems
to expand his ideas and give him a new conception of the wis-
dom of the Great Creator. He contemplates with admiration
the harmony of its parts which he finds so happily adapted to
its native situation 011 the globe ; learns by the character of theplant, the climate to which it belongs, and he soon conceives the
utility of the individual plant to the grand link of vegetation by
which the animal world is supported. The pleasure of first
meeting with an unknown plant has thus been described by the
poet:

He marks the treasure with an eager glance,

“ Great God,” exclaims, and forth his hands	advance,

Sudden to seize the prey ; not more delight

Feels the fond lover at his mistress’ sight.

He deems it as the most important event of his life, and he joy-
fully bestows on it the name of some esteemed friend or eminent
countryman ; his fancy pictures it growing under cultivation with
his native plants; his immediate acquaintance covet it for his
sake, and his name is justly registered among those who have
benefited their country by peaceable pursuits. Mr. Catesby, in
his Natural History of North Carolina, gave it the name of
Meadia, in honor of Dr. Richard Meade, an English physician
of that day, who, like some of the present time, was courted by
the wealthy and adored by the needy of his country, whilst his
name was revered by the eminent of all parts of Europe. On
this account we feel regret that Linnaeus should have thought
it necessary to change the generic term of this plant, and more
particularly so since he has bestowed upon it one that seems so
inappropriate, Dodecatheon being derived from the Greek words
which mean twelve gods; and thb only cause he could have
adopted for so whimsical a name, was from the observation that
each of those plants generally produced twelve corollas. Meadia,
however, remains as the specific name of this species. This ele-
gant plant flowers about the end of April, or	the beginning	of

May.	The stalk often rising to about eight	inches in	height,

throws out an umbel of flowers gracefully pendant, as rockets ap-
pear when thrown out of an elevated piece of firework. The
petals are of a rosy lilac, inclining to the color of the peach or
almond blossom; and they are reflexed or turned back over the
calyx, giving the appearance of a half-expanded parasol, which
resemblance is considerably heightened by the long tapering shape
of the parts of fructification, and the golden color ol the anthers.
When taken in the garden, it should be planted in a shady
situation, where the earth is of a loose, moist nature; but itsbeautiful delicacy and graceful formation make it deserving a
situation, even amongst the plants that are potted for the house.

It is easily propagated by offsets, which should be taken from
the old plants in the month of August, that they may be well
fixed 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, soon after they are ripe, either in
pots or in a shady border. If too 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 of these
plants, more especially in England, where they are much prized,
by placing them in dry soil in a sunny part of the garden with-
out thinking of their original home. It is the emblem of You

ARE MY DIVINITY.

Primula Veris—English Cowslip, is very different from the
false or American flower of that name; they belong to the 'same
class and order, but are of a different genus. It is therefore this,
and not the one native with us, which has been for so long a
time the theme of the English poet. Shakspeare celebrates it
in his Midsummer Night’s Dreani} where, in a few lines, he makes
it subservient to the Queen of the Fairies, describes the charac- •
ter of the corolla, and alludes to the institution of tall military
courtiers which were pensioned by Queen Elizabeth.

And I serve the Fairy Glueen,

To dew her orbs upon the green :

The Cowslips tall her pensioners be,

In their gold coats spots you see.

These be rubies, fairy favors;

In those freckles live their savors.

I must go seek some dew drops here,

And hang a pearl in every Cowslip’s ear.

The corollas of these are often gathered to make a kind of wine,
and sometimes also mixed with tea to give it a flavor; or used
alone in infusion as an anodyne and antispasmodic. The name
originated from the Saxon Cuslippe, from the odor resembling a
cow’s breath. Silk-worms can be kept alive on its leaves, but
will produce 110 silk except on mulberry diet. The leaves were
formerly eaten as salad, but lettuce and many others are so much
better that these arc banished from the gardens for kitchen pur-
poses.The Meadow Saffron.

This is a genus of the class Hexandria, order Trigynia. Its
characters are:—corolla six-parted, with a rooted bulb; capsules
three, connected, inflated. Specific character :—leaves flat, lance-
olate, erect. Lindley observes, that since both the asphodel and
lily tribes are generally harmless, it becomes highly important
that all possibility of confounding them with a poisonous order
which they in some respects resemble, should be guarded against.
Meadow Saffron, white hellebore, and some other plants, have a
structure very analogous to theirs. A calyx and corolla, each of
three leaves, of simple form and texture, half a dozen stamens,
and a superior three-celled ovary, also characterize, in part, the
natural order called the Colchicum tribe, to which these plants
belong. Colchicum itself is very like a crocus in flower, but its
superior ovary prevents its being confounded with the Iribe in
which the crocus is included. The species of melanthium and
helonias are so similar in appearance to many of the Asphodel
tribe, they would no doubt be .referred to the latter by a young
botanist. They, however, Meadow Saffron, and all the rest of
the colchicum tribe, may be recognized at once by three marks.
In the first place they have no bulbs, but in their stead a solid
knob or subterranean stem ; secondly, 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 three styles instead of only one. These signs
must be trusted to in the determination of the colchicum tribe;
they may appear slight, and you may wonder why such trifling
distinctions should serve to distinguish poisonous from whole-
some tribes; but with considerations 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 learn how to follow them. Phillips observes, that Shak-
speare says in his play of Cymbeline :

One that’s sick of the gout had rather

Groan so in perplexity, than be cured

Bv the sure physician’, Death.To such sufferers, we therefore address our history of the singu-
lar plant which has been named Colchicum, from its growing so
abundantly in the city of Colchis, a city of Armenia, celebrated
for its numerous poisonous plants, and as the birth-place of
Medea. It is thus noticed by Horace, in the thirteenth ode of
his second book :

Or tempered every baneful juice,

Which poisoned Colchian glebes produce.

Fabulous history informs us that this autumnal flower owes
its origin to some drops being spilt in the fields of the magic liquor
which Medea had prepared to restore the aged iEson to the bloom
and vigor of youth, and on this account the Colchicum was re-
garded as a preservative against all sorts of maladies. Could
we divest the tales of antiquity of their fabulous dress, we should
find them all explanatory of real events, and not the mere ideas
of poetical imagination ; perhaps we should then discover that
Medea having relieved iEson from a fit of the gout, his subjects
celebrated her praise as having restored this monarch to youth
and sprightliness. As Medea is sometimes called Colchis, we
will surmise, for the consolation of our gouty friends, that it was the
Colchicum that relieved .Eson from his infirmities ; and we also
hope that they may derive similar benefit through the aid of their
medical friends, assisted by the virtues of this powerful plant.
The Swiss peasants tie the flower of this plant around the necks
of their children, with a firm belief that it win render them invul-
nerable to all diseases. It is thought to be the same root as the
Hermodactylus of the ancient physicians, which, after having
been entirely disregarded for many generations, is now again
become an important article in the Materia Medica. it was for
some time employed in the form of a concealed medicine under
the name of Eau Medicinale, which attracted great attention by
its success in relieving the gout and rheumatic affections of the
joints, but which has also frequently taken an injurous effect
upon the constitutions of some persons; it is therefore a medicine
that should only be applied by the most cautious practititioners;
for the Colchicum is unquestionably a poisonous root, and its
deleterious effects are to be dreaded, until the precise dose is more
accurately ascertained than it seems to be generally at this time.
Mr. Waller observes, in his account of this plant, that one greatcause of this difficulty is the extreme affectation of simplicity in
the modern practice of pharmacy, and the dislike of practitioners
for what they consider complicated prescriptions. It is, how-
ever, a fact, that vegetable juices brought into contact with each
other, do undergo a chemical change, and a compound is pro-
duced very different from what might be expected from a mere
mixture of the two. This fact has long been known to wine
and cider makers, who are well aware that there is a very con-
siderable difference between the mixture of two different wines or
ciders, and that which results from the mixture of the two juices
previous to fermentation. In the former case the mixed liquor
will partake of the properties of each, but in the latter a distinct
variety will be formed, in which neither can be recognized. The
specific gravity of the juices is also changed, which proves that
a chemical action has taken place. The most eminent practi-
tioners of modern times have acknowledged the extraordinary
effects of the Colchicum in relieving that complicated form of
disease called rheumatic gout; but they have at the same time
regretted the intractable nature of the medicine which is so un-
certain in its effects. Mr. Waller is of opinion that much of this
variety and uncertainty depends upon tlie season in which the roots
are dug up; he recommends the end of April or the beginning
of May as the most desirable time; this is for England, and of
course would be somewhat later in our own climate. It now
appears that the medicinal virtues of the Colchicum are not con-
fined to the gout and the rheumatic affections of the joints
only, as Mr. Haden has lately published a treatise on the pro-
perties of this root as a remedy against the most decidedly inflam-
matory cases, such as pleurisy, pneumonia, and other c-qually
well ascertained cases of increased action ; he wrongly ranks
its action as being synonymous with that of bleeding. Mr.
Haden generally recommends the powdered root, five grains
three times a day to an adult, whilst Mr. Waller thinks the tinc-
ture to be more uniform and certain in its effects, and in this
latter opinion we fully concur. It is now much used in the
United States. The living bulb is generally imported, packed
in sand, and dried immediately after its reception. 1 he sprout-
ing of the flower bud during transportation does not seem to
lessen its activity. As its sensible properties vary according to
the season of the year in which it is gathered; highly acrid inthe beginning of summer, almost inert in autumn, we can under-
stand that while some have found it a corrosive poison, it has
been perfectly inert to others. Professor Murry gives many
instances in which it produced distressing and fatal effects;
while on the other hand, an author by the name of Kratochville
asserts that both himself and others have eaten drachms of the
root in spring and fall with impunity; and Orfila mentions hav-
ing given bulbs to dogs in the month of June, without any bad
effect resulting.

The seeds of this plant are far preferable to every other part
for medicinal purposes, as their action, being equally efficacious,
is more mild and uniform; two ounces of these are infused in a
pint of sherry wine, and from fifteen to forty drops of this given
once or twice a day, with a teaspoonful of magnesia, the whole
mixed with aromatic waters.

The poisonous properties of this plant, continues Phillips, seem
known to all animals, as it were, by instinct, since no cattle will
touch it; the very lambs fly at its aspect, and the young shep-
herdesses of the mountains become sorrowful when it appears
amongst the grass, lest their playful flock should inadvertently
swallow it. It is no uncommon thing to see those plants stand
ing alone in pastures, where every other kind of herbage has been
eaten down, without a leaf of them being touched. The French
give it the appalling name of Kill Dog. In Floral language, this
flower expresses, my best days are past; for far from inspiring
us, like the crocus, with joy and hope, it appears to announce to
all nature the loss of the fine days, and the approach of a cheerless
atmosphere. It appears naked, like a sprite among flowers, to
warn them of their destiny; and nature seems to have reversed-
its order in some of the characters of this curious plant, which
cannot fail to interest the student of natural history and botany ;
and the closer they investigate the apparent phenomena of the
Colchicum, the more will they be struck with the wonderful
arrangements that the all wise Creator has adapted in the forma-
tion of vegetables which appear, on a superficial inspection, to
act by contrarieties, whilst their actions are governed by the most
consummate wisdom. Regarding the Colchicum in its native
English pastures, we shall find that its corolla is sent out of the
earth with its parts of fructification, at a season when they have
only time to mature their anthers, that the stigmas may receiveand convey the fecundating particles of vegetable nature to the
numerous empty seed-shells that are prepared to receive them
in the three-lobed capsule. As the season of the year would not
allow the fruit of this late flowering plant to ripen so as to multi-
ply its kind. Providence has so contrived its structure that it may
be performed at a depth within the earth, out of the reach of the
usual effects of the frost; and as seeds buried at such a depth are
known not to vegetate, a no less admirable provision is made to
raise them above the surface when they are perfect, and to sow
them at a proper season. For this purpose, the seed-vessels are
lodged in the bosoms of the embryo leaves, and are consequently
thrust forth with the foliage in spring; this caused it to be form-
erly supposed that it produced its seed before its flowers, and for
want of investigation alone,this error obtained general belief. By
the end of May they are generally ripe, the leaves wither and the
root decays, having finished its duties, not only by its oviparous
nature, but by having, at th-e same time, given birth and nourish-
ment to a new bulb in the earth, by its viviparous powers. The
new bulbs take their rise from the caudex, at the base of the
flower tube, and are united by communicating vessels to the old
bulb, from the juices of which the new bulbs extract their nutri-
ment until the parent bulb decays, as in the case of the tulip.
The Colchicum has generally perfected its bulb by the middle
of May ; and as no exhaustion has then taken place, in forming
either flowers or foliage, it is natural to suppose that the bulb
must be then possessed of the most powerful medicinal properties.
In September, it sends up a flower similar in appearance to ihe
purple crocus, excepting that it is quite destitute of foliage, and
hence named by the English peasantry the Naked Lady. TIkj
flowers are monopetalous; the six deeply divided segments being
united to the neck of the corolla, which forms a long tube, reach-
ing the bulb in which the seed-vessel is seated, and from whence
the three long styles proceed through the neck of the corolla, car-
rying their stigmas to a sufficient height out of the ground to be
matured and impregnated by the farina of the six anthers, which
are also carried up to the air by being, united to the corolla.
When the necessary properties of the farina have been received
by the stigma, and conveyed to the seed-vessels by means of the
long styles, the flower decays, and the fruit continues to grow
until the spring, when it is sent out of the ground under theguard of the four leaves, which afterwards separate and the seed
soon becomes ripe. Thus this plant, reversing the accustomed
order of the seasons, mingles its fruits with the flowers of spring,
and its flowers with the fruits of the autumn. For cultivation,
the bulbs should be taken out of the ground when the leaves are
decayed, and preserved like other flowering bulbs; but in Au-
gust, they should be committed to the earth, at about three inches
in depth, forming them into clumps wherever it may appear de-
sirable to add dwarf flowers. They have the best effect when
springing out of the turf, as the naked appearance of the flower
is not then so conspicuous, and the purple and white corollas
shine to more advantage on the green sward than on the bare
earth. There are several varieties, some being perfectly white,
others of a light or dark purple, and some that have the petals
striped with white and purple, and these are still further increased
by the flowers being doubled.

The Broad-leaved Meadow Saffron—Colchicum Byzan-
tium, is a distinct species that grows naturally in the Levant, and
was introduced into England in the reign of Charles the First;
this, with the Chequer Flower—C. Variegatum, was amongst
the flowers that were cultivated in the parterre of the unfortunate
Queen Henrietta Maria. The latter species was originally
brought from the Greek Isles, and as it is more tender than the
other kinds, it is generally treated as a green-house plant, and
frequently blossoms as late as November, displaying its beauti-
fully spotted corolla amongst the latest of Flora’s gifts. The
common Meadow Saffron may be increased by the seeds, and
treated in the manner already directed for the raising of hyacinths.
The following beautiful lines relating to it, are taken from the
Moral of Flowers:

vVhy mourn, dear girt, each passing year 1
Why dread the sobering touch of timel
As if all bliss to mortals dear,

Thoughts which ennoble, hopes which cheer,

Fled with our prime.

Look up ! this calm autumnal day
May want the joyousness of spring ;

But never did capricious May

Such kindly warmth, such steadfast ray,

O’er nature fling.

NWhat though the leaves, now changed in hue,
Bestrew our path where’er we turn,

If yonder “ heaven’s delicious blue,”

Through their thinn’d bough we clearer view,
Ah ! who would mourn 1

And see, I’ve brought a little flower,

No lingerer it of summer’s train ;

Like vesper star to eve's dim hour,

It comes to deck pale autumn’s bower,

And leaf-strewn plain.

Seest thou my meaning 7 youthful joy,

And hope may fade, like summer’s show ;
But if thy disenchanted eye,

With freer gaze can look on high,

Why, let them go.

Yea, go—without or sigh or tear ;

For oh ! if holier hope be thine,

Think not thou’lt lack, whilst wandering here,
A beam to light, a flower to cheer
Thy calm decline.

The Apple.

The Apple genus belongs to the natural order Rosacece—
class Icosandria, order Pentagynia. Its characters are :—calyx
five-cleft; petals five; potne inferior, five-celled, many-seeded.
Specific characters:—leaves ovate, acuminate, serrate, smooth ;
umbels simple, sessile; claws of the corolla shorter than the
calyx ; styles smooth. Lindley observes, in tribes related to the
Rose, the Apple takes the first rank, agreeing with it in every-
thing but the carpels being distinct and superior, in lieu of which
they have the carpels united and adherent to the tube of the
calyx. The tree has leaves with netted veins and stipules at their
base. The calyx has five divisions, the petals also five ; and
there are a great many stamens growing out of the side of the
calyx. In the centre you will find five styles, but their ovaries,
instead of being merely enclosed in the tube of the calyx, adhere
and form one body with it. It is this circumstance that gives
rise to all the difference in the fruit. An apple is a large, fleshybody, having at one end what is called an eye, which is, in
reality, the remains of the calyx surrounding the withered sta-
mens. The principal part of the flesh is the tube of the calyx,
but the central part is the carpels, also grown fleshy, and at this
period indistinguishable from the calyx itself; that their number
was five, is shown by the five cavities in the centre of the fruit,
each of which contains one or more seeds. Now it is obvious,
if this description be carefully considered, that the fruit is the
only thing by which the apple is known from a Rosaceous
plant. What is more enchanting, a writer observes, to the lover
of nature than an Apple tree, when clad with its beautiful bloom
in the early spring? And the more, that they hold forth the pro-
mise of an abundance of delicious fruit. The Apple bloom is
indeed a charming flower, and by some has been preferred before
the rose. The common Crab tree is the parent of all the im-
mense variety of Apples at present cultivated, and there are few
genera which so amply repay the trouble as does this. Our Na-
tive Crab—Pyrus Coronarum, is remarkable for the beauty
of its fragrant blossoms, and the leaves, as Nuttall observes, in-
stead of being entire, have an evident tendency to lobing. Its
fruit, when ripe, is almost diaphanous, entirely yellow, and on
mellowing, becomes very fragrant; little depression at the inser-
tion of stalk.

The Apple is a large, spreading, graceful tree, with ovate
leaves, as a general rule; the flowers, agreeably to the economy
of this class of plants, come out the second year in beautiful ter-
minating umbels. The fruit is of various kinds, varying in taste
from sweet to sour, and in color, from white to green, yellow, red or
violet. It is a remarkable fact, that though America is distinguished
for her lorest trees and elegant flowers, she is still very scantily fur-
nished with fruit-bearing genera ; nearly all we have are imported.
It should, however, inspire us with feelings of gratitude for the
goodness of Providence, when we reflect that all the useful tribes
of vegetables may be easily naturalized in any part of the world,
and made subservient to the interests of man. The Apple is a
native of Germany ; it was early known to the Romans, but as
they were unacquainted with the art of increasing the varieties,
of course, but few in comparison were known to them ; when
they conquered Britain, this tree, among other valuable gifts, was
for the first time introduced into England. Though we have thenative species of our own, which has just been described, still
the general opinion prevails among botanists that our stock of
Apples originated not from this, but from European importations.
As that may be, however, we undoubtedly produce the finest
Apples, both for size and flavor, in the world ; those of England
and France, by universal acknowledgment, cannot stand, for a
moment, a comparison with them. It will flourish, we are told,
in every part of the United States, except the low lands of the
maritime districts of Carolina, Georgia and Florida, and the low
prairies or savannahs bounding the Gulf of Mexico. Ripe Ap-
ples form an exceedingly wholesome food, alleviating thirst and
fortifying a weak stomach ; they are excellent in dysentery, and
equally efficacious in putrid and malignant fevers; we are told
that Scopoli recovered from a weakness of the stomach and
indigestion, by using them. Dr. Willach states, that in dis-
eases of the chest, either roasted, boiled, or stewed, they are
of considerable service, and may be employed in decoctions,
which, if drank plentifully, tend to abate fever and relieve
coughs.

Deduit of Mazeras has found that one third of apple pulp
baked with two-thirds of flour, having been properly fermented
with yeast for twelve hours, makes a very excellent bread full of
eyes and extremely palatable. Kenrick says that beaten with
lard the pulp forms pomatum; and quotes Bose to mention that
the prolonged stratification of apples with elder flowers in a close
vessel, gives the former an odor of musk exceedingly agreeable
to those who relish that perfume. The jelly is made by paring
them, taking out the core, and putting them in a closely covered pot
without water, inside an oven. When cooked, strain the juice
through a cloth, add a little white of egg and some sugar, skim
the whole and boil it down to a proper consistence. Apples may
be preserved in syrup or by thoroughly drying them, and in this
state, as Mr. Knight informs us in his treatise on the Apple and
Pear, are very valuable, and may be advantageously used on
long voyages. Many instances have been cited of their efficacy
in curing the diseases of and rapidly fattening up horses, cattle,
and swine. The bark of the Apple tree will produce a yellow
color, and the wood is used in turning, and for various purposes
where ha < ness, compactness, and variegation of color are the
chief objfois.The seed should be sown in autumn in a rich soil. Loudon
observes that the Apple, like most other hardy trees, may be
propagated by seeds, cuttings, layers, suckers or graftings; by
seeds for obtaining new varieties, and by the other modes for
continuing such as are in esteem. The seeds should be taken
from fruits having the properties it is desired to perpetuate or
improve, in the highest degree. In collecting seeds to sow, it
should be remembered that the habits .as well as the diseases of
plants are often hereditary, and attention must be paid to the
state of the tree from which the seeds are taken ; it should be
large, of free growth, and rather in a growing state, than one of
maturity or decay. When the shoots spring up, thin them care-
fully at the distances of two inches apart, and keep them free
from weeds. At two years of age, sometimes earlier, says Ken-
rick, they are taken up, their top roots shortened and transferred
to the nursery in rows about four feet asunder, one foot distance
from each other in the row in a rich loamy soil. When seven
feet high, transplant them to the orchard, in which, in extremely
fertile soil, plant them fifty feet apart, but if not extraordinary,
half that distance, the idea being to make their shadows cover
the ground. Fruit bearing, it is well known, exhausts trees as
well as diminishes their growth ; consequently the Apple must be
very short-lived. A rich soil, rather moist, and on the north side
of a hill, is the best. We are told that land half covered with
rocks, and incapable of being cultivated with the plow, is in
many respects admirably suited for an apple orchard.

PERCIVAL’S THREE FLOWERS

A tulip blossomed one morning in May,

By the side of a sanded alley ;

Its leaves were dressed in rich array,

Like the clouds at the earliest dawn of day,
When the mist rolls over the valley.

The dew had descended the night before,
And lay on its velvet bosom,

And its spreading urn was flowing o’er,

And the crystal heightened the tints it bore,
On its yellow and crimson blossom.A sweet red rose, on its bending thorn,

Its bud was newly spreading;

And the glowing effulgence of early morn
Its beams on its breast was shedding.

The petals were heavy with dripping tears,
That twinkled in pearly brightness;

And the thrush in its covert filled my ears
With a varied song of lightness.

A lily, in mantle of purest snow,

Hung o’er the silent fountain,

And the wave, in its calm and quiet flow,
Displayed its silken leaves below,

Like the drift on the windy mountain :

It bowed with the moisture the night had wept,
When the stars shone over the billow,

And white-winged spirits their vigils kept,
Where beauty and innocence sweetly slept
On its pure and thornless pillow.

Seeds,

The best definition we have yet seen of a seed, is that \emr i
considers it a germ situated at the axilla of a leaf; which last,
besides covering it, is often of a fleshy consistence to afford sus-
tenance to the embryo while germinating, resembling the yolk of
an egg which gives a store of nutriment to the young chick. In
many cases, as in the farinaceous tribe, we use the albumen,
as it is called, to nourish ourselves. They are of different forms
in different species, and produced in such abundance that were
not myriads destroyed every year, they would soon overrun the
globe; and also of various colors. Fig. 28 shows a capsule
A, the valves in fig. 29; A A, the receptacles of the seeds.
Nature, that leaves nothing undone, seems to take as much care
in the distribution of the seed as she did in its perfection. Some
capsules are so curiously arranged that the least touch, or even
dry weather, will burst them open and scatter the seeds in alldirections } others are carried by the birds, sheep, clothes of men,
&c.; others again are provided with balloons to transport them
away from their parent soil, to settle in new countries; others
with wings, &c. Fig. 31 shows a winged seed, A the seed, B
the wing. Fig. 34, a seed crowned with a pappus; A the seed,
B the stipes of the pappus, c d a feathery pappus. Fig. 39, a
seed crowned with a ealyculus; A the seed, B the calyculus.

Trunks and Props,

Lindley observes, that when a plant begins to grow from the
seed, it is a little body called an embryo, with two opposite ex-
tremities, of which the one elongates in the direction of the
earth’s centre, and the other, taking a direction exactly the con-
trary, extends upwards into the air. This disposition to develope
in two diametrically opposite directions, is found in all seeds
properly so called, there being no known exception to it, and the
tendency is moreover so powerful that no external influence is
sufficient to overcome it. The result of this development is the
axis or centre round which the leaves and other appendages are
arranged. That part of the axis which forces its way down-
wards, constantly avoiding the light, and withdrawing from the
influence of the air, is the root, which we have mentioned be-
fore ; and that which seeks the light, constantly exposing itself
to the influence, and expanding to the utmost extent of its nature
to the solar rays, is the ascending axis or stem. As the double
elongation, just mentioned, exists in all plants, it follows that they
must have necessarily at an early period of their existence at
least, both stem and root; and that, consequently, when plants
are said to be rootless, or steinless, such expressions are not to
be considered physiologically correct. The stem has received
many names, such as caudkx asckndens, caudex intermkdius,
culmus, stipes, truncus, and truncus ascexdens. It always
consists of bundles of vascular and woody tissue, embedded in
cellular substances in various ways, and the whole enclosed
within a cuticle. When the stem and root, or the ascending and
descending axis diverge, there commences in many plants a dif*ference of anatomical structure, and in all a very essential physi-
ological dissimilarity. This portion is called the neck or col-
lum, and has been thought by some to be the seat of vegetable
vitality, which is a very erroneous idea. At first it is a space
that we have no difficulty in distinguishing, so long as the em-
bryo or young plant has not undergone any considerable changes ;
but in process of time it is externally obliterated, so that in a tree
of a few years’ growth its existence becomes a matter of theory,
instead of being actually evident to our senses. Immediately
consequent upon the growth of a plant is the formation of leaves.
The point of the stern whence these arise, is called the nodus ;
and the space between two nodi an internodium. In inter-
nodia the arrangement of the vascular and fibrous tissue, of what-
ever nature it may be, of which they are composed, is nearly
parallel, or at least experiences no horizontal interruption. At
the nodi, on the contrary, vessels are sent off horizontally into the
leaf; the general development of the axis is momentarily inter-
rupted while this horizontal communication is effecting, and all
the tissue is more or less contracted. In many plants this con-
traction, though it always exists, is scarcely appreciable ; but in
others it takes place in so remarkable a degree as to give their
stems a peculiar character, as for instance in the Bamboo, in
which it causes diaphragms that continue to grow and harden,
notwithstanding the powerfully rapid horizontal distension to
which the stems of the plant are subject. All the divisions of a
stem are r .lied branches; an assemblage of these, such as forms
the hea1’ of a forest tree, is called a coma. Some branches are
imper xtly formed, lose their power of distension, become un-
usn .iy hard, and acquire a sharp point; they are called spines.
F g. 4, A, simple spines; B, a triple spine ; occasionally, as in
the white thorn, they bear leaves. In domesticated plants they
entirely disappear, as in the apple and pear, the wild varieties of
which are spiny, and the cultivated ones spineless. These are
distinguishable by their woody vascular centre from prickles, with
which they must not be confounded. Prickles are rigid, opaque,
conical processes, formed of masses of cellular tissues, and ter-
minating in an acute point. They may be not improperly con-
sidered as very compound indurated hairs; they have no con-
nection with the woodv fibre, and are found upon all parts of a
plant, except the stipules and stamens; rarely they are foundupon the corolla, as in Solanum Hystrix ; their most usual place
is upon the stem, as in the Rose. Fig. 5, A, simple prickles;
B, triple prickles. In some cases the petiole of a compound
leaf is elongated, branched, and endowed with a power of twist-
ing around any small body that is near it, as in the pea and many
others; it is then called a cirrhus or tendril. It is one of
the contrivances employed by nature to enable plants to sup-
port themselves upon others that are stronger, and has generally,
even by very recent writers, been spoken of as a peculiar
organ; but as it is manifestly in most cases a particular form of
the petiole, we see no reason for regarding it in any other light.
At the base of the petiole on each side, is frequently seated a
small appendage most commonly of a texture less firm than the
petiole and having a sub-awled shape termination. These two
appendages are called Stipulje, and considered by many bota-
nists accessory leaves. Glands are elevated spaces in the layers
of parenchyma, lying immediately below the cuticle or vegeta-
ble skin in which they cause projections; they are of various
kinds and used for the secretion of different matters, salts, essen-
tial oils, &c. Fig. A. a tendril, c, stipulce, with concave glands
on the leaf. Fig. glands on stalks. Fig. 3, A, a Bractea dif-
fering from the leaves; B. the leaves. Fig. 6 shows merely a
handsomely arranged form of opposite leaves. Some examples
of the various kinds of trunks we have given in our plate. Fig.
7, a Squamose stem; scaly, covered with imbricate scales.
Fig. 8, a voluble stem ; twining, ascending spirally, winding to
the right or left. Fig. 9, a Frons ; a species of trunk composed
of the branches and leaves blended together, are frequently
united with the fructification, belong properly to the Palms—and
Felices. Fig. 10, a Scapus, or stalk, a universal trunk raising
the fructification, but not the leaves, as in Narcissus and Pyrola.
Fig. 11, an Articulate stem, jointed; when it is connected by
various-joints. Fig. 12, a Dichoaiatous stem, forked ; when the
division is always in two parts. Fig. 13, a Bkaciiiate stem,
armed; when the branches are opposite and each pair is crossed
by the pair next above or below it.

Nature is as careful to preserve the trunks of vegetables from
excessive heat and cold as she is of animals. In cold climates
these trunks are covered with a warm coat of moss which an
swers the purpose of fur to the bear, in preserving it from theexcessive frigidity of the atmosphere. While under the equatorial
sun both kingdoms are, as a general rule, dressed in primeval
simpicity ; and a little minute examination will show us that this
rule holds even as it regards the free transmission of perspira-
tion through the cuticle and other arrangements for the regulation
of temperature.

Dirge of Flowers,

BY MRS. HKMANS.

Bring Flowers to the captive’s lonely cell—

They have tales of the joyous woods to tell,

Of the free blue streams and the glowing sky,

And the bright world shut from his languid eye;

They will bear him a thought of the sunny hours,

And a dream of his youth—bring flowers, wild flower*.

Bring flowers, fresh flowers, for the bride to wear,

They were born to blush on her shining hair:

She is leaving the home of her childish mirth,

She has bid farewell to her father’s hearth,

Her place is now by another’s side ;—

Bring flowers for the locks of the fair young bride.

Bring flowers, pale flowers, o’er the bier to shed,—

A crown for the brow of the early dead.

For this through its leaves has the white Rose burst;

For this in the woods was the Violet nurst:

Though they smile in vain for what once was ours,

They are love’s last gift—bring flowers, pale flowers.

Bring flowers to the shrine where we kneel in prayer,—
They are nature’s off’ring, their place is there:

They speak of hope to the fainting heart;

With the voice of promise they come and part;

They sleep in dust through the wintry hours;

Then break forth in glory:—bring flowers, bright flower*Irritability.

BY PROFESSOR LINDLEV.

The vitality of plants seems to depend upon the existence of
an irritability which, although far inferior to that of animals, is
nevertheless of an analogous character. This has been proved
by a series of interesting experiments, by M. Marcet, of Geneva,
upon the exact nature of action of mineral and vegetable poisons.
The subject of his observations was the kidney bean; and in
each experiment a contrast was formed between the plant ope-
rated upon and another watered with spring water. A vessel
containing two or three bean plants, each with five or six leaves,
was watered with two ounces of water containing twelve grains
of the oxide of arsenic in solution. At the end of from twenty-
four to thirty-six hours the plants had laded, the leaves drooped,
and had even begun to turn yellow. Attempts were alterwards
made to recover the plants, but without success. A branch ol a
rose tree was placed in a solution of arsenic, and in twenty-four
hours ten grains of water and 1-12 of a grain of arsenic had
been absorbed. The branch exhibited all the symptoms of un-
natural decay. In six weeks a lilac tree was killed in conse-
quence of fifteen or twenty graius of moistened oxide of arsenic
having been introduced into a slit in one of the branches. Mer-
cury, under the form of corrosive sublimate, was found to pro-
duce effects similar to those of arsenic; but no impression was
made on a cherry tree by boring a hole in its stem and introduc-
ing a few globules of liquid mercury. Tin, copper, lead, muri-
ate of barytes, a solution of sulphuric acid and a solution of pot-
ash, were found to be all equally destructive of vegetable life;
but it was ascertained by means of sulphate of magnesia that
those mineral substances which are innoxious to animals, are
harmless to vegetables also. In the experiments with vegetable
poisons, the bean plants were carefully taken from the earth and
their roots immersed in the solutions used. It had been pre-
viously ascertained that plants so transplanted and placed in water,
under ordinary circumstances, would remain in excellent healthfor six or eight day3, and continue to vegetate as if in the earth.
A plant was put in a solution of nux vomica at nine in the morn-
ing ; at ten o’clock the plant seemed unhealthy ; at one the petais
were all bent in the middle; and in the evening the plant was
dead. Ten grains of an extract of cocculus suberosus, dissolved
in two ounces of water, destroyed a bean plant in twenty-four
hours; prussic acid produced death in twelve hours; laurel
water in six or seven hours; a solution of belladonna in four
days ; alcohol in twelve hours. From the whole of these expe-
riments, M. Marcet concludes—1st, That metallic poisons act
upon vegetables nearly as they do upon animals; they appear to
be absorbed and carried into the different parts of a plant, altering
and destroying the vessels by their corrosive powers. 2dly, That
vegetable poisons, especially those which have been proved to
destroy animals by their action on the nervous system, also
cause the death of plants; whence he infers that there exists in
the latter a system of organs which is affected by poisons nearly
as the nervous system of animals. These facts have been con-
firmed by other experiments of M. Macaire. Irritability, in the
common acceptation of the term in botany, means those extreme
cases of excitability in which an organ exhibits movements alto-
gether different from those we commonly meet with in plants.
Of this kind there are three distinct classes, namely, those which
depend upon atmospheric phenomena, spontaneous motions, and
such as are caused by the touch of other bodies. Among the
cases of irritability excited by particular states of the atmosphere,
the singular phenomenon called by Linnaeus the sleep of plants,
is the most remarkable. In plants with compound leaves, the
leaflets fold together, while the petiole is recurved at the approach
of night; and the leaflets again expand and raise themselves at
the return of day. In others, the leaves converge over the
flowers as if to shelter those more delicate organs from the chill
air of night. The flowers of the crocus and similar plants ex-
pand beneath the bright beams of the sun, but close as soon as
they are withdrawn. The (Enothcrflcs unfold their blossoms to
the dews of evening, and wither away at the approach of day.
Some Silenes roll up their petals in the day, and expand them at
night. The florets of numerous composita? and the petals of the
genus Mesembryanthemum, are erect in the absence of ihe sun,
but become reflexed when acted upon by his beams; and manyother such phenomena are familiar to every observer of nature.
It is probable, indeed, that a different effect is produced upon all
plants by day and night, although it is less visible in some than
in others \ thus plants of corn, in which there is little indication of
sleep when grown singly, exhibit that phenomenon very distinctly
when observed in masses ; their leaves become flaccid and their
ears droop at night. These effects have been generally attributed
to the action of light; and it is probable that that agent contri-
butes powerfully to produce them; for a flower removed from
the shade will often expand beneath a lamp just as it will be-
neath the sun itself. De Candolle found that he could induce
plants to acknowledge an artificial day and night by alternate ex-
posure to the light of candles. There must, however, be some
cause beyond the light, of the nature of which no opinion has yet
been formed ; many flowers will close in the afternoon while the
sun is still playing upon them, and the petals of others will fold up
under a bright illumination. Spontaneous movements are far
more uncommon than those which have just been described.
In Megaclinium Falcatum, the labellium, which is connected
very slightly with the columna, is almost continually in motion.
In a species of Pterostylis shown me by Mr. Brown, I observed
a kind of convulsive action of the labellums. The filaments of
oscillatorias are continually writhing like worms in pain ; seve-
ral other confervas exhibit spontaneous movements; the most
wonderful of all has already been described by Linnaeus him-
self, in a former part, as the Hedysarum Gyrans. To this curi-
ous class ought, perhaps, to be referred the curious phenomenon
known to exist in the fruit of the Momordica Elaterium, the squirt-
ing cucumber. In this plant the peduncle at a certain period,
when the fruit has attained its perfect maturity, is expelled
along with the seeds, and the mucus that surrounds them, with
very considerable violence. Here, however, endosmoses (the
circulation of the sap) appears to offer a satisfactory explanation.
According to Dutrochet, the fluid of the placentary matter in
this fruit gradually acquires a greater density than that which
surrounds it, and begins to empty the tissue of the pericarpium :
as the fruit increases in size the same operation takes place, the
pulpy matter in the centre is constantly augmenting in volume
at the expense of the pericarpium; but so long as the growth
goes on, the addition of new tissue, or the distension of old, cor-responds with the increase of volume in the centre. At last
growth ceases, but the circulation still continues; and then the
tissue that lines the walls of the central cell is pressed upon
forcibly by the pulp that it encloses, until this pressure becomes
so violent that rupture must take place somewhere. The pe-
duncle being articulated with the fruit, at length gives way, and
is expelled with violence ; at the same time the cellules of tissue
lining the cavity all simultaneously recover their form, the press-
ure upon them being removed, and instantly contract the space
occupied by the mucous pulp ; the consequence of which is that
it also is forced outwards at the same time as the peduncle. It
has been found by measurement that the diameter of the central
cavity is less after the bursting of the fruit than before. Move-
ments produced by touch or external violence are very frequent.
The sensitive plant, Mimosa Pudica, which will rapidly fold up
its leaves as if in a state of sleep, is perhaps the most familiar
instance, but many others also exist. Roth is recorded to have
seen something of the same kind in the Drosera Rotundifolia.
If the bottom of the stamens of the common berberry is touched
on the inside with the point of a needle, they spring up against
the pistillum. The valves of the Impatiens possess this pro-
perty of bursting open, which is explained on the same princi-
ples as the squirting cucumber. M. Dutrochet, by throwing fresh
valves of Impatiens into sugar and water, which gradually
emptied the external tissue, and after at length rendering the
valves straight, curved them backwards. The column of the
genus Stigledium, which in its quiescent position is bent over
on one side the corolla, if slightly irritated instantly springs with
a jerk over to the opposite side of the (lower. In Kahnia the
anthers are retained in little niches of the* corolla, and as soon as
they are by any cause extricated, the filaments which had been
bent back, recover themselves with a spring. In certain orchide-
ous plants of the tribe called Vandeac, the caudicula to which
the pollen masses are attached, will often, upon the removal of
the anthers, disengage themselves with a sudden jerk. At pre-
sent we know scarcely anything of the causes of the diseases ol
the vegetable kingdom ; but it can scarcely be doubted that to
' ascertain what are the specific effects of deleterious matters upon
the vital powers of plants, is to lay the foundation of an acquaint-
ance with their pathology. Marcet’s experiments proved thatnarcotic and irritating poisons produced an effect upon vegeta-
bles altogether analogous to that which they produce upon
animals. The very valuable experiments with gases by Drs.
Turner and Christison, lead to the same conclusion. The phe-
nomena, when compared with that which was observed in the
instances of sulphurous and hydrochlorous acid, would appear
to establish, in relation to vegetable life, a distinction among the
poisonous gases nearly equivalent to the difference existing be-
tween the effects of the irritant and the narcotic poisons on ani-
mals. The gases which rank as irritant, in relation to animals,
seem to act locally on vegetables, destroying first the parts least
plentifully supplied with moisture. The narcotic gases, includ-
ing under that term those which act on the nervous system of
animals, destroy vegetable life by attacking it throughout its
whole system at once. The former probably act by abstracting
the moisture of the leaves; the latter, by some unknown influ-
ence on their vitality. The former seem to have upon vege-
tables none of that sympathetic influence upon general life which
in animals follows so remarkably injuries inflicted by local irri-
tants.

The Flower Garden.

There the Rose unveils
Her breast of beauty, and each delicate bud
Of the season comes in turn to bloom and perish.

But first of all the Violet, with an eye
Blue as the midnight heavens ; the frail Snowdrop,
Born of the breath of winter, and on his brow
Fixed like a pale and solitary star.

The languid Hyacinth, and pale Primrose
And Daisy, trodden down like modesty;

The Foxglove, in whose drooping bells the bee
Makes her sweet music ; the Narcissus (named
From him who died for love), the tangled Woodbine,
Lilacs, and flowering Limes, and scented Thorns,
And some from the voluptuous June
Catch their perfumings.Linnaeus’ Dial of Flowers.

BY MRS. HEMANS.

’Twas a lovely thought to mark the hours,

As they floated in light away,

By the opening and the folding flowers,

That laugh to the summer’s day.

Thus had each moment its own rich hue,

And its graceful cup and bell,

In whose colored vase might sleep the dew,

Like a pearl in an ocean shell.

To such sweet signs might the time have flowed
In a golden current on,

Ere from the garden, man’s first abode,

The glorious guests were gone.

So might the days have been brightly told—
Those days of song and dreams,

When shepherds gathered their flocks of old,

By the blue Arcadian streams.

So in those isles of delight, that rest
Far off in a breezeless main,

Which many a bark, with a weary guest,

Has sought, but still in vain.

Yet is not life, in its real flight,

Marked thus—even thus—on earth,

By the closing of one hope’s delight,

And another’s gentle birth.

Oh ! let us live, so that flower by flower,

Shutting in turn, may leave
A lingerer still for the sun-set hour,

A charm for the shaded eve.Lindley remarks that the Cactuses which, from the profusion
of large richly colored flowers that some species are loaded with,
have given to our conservatories an air of magnificence which
was quite unknown till of late years, constitute the small group
of Cactaceae. The species are in all cases succulent, and with
the single exception of the Pereskias, destitute of leaves, in
whose room the stem is either green and leaf-like or at least
covered over with a green integument, which has the struc-
ture of the pulpy part of a leaf, and like it executes the oflice of
respiration. Belonging to this highly curious natural order is
the Indian Fig—Cactus Opuntia, which is found in every
part of the United States, south of New York, and is quite com-
mon along the banks of the Hudson. The whole plant consists
of roundish fig-shaped joints which grow profusely out of each
other, covered at an early stage with small cylindric scattered
leaves, and at length clothed with spines and well guarded by
bristles. From these joints protrude the large pale yellow flowers
made up of numerous petals, or blossoms, arranged in several
series. Torch-thistles, a species of Cereus, whose angular trunks
rise erect and singly into the air like fantastic vegetable columns,
are another kind; as also the creeping Cereuses, with their long
pendant branches which might be taken for the tails of some ani-
mals, if it were not for the gay rose-colored flowers they push out
from time to time; and all the strange races of melon thistles, por-
cupine thistles, and hedge-hog thistles, whose names sufficiently
attest their extraordinary appearance. From these a good idea
can be formed of the Cactus tribe. All these species arc desti-
tute of true leaves, except when they are at first beginning to
grow. Just at that time they do indeed produce little succu-
lent bodies which we know to be rudiments of leaves; but such
parts drop off soon after they are born, and the only representa-
tives they leave behind are the stiff, hooked spines with which
so many species are covered. The parts which are mistaken forleaves in the Indian Fig, or some of the more common species
of Cereus, are only the flattened joints of the stem. Tt would
be didicult to find any race of plants where a more obvious
connection exists between the manner in which they are con-
structed and the situation it is their destiny to live in. The
greater number grow in hot, dry, rocky places, where they are
exposed many months in the year to the fiercest beams of a
tropical sun, without a possibility of obtaining from the parched
and hardened soil more than the most scanty supply of necessary
food. Under such circumstances, plants of an ordinary con-
struction 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. It
usually happens, lhat once a year during several weeks, at least,
the air that surrounds them is saturated with moisture, and the
soil they live in is drenched by ceaseless rains. At this time they
grow fast; 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 food. Then,
when the rain ceases and the air dries up, and the spirit of the
desert resumes his withering dominion over their climate, Cac-
tuses are in the most robust health, and their cells are abundantly
supplied with provision against scarcity. But these supplies
would be quickly consumed by plants only protected by a thin
cuticle and having their surface pierced by millions of breathing
pores, all actively exhaling the evaporable matter that lies be-
neath them, and an early death would be the inevitable result.
Such indeed is the lot of all the gay companions of the Cactus,
which surrounded it during the season of feasting and prosperity,
and to which Nature has given no special means of enduring
the hardships to which their lot exposes them. A few days or
weeks suffice to sweep their forms from the face of the creation ;
their leaves rapidly consume the stores deposited in their 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 lol-
low the same fate. With Cactuses this is different; they have
so tough and thick a hide that what liquid substances they con-
tain can only pass through it in minute quantities ; the breathingpores on their surface are comparatively few, and so small as to
act with extreme slowness when the air is dry; so that in pro-
portion to the aridity of the air and the heat to which such plants
are exposed, is their reluctance to part with the food they con-
tain. They digest and re-digest it with extreme slowness, and
may be truly said to live upon themselves during all those months
when they cannot feed upon the soil or atmosphere. This state-
ment applies more particularly to the species consisting of solid
fleshing masses like the melon thistles, hedgehog thistles, and the
like; but requires to be modified with reference to the thinner
stemmed species, as Cactus Speciosus, Speciosissimus and Trun-
catus; of them it is equally true, but in a less degree. The
property which the Cactuses thus possess, of living where few
other plants can exist, sometimes renders them of great utility to
man. On Mt. Etna, for instance, and its volcanic fields, it is the
Indian Fig which the Sicilians employ to render such desolate
regions susceptible of cultivation. This plant 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 their gradual increase, makes it capable
of being wrnrked. We will come now to the botanical charac-
ters by which this interesting class of plants are known. It is
in the class Icosandria or Calycandria, order Monogynia; the
generic name is derived from the Greek kaktus, the ancient name
for the prickly pear. Its characters are:—calyx superior, divided,
imbricate ; petals, inner ones larger than the outer, many ; stigma
many cleft; berry one-celled, many seeded, hollowed in the cen-
tre. The Showy Cactus—Oereus Speciosus, is the one repre-
sented in our plate, though by no means the handsomest or
largest of this glorious tribe. In the flower of this species you
will seek in vain for a distinction between the calyx and corolla.
It has a cylindrical stalk, the lower part of which is hollowed
out for the ovary, and the upper portion covered with small scale-
like rose-colored bracts, which gradually pass into large thin
delicate leaves of the same color, unfolding tier upon tier within
each other, and adhering by their lower ends, till a firm fleshy
tube is produced. About the middle of this tube, just where it
swells out and ceases to be cylindrical, spring forth a multitude
°f slender stamens, placed row upon row within the tube, and
forming a long white filamentous cylinder or cone. The ovaryis a cavity in the bottom of the apparent stalk of the flower; it
contains a great number of young seeds, attached to the lining
of the cavity in eight rows, or placentae, each hanging from the
point of a long slender thread. The style rises like a graceful
column from the top of the ovary, and after reaching a little be
yond the limb of the anthers, divides into eight short narrow
fringed arms, forming a beautiful star of eight rays. After a
few days, or even hours, all this gorgeous panoply fades away,
the stamens wither, the starry stigma closes its rays, and the style,
no longer able to support it, curves downwards beneath its weight;
the floral leaves droop, their colors become deadened, their firm-
ness and elasticity are replaced by a soft and slimy ooze, and
quickly afterwards the whole of this once lovely apparatus is
thrown off by the ovary which enlarges, becomes pulpy, acquires
a new color, matures its small brown seeds, and finally becomes
a fruit so similar to that of a gooseberry, that for a long time the
latter and the Cactus were thought to be related. Its seeds con-
tain an embryo coiled up in the shell which accurately fits it, and
having a long slender rootlet with two distinct seed leaves. This
kind of structure, however, is not universal in the Cactus tribe.
It sometimes happens that the embryo is straight, and almost des-
titute of seed leaves, their presence being only indicated by a
little notch at the end, an interesting though unusual circum-
stance, showing that the habit of growing without leaves is not
confined to the stem, but is to be met in some species even in
the embryo itself. The similarity of the Cactus fruit to the
gooseberry is not confined to the appearance alone but extends
to the flavor, texture, and quality. So wholesome indeed is it,
that it is an important object of cultivation in some countries.
On Etna, for example, the large cooling fruits of the Indian fig
are sold in considerable quantity, and some of the varieties are
found to be of great excellence. In the West Indies and South
America, Cactus fruit is often consumed as gooseberries.

We have seen thris species form fences by the road-sides, for
twenty miles in length, the spines and prickles making them
impassable to any animals endowed with nerves. These prickles
are used as needles; the inner bark makes a delicious and nutri-
tive soup; and the wood is not only used by the negroes for
fuel, but in the manufacture of torches, for which it is well adapt-
ed. Wo have seen a general illumination on the hills, arisingfrom the light of this kind of torch, when the negroes were hunt-
ing the Land Crab at night. Perhaps there are few plants more
resplendently beautiful than the showy Cactus when covered, as
it often is, with hundreds of its large rosy blossoms. But there
are many species more magnificent in their individual flowers,
as for instance, the Night-dloomimg Cereus—Cereus Grandi-
florus. This has a creeping, jointed, five-angled stem, which
sometimes grows several yards in length in the hothouses. The
flowers proceed from the side of the stem, with their large, trum-
pet-shaped tubes cut at the border into starry segments of
the most dazzling white, the purity of which is increased by the
tassel of pale yellow stamens that occupies, and also by the
contrast of the beautiful flowers and the mis-shapen, dingy,
snake-like leafless stems, from which they spring. They begin to
open at about seven op eight o’clock in ihe evening, are full blown
by eleven, and at four or five the next morning are quite withered.
When expanded, it is more than a foot in diameter. The Cac-
tus Cochinillifer—Cochineal Fig, we have seen growing in
its native regions to the height of four or five feet. It produces
a fruit which is highly esteemed, on the top of which grows a
red flower, which, when the fruit is ripe, falls down on the top
of it, so that no rain or dew can wet the inside. A day or two
after, the flower being scorched up by the heat of the sun, the
fruit opens wide, and the inside appears full of red insects, which
are caught and dried. We have seen the seeds of this plant
whitened by the insects, which are often shaken off by changes
of wind, and consequently killed. The Cactus is the emblem of
Hidden Merit. Mrs. Sigourn,ey celebrates its praise in the fol-
lowing lines:

THE CACTUS.

Amid a thousand blooming flowers,

Where fragrance filled the tempered air,

A Cactus brought from tropic bowers,

Upreared its branches tall and bare.

Year after year it lived and grew,

The jest of many a brilliant flower,

Yet took no fairer form or hue
Front burning sun or cooling shower.O, bear it hence ! it is unmeet

Beside this blushing Rose to stand,

Who could refuse a voice so sweet,

When uttering counsel or command1?

The Cactus, at the Malden’s will,

Was from its envied place removed ;

And soon the broken rank to nil,

They brought a flower the maiden loved.

The exile plant from all its race
Stood desolate like one accursed;

Yet noblest in unjust disgrace,

At length to sudden bloom it burst.

O’er every branch a hundred flowers
Their crimson glory gaily threw;

And odors fell from it in showers,

Whene’er the vernal breezes blew.

I heard the maiden then exclaim,

“ Most gorgeous of the flowers of earth,

Like love thou waitest want and shame
To call thy beauties into birth.

“ But then in dazzling bloom arrayed,

Thy form the dreariest spot illumes,

And all the close and sultry shade
Grows balmy with thy sweet perfumes.

“ O, leach me, wise and noble flower,

To train my simple heart to meet

Misfortune’s dark and friendless hour,

With smiles like thine serene and sweet!”

The Pimpernel.

This is a genus of the class Pentamlria, order Monogynia.
Its characters are :—corolla rotate ; caps opening horizontally.
Specific characters :—leaves ovate ; stern procumbent. Phillips
remarks, that this beautiful little plant, whose sensitive flowers
form the peasant’s barometer, is frequently called the Shepherd’sWeather Glass, because the corollas never expand in rainy
weather or when the air is moist; but on the contrary, when the
atmosphere is dry and the sun shining, they display their scarlet
and purple with happy effect, bespangling the earth with their
bright eyes in the most agreeable manner, but which are regu-
larly and firmly closed when Phoebus retires to the west. This
is one of the wonderful instincts of inanimate nature; were it
otherwise, the damps of the night air would prevent the discharge
of the farina from the anthers, and this species of plants would
be consequently lost to the link of nature’s perfect chain ; for
although the Pimpernel is too lowly to excite the great interest
of man, its seed is the food of insects, who have their office to
perform towards the completion of the general harmony of the
globe. The smaller kind of birds seek this seed with great
avidity; and as it is a plant that follows cultivation, it may con-
siderably save much of the seed of the husbandman from the
ravages of the feathered tribe. Like the poppy, the Pimpernel
is generally found in ploughed grounds and in gardens, particu-
larly where the air is pure and the soil light and sandy. The
Common Pimpernel—Anagallis Arvensis, the one represented
in our plate, continues to give out a succession of blossoms (rom
the month of June to the end of September; and is, although a
mere weed, deserving a situation on the parterre, its flowers being
of a fine yellow scarlet, having a purple circle at the eye, which
adds considerably to the beauty of this miniature flower. It is a
native of England.

The Blue-flowered Pimpernel—Anagallis Ccerulea, is
far less common than the scarlet. It grows abundantly in Swit-
zerland, Germany and Sweden, and is often found in England.
Its petals have a spot of carmine color at the base of each, in the
same manner as the scarlet kind is marked by purple. Old
writers, after the ancient authors, distinguish these two kinds of
Anagallis by calling the blue flowered the female, and the red
the male Imperial. Pliny remarks, that sheep avoid the blue
Pimpernel, but eat of the scarlet, which he considers extraordi-
nary, since the difference of the plants can only be perceived by
the color of the flowers. He adds, that when a sheep by acci-
dent has eaten of the blue Pimpernel, the animal goes by instinct
to a plant, which he calls Fkrus Oculus. Schreber says, that the
sheep eat Pimpernel readily; by some experiments we find inanother place that kine and goats feed on it, but sheep refuse it
If Pliny is correct in his observations, both these opposite state-
ments may also be accurate, since neither of them mention
whether the experiments were made with the blue or scarlet
kinds. Etymologists differ materially respecting the derivation
of the name of this plant. De Martyn says it comes from the
Greek, to laugh, because by curing the spleen it made persons
cheerful. Coles thinks it was given from its growing abundantly
by the river Gallus; but the most rational derivation seems to
be from anago, to extract, or draw out, since we find the branches
and leaves of the plant being pounded were used by the ancients
not only to draw forth thorns and splinters, but it was also con-
sidered of sufficient efficacy to extract the points of arrows and
spears that were broken in the flesh. The French call this plant
Mouron, and our name of Pimpernel seems derived from Prini-
pernelle, the French name for Burnet. In floral language, this
little flower is made the symbol of assignation.

The Pimpernel is propagated by the curious in such matters,
by sowing the seeds soon after they are ripe, on a border of light
earth. The blue-flowered Pimpernel, naturally the one most
desired, may be increased by cuttings; and when planted in a
pot of light earth and placed in a hot-bed, will produce flowers
in less than six weeks. This little plant, whose numerous
branches spread themselves 011 the ground, being too weak to
erect their flower stems, but which catch our attention by the
vivid scarlet •color of the corolla, was once in great repute by
medical practitioners, but has now fallen entirely into disuse.
It is in the natural order Primulaceae.

THE PIMPERNEL.

Up and abroad—the earth pnts on
Her beautiful array,

The heavens their glory, for the sun
Rejoicelh 011 his way.

Not vainly shall he shed his ray :

Yon mountain’s height I’ll brave,

Or turn my skiff so light and gay,

And wake the slumbering wave.

Hark ! how the fresh breeze bears along
To heaven wide nature’s matin song.But what is here 1 The Pimpernel,

Drooping with close-shut eye—

True sign, so village sages tell,

Of storm and tempest nigh—

But sure such bright and glorious sky,

Shall know no cloud to-day,

O then thy darkling prophecy
Give to the winds away,

And own, whilst thou yon heavens dost view,

For once thou hast not read them true.

Despite my taunt the precious flower
Still closed its petals bright,

And soon the storm, with voice of power
Show’d its forebodings bright.

’Tis ever thus—some sudden blight,

When most we dream of joy,

Does on the shining prospect light
To mar it and destroy.

Oh ! when like this poor flower shall I
Discern aright life’s changing sky 1

Moral of Flowers.

The China Aster,

This is a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Polygamia Su-
perflua. Its characters are:—calyx imbricate, inferior scales
commonly spreading; egret simple, pilose ; receptacle generally
deep pitted. Specific characters : leaves ovate, coarsely loothed,
stalked, the cauline leaves sessile, cunnate at the base ; stem
hispid ; branches in simple heads. The numerous family of
radiated flowers were named Aster from the Greek term for Star.
The French call this autumnal flower Reine Marguerite.
Queen Daisy, and not Queen Margaret, as it is generally trans-
lated, Marguerite being their name for star-like Daisy. The
Chinese generic term for this flower is Keangnamfa. The Euro-
pean parterres are indebted to the missionary Father d’ Incar-
ville, 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, where
the plants produced only simple flowers of one uniform color,but which, through cultivation and change of soil, soon became
both so doubled in petals and various in colors, that it now forms
one of the principal ornaments of the flower garden from July to
November. Mr. Miller tells us that he first received the seeds
from Paris, in 1731, from which he raised some plants with red,
and others with white flowers. In the year 1736, he procured
the seeds of the blue variety, but these were all single flowers.
In 1752 he received seeds of the double flowers, both red and
blue, and in the following year he got some of the double white
sort, since which time the varieties have been infinitely increased
by means of some kinds being impregnated with farina of others,
and thus we are presented with party-colored flowers of red and
white, blue and white, purple and white, pink and purple, two reds,
two blues, and all the changes which these colors are capable of pro-
ducing—on which account the China Aster is made the emblem
of Variety. The Chinese display a taste in their arrangement
of these star-formed flowers that leaves all the florists in the shade.
Even our most curious amateurs, says Phillips, have yet to learn
what effect these plants produce by their gay corollas when care-
fully distributed by the hand of taste. Let the imagination pic-
ture a bank sloping to a piece of water, covered with these gay
flowers, so disposed that they rival the richest patterns of the car-
pets of Persia, or the most curious figures that the artist in filagree
can devise—see these reflected in the mirror below, and some
idea of the enchanting appearance which these brilliant stars are
thus made to produce in the gardens of China may be conceived.
When the seed of the China Aster cannot be depended on 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
ascertain its hue ; and then, with a transplanting spade, they
may be removed to such parts of the parterre as we wish to
embellish by any particular hue, or to the sites where we intend
to display the art of grouping colors. Those plants should be
allowed sufficient room to extend their branches, but at the same
time be planted so near to each other as to hide the earth, and
form but one mass of flowers, and they may generally be planted
on

The spot where Sprint? its earliest visit paid,
for by the tirne these annuals require transplanting, most of theearly flowering bulbs will have been taken out of the ground.
It is recommended to preserve the seeds from the centre or prin-
cipal stem only, as the flowers on the lateral branches are never
so large or so double, and consequently produce inferior plants.
This seed should be sown in the spring, on a warm border or a
gentle hot-bed, and when the plants are about three inches high,
they should be removed to a bed of rich earth, where they may
be transplanted at six inches distance from each other every way,
and kept shaded from the sun and properly watered until they
have taken root. In about five weeks they may be again re-
moved to the parterre, where they are to flower; but in this last
removal it is necessary to take them up with a good ball of earth at
their roots, and it should be performed in rainy weather, which will
prevent their being checked by transplanting. The French gar-
deners remove them with a transplanter, such as they remove
tulips with. The Chinese frequently keep them in pots until
they begin to flower, and by this means are able to place them
out so as to form an elegant distribution of these floral stars.
We would particularly recommend an abundance to be placed
in the shrubbery, since no flower forms so good a contrast to the
autumnal tints of trees and shrubs as these emblems of variety.
The young botanist will observe by comparing this flower with
the Helianthus, that it agrees in having the florets of the disk
bisexual, but differs in those of the radius or margin, which are
lurnished with a stigma only, but which are made fertile by the
pollen of the centre florets, and hence its place in the order.
The marginal florets are usually ligulate, but we have lately had
a beautiful variety introduced, consisting entirely of quilled
florets. There are in the United States, according to Nuttall,
upwards of more than sixty species belonging to this genu?,
which profusely decorate, with their copious flowers, our au-
tumnal scenery. They are large sized plants, and flourish
wherever the soil is good, and often in the shade of bushes and
trees. One of the most extraordinary is a New Holland shrub,
which will every now and then emit an odor of musk, without
being touched.

“ Far in a .sheltered nook

I’ve met, in these calm days, a smiling flower,

A lonely Aster, trembling by a brook,

At the "uiet noontide’s hour ;	iAnd something told my mind,

That should old age to childhood call me back,

Some sunny days and flowers I still might find
Along life’s weary track.”

J. H. Bryant

“ On the hill the golden-rod,

And the Aster in the wood,

And the yellow sunflower by the brook,

In autumn beauty stood,

Till fell the frost from the clear cold heaven,

As falls the plague on men ;

And the brightness of their smile was gone
From upland, glade, and glen.”

W. C. Bryant.

The Blue Hepatica.

This plant is in the class Polyandria, order Polygynia. Its
generic characters are calyx three-leaved, some distance below
the corol, entire ; petals six to nine; seeds without tails. This
charming little plant, which the florist has brought from the
woods and shady mountains of Italy, Germany and Sweden, to
embellish the English parterres, and from thence our own, offers
its blossoms, with those of the Snowdrop, to form our earliest
garland. As no flower garden ought to be without this hardy
specimen of Anemone, and few possess it so plentifully as to
show it to full advantage, we shall strongly recommend the
careful increase of this flower of February and March. It loves
a strong, loamy soil, and an eastern aspect, but will flourish
in almost any earth and situation where it can receive a pure
air. The Hepatica should be planted in clumps of at least a
dozen plants each, about six inches apart, and these should never
be taken up or transplanted, except to form fresh clumps, as they
frequently die after being removed, and never flower well until
about the third year after they are planted. The double varieties
are increased by parting the roots when in blossom, which is
contrary to the general mode of planting flowers. March is
therefore the best time for forming clumps of these plants, which,
like their relatives, seem to delight in the wind.And coy Anemone, that ne’er uncloses
Her lips, until they’re blown on by the wind.

We have found these flowers to have the most agreeable effect,
when the different varieties have been kept in distinct clumps,
the single Blue Hepatica being divided by other early flowers
from the red or white varieties; and as the double Hepaticas
blossom about a fortnight later, they should never be mixed with
the single sorts, but in some situations they may form a mass
intermingled with the yellow hellebore or the white snowdrop,
giving the shrubbery the appearance of being

 Fringed in nature’s native taste,

The hillocks dropped in nature’s careless haste.

Burns.

The name of Hepatica for this plant is from the Greek, hepati-
kos, which signifies belonging to the liver, as the form of the
leaf is supposed to resemble that organ. It was formerly called
Trinity Herb. We conclude this name was given on account
of its leaf, which has the appearance of three leaves united into
one ; hence its specific name, Triloba. The single Hepatica
was cultivated in the English gardens previous to the time of
Gerard, who also notices the double varieties, but states that they
are strangers to England. They were first sent from Italy by
Pontius, who found them growing with double flowers in Aus-
tria. When flowers become double in their natural state, which
is but rarely the case, it is owing to some accidental circumstance
analogous to cultivation—such as keeping the seed out of the
earth beyond its due time, or its falling in situations where it has
not the power of perfecting its blossoms ; for a flower becomes
more imperfect as it is more doubled, the stamens often becom-
ing wholly converted into petals, as in the double Hepatica, which
is therefore not able to produce seed, and necessarily requires the
hand of cultivation to prevent them from becoming extinct. The
single Hepaticas produce seeds every year, and by sowing them,
new varieties may be obtained as in other plants. The time
recommended for sowing the seed is in the beginning of August.
They should be sown in pots or boxes filled with light earth;
these should be placed so as to receive the morning sun only,
until October, when they may be removed into a more general
sunny situation. About the month of March, one of the earliestvisitants of the spring, flowering in sunny spots, often before the
snow has left the ground, on hairy stalks will be seen this variety
of the Anemone ; for Hepaticas, as Lindley observes, which you
have so often seen thriving, when neglected, in a cottage garden,
when they perished under your own continual care, as if they
were created especially for the pleasure of the poor, are nothing but
Anemones, the changed body of Adonis, when he was killed by
a wild boar he had wounded in the chase. It is the emblem of
Confidence. This plant possesses mildly astringent virtues,
and has either been given in the form of tea, or half a teaspoon-
ful of the dried leaves at a time. We possess, however, so
many better remedies, that this has gone out of date entirely, and
is seldom used; the quack preparations under this name con-
taining not a particle of it.

The Ivy,

The generic term is derived from hccreo, to stick, because it
attaches itself to trees and old walls. It is in the class Pentan-
dria, order Monogynia. The characters are :—petals five, ob-
long ; berry five-seeded, surrounded by the calyx. Specific
character:—leaves ovate, undivided. Hederia Helix—Ivy, is
an ornamental evergreen climber, with a woody stem, common
in British woods on old walls and ruins. It flowers in erect
umbels.

I love the Ivy mantled tower,

Rocked by the storms of thousand years.

Cunningham.

Oh how could Fancy crown with thee,

U ancient days, the god of wine,

And bid thee at the banquet be
Companion of the vine 1

Thy home, wild plant, is where each sound
Of revelry hath long been o’er,

Where songs’ full notes once pealed around,

But now are heard no more.

An English writer remarks, that we may indeed wonder thatthe Ivy should be consecrated to such unhallowed purposes.
Besides the consideration of its usual haunts, there is something
so sombre in its appearance as makes it seem but little akin to
revelry. One might almost imagine that in wreathing the gob-
let with its graceful branches, garnished with bright but poison-
ous berries, it was designed to point a moral by alluding to the
sweet poison of misused wine. We are indebted to the Ivy for
the picturesque beauty it throws around every object to which it
attaches itself; 110 architectural ornaments, however classical, 110
tracery, however light and elegant, can vie in effect with this
wild tapestry. But not only is the eye indebted to it, the imagi
nation also shares in the obligation for the touching imagery it
supplies. Springing wherever there is ruin and decay, it decks
indiscriminately the loftiest height and the humblest grove, and
that with such exquisite grace that we doubt whether Adam, to
whom his fair consort assigned the task of directing the clasp-
ing Ivy where to climb, could have twined it more tastefully.
Aime Martin says, that faithful love secures with a branch of Ivy
the quickly fading roses which adorn the brows. Friendship has
chosen for its device an Ivy which clothes a fallen tree with
the motto: Rien ne peut m’en detacher. In Greece, the altar
of Hymen was surrounded with Ivy, a sprig of which was pre-
sented by the priest to a new married spouse, as the symbol of
an indissoluble knot. Ingratitude has sometimes been represent-
ed by Ivy, as when it attaches itself to a young tree, it confines
the stem, and consequently prevents the free circulation of the
sap. The author of a French work has repelled this calumny.
To him the Ivy appears to be the emblem of eternal friendship.

The Ivy shuns the city wall

Where busy clamorous crowds intrude,

And climbs the desolated hall
In silent solitude.

The time-worn arch, the fallen dome,

Are roots for its eternal home.

Carrington makes it the symbol of desolation, but we love it
best as the emblem of Friendship It is a popular error that it
belongs to the class of parasitical plants, deriving its support
from the tree which it environs, when in fact it is sustained by
its own vital powers; its roots are fixed in the earth, and the sapis conveyed into its branches by the same laws which regulate
the vital functions of other members of the vegetable kingdom.
The leaves have but little smell, though a strong nauseous taste *
they are much used in Germany, Haller informs us, as a remedy
for consumption in children. In England they are used more
as applied to running sores to keep issues open. They had some
reputation in the cholera, but are entirely unused at the present
day.

This has often been confounded with the Poison Ivy—Rhus
Radicans, and the geiteral aversion with which the latter has been
regarded fully extended to the former. The character of the
Poison Ivy is so well known that it is universally distinguished by
some name applicable to its deleterious properties, as Poison
Vine, Poison Creeper, and Poison Ivy. It is commonly
found in a dry soil, 011 the borders of fields and woods, and in its
mode of growth very like the common creeper; and like other
handsome ornamental twiners, would be, like its European name-
sake, carefully cultivated and cherished, were it as harmless. It
rises and supports itself by means of strong fibres, which come
out from the sides, and adhere to everything with which they come
in contact. These fibres, though very slender, and apparently
weak, are extremely strong; their size enables them to penetrate
minute crevices, to which in consequence they must ever after-
wards cling, and like Milo and the oak, often prove their ruin,
in not allowing them to get out of the way. Dr. Bigelow says
that he has repeatedly seen large stems of the Rhus Radicans
completely buried in the trunks of old trees, the bark having
grown over and enveloped them. The stem is commonly not
more than an inch in diameter; but in old plants it obtains several
times the size; compressed of course in all cases 011 the side
to which it adheres for support. Linnams placed this genus in
the class Pentandria, order Trigynia; most of the species thus
included are Dioecious. The leaves are in threes and supported
on long, partly flattened footstalks; they are of an ovate shape,
sharp, smooth and glossy 011 both sides, somewhat hairy on the
prominent veins beneath ; margin sometimes whole and some-
times toothed. The flowers, which come out in June, are small
and greenish white, growing in clusters on the seeds of the new
shoots, and springing out mostly from the angle formed by the
leaf and stem. The berries are somewhat round in shape, and.like the flowers, of a greenish white color. The Rhus Toxico-
dendron and this are merely varieties of the same species.
The wood of the Poison Ivy is easily broken, finely grained and
white; in the old plants, yellowish in the centre. The juice of
the plant, when first exposed to the air, is of a rich cream
color, but shortly afterwards, in the space of from fifteen to
twenty minutes, changes to a deep black, useful as forming a
perfect indelible ink. The color, when it is first stained with it,
is hardly perceptible, but continues to grow darker, and will last
as long as the fibres of the linen remain connected with each
other. Many experiments have satisfactorily demonstrated the
value of this fluid; but it is rather dilficult to procure, as the
touch and effluvium of the plant will cause in most cases a train
of distressing symptoms, even attended with fatal results. A
case is related of a gentleman who became sick by marking his
wristband with some of the juice to observe the effect. The
disease brought on by it seems to be of an erysipelatous charac-
ter, and is treated by rest, opium, low diet, and evacuations.
It is the emblem of Malignity.

THE IVY.

Have you e’er seen the moon’s soft splendor
Sleep peaceful on some ruined pile,

Gilding with radiance mild and tender,

Each broken arch and mouldering aisle?

Have you e’er seen the ivy clinging,

Round fragments broken and decayed,

As if its mantling wreaths ’twere flinging,

To hide the breaches time had made?

Oh! thus should care or sorrow wound thee,

Be Friendship’s soft endearments thine,

.	,	And	fondest sympathy around thee

As close her thousand tendrils twine.

And when, at last, each youthful token
Shall yield to wasting and decay,

And thou, like arch or column broken,

Shalt feel proud manhood’s strength give way.

Oh ! then may love by time unshaken,

Around its earliest prop still cling

(For when was mouldering arch forsaken
By the fond wreath it caused to spring
PStill may one smile, as moonbeam tender,

E’en to the last unwearied shine,

Gilding thy manhood’s waning splendor,

And oh ! may that one smile be thine 1

Moral or Flowers.

The Agrimony,

This is a genus of the class Dodecandria, order' Digynia. The
name is derived from two Greek words meaning a field and
alone, as it was considered the chief of all wild herbs. Its char-
acters are:—calyx five-cleft, female with another; petals five;
seeds two at the bottom of the calyx. Specific characters :—stem-
leaves pinnate, the end lobe petioled ; Fruit hispid. The Agri-
monia Eupatoria—Agrimony, rises to the height of about two
feet, with an angular hairy stem, which is simple or undivided and
herbaceous. It is a native of the fields of Europe, and was
early introduced into this country, where it has become natural-
ized, and so common that it is found almost everywhere by
fences and thickets. The leaves, which are on the lower part of
the stem, come directly out from it without the intervention of
footstalks, which the terminal ones have; they are uninterruptedly
pinnate; of an oval form, and cut on the margins with minute
teeth. The scales at the base of the leaf-stalks, which differ in
some degree from common leaves, are large, semicircular, and
cul? serrate. The flower spikes are elevated, rather thinly scat-
tered, and in the months of June and July bear a somewhat
bell-shaped, pretty yellow flower. It has a permanent fiower-cup,
which is armed with hooked bristles. The whole height of
the plant is from twenty-four to thirty-two inches. After flower-
ing, it perfects two hard-coated seeds in the bottom of the calyx.
The plant is perennial. In floral language, it emblemizes Thank-
fulness. This plant, in domestic practice, is often very useful,
as it possesses mildly astringent properties. Chomel relates two
cases in his successful treatment of enlarged and indurated livers
by its use; and it has often been found advantageous in weak
hemorrhagic affections. In cutaneous diseases, particularly in
scabies, we have been told it manifests great efficacy, for whichpurposes it is given with liquorice, in the form of a tea; though
Allston remarks it should always be exhibited in the state of
powder. It is best used while fresh ; and the tops, before the
flowers are formed, possess the most virtue. Cullen gives it
feebly astringent powers, and passes it by with little other re-
marks.

Vegetable Tissue,

Lindley observes that if plants are considered with reference
to their internal organization, they appear at first sight to consist
of a vast multitude of exceedingly minute cavities separated by
a membranous substance. More exactly examined, it is found
that these cavities have a variety of different figures, and that
each is closed up from those that surround it; and if the inquiry
is carried still farther, it will be discovered that the partitions be-
tween the cavities are all double, and that by maceration in
water and other processes, the cavities, with their enclosing
membranes, may be separated from each other into distinct bodies.
These constitute what is called Vegetable Tissue, or Elemen-
tary Organs. Their chemical basis has been found to be oxy-
gen, hydrogen, and carbon, with occasionally a little nitrogen,
combined in various proportions. Their organic basis is mem-
brane and fibre. Membrane varies in degree of transparency,
being occasionally so exceedingly thin as to be scarcely discov-
erable, except by the little particles that stick to it, or by its
refraction of light; and sometimes having a perceptible green
color, and a thickness which is considerable, if compared with
the diameter of the cavity it encloses. Fibre may be compared
to hair of inconceivable fineness, in diameter not often exceed-
ing the isinr of an inch ; it has often a greenish color, but it is
more frequently without any, and transparent. The forms under
which the elementary organs are seen, are Cellular Tissue,
Woody Fibre, and Vascular Tissue.

Cellular tissue generally consists of little bladders or vesicles
of various figures, adhering together in masses. Occasionally it
is composed of fibre only, unconnected with membrane. It is
transparent, and in all cases colorless; when it appears other-wise, its color is always caused by matter contained within it.
If a thin slice of elder be examined with a microscope, it will be
found to have a sort of honeycomb appearance, fig. J, as if ihere
were a number of hexagonal cavities separated by partitions.
These are destitute of all perforations or visible pores, so that each,
as far as can be seen, is completely closed up from its neighbor;
although, as they have the power of filtering fluids with rapidity,
it is certain they must abound in invisible pores, and that they
are not impermeable, as if they were made of glass. Different
opinions, however, are entertained upon this subject, and we have
caused the supposed communicating pores or slits to be drawn
in the cells on the plate, as delineated by those who think they
have observed them. It may be observed that cellules often con-
tain air bubbles, which appear to have no direct means of escape,
and that the limits of color are often very accurately defined in
petals, as for instance in the stripes of tulips and carnations,
which could not be the case if cellular tissue were perforated by
such holes as have been described, for then all colors would
necessarily run together. The brilliant colors of vegetable mat-
ter, the white, blue, yellow, scarlet, and other hues of the corolla,
and the green of the bark and leaves, is not owing to any differ-
ence in the color of the cellules, but to coloring matter of different
kinds which they contain. In the stem of the Impatiens Bal-
samina, a single cell is frequently red in the midst of others that
are colorless. Examine the red cellule, and you will find it filled
with a coloring matter of which the rest are destitute. The bright
satiny appearance of many richly colored flowers depends upon
the colorless quality of the tissue. Thus, in Thysanotus Fasci-
cularis, the flowers of which arc of a deep brilliant violet, with a
remarkable satiny lustre, that appearance will be found to arise
from each particular cellule containing a single drop of colored
fluid which gleams through the white shining membrane of the
cellules, and produces the flickering lustre that is perceived.
The coloring matter is frequently fluid, but is in the leaves and
other parts more frequently composed of granules ol various
sizes; this is particularly the case in all green parts, in which
the granules lie amongst greenish liquid, which, as they grow
older, dries up, whilst the granules themselves gradually change
to olive, green, and finally to brown. Pile cellules deveiope
in some cases with great rapidity. The Supitius Polyphillishas been seen to grow in length at the rate of an inch and a half a
day. The leaf of the Urania Speciosa has been found, by Mul-
der, to lengthen at the rate of from one and a half to three and a
half lines per hour, and even as much as from four to five inches
per day. This may be computed to equal the development of at
least four or five thousand cellules per hour. But the most re-
markable instances of this sort are to be found in the Mushroom
tribe, which in all cases develope with surprising rapidity. It is
stated by Junghuns, that he has known the Borista Gigantium, in
damp, warm weather, grow in a single night from the size of a
mere point to that of a huge gourd ; supposing it, at a moderate
estimate, to have grown in the course of twelve hours, its cellules
must have developed at the rate of near 4,000,000,000 per hour,
or more than thirty-six millions per minute.

Woody fibre consists ol very slender, transparent, membranous
tubes, tapering acutely at each end, lying in bundles, and, like
the cellular tissue, having no direct communication with each
other, except by invisible pores. It may at all times be known
by its elongated figure and extremely attenuated character; usu-
ally it has no sort of markings on its surface, except occasionally
a particle or two of greenish matter in its inside; sometimes,
however, it is covered with spots that have been mistaken for
pores, and that give it a peculiar character. Generally while
cellular tissue is brittle and has little or 110 cohesion, woody
fibre has great tenacity and strength, whence its capability ol
being manufactured into linen. Everything prepared of flax,
hemp, and the like, is composed ol woody fibre ; of this there
are three distinct kinds: 1st. That in which the walls are not
occupied with granules or glands sticking to them, or in which
the former are of very rare occurrence. This is the finest and com-
monest of all; and is also the most genuine state of woody fibre.
2d. Those in which the walls have uniformly a considerable
number of granules of regular size, sticking to them in a scattered
manner. 3d. The glandular, which has hitherto only been noticed
in the Conifera, in which it is uniformly found in every species;
its dimensions are more considerable than either of the two last
mentioned forms. Woody fibre constitutes a considerable propor-
tion of the ligneous part of all plants; it is common in bark, and
forms the principal portions of the veins of leaves, to which it
gives stiffness and tenacity.Vascular tissue consists of simple membranous tubes, taper-
ing to each end, but often ending abruptly, either having a fibre
generated spirally in their inside, or having their walls marked
by dots or transverse bars arranged in a spiral direction. We
will describe the two principal kinds of vascular tissue, the Spi-
ral Vessels, and Ducts. The former are membranous tubes
with conical extremities, their inside being occupied by a fibre
twisting spirally, and capable of unrolling with elasticity. To
the eye, when at rest, they look like wire twisted round a cylin-
der that is afterwards removed. For the purpose of finding
them for examination, the stalk of a strawberry leaf, or a young
shoot of the Cornus Alba may be conveniently used ; in these
they may be readily detected by pulling the specimen asunder,
when they unroll, and appear to the naked eye like a fine cob-
web. Fig. 2, A spiral vessel; fig. 3, the same magnified, show-
ing the elevated, and perhaps glandular border, the thread of
which is sometimes double or compounded of others. In size,
like all other kinds of tissue, they are variable, but generally very
small in the petals and filaments. An irritability of a curious
kind has been noticed in their fibres. Malphigi tells us that in
herbaceous plants and some trees, especially in the winter, a
beautiful sight may be observed by tearing gently asunder a
portion of a branch or stem still green, so as to separate the coils
of the spires, and the fibre will be found to have a downward
worm-like motion, which lasts for a considerable time. These
vessels are situated in that part of the axis of the stem surround-
ing the pith, and called the medullary sheath, and also in every
part of the tissue which originates from it, such as the veins of
leaves, and petals, and all other modifications of leaves. In the
stem of one class of plants, spiral vessels occur in the bundles of
woody tissue that lie among the cellular substance; in the leaves
of some plants they are found in such abundance as to be col-
lected in handfuls in some islands of the West Indies, for spe-
cial purposes. We are also told that about a drachm and a
half is yielded by every plantain, and the fibres may be either
employed in the manufacture of a sort of down, or spun into
thread. Ducts are membranous tubes, with conical or rounded
extremities, their sides being marked with transverse lines or
rings or bars, or dots arranged spirally, and being incapable of
unrolling. In some states, these approach so nearly to the spiralvessel that it is impossible to doubt their being a mere modifica-
tion of it, and in others the analogy cannot be traced. Fig. 4,
Vascular tissue always consists of tribes that are imbranched.
The kinds of tissue now enumerated are all that have yet been
discovered in the fabric of a vegetable. There are, however, seve-
ral other internal parts, although not elementary, being them-
selves made up of those we have just described ; such are the
Air Cells, Receptacles of Secretion Glands, &c.

Agriculture.

Tyas remarks that corn, that is the principal grain of every
country, is nowhere to be found in its primitive state. It seems
to have been confided by Providence to the care of man, with
the use of fire, to secure him the sceptre of the earth. With
corn and fire, all other gifts may be dispensed with or ac-
quired. With corn alone we could nourish every domestic ani-
mal which affords flesh for our sustenance, shares our labors, or
which may be in various ways serviceable to us. The pig, the
hen, the duck, the pigeon, the ass, the sheep, the goat, the horse,
the cow, the cat, the dog; each renders us something in return
for our care. We receive from each, according to nature, either
eggs or milk, bacon or wool, various meats, or services. Corn
is the first bond of society, because its culture and preparation
for our use require great labor and reciprocal services. From
its inestimable value, the ancients called the goddess Ceres the
Legislatrix.

There are occasions when food is much more highly esteemed
than the possession of riches. An Arab, wandering in the
desert, had not tasted food for the space of two days, and began
to be apprehensive of famine. In passing near a well where
the caravans stopped, he perceived a little leathern sack on
the sand. He took it up, saying, “ God be praised, it is, I
think, a little flour.” He hastened to open the sack, but at the
sight of its contents, he cried, “ How unfortunate I am! it is
only some gold powder!”

Howitt says, the harvest is a time for universal gladness of the
heart. Nature has completed her most important operations.She has ripened her best fruits, and a thousand hands are ready
to reap them with joy. It is a gladdening sight to stand upon
some eminence, and behold the yellow hues of harvest amid the
dark relief of hedges and trees; to see the shocks standing thickly
in a land of peace ; the partly reaped fields and the clear cloud-
less sky shedding over all its lustre. There is a solemn splendor,
a mellowness and maturity of beauty, thrown over the landscape.
The wheat crops shine on the hills and slopes, as Wordsworth
expresses it, “ like golden shields cast down from the sun.” For
the lovers of solitary rambles, for all who desire to feel the plea-
sures of a thankful heart, and to participate in the happiness of
the simple and the lowly, now is the time to stroll abroad. They
will find beauty and enjoyment spread abundantly before them.
They will find the mowers sweeping down the crops of pale
barley, every spiked ear of which, so lately looking up bravely
at the sun, is now bent down in a modest and graceful curve, as
If abashed at his ardent and incessant gaze. They will find
them cutting down the rustling oats, each followed by an attend-
ant rustic who gathers the swath into sheaves from the tender
green of the young clover, which, commonly sown with oats to
constitute the future crop, is now showing itself luxuriantly. But
it is in the wheat field that all the jollity, and gladness, and pic-
turesqueness of harvest are concentrated. Wheat is more par-
ticularly the food of man. Barley affords him a wholesome but
much abused potation ; the oat is welcome to the homely board
of the hardy mountaineers, but wheat is especially and every-
where “ the staff of life.” To reap and gather it in every crea-
ture of the hamlet is assembled. The farmer is in the field, like
a rural king among his people:

Around him ply the reaper band,

With lightsome heart and eager hand;

And mirth and music cheer the toil,

While sheaves that stud the russet soil,

And sickles gleaming in the sun,

Tell jocund autumn is begun.

The laborer, old or young, is there to collect what he has sown
with toil, and watched in its growth with pride; the dame has
left her wheel and her shady cotlage, and, with sleeve-defended
arms, scorns to do less than the best of them; the bloomingdamsel is there adding her sunny beauty 10 that of universal
nature; the boy cuts down the stalks which overtop his head;
children glean amongst the shocks; and even the unwalkable in-
fant sits propped with sheaves and plays with the stubble, and

With all its twined flowers.

Such groups are often seen in the wheat-field as deserve the im-
mortality of the pencil. There is something, too, about wheat-
harvest, which carries back the mind and feasts it with the plea-
sures of antiquity. The sickle is almost the only implement
which has descended from the olden times in its pristine sim-
plicity to the present hour, neither altering its form, nor becom-
ing obsolete, amid all the fashions and improvements of the
world. It is the same now as it was in those scenes of rural
beauty which the Scripture history, without any labored descrip-
tion, often by a single stroke, presents so livingly to the imagin-
ation, as it was when tender thoughts passed

Through the sad heart of Ruth, when sick for home,

She stood in tears amid the alien corn ;

when the minstrel-king wandered through the solitudes of Paran,
or fields reposing at the foot of Carmel, or, “ as it fell on a day,
that the child of the good Shunamile went out to his father to
the reapers. And he said unto his father, My head, my head !
And he said to a lad. Carry him to his mother. And when he
had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her
knees till noon, and ihen died.” 2 Kings iv. 18—20.

Let no one say it is not a season of happiness to the toiling
peasantry ; I know that it is. In the days of boyhood I have
partaken their harvest labors, and listened to the overflowing of
their hearts, as they sate amid the sheaves beneath the fine blue
skv, or among the rich herbage of some green headland beneath
the shade of a tree, while the cool keg plentifully replenished the
horn ; and sweet, after exertion, were the contents of the harvest
field basket. I know that the poor harvesters are among the
most thankful contemplators of the bounty of Providence, though
so little of it falls to their share. To them harvest comes as an
annual festival. To their healthful frames, the heat of the open
fields, which would oppress the languid and relaxed, is but an
exhilarating glow. The inspiration of the clear blue sky above,and of scenes of plenty around them, and the very circumstance
of their being drawn away from their several dwellings at this
bright season, open their hearts and give a life to their memories;
and many an anecdote and history from “ the simple annals of the
poor, are there related, which need only to pass through the
mind of a Wordsworth or a Crabbe, to become immortal in their
mirth or woe.”

The custom of breaking a straw to express that treaties may
be broken, may be traced to the first days of monarchy; it may
be said to be one of royal origin. The old chronicles relate that%
in 922, Charles the Simple, seeing himself abandoned by the
principal lords of his court, had the imprudence to convoke an
assembly at Soissons. He sought his friends there, but found
only a factious crew whose audacity was increased by his weak-
ness. Some reproached him with indolence, with his prodigali-
ties, and the blind confidence he reposed in his minister Ilaga-
non ; others were angry for the dishonor of his concessions to
Raoul the Norman chief. Surrounded by their foul sedition,
he prayed, promised, and thought to escape by the display of
new weaknesses, but in vain. When they saw him without
moral courage, their audacity knew no bounds; and they even
declared he ceased to be their king. At these words, which they
pronounced with every sign of violence, accompanied by mena-
ces, they advanced to the foot of the throne, broke some straws
which they held in their hands, threw them roughly on the ground,
and retired, after expressing, by this action, that they broke treaty
with him. This example is the most ancient of its kind that we
know ; but it proves for a long time this mode of breaking an
oath had been in use, since the vassals did not think it necessary
to add a single word of explanation, as they felt sure o( being
understood.—Ai.me Martin.Remarks 011 Flower Gardens.

BY HENRY PHILIPS, F.R.S.

The luxury of having flower gardens attached to our dwellings
originated with Epicurus, who first gave the idea to the Atheni-
ans about two hundred and sixty years before the birth of Christ.
Plautus assigned the custody of gardens to Venus; and Pliny
observes, that the labors of the garden formed one of the occu-
pations of females in his time; and that it was a common ob-
servation in those days, when a garden was out of order, and
not well kept, that the mistress was a bad housewife. Horti-
cultural pursuits were deemed so honorable amongst the Romans
that many of their distinguished families derived their surnames
from some species of fruit or vegetable which they were cele-
brated for cultivating. In modern days we have reversed this
order, and bestowed the names of our eminent botanists, or per-
sons who have zealously occupied themselves with the cultiva-
tion and introduction of new plants, on the plants themselves.
Thus, with the unanimous consent of all Europe, the Banksia, a
genus of plants procured from New Holland, will carry down
the name of Banks to the end of time, as Aitonia will that of the
worthy author of the Hortus Kewensis. Indeed, were we to
enumerate all the plants that have been so named in gratitude,
or through respect to such persons, it would form one of the
most interesting nomenclatures that has ever appeared.

The fondness for plants is natural to all men who possess the
least sensibility (albeit Rev. Thomas A. Weed thinks differently) ;
and however their attention may be engaged by other pursuits, it
generally happens that this predilection shows itself during some
period of their lives. Nature seems to have designed men for
the culture of her works, and to have ordained that we should
be born hardeners, since our earliest inclination tends to the cul-
ture of flowers. The infant can no sooner walk, than its first
employment is to plant a flower in the earth, removing it ten
times an hour to wherever the sun seems to shine most favorably.
The schoolboy, in the anxious care of his little ground, lessensthe thought of the home he has left. In manhood, our attention
is generally engaged by more active and imperious duties, but
as age obliges us to retire from public business, the love of gar-
dening returns to soothe our declining years. When the Eastern
nations were at the height of their glory, the art of gardening was
by them carried to great perfection; and Cyrus the younger was
as celebrated for the pleasure gardens which he had himself
planted and cultivated in Lydia, as the elder Cyrus was for the
famous palace which he constructed at Persepolis. According
to Chardin, the gardens in the vicinity of Babylon abounded
with plants and flowers glowing with ihe most lovely dyes, and
conspicuous for their dazzling brilliancy. Of the gardens of the
ancient Israelites we have fewer accounts than of those of other
Eastern nations, and for the same reason that we have but few,
if any, specimens of their sculpture handed down to us. The
Hebrew nation being surrounded by idolators on all sides, it was
necessary to prohibit, not only all familiar intercourse with the
heathens, but to guard particularly against the introduction of
their customs and habits, which naturally must have been very
alluring and seductive to the idle and more profligate part
of the Jewish community; and as the gardens or sacred
groves of those nations were generally the scenes of their
obscene revellings, such public plantations, together with the
erection of statues and images, were forbidden by the laws of
the country.

The iMahommedan faith teaches ihe followers of the Prophet to
believe that the blessings of a future state consist in dwelling in
delightful gardens. The Koran expressly states, “ Whosoever
doeth good works, either man or woman, and belicveth, shall
enter into Paradise. They shall cnler gardens of pleasure
togelher, with those of their fathers or wives that have done
good.”

In the flower garden ihe student in chemistry will find how
imperfect is his art in comparison with natural chemistry, which
distils from the earth and conveys by distinct channels in the
smallest stem all that is necessary to produce foliage, flowers
and fruit, together with color, smell and taste, the most opposite
fluids and liquids being separated only by divisions so delicate
as scarcely to be deemed a substance. The research into the
wonders displayed in vegetation may be entered into withouthurting the sensibility of the most tender feelings, as plants and
roots may be dissected without those disagreeable sensations
that follow the dissection of animals. Addison observes, that
it gives us a great insight into the contrivance and wisdom of
Providence, and suggests innumerable subjects for meditation.

Flowers.

BY MRS. BARBAUI.D.

Flowers to the fair! to you these flowers I bring,
And strive to greet you with an early spring;
Flowers, sweet and gay, and delicate like you,
Emblems of innocence and beauty too.

With flowers the Graces bind their yellow hair,
And flowery wreaths consenting lovers wear.
Flowers, the sole luxury which nature knew,

In Eden’s pure and guiltless garden grew.

Flowers in water should have a fresh supply every morning;
the dead buds and decayed leaves should be taken away, and the
sodden ends of the stalks should be cut ofF. All the leaves
should be removed from that part of the stalk which is in the vase.
When the flowers begin to hang the head and show a general
aspect of languor, cut off the ends of the stalks with a sharp
knife, and put them about two inches deep in warm water for
a few minutes; the water should not be actually scalding, but
as warm as you can hold your hand in without pain ; the
moisture will make its way into the vessels of the stems, and
if they be taken from the warm and immediately replaced in
fresh cold water, the flowers will revive and yet live for some
days or hours longer, according to their kind. They should not
be exposed to a hot sun.Vegetable Geography.

Lindley observes that this is one of the most curious and diffi-
cult subjects with which we can occupy ourselves. It embraces
a consideration of the constitution of the atmosphere and geo-
logical structure of all parts of the globe, and of the specific
effects of particular conditions of climate and soil upon vegeta-
tion ; all of them points upon which we can scarcely be said to
know anything. It involves-the discussion of the plan upon
which the world was originally clothed with verdure; and as
Humboldt most truly observes, it is closely connected with the
physical condition of the world in general. Upon the predomi-
nance of certain families of plants in particular districts depends
the character of the country, and the whole face of Nature.
Abundance of grasses forming vast savannahs, or of palms or firs,
have- produced most important effects upon the social state of the
people, the nature of their manners and the degree of develop-
ment of the arts of industry.

If we examine the surface of the globe we shall find its vege-
tation varying according to its inequalities and its differences of
soil; we shall see that the plants of the valleys are not those
of the mountains, nor those of the marsh like the vegetables of
the river or of dry grounds; it will also be seen that the vege-
tation of all valleys, all mountains, marshes, or rivers, has a simi-
lar character in the same latitudes. The flora of the granitic
mountains of Spain and Portugal is very different from that of
the calcareous mountains of the same kingdoms; in Switzerland,
the Teucrium montanum always indicates a calcareous soil,
and the same may be said of the orchises of England. Hence
it is inferred that the differences in the character of vegetation
depend upon circumstances connected with the soil or atmo-
sphere in which they grow.

It will be of service to name a few of these classes; and first,
the Maritime, or saline plants; those which without being
plunged in salt water, and floating on its surface, are neverthe-
less constrained to live in the vicinity of salt water for the pur-
pose of absorbing whatever may be required for their nourish-
ment. Among these it is requisite to distinguish those which,
like the Salicornia, grow in salt marshes, where they absorbsaline principles, both by their leaves and roots, from which those
like Roccella fuciformis exist upon rocks exposed to the sea air,
and appear to absorb by their leaves alone; and finally, a third
class, such as Eryngium Campestre, which do not require salt
water, but which live on the seacoast and elsewhere, because
their constitution is so robust that they are not affected by the
action of salt.

2d. Marine plants, which live either plunged in salt water or
floating on its surface. These are distributed over the bottom
of the sea or salt water, in proportion to the degree of saltness,
agitation, continuity of immersion, tenacity of soil, and perhaps
also ihe intensity of light.

3d. Aquatic plants, living plunged in fresh water, either en-
tirely immerged, as confervas, or floating on its surface, as stra-
tiotes; or fixed in the soil by their roots, with the foliage in the
water, as several kinds of Potamogeton ; or rooted in the soil
and eithe^ floating on its surface, as Nymphae, or rising above
it, as Alisma plantago.

4th. Plants of fresh water marshes, and ot very wet places.
5th.	“	“	meadows and	pastures.

6tli.	“	“	cultivated soil.

7th.	“	“	rocks.

8th.	“	“	sands or very barren soil.

9th.	“	“	sterile places.

10th.	“	which	follow	man,	azotized	matter	necessary	for

their existence.

11th.	“	of	forest.

12th.	“	“	bushes and hedges.

13th.	“	“	subterranean.

14th.	“	“	mountain.

15th.	“	“	parasitical.

16th.	“	“	falsely.

These are De Candolle’s sixteen stations, but Lindley does
not seem to attach much importance to them, because, says he,
they are vague and uncertain of application, and frequently
common to many plants, but it is nevertheless useful to have in
mind that such distinctions do exist, and to point them out when-
ever they take any decided peculiarity of character.

The next, and by far the most important head under which
the geographical distribution of plants is to be considered, iswith reference to temperature and light, which depends first upon
latitude, and secondly upon elevation above the sea. As we
proceed from the pole towards the equator, we find the tempera-
ture gradually increasing; and as we ascend from the surface of
the ocean up into the atmosphere, we find the temperature gra-
dually decreasing until we reach the point of perpetual frost,
where vegetation ceases. In considering the matter of the vege-
tation of a given climate, it is necessary to take into account the
temperature peculiar to the latitude itself\ and the reduction
caused by elevation. The effect of elevation is not in Europe
the same with all plants; there are many that grow indifferently
upon the plains as upon mountains of perpetual snow. De Can-
dolle speaks of 700 instances, with which he was acquainted, of
the prevalence of this law. But, on the other hand, there are
many plants the limits of which are strictly circumscribed by
elevation or equivalent temperature ; as, for example, the chest-
nut, which does not rise higher on the Swiss Alps than 2400
feet; on iEtna it reaches no higher than 4000 feet. Many of
the plants found on the plains of the North occupy the mountains
of the South. The Olive, in 44° of latitude, its most northern
range, will not grow at a greater elevation than 1200 feet. In
general, it i3 found as we approach the equator vegetation be-
comes more and more affected by elevation; and that as we
recede from it these effects gradually cease.

Lindlf.y remarks, that it is a common statement, that New
Holland produces no eatable fruits, for that even the few wild
berries which the traveller meets with, are more dry, tasteless
and insipid than those of any other country. The pears, say the
grumbling colonist, are made of wood ; cherries have the stones
on the outside of the flesh; grapes are nauseous, and grow on
bindweed; the currant bushes prickly, and the gooseberries
without thorns ; whilst the honeysuckle has no odor, and the oak
no foliage. Although these are mere idle tales, arising from the
names of European plants being misapplied to New Holland
species of a totally different nature, yet it is true that the whole
of that vast continent is, as far as has yet been seen, destitute of
any fruit-bearing plant that deserves cultivation.This flower belongs to the class Triandria, order Monogynia.
Its generic characters are:—corolla six-petalled, unequal; petals
alternate, jointed and spreading ; stigma petal-form, cowled, two-
lipped.

Iris on saffron wings arrayed with dew,

Of various colors through the sunbeams flew.

Virgil.

Then clad in colors of a various dye,

Junonian Iris breeds a new supply.

Ovid.

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 their
goddess. Iris is generally depicted as descending from the rain-
bow, and her arch is said not to vary more in its colors than this
flower that has been honored by her name. Columella observes
in his tenth book :

Nor Iris with her glorious rainbow clothed,

So fulgent as the cheerful gardens shine,

With their bright offspring when they’re in their bloom.

Milton distinguishes these flowers as Iris all hues. Every
quarter of the world possesses the Iris, and excepting the Rose,
no flowers have been more celebrated by the historian and
the poet than those of this genus, which so greatly embellishes
both the land and the waters, and has at various periods contri-
buted much to the sustenance, and added to the medicines of
man. Bildad, in his remonstrance with Job, uses this plant as a
simile, which has been versified by Sandys :

Can Bulrushes but by the river grow I

Can Flags there flourish where no waters flow 1

The ancients used it, says Phillips, as the symbol of Elo*
QqUence, and it is on this account placed by the Egyptians on
the brow of the Sphinx, as seen in the collection of antique sta-
tuary in the Louvre at Paris, where there are three Sphinxes of
great magnitude, all of whom have this flower sculptured on their
brow. May not the Egyptians have represented Moses by the
Sphinx, and placed the Flag flower on the temple of this sym-
bolical figure in allusion to the spot from which he was taken, for
the daughter of Pharaoh discovered him in an ark of bulrushes,
by the river brink ?

The history of France informs us lhat the escutcheon of that
country was strewed with an indefinite number of Fleur-de-lis,
as early as the time of Clovis the First, about the end of the
fifth century, previously to which time the emblem of France
had been either three toads or three diadems in Champ d’argent
—others say three crescents surrounded with a number of bees.
About the middle of the twelfth century, Louis the Seventh of
France, having been excommunicated by the Pope, and his
kingdom laid under an interdict, was persuaded to take up the
cross and join in the romantic expedition of the Crusaders ; on
which occasion he distinguished himself, as was the custom of
those times, by a particular blazon, for which he chose the Iris
flower, from that time called Fleur de Louis—Louis’s flower—
which was first contracted into fleur de luce, and afterwards into
fleur de lis—Lily flower—though it has no affinity to the Lily.
The Iris flower soon became celebrated in France as the Fleur
de lis, and was not only used in its arms, but employed in the
decorative embellishments of the crown itself. The North part
of the mariner’s compass was marked by its immortal author
with this flower in compliment to France. We need not enter
into the long detail of the addition of this flower to the arms of
England when she conquered France, nor its subsequent return
in 1800. It is a remarkable fact, that during the French Revo-
lution this flower was proscribed, and hundreds of persons wear-
ing it condemned to death; and we are told that during this
national frenzy, wherever it was conspicuous in sculpture, it was
instantly defaced by the mob, who covered the obliteration by
their silly cap of Liberty, which, in its turn, was obscured by ihe
expanding wings of the imperial eagle. Napoleon substituted
the Bee for the Iris flower, certainly a more rational emblem for
-an industrious nation than the other; but both have since takentheir departure, and the Fleur de Lis is once more left to spangle
the royal robes of France. Shakspeare wrote :

Lilies of all kinds,

The Fleur de Luce being one,

his botanical knowledge not being sufficient to distinguish the
two.

It is certainly a great recommendation to these plants, that
while some of the kinds blossom in early spring, others succeed
them in every month until late in the fall. Their easy propaga-
tion and hardy nature render it unnecessary to dwell upon their
culture; but, as Phillips says, we cannot leave the Iris of Flora
without strongly recommending it a more frequent situation in
every pleasure ground than it now occupies. It is a species of
flower that gardeners seem to have cultivated with great delight
on account of its rich and varying colors, for while it equals the
bow of Iris in the softness of the tints of some of its varieties, the
petals of others excel in richness the celebrated purple of Tyre,
whilst other kinds exhibit a color so opposite and of so vivid a
dye, as to be made emblematical of Flame. As it has been
brought fro^n every quarter of the globe, so would we see it
flourish in every part of our grounds, and even in the waters ;
for Scott says:

Where waves the bulrush as the waters glide.

And yellow flag flowers deck the sunny side.

It is difficulty imagine an effect more agreeable to the eye
than clumps of these yellow flowers reflected in the blue waters
of our winding streams and ornamental lakes. The embellish-
ment of such situations in general is too little understood and
less attended to. We would not wish to see the banks of rivers
bearing visible marks of art, but the naked expanse of artificial
lakes is unnatural. A proportion of aquatic plants is necessary to
keep up a harmony of coloring, and to soften the abruptness of
the change which catches the eye when waters arc too suddenly
contrasted with the land ; when of sufficient size to maintain fish
and aquatic birds, we should never fail to set aquatic plants,
which nature instructs us to be necessary for their shelter, food,
and medicine. In situations where it may be desirable to keep
the waters free from plants, there can be no objection to the banks
•being diversified by the yellow and purple corollas of the Iris,
provided they are so judiciously placed as not only to be doubled
by reflection, but carry rather the appearance of growing naturally
on the spot, than of being placed there by the hand of art.
Where the yellow Iris is allowed to grow on the brink of waters,
the purple or blue varieties should be placed on the banks as a
contrast, but in 110 instance in such a manner as to give the idea
of a border to the lake, but rather to add irregularity and break
uniformity by large clusters of these plants ascending the banks.
In the most embellished borders of the vernal season, the dwarf
species cannot fail to be attractive. The Persian Iris displays
on the same petal nearly all the tints of the dome’s high arch,
and like it,

------the	min^leJ blaze

Forms a rainbow of alternate rays.

This species flowery as early as February and March, but is
of too tender a nature for the exposed border, excepting where
the soil is naturally sandy and the situation warm and sheltered;
it prospers well, however, when planted in bulbs ftlljt*d with sandy
loam, or when the bulb is placed on water in ihe manner of hya-
cinlhs. The fragrance is such that a few flowers will perfume a
large room, and on this account, as well as the early season in
which its finely painted corollas open, it is as desirable a plant for
the house, as the Pumila—Dwarf Iris, is for the open garden,
where it endures the inclemency of our winters without injury,
and produces its rich purple flowers in almost ally soil or situa-
tion, being a native of the open hills of Austria and Hungary.
Its diminutive height is its protection against the tempestuous
season in which it flowers, which also adapts it as a neighbor to
the Primrose, the early Narcissus, and other early flowering
plants that benefit by a purple contrast. There are varielies of
this Iris with pale blue, and some with straw colored and bluish
colored petals, but they are neither so common nor so desirable
for the season of their flowering as those of the royal purple.
Many of the Inter blowing Irises are of a height that towers above
dwarf shrubs, and they have an enchanting effect when planted
among the bushes of the roseries, or between the tall shrubs and
dwarf evergreens of the shrubbery ; the pale Turkey, the yellow,
or the various colored, being planted in the vicinity of the purple

•rhododendron, and ihe blue and violet varieties of Iris where
white, yellow, or pink flowers abound.

Chai.cf.doxiax Iris—Iris Susiana, takes its natne from
Susa, in Persia. This species requires a dryer soil and warmer
situation than most other kinds, and has many qualities to re-
commend it to our care. Its corolla is the largest of all the
species, the upper petals being as broad as a hand, and singular
in their colors, being striped with black and white, whilst the
falling petals are of so dark a hue as to have given rise to the
name of mourning Iris. We learn from Clasius that this superi>
Iris was first brought from Constantinople to Vienna and Hol-
land, in the year 1573.

The hardy sorts of Iris are easily propagated by parting their
roots in the autumn ; and few flowers requiring so little atten-
tion produce so fine an effect as these plants, particularly when
their clumps are large. The flowers should not be removed
oftener than once in three or four years, as they seldom flower
so abundantly the year after having been planted.

The great Bui.bous-rooted—Iris Xiphioides, and the small
Bui.bous-rootkd—Iris Xiphium, are natives of Spain, and were
cultivated in England as long back as the era of Elizabeth,,
though in their gardens as well as in our own, they are rather
rare than plentiful, though no flower which we can bestow our
attention upon will be found more ornamental, for they vary so
considerably in their corollas that scarcely two plants produced
from seed are painted in the same manner; but the approved
varieties are increased by offsets which they abundantly produce.
This Iris prospers best in a poor, light, sandy loam, where it is
exposed to an eastern aspect. The seeds are generally ripe in
August, and should be sown in slight drills about six inches from
each other. In the following spring the young plants appear
above the earth with a resemblance to young onions. In this
state they require no other care than weeding. In August
or September of the same year after sowing, they should be
transplanted into clumps or beds at about eight inches apart
each way ; in two or three years from their removal most of
them will blossom, and new varieties may be expected. In
Africa the roots of the Iris Edulis are esteemed as food after
being boiled, and they are eagerly sought for in that quarter of
the world by the monkeys. It is the Florentine Iris whose roots,when dried, give out that agreeable perfume so similar to the
odor of violets ; it was first brought from Leghorn, and was ill
great demand when hair powder was more generally worn, as
what was sold as violet powder was nothing more than a pro-
portion of the powder of this root mixed with common hair pow-
der. It is the Orris root of the shops, so frequently chewed by
those who have fetid breath ; it was formerly much esteemed
in medicine, and old writers extol its many valuable qualities;
at present it is only used for its flavor. The Scissor Iris is one
of the most curious of the species. It has the slenderest stein
and the smallest flower of all the Irises, and the corolla never
expands till after mid-day. It is a native of Dauria, and has a
synonyme for our word scissors in that language, on account of
the form of the fork produced by the two branches which sup-
port the flowers. It is not even the flower of a day, for it never
fails to collapse before night by a tWo-fold inflexion rolling in-
wards at the limb or upper portion, and twisting spirally together
at the lower.

The Iris Germanica—Fleur de Luce of our gardens, yields
a most beautiful paint for water colors, for which purpose the
flower petals are collected before they are fully expanded, and
pounded in a stone mortar with a stone-capped or wooden
pevtle, then put into a glass and placed for some days in a cellar
or other moist place; after the space of about a fortnight the
mass, which is now become liquid, is to be set over the fire in a
glass pot until about a third part is consumed; then some rock
alum is to be put into it, more or less, till it becomes clear and
acquires its fine blue color; after which it is poured into shells
for use. Its root was formerly used to prevent beer becoming
stale, by suspending it in the cask ; and it was in like manner
suspended in casks of wine to communicate both its taste and
smell to the liquor. Lindley remarks, that in Iris the genus
from which the tribe takes its Latin name, Iridece, the structure
is very curious. The three sepals are broad and spreading, and
often ornamented with a beautiful feathered crest; the three petals
stand erect, and curve over the centre of the flower ; while the stig-
mas are broad, richly colored parts, resembling petals, and curve
away from the centre. At first sight you would suppose the
Iris was altogether destitute of stamens; but if you lift up the
stigmas you will find the runaways snugly hidden beneath theirbroad lobes, and lying close to a humid lip, through which the
influence of the pollen is conveyed to the ovules. The widening
of the stigma is very common in this tribe; even in the crocus it
occurs, only the stigmas are so rolled up that you do not dis-
cover it until you unroll them ; they are in fact so much heavier
than the power of the style can support, that in the saffron cro-
cus, in which they constitute the substance called saffron, they
hang down on the outside like an orange tassel. Also to this
natural order belong those countless species of Ixia, Gladiolus
Watsonia, Babiana, &c., which spring up at the Cape of Good
Hope upon the commencement of the rains, and soon cover the
parched and half-naked karroos with a robe of the deepest green,
adorned with all manner of gay and sparkling colors.

The Indian Jasmine.

Tins is a genus of the class Pentandria, order Monogynia.
Its characters are :—calyx five divisions, unclothed ; corol funnel-
shaped, with five folds ; stigma globe-headed, covered with pro-
tuberances ; capsule two or three-celled, many-seeded. This
plant belongs to the natural order Convolvulacete or Bindweed
tribe, from its habit of twisting or binding around substances.
It is a native of ihe West Indies, and one of their most beautiful
ornamental climbers. It is annual in its duration. The whole
plant is very downy ; the leaves heart-shaped, rather lor.g, and
tapering to a point; the flower-stalks bear five flowers; the
flower-eups warty and bearded. It bears a succession of bright
scarlet flowers from June to September. The* generic name is
derived from two Greek words, meaning, resembling a vine;
the specific, from the color of its flowers. Speaking of the
order to which it belongs, Lindley observes that these plants are
monopetalous, but have a twining stem, and corollas that are
neatly plaited when they close, like the paper purses made for
children. These corollas open or close under ihe influence of light
or darkness, some opening only in the day, others in the night,
and in one case so sensitive that they contract beneath the touch
like the leaves of the Mimosa. The calyx consists of fivesepals, overlying each other so completely that you can sel-
dom perceive more than the two outermost. The fruit con-
tains three cells generally; the embryo of the seeds is doubled
up in the most curious way, just as if there was not room
enough in the seed for it to grow. The roots of many of the
tribe are large and fleshy; they possess powerful medicinal
properties, and are fit for food only in the case of the sweet pota-
toe, which was so much esteemed before the common potatoe
displaced it in Europe. To this tribe also belongs an odd little
plant called Dodder. Have you never remarked upon the stems
of some shrubs or trees, clusters of stout, reddish cords, which
are so twisted and intertwined that you would take them for a
knot of young snakes, if the color first, and then their touch, did
not undeceive you? If you have ever remarked so strange an
appearance you have seen Dodder, which, originally earthborn,
soon lays hold of some neighboring plant, twists her leafless
shoots around it, fixes them firmly to the branches, quits her hold
of the soil, and thenceforward, as if ashamed of her humble
origin, feeds only upon the dews and rain, till the frost comes,
nips her tender frame, and leaves her dead and shrivelled form
still clinging to its place, a monument of the punishment of vege-
table ambition. This strange plant is extremely irriperfect, has
no leaves, except a few stunted scales, and its flowers are little
white things collected in clusters. The fruit consists of mem-
branous capsules, in each of which are two cells and four seeds.
The Scarlet Morning Gloky—Ipomea Coccinea, emblemises
the sentence, I attach myself to you.

The Laurestine,

This is a genus of the class Pentandria, order Trigynia. The
name is derived from a Latin word, meaning pliant, on account
of the character of most of its species. Its characters are :—
calyx small, five-toothed ; corol bell-form, divided into five parts,
with lobes turned back; stigmas with very short styles; berry or
drupe one-seeded. We have a number of species ol this class
indigenous in the United Slates, besides a few that are natural-
ized; some still remain in the conservatory. The \ irburnumLinus—Laurestine, is an exotic, as Tyas remarks, one of the
prettiest of evergreen shrubs, and the gift of Spain to our highly
favored land. The leaves are ovate, oblong, entire. The divi-
sions of the veins and the young branches are glandular. Nei-
ther the hot breath of summer, nor the cold of winter, can rob it
of its charms; but to preserve it we must tend it with assidu-
ous care. The symbol of a constant and delicate friendship, it
ever seeks to please, yet dies if neglected. In floral language it
is the emblem of the sentence, I die if neglected. The whole
genus, almost without exception, consists of ornamental shrubs;
most of our species frequent the woods, where they may be seen
in flower, presenting a delicate white aspect, from May to the
early part of July. They belong to the natural order Caprifo-
laceae, or Honeysuckle tribe. As Lindley remarks, at first sight
these plants seem to be entirely unlike the Honeysuckle, but a
careful study of their structure, remembering the essential cha-
racteristics, will leave no doubt of their affinity. In fact, were
they twining it would never be doubted. In North America
there grows a plant of this tribe with broad leaves, clusters of
flowers sitting close to their bosom, followed by yellow berries,
called Triosteum Perfoliatum, the seeds of which have proved
the best of all substitutes for coffee, which is also allied to the
same order. This plant, Cofff.a Arabica, the infusion of whose
seeds forms the beverage which is probably the most universally
grateful of all that the luxury of man has prepared, belongs to a
very extensive natural order, almost confined to the warmer parts
of the world, comprehending the meanest weeds and the most
noble (lowering trees, obscure herbs with blossoms that it almost
requires a microscope to detect, and bushes, the scarlet corollas
of whose flowers are many inches long, and producing drugs in-
valuable to man for their important medicinal properties ; ipecac,
coffee, and various kinds of fever barks, especially those of Peru,
are among its useful products. Coffee itself consists of the seeds
of the plant divested of their skin, and of a dark purple fleshy
rind that envelopes them. They are formed almost entirely of
albumen, at the base of which a very small embryo is placed.
It is very probable that all other plants of either the honeysuckle
or coffee tribe s would answer the purpose equally well, provided
their seeds were large enough, and their albumen ol a hard, horny
texture.The Coltsfoot,

This is a genus of the class Syngenesia, order Polygamia Su-
perflua. Its characters are :—calyx scales equal, as long as the
disk, somewhat membraneous ; down simple ; receptacle naked.
The name is taken from a word meaning a cough, as it has had
a considerable reputation in the relief of complaints of the chest.
We have many species of this genus common in the United
States, the most well known of which is perhaps the Tussilago
Frigida—Wild Coltsfoot, which is recognized by its triangu-
lar, heart-shaped leaves, unequally toothed, and downy on their
under surface ; it is mqst found in mountain woods, producing,
in May, a corymb of white flowers, with a bluish, approaching to
pale purple disk. Our species, represented in the plate, Tussi-
lago Fragrans—Sweet Scented Tussilage, is an ornamen-
tal frame perennial, bearing pale red, sometimes white flowers,
from January to March. The leaves are of a roundish heart-
shape, equally toothed, and downy beneath. Phillips remarks:

He trudged along, unknowing what he sought,

And whistled as he went for want of thought.

That even classical ground produces minds of this description,
is instanced in the long neglected plant of which we are about
to speak. Although a native of Italy, it remained in obscurity
until the nineteenth century, when M. Villan, of Grenoble, was
attracted by its agreeable fragrance at the foot of Mount Pilat,
from whence he brought it to perfume the winter gardens of the
continent, and it cast its first odor on British shores in the year
1800, and was soon sent to the United States, in which it has
proved a favorite wherever introduced. As its perfumed flowers
expand so early in the season, it cannot fail of being welcomed
by every lover of sweet smells. In England it has become so
far naturalized a3 to discharge its fragrance as freely over their
walks in the winter months as the Egyptian Reseda disperses its
odors over those of the summer. It is hailed by many as the
Heliotrope of the open garden, and as a vegetable winter friend
of no small importance in the parterre. The modest flowers of
this plant were too insignificant to have attracted the notice oftlu* ignorant, who have no souls to admire humble merit, whether
in men or llowers, until it has received the sanction of fashion,
or the patronage of the great.

It is the exalted mind alone that can penetrate through the
flimsy veil of a gaudy exterior, and discover merit in a hovel.
Ilad not Evelyn dragged Gibbon from such a situation into the
presence of his sovereign, the world would never have been en-
riched by his incomparable writings, nor would England have
had to boast of such a treasure. The plants of the hedge are
unobserved by the vulgar, who cannot conceive that beauty can
flourish out of the garden’s bounds. Madame de Latour could
not leave this fragrant plant without a place in floral language,
and therefore says under this head, Justice shall be done you.
And as an illustration that the vulgar have not the power to dis-
cern merit, either in men or plants, until it is pointed out to them
by the finger of the world, she gives the following anecdote of a
young miller in Holland, who, having a taste for painting, exer-
cised it at his leisure hours in portraying the few objects within
his limited circle; the mill, his master’s cattle and ihe pastures,
were all that presented themselves to his confined view, but these
he varied so accurately by light and shade, as the effect of the
clouds changed them, as fully to compensate for the want of
variety ; yet his labors were not appreciated, and when he had
finished one picture, he bartered it away for materials to paint
another. It so happened that the master of a tavern, who ex-
pected company at his house, wished to ornament the bare walls
of his apartment, and purchased one of these paintings for a
crown, which probably would have still remained unnoticed 011
his wall, had not chance sent an artist of judgment to his tavern,
who had no sooner entered the room where the picture was
hanging, than he discovered the merit of the young rustic painter,
and immediately offered the inn-keeper a hundred florins for what
had cost him a Dutch crown; and paying down the money de-
sired the landlord to procure him all the paintings he could obtain
from the young miller at the same price, which circumstance soon
brought him into repute and enabled him to follow the bent of
his inclination, and delight the connoisseurs of paintings by the
faithful touches of his pencil.

The thyrsi, or bunches of flowers, of this plant are of a whitish
or reddish lilac tint, and its odor greatly resembles the Helio-trope. It is easily propagated by parting the roots in the summer,
and planting them in a Tree, light and fresh earth, in a warm and
sheltered situation. It is also planted in pots for the purpose of
perfuming our winter apartments ; and thus the plant which so
short a time back could not by all its fragrant charms obtain a
corner in a cottage garden, now fills a situation in the proud
saloon to tlie admiration of all the crowd that usually attend the
decorated apartments of gay parties. Mrs. Hemans wrote for a
broken flower of the Sweet-scented Tussilage •—

O wear it on thy heart, my love,

Still, .still a tittle while,

Sweetness is lingering on its leaves,

Though laded be their smile;

Yet for the sake of what hath been,

O cast it not away ;

’Twas born to grace a summer scene,

A long, bright, golden day.

A little while around thee love,

Its fragrance yet shall cling,

Telling, that,on thy heart hath lain
A fair, though faded thing.

But not even that warm heart hath power
To win it back from fate ;

Oh ! I am like the broken llower,

Cherished too late, too late.

It has been beautifully observed, that the rural feeling which
runs through British literature continues down from the Flourc
and Leafe .of Chaucer to the present day. The pastoral writers
of other countries appear as if they had paid nature an occasional
visit, and become acquainted with her general charms; but the
British poets have wooed her in her most secret haunts. A
spray could not tremble on the breeze, a leaf could not rustle
to the ground, a fragrance could not exhale from the humble
violet, nor a daisy unfold its crimson lints to the morning, but
it has been noticed by these impassioned and delicate observers,
and wrought into some beautiful morality.Who does not love the simple flower,

With silver crest and golden eye,

That welcomes every changing hour,

And weathers every sky 1

’Tis Flora’s page: in every place,

In every season fresh and fair,

It opens with perennial grace,

And blossoms everywhere.

On waste and woodland, rock and plain,

Its humble buds unheeded rise,

The rose lias but a summer reign,

The Daisy never dies.

This plant is in the class Syngenesia, order Polygainia Super-
flua. The generic name, Belles, is from an ancient Latin word,
be/lus, handsome, from which comes also the French word, bel.
The specific name, Perennis, signifies the fact of its continued
existence for years. The generic characters are: calyx hemi-
spherical ; scales equal; egret none; receptacle cone-shaped ;
seed obovate. It is a pretty evergreen perennial, flowering in
pastures from early spring to the end of autumn. It sends up
single fiower-stalks from the root, which bear but one flower
each, and is naked, entirely free from hairs or down. The leaves
are large, obtuse at the end, gradually tapering into a stalk at the
base, and scalloped with notches on the margin, which point
neither to the base or apex. The English name of Daisy
is derived from a Saxon word, meaning day’s eye, in which
way Ben Jonson writes it; and Chaucer calls it the “eie of the
daie.” Tyas presumes it is called day’s eye, from the nature of
its blossom, which opens at daybreak and closes at sunset. The
leaves and flowers are rather acrid, and, though formerly much
used, have gone entirely out of regular practice.

“ Malvina leaning over Fingal’s tomb, mourns for the valiant
Oscar and his son, who died before he had seen the light.

« The virgins of Morvcn, to calm her grief, walk often around
her, celebrating, by their songs, the death of the brave and the
new-born.“ The hero is fallen, say ihey, he is fallen! and the sound of
his arms echoes over the plain ; disease, which takes away cou-
rage ; age, which dishonors heroes, can no longer touch him ; he
is fallen, and the sound of his arms echoes over the plain!

“ Received into the heavenly palace inhabited by his ancestors,
he drinks with them the cup of immortality. Oh ! daughter of
Oscar, dry thy tears of grief; the hero is fallen! he is fallen!
and the sound of his arms echoes over the plain.

“ Then, in a softer voice, they said again unto her, The child
who has not seen the light, has not known the bitterness of life;
its young soul, borne on glittering wings, arrives with the dili-
gent Aurora in the palace of day. The souls of children who
have, like it, broken the chains of life without sorrow, reclining
on golden clouds, present themselves, and open the mysterious
portals of Flora’s cabinet. There this innocent troop, ignorant
of evil, are forever occupied in enclosing in imperceptible seeds
the flowers that blow in each spring; every morn they scatter
these seeds upon the earth with the tears of Aurora; millions of
delicate hands enclose the rose in its bud, the grain of wheat in
its folds, the vast branches of the oak in a single acorn, and
sometimes an entire forest in an invisible seed.

“We have seen, oh, Malvina! the infant you regret, reclin-
ing on a light mist; it approached us, and has shed on our fields
a harvest of new flowers. Look! oh, Malvina! among these
flowers we distinguish one with a golden disk, surrounded by
silver leaves; a sweet tinge of crimson adorns its delicate rays;
waved by a gentle wind, we might call it a little infant playing
in a green meadow. Dry thy tears, oh, Malvina! the hero is
dead, covered with his arms; and the flower of thy bosom has
given a new flower to the hills of promlin.

“ The sweetness of these songs relieved Malvina’s grief; she
took her golden harp, and repeated the hymn of the new-born.

“ Since that day the daughters of Morven have consecrated
the Daisy to infancy ; it is, said they, the flower of innocence,
the flower of the new-born.”

With little here to do or see
Of things that in the great world be,

Sweet daisy ! oft I talk to thee,

For thou art worthyThou unassuming common-place
Of nature, with that homely face,

And yet with something of a grace,
Which love makes for thee.

Oft on the dappled turf at ease
I sit, and play with similes,

Loose types of things through all degrees,
Thoughts of thy raising ;

And many a fond and idle name,

I give to thee for praise or blame,

As is the humor of the game,

While I am gazing.

A nun demure of lowly port,

Or sprightly maiden of love’s court,

In thy simplicity the sport
Of all temptations ;

A queen in crown of rubies drest;

A starveling in a scanty vest;

Are all, as seems to suit thee best,

Thy appellations.

A little Cyclops with one eye,

Staring to threaten and defy,

That thought comes next—and instantly
The freak is over,

The shape will vanish, and behold
A silver shield with boss of gold,

That spreads itself, some fairy bold,

In plight to cover!

I see thee glittering from afar ; —

And then thou art a pretty star:

Not quite so fair as many are
In heaven above thee !

Yet like a star with glittering crest,
Self-poised in air, thou seem’st to rest ;—
May peace come never to his nest,

Who shall reprove thee !

Sweet flower ! for by that name at last,
When all my reveries are past,

I call thee, and to that cleave fast,

Sweet silent creature!

That breath’st with me in sun and air,

Do then, as thou art wont, repair
My heart with gladness, and a share
Of thy meek nature !Phillips says that this flowering weed of temperate climates
cannot be made to flourish between the tropics, although it
propagates itself 011 every patch of turf in colder places ; as it
failed to spangle the fields of the soulh-east of Europe, where
ihe arts were anciently so happily nurtured, it happens thal we
have no Greek name for this plant, and hence must have re-
course to a Latin one. Its roots, boiled in milk, were frequently
given to little puppies to keep them of a diminutive size ; but
what effect this food would have on the growth of the canine
species, we must leave it to those who are curious in little dogs
to discover. Fabulous history informs us that this plant is called
Beilis, because it owes its origin to Belides, a grand-daughter of
Danaus, and one of the nymphs called Dryads, that presided over
the meadows and pastures in ancient times. Belides is said to
have encouraged the suit of Ephigeus, but whilst dancing on the
grass with this rural deity, she attracted the admiration of Vertum-
nus, who, just as he was about to seize her in his embrace, saw
her transformed into the humble plant that now bears her name.
An old astrological writer tells us that this plant is under the sign
Cancer, and under the dominion of Venus, and therefore good to
cure all the pains caused by the fair goddess, particularly those
of the breast; we therefore recommend all lack-a-daisical swains
to hasten to the meadows and there give thanks to nature for
having seasoned this crop so bountifully. It is a crop for which
the farmer never prays, it being considered a troublesome weed
in pasture lands, where it occupies a large portion of ground to
the exclusion of grass and other useful herbs ; its acrid taste is
ungrateful to cattle, and it is even rejected on the common by
the close biting geese. The most careless observer of plants
must have noticed that the Daisy not only closes its petals at
night, but that they are carefully folded over the yellow disk in
rainy weather. It must likewise have struck the attention of
the curious that not only this flower, but most others which are
natives of moist climates, have the power and instinct of secur-
ing their parts of fructification from the rains of the day or dews
of the night, whilst those of regular dry climates are quite desti-
tute of thiswise provision of nature. The botanist would under-
stand the nature of the Daisy by the class and order we have
given, although he might not have seen it. The Daisy, continues
Phillips, has been placed in the class Syngcnesia, because it is acompound flower, or rather composed of a number of small yellow
florets placed on one common receptacle, as so many small cups
might be placed 011 one tray or salver; for if the thumb or yellow
disk of the common Daisy is closely examined, it will be found
to be composed of about one hundred and fifty little florets,
those of the centre being of a tubular shape and containing the
anthers, whilst those near the margin are ligulate or of a flat
shape, and to each of them is attached a stigma. The use of the
petals which form a ray round these little yellow florets is to
secure them from the effects of inclement weather, until the pol-
len of the anthers is discharged on the stigma so as to prepare
seed for future plants ; and when this part of the economy of na-
ture is performed, the ray of the Daisy remains expanded, and
does-not shut when Titan goes to bed, but remains open until
the petals decay.

The single Daisy, which was seized in the meadows and
placed in the garden by Vertumnus, being placed out of its natu-
ral situation, has taken new habits, which prevent its propagating
itself by seed, as the effect of transplanting and cultivation in
richer soils has been that of transforming the yellow florets into
petals, until the flower has become so completely doubled as to
lose all appearance of the disk; but, like the double hepatica, it
is easily propagated by parting the roots at any season of the
year almost, though the most favorable time is from the middle
of September to the middle of October, as they will then flower
stronger in the spring than those plants which are divided in
February. It is recommended to divide the roots every year,
and to transplant them, to avoid degeneration, or more properly
speaking, a return to their natural state. We have never ob-
served this circumstance take place, but have frequently known
the plants decay altogether if left undisturbed for three or four
years. The double Daisy thrives best in a moist loam with no
mixture of manure ; and the plants should have the advantage
of the morning sun and a shelter from the mid-day heat, by
placing them on the south-east side of shrubs or trees, as in such
situations the flowers are not only larger, but continue much
longer in blossom than those exposed to the full sun. The mode
of placing them depends much 011 the size and nature of the
garden. Sometimes it is employed, as it is generally done
by the English cottagers, as an edging for borders, being infi-
llnitely preferable to that of box for such situations ; but an edging
of any description shows a want of taste in the planter, and if
ihese flowers are placed in patches of twenty or forty plants on a
spot about three inches apart, they give a most delightful effect,
either in the foreground of the shrubbery or the flower garden.
The varieties should be kept in distinct situations, and their colors
so contrived as to be made subservient to other flowers, as by
planting the red or scarlet variety near clumps of the snowdrop
or other white blossoms. The white Daisy in the neighborhood
of yellow crocuses or blue flowers, and the striped and variegated
kinds are seen to most advantage when surrounded only by the
green foliage of flowers that blossom at a later season. The varieties of the double Daisy are not confined to its different
colors, as some of them, instead of being composed of flat petals,
are entirely formed of amass of fistular florets or little pipes;
these are distinguished as quilled Daisies. The most singular
variety is the Proliferous Daisy, commonly called the Hen and
Chicken Daisy, because the flower is surrounded by a number
of smaller flowers, which are produced from the sides of the
principal flower, out of one and the same calyx. They appear
like satellites revolving round a noble star, presenting a beautiful
appearance.

Art thou waken’d already and decking the green ?

IIow transient and light has thy winter sleep been?

But thou art not of them which shrink back in dismay,

If the season be adverse, or darkliDg the day.

As the lark amongst birds when it. chants its blithe strain,

As the lamb when it sports ’mid the llocks of the plain,

Such art thou amongst flowers, the blithest of all,

On which sunbeams are shining, or dewdrops do fall.

Give the rosebud to Beauly; for Innocence fair
Let the lily a chaplet like snow-wreath prepare;

But though beaiwy and innocence both meet in thee,

Sweet Cheerfulness claims thee her emblem to be.

IIow joy’d I to greet thee in childhood’s gay hours,

When I wandered light-hearted in search of spring flowers .

Though the violet and primrose I own’d were more rare,

Yet the garland ne’er pleased me till thou didst bloom there

That season of brightness has fled long ago,

And Sorrow her finger has pass’d o’er my blow;

Yet I never now meet thee in spring’s balmy hour,

But thou seem’st for one moment those days to restore.The Horse Chestnut.

This tree is in the class Heptandria, order Monogynia. The
generic name is derived from a Latin word by which a tree was
called that furnished the Italians with an esculent or eatable fruit.
Its characters are : calyx inflated, four-toothed, sometimes five,
irregular; corol similarly divided, inserted on the calyx, hairy;
capsule three-celled ; seeds large, solitary. This tree came origi-
nally from the northern parts of Asia, and has migrated to this
country in a curiously long and circuitous route, by way of Con-
stantinople, Vienna and France. Lindley, in describing this
tribe, takes the iEscuLUs Rosea—Rose Colored Horse Chest-
nut. The leaves, he observes, are regularly opposite to each other
on the branches, and are divided into several toothed lobes, which
all proceed from one common point, at the top of a strong round
foot-stalk. The flowers appear in compact, stiff, erect clusters,
at the ends of the branches. The floral leaves are small, and
quickly wither away, falling off, and leaving a scar behind them.
Their calyx is a fleshy, smooth, reddish cap, divided into five un-
equal, oblong, blunt lobes. The petals are four only ; their claw
is long and channelled, inserted below a one-sided, wrinkled,
inconspicuous disk ; their limb oblong, crumpled, crisped, of a
bright yellowish red color, changing into bright orange yellow at
the base, and covered with soft hairs; two of the petals stand at
tin: back of the flower, and two at the sides, overlapping the
former a good deal, and exceeding them considerably in size; a
fifth petal is wanting from the front, and hence this flower is both
unequal and unsymmetrioal in its corolla, which irregularity occurs
in every part except the ovary. We have already seen that the
lobes of the calyx are unequal; the disk has also been described
as one-sided, and you will next find that the stamens are unsym-
metrical with regard to the surrounding parts. Instead of being
five or ten, and so corresponding with the calyx, or four or eight,
which would agree with the petals, you will find only seven,
which agree with neither; they are curved downwards towards
the front of the flower, the filaments covered with long hairs,
which protect the style, terminating in oblong, red, hairy anthers,*
tipped with a reddish point. The pistil is covered with hairs,and bent forwards and downwards in the direction of the sta-
mens. It has a simple style, the point of which, where the stigma
is, has no hairs, and a fleshy two or three-celled ovary, the sides
of which are deeply channelled by the pressure of the filaments.
In each cell are two ovules, one of which rises up while the other
hangs down from a projecting horizontal placenta. The fruit
becomes an unequal sided, leathery, prickly seed vessel, opening
by two or three valves, and containing one large, roundish seed
in each cell. The seeds have a hard, shining, deep brown coat,
a very broad scar on one side, and a little conical elevation which
touches with its point one part of the scar. This conical eleva-
tion represents the position of the radicle of the embryo that is
hidden beneath the seed coat; on removing the latter,a roundish,
wrinkled, fleshy body is found, which cannot be separated into
cotyledons, but whose radicle curved down upon itself is dis-
tinctly visible. We have here one of several instances in which
the cotyledons attach themselves so closely together as makes it
impossible to separate them. The plumule, or growing point of
this embryo, lies closely packed between the bases of the con-
solidated cotyledons, and one wonders how it is to escape from
them when the time shall arrive for the seed to commence its
growth into a plant. A simple alteration in the adjustment of
the parts produces the desired effect. As the cotyledons cannot
unfold in the usual manner in order to allow the plumule to pass
between them, the passage of the latter upwards into the air is
provided for by a slight extension of the bases of the cotyledons,
which begin to lengthen when the radicle forces itself into the
earth, and thus extricate the plumule from what would otherwise
be its prison-house.

The ./Esculus Hippocastanum—Horse Chestnut, is a noble
and hardy tree, rising to the height of from fifty to sixty feet, and
elegantly proportioned, and when in blossom, which it is with
us in the months of May or June, few trees can compare with it
in beauty. This stately and ornamental tree gives the deepest
and most solemn shade of any with which we are acquainted.
It bears five or seven leaves on one stalk, spread out like the
fingers of a human hand. An English writer describes it when
in full blossom like a mountain of ivory and emeralds; but this
' effect soon gives place to its shadowy depth of coloring. Though
naturalized in Europe for more than two centuries, it does notrank among their forest trees. It is extremely well suited for the
adornment of parks, and to be placed before the mansions of the
great. In France, they fully appreciate its value for such pur-
poses, and at the Tuileries it rises around the basin in masses
of incomparable beauty. At the Luxembourg, it spreads its
branches in accordant pomp and splendor:

There avenues of chestnuts high,

With vaulted roofs conceal the sky.

In the beginning of spring, one rainy day is sufficient to cover
it with verdure; and when planted alone, nothing surpasses the
elegance of its pyramidal form, the beauty of its foliage and the
richness of its liowers, which sometimes make it appear as an
immense chandelier all covered with pearls. Fond of ostenta-
tion and richness, it covers with flowers the grass which it over-
shadows, and yields to the idler a most delightful shade ; but to
the poor man it is of little service, supplying him with a light
and porous, and consequently soft and perishable timber. The
fruit has a bitter, disagreeable taste, and is to us extremely un-
healthy, the reverse of which holds in the case of cattle ; deer eat
them with avidity, and the Turks, from grinding the nuts and mix-
ing it with the corn they fed their horses,occasioned its common
name. The nuts produce a considerable quantity of the finest
starch. The bark has been of some service in tanning, but at
present is not as much used as it was formerly, on account of
the discoveries and improvements in that art having placed
cheaper and better articles at the command of those who require
such things. We find an account of the Variegated Leaved
Horse Chestnut—JEsculus Foi.ia Variegata, in some of our
agricultural works. It was discovered by Kenrich in his nursery
grounds, in 1841. Some of the leaves are wholly of a pure
white color; others of a pure white over one half to the central
division; others striped with pure white and green. In floral
language the Horse Chestnut is the emblem of Luxury.

O OThe Sap,

MODIFIED FROM LINDLEY.

For the sustenance of plants a fluid is necessary, which is
absorbed by the roots from the earth, then sent upwards into the
stem, afterwards impelled into the leaves, whence it descends
through the liber, transferring itself to the inmost parts of the wood.
This fluid, which constitutes the blood of plants, is called the
sap. When first introduced into the system, and even when
altered in some degree by having dissolved the various sub-
stances it encounters in its passages, it is true sap ; afterwards,
when its nature has become more changed by elaboration in the
leaves, it becomes what is called the proper juice. If the sap
be examined in its most simple state, it will be found to consist
of water, mucilage, and sugar. As the two last cannot have been
absorbed directly from the earlh, they afford a good proof of the
power of ihe minute spongioles or terminal extremities of the
roots, to act like stomachs and digest it. In addition to the sup-
ply of sap which is obtained by the roots, a certain quantity is
no doubt also absorbed from the atmosphere by the leaves, as is
evident from succulent plants, which will continue to grow and
acquire weight long after the roots are severed from the earth.
This absorption on the part of the leaves generally takes place
at night, or in cloudy weather; while perspiration, on the other
hand, goes on in the day time, in bright weather. Link says,

THAT THE FOOD OF PLANTS MUST DE COMPOSED OF OXYGEN, HY-
DROGEN, carbon and nitrogen. Water, consisting of oxygen
and hydrogen alone, is not sufficient. Many experiments in-
deed have been instituted to prove that pure water is a sufficient
food, especially by Vanllelmont, Eller, Bonnet, DuIIamel, and
others; but it is probable, as Wallerins has inferred, that the
water out of which plants are formed already contains the
necessary principles. To this it is objected that plants grown
in water alone never arrive at perfection, or mature their seeds.
But tliis is not strictly truo ; they do perfect their seeds ; but it is
not surprising that crude water should be insufficient for pur-poses which are fully answered by water properly mixed and
tempered. That the extractive matter contained in the earth was
the real food of plants was long ago stated ; and most physiolo-
gists have adopted this opinion. But it has been estimated by
Theodore de Saussure, that a plant, when dried, does not derive
more than a twentieth part of its weight from extractive matter
and carbonic acid dissolved in water; supposing this calcula-
tion not very accurate, it is not at least very far from the truth,
and at least serves to show that extractive matter and carbonic
acid are not alone sufficient for the nutriment of plants. Never-
theless, if neither of these two can be considered to constitute
exclusively the food of plants, it is at least quite certain that they
not only cannot exist without the latter, but that it forms a prin-
cipal part of their food. It is well known that roots cannot per-
form their functions unless within the reach of the atmosphere;
whieh arises from the necessity lor their feeding upon carbonic
acid, which, after having been formed by the oxygen of the at-
mosphere combining with the carbon of the soil, is then received
into the system of the plant, to be impelled upwards, dissolved in
the sap till it reaches the leaves, where it is decomposed by light,
the oxygen liberated and the carbon fixed. It has also been as-
certained that treat plants as you will, they will neither grow
nor live upon any element unless carbonic acid is present.
Those principles are called foreign to plants that cannot be refer-
red to the four elements we have mentioned, such as the various
salts. That some plants have ihe power of secreting one kind
of accessory principle, and others another kind, from the same
food, is clear, from the f^ct that if wheat and peas be grown in
the same water, earth, or medium, the former will uniformly de-
posit silex in their cuticle and the latter never

The course which is taken by the sap, after entering the plant,
is the next subject of consideration. The opinion of the old
botanists was, that it ascended from the roots between the bark
and the wood ; but this has long been disproved by modern in-
vestigators, and especially by the experiments of Mr. Knight.
If a trunk is cut through in the spring, at the time the sap is
rising, this fluid will be found to exude more or less from all
parts of the surface of the section, except the hardest heart wood,
but most copiously from the alburnum. Observations of the
same nature have also proved that it descends through the liber.But the sap is also diffused laterally through the cellular tissue,
and this with great rapidity, as will be apparent upon placing a
branch in a colored infusion, which will ascend and descend in
the manner just stated, and will also disperse itself laterally in
all directions round the principal channels of its upward and
downward route. That there must be an exceedingly rapid flow
of sap in many plants, is evident from the great loss they ex-
perience by perspiration, all of which must be made good by
fluid absorbed by the roots. With this function are connected
all the phenomena that attend transplantation. If a growing
plant is removed from one situation to another in the summer, it
will die, because its spongioles will be so much destroyed as to
be incapable of absorbing fluid so fast as it is given off by the
leaves, and hence the system will be emptied of fluid. But if a
plant is growing in a pot it may be transplanted at any season
of the year, because its spongioles being uninjured will be able
to counterbalance the loss caused by perspiration as well after
transplantation as before, if not better.

With regard to the vessels through which this universal diffu-
sion of the sap takes place, it has already been stated that its up-
ward course is always through the woody fibre, and probably
also through the ducts, and that it passes downwards through ihe
woody fibre. But there can be no reasonable doubt that it is also
dispersed through the whole system, by means of regular tubes or
vessels expressly for its conveyance, which are invisible to our
eyes even aided by the most powerful glasses.

The accumulation of sap in plants appears to be attended with
very beneficial consequences, and to be deserving of the especial
attention of gardeners. It is well known how weak and imper-
fect is the inflorescence of the turnip tribe forced to flower before
their fleshy root is formed; and how vigorous it is after that
reservoir of accumulated sap is completed. Mr. Knight remarks
that the fruit of melons which sets upon the plant when very
young, uniformly falls off; while on the contrary, if not allowed
to set until the stem is formed, and much sap accumulated for
its support, it swells rapidly, and ripens without experiencing
any deficiency of food in the course of its growth. In like man-
ner, if a fruit tree is by any means prevented bearing its crop
one year, the sap that would have been expended, accumulates,
and powerfully contributes to the abundance and perfection ofthe fruit of the ensuing year. Again, the planting of large tubers
of the potatoe is another proof of the importance of plenty of the
accumulated sap to the vigorous growth of all plants.

The cause of the motion of the sap is a subject which has long
excited great curiosity, and has given rise to numberless con-
jectures. But the difficulty will be readily solved by consider-
ing that plants are living beings, and that in them the circulation
of the sap is owing, in a great measure, to the same causes that
produce the circulation of blood in man. It is hardly worth
while in this place to explain or refute the doctrines of endos-
mose and exosmose, which is undoubtedly the most ingenious
of all the theories advanced by the chemical philosophers.

Whitlaw observes, that it is well known the American Indi-
ans can cure the bite of the most venomous reptiles, except in
cases where a blood-vessel has received the poison, the conse-
quence of which will cause death in a very few minutes. But
in acute inflammation, they always succeed if the remedy be
applied in time, even when the inflammation is very considera-
ble. They are not less successful in the most desperate instances
of the Ticunas or American poison, and Woorara. They always
compound their poison in the same manner, and follow with the
most scrupulous exactness, the proportions taught them by their
forefathers. Their arrows, when poisoned, and when they pene-
trate the body, will prove fatal alike to men and animals. Not-
withstanding their deadly effects, an antidote has been discovered
by the Indians, made from the Eupatorium Scandens of Lin-
nteus. The warriors were in the habit of taking the expressed
juice of the plant to battle, in order to administer from four to six
ounces of it to such as were wounded, as it will instantly destroy
the effects of the poison; but if not taken immediately after the
wound is inflicted, the consequences will prove fatal in a few
minutes. The most respectable tribes do not use it.The Shadow of a Flower,

BY MRS. HEMANS.

’Twas a dream of olden days,

That art, by some strange power,

The visionary form could raise
From the ashes of a flower.

That a shadow of the rose,

By its own meek beauty bowed,

Might slowly leaf by leaf unclose,

Like pictures on a cloud.

Or the Hyacinth to grace,

As a second rainbow spring,

Of summer’s path a dreary trace,

A fair, yet mournful thing!

For the glory of the bloom,

That a flush around it shed,

And the soul within, the rich perfume,
Where are they 1 fled, all fled.

Naught but the dim faint line,

To speak of vanished hours,

Memory, what are joys of thine 1
Shadows of buried flowers.

Bushy Geranium.—The entire art of making these bushy, so
as to cover the pot and be a dwarf at the same time, consists in
judiciously stopping the plant, which is no more nor less than
pinching off the end, or, as it were, pinching the heart out; but
this should not be done until there are two pair of leaves, be-
sides the parts to be pinched off. This stopping induces side
shoots directly, and the pots have to be looked over occasionally,
to see that none of the side shoots grow too vigorously; if any
arc found doing so, they must be pinched olf so as to keep the
plant in form.Internal Modifications.

Tiik internal structure of the stems of flowering plants is sub-
ject to two principal and to several subordinate modifications.
The former are well illustrated by such plants as the oak and the
cane, specimens of which can be easily obtained for comparison.
A transverse slice of the former exhibits a central cellular sub-
stance or pith, an external cellular and fibrous ring or bark, an
intermediate woody mass and certain fine rays radiating from-
the pith to the bark, through the wood, and called the medullary
rays; this is called exogenous structure, and the plants
in which it occurs, outside growers. In the cane, on the
contrary, neither bark, pith, wood, nor medullary rays are dis-
tinguishable; the transverse section exhibits a large numbei
of hard spots caused by the section of bundles of woody
tissue, and a mass of cellular substance in which they lie embed-
ded. This kind of structure is named endogenous, and the plants
in which it occurs are termed inside groavers. In boih cases
there is a cellular and vascular system distinct from each other;
by a diversity in the respective arrangements of which the differ-
ences above described are caused.

The cellular system in an exogenous stem chiefly occupies the
centre and the circumference, which are connected by thin verti-
cal plates of the same nature as themselves. The central part
(fig. 5 a) is the pith, that of the circumference (b) is the bark,
and the connecting vertical plates (c) are medullary hays.

The pith is a cylindrical or angular column of cellular tissue,
arising at ihe neck of the stem, and terminating at the leaf buds,
with all of which, whether they are lateral or terminal, it is in direct
communication. Its tissue, when cut through, almost always
exhibits a six-sided character, and is frequently larger than in
any other part. When newly formed, it is green, and filled with
fluid ; but its color gradually disappears as it dries up, and it
finally becomes colorless.

The bark is the external coating of the stem, lying immedi-
ately over the wood, to which it forms a sort of sheath, and from
which it is always separable distinctly. When but one year old
it consists of an exterior coating of cellular substance, called thecellular integument or the epidermis, and of an interior lining
of woody fibre, called the liber or inner bark; if more than
one year old, then it is composed of as many layers of cellular
integument and woody fibre as it is years old, the former being
invariably external, and the latter internal in each layer ; and
every layer being formed beneath the previous one, and there-
fore next the wood. In consequence of the new bark being con-
tinually generated within that of the previous year, it is necessary
that the latter, which is pushed outwards, should be extensible ;
and in many of the plants this extensibility takes place to a
considerable degree. As there is a double layer of cellular
integument and woody fibre formed every year, it follows that
the age of a tree ought to be indicated by the number of such
deposits contained in its bark. But the arrangement of the /ones
is so very soon disturbed, and the distinction between them be-
comes so imperfect, that even when the outermost coating is still
entire, it is scarcely practicable to count the /ones; and as soon
as the outside begins to split or peel off, all traces of their full
number necessarily disappear. That the bark really increases
by constant deposits of new matter between it and the wood, is
demonstrated by introducing a piece of metal in the liber of a
tree, and watching it subsequently; in process of time it will be
protruded to the outside, and finally fall away. Notwithstand-
ing the fibrous character of a certain portion of the bark, it is
generally so brittle as to be capable of breaking in all directions
with a clean fracture, as soon as it becomes dry and ceases to
live; but in many plants, when young, it is so tough as to be
applied to different economical purposes. For instance, the
Russia mats of commerce are prepared from the liber of two or
three species of Silea, that of many Malvaceae is manufactured
inio cordage, and similar properties arc found in that of many
other plants. When stems are old, the bark usually bears but a
smrdl proportion to the thickness of the wood, yet in some plants
its dimensions are of a remarkable magnitude. For instance,
Pinus Douglasii specimens have been brought to Europe twelve
inches thick, and these are said to be not of the largest si/e.

Beneath the bark and above the wood is interposed in ihe spring
a mucous viscid layer, which when highly magnified is tound
to consist of numerous minute transparent granules, and to ex-
hibit faint tracc& of a delicate cellular organization. This score-tion is named the Cambium, and appears lo be exuded bolh by
the bark and wood, certainly by the latter. The cellular system
of the pith and that of the bark are, in the embryo and youngest
shoots, in contact; but the vascular system, as it forms, gradu-
ally interposes between them, till after a few weeks they are dis-
tinctly separated, and in very aged trunks sometimes they are
divided by a space of several feet; that is to say by half the
diameter of the wood. But whatever may be the distance be-
tween them, a horizontal communication of the most perfect
kind continues to be kept up. When the vascular system is
first insinuated into the cellular system, dividing the pith and
the bark, it does not completely separate them, but pushes aside
a quantity of cellular tissue, pressing it tightly into thin, vertical,
radiating plates ; as the vascular system extends, these plates in-
crease outwardly, continuing to maintain the connection between
the centre and the circumference. Botanists call them medul-
lary rays ; and carpenters the silver grain. In horizontal
sections of an exogenous stem, they are seen as fine lines radi-
ating from the centre to the circumference; in longitudinal sec-
tions they give that glancing satiny lustre which is in all dis-
coverable, and which gives to some, such as the Plane and Syca-
more, a character of remarkable beauty.

The vascular system is confined to the space between the pith
and bark, where it chiefly consists of ducts and woody fibre col-
lected into compact, wedge-shaped, vertical plates, the edges of
which rest on the pith and bark, and the sides of which are in
contact with the medullary rays (fig. 5, a). The vascular sys-
tem of a stem one year old consists of a zone of wood lywig
between the pith and the bark, lined on the inside by the medul-
lary sheath, and separated into wedge-shaped vertical plates by
the medullary rays that pass through it. All that part of the first
zone which is on the outside of the medullary sheath is com-
posed of woody fibre and ducts intermixed in no apparent order;
but the ducts are generally in greater abundance next the medul-
lary sheath, or confined to that side of the zone, and the woody
fibre alone forms a compact mass on the outside. The second
year another zone is formed on the outside of the first, with
which it agrees exactly in structure, except that there is no
medullary sheath ; the third year a third zone is formed on the
outside of the second, in all respects like it; and so on one zonebeing deposited each year as long as the plant continues to
live. As each new zone is formed over that of the previous
year, the latter undergoes 110 alteration of structure when once
formed ; wood is not subject to distension by a force beneath it as
the bark is, but, whatever may be the first arrangement or direction
of its tissues, such they remain to the end of its life. The forma-
tion of the wood is therefore the reverse of that of the bark ; the
latter increasing by addition to its inside, the former by succes-
sive deposits upon its outside. It is for this reason that stems
of this kind are called exogenous (from two Greek words, as we
mentioned before, signifying to grow outwardly). According to
\1. Dutrochet, each zone of wood is in these plants separated
from its neighbor, by a layer of cellular tissue, forming part of the
system of the pith and bark. After wood has arrived at the age
of a few years, or even sometimes sooner, it acquires a color
different from that which it first possessed when deposited, be-
coming what is called heart wood or duramen. For instance,
in the beech it becomes light brown, in the oak deep brown, in
Brazil wood and Guiacum green, and in ebony black. In all
it was originally colorless, and owes its different tints to matter
deposited at first in the ducts, and subsequently in all parts of
the tissue. That part of the wrnod in which 110 coloring matter
is yet deposited, and consequently that which being last formed
is interposed between the bark and duramen is called alburnum,
a distinction between the two physiologically important. As
each of these zones is the result of a single year’s growth, it
should follow that to count the zones would be to determine the
age of the individual under examination ; this, however, is a nice
and difficult operation, and has occasioned much dispute; judg-
ing from fragments, the diameter of the stem being known, is
almost always sure of leading to erroneous results, so that when
we hear of the Baobaeb trees of Senegal being 5150 years old, as
computed by Adanson, and others still more aged, it is impossi-
ble to avoid suspecting that some errors have vitiated the calcu-
lations. This same natural division is also called Dicotyle-
donous, because the embryo has two seed leaves or cotyledons.
Such plants may generally be recognized by their leaves having
vetted veins; so that it is neither necessary to watch the stem as
it grows, nor to examine the seed under a microscope in order
to count the cotyledons, to see whether it be exogenous or notfor the very obvious arrangement of the veins in the leaves re-
veals the secret structure ol the stem.

Plants of an arborescent habit having the endogenous struc-
ture arc mostly natives of the tropics. In them the vascular and
cellular systems are as distinct as in the exogenous, but differ-
ently arranged. The cellular system, instead of being distin-
guishable into pith, bark, and medullary rays, is a uniform mass,
in which the vascular system lies embedded in the form of thick
fibres ; and has itself no tendency to collect into zones or wedges
resembling wood, but in all cases retains the form of bundles
resembling fibres. These bundles consist of woody fibre enclos-
ing spiral vessels or ducts; most commonly the latter. The
diameter of an endogenous (literally inside growing) stem is
increased by the constant addition of fibrous bundles to the
centre, whence the name. These bundles displace such as are
previously formed, pushing them outwards; so that the centre
being always the most newly formed, is the softest; and the out-
side being older, and being gradually rendered more and more
compact by the pressure exercised irpon the bundles lying next
it by those forming in the centre, is always the hardest. In en-
dogenous plants that attain a considerable age, such as many
palms, this operation goes on till the outside becomes sometimes
hard enough to resist the blow of a hatchet. It does not, how-
ever, appear that each successive bundle of fibres passes exactly
down the centre, or that there is even much regularity in the
manner in which they are arranged in that part; it is only
certain that it is about the centre that they descend, and that on
the outside no new formation takes place. Its epidermis seems
capable of very little extension, and in most plants of this kind
the diameter of the stem is the same, or not very widely differ-
ent, at the period in which it was first formed and when it has
arrived at its greatest age ; palms are in particular an instance
of this ; whence the cylindrical form is so common among
them.

As endogenous stems contain no concentric zones, there is
nothing in their internal structure to indicate age. In the grasses
the stem is hollow, except at the nodi, where transverse parti-
tions intercept the cavity, dividing it into many cells. In the
bamboo these cells and partitions are so large that, as is well
known, lengths of that plant are used as cases to contain pa-pers. In consequence of this great apparent deviation from the
usual structure, a celebrated Swedish botanist has remarked,
that grasses are the least endogenous of all endogenous plants.
But if the gradual development of a grass be attentively ob-
served, it will be found that the stem was originally solid ;
that it then becomes hollow in consequence of its increasing
in diameter more rapidly than new tissue can be formed ; and
that finally in old arborescent stems it again becomes solid by
the constant addition of new matter to its inside ; so that its
deviation from the ordinary characters of endogenous structure
is much lei considerable than it seems to be at first sight. The
embryo, ofKill plants that have these kind of stems, bears only a
single cotyleaon or seed leaf, and hence endogens are called
Monocotyledonous Plants. Parallel veined or nerved leaves
are also characteristic of this kind of plant Fig. 8, Section of a
woody stem of three years’ growth, i, h, first year’s growth and
hardest part of the wood ; .h, g, second year’s growth ; g, b, third
year’s growth or sap wood formed from the cambium; a b is
the bark, b i, the wood ; i k, the pith ; a c, cuticle, or disorgan-
ized part of the bark ; c d, cellular integument; d b, cortex ; j e,
medullary rays. Fig. 7, A palm, a b, woody fibre most dense
and hard ; b c, less numerous and compact; c d, 'very few, mostly
cellular tissue. The small figures a a, are the natural size; the
large ones, B B, much magnified to show the structure.

[Modified from Lindlcy ]

Lombardy Poplars.—These beautiful trees are easily propa-
gated, and simply by thrusting the limbs of healthy trees into the
soil in the early spring, or late in fall. We have many now in
a very vigorous state, prppagated in this way. The Balm of
Gilead, and the various kinds of willow, require only to be stuck
into the soil to insure a successful growth. The soil need not
be over moist.Influence of Light

That light exerts a wonderful and important influence on
the growth and prosperity of plants, is a fact that has the un-
doubted assent of all observers ; even the sunbeams have been
termed the nerves of plants. Light is composed of three rays,
red, yellow, and blue, and color is produced from the partial
absorption of one or two of these ; the ray thrown back, and
not the one received, is the cause of the apparent color, so that
all objects in reality are disguised by the dress we see them in.
This will be more closely seen by considering that we are all
in error, as a general rule, in relation to the color of the negro
race ; their skin absorbs all the rays, and throws none of them
back, and as the union of these rays is white, so in consequence
must that be their real color ; by reversing this process of rea-
soning, a white man will become a black one. Like all other
organized bodies in which the vital principle is operating, plants
require a stated season of repose—this season is called their
sleep. Both leaves and flowers usually change their position
as soon as it is dark ; in many plants the leaves drop, in others
they close, as well as the petals, and nearly all open with the
earliest rays of the morning sun ; some of the upper-ten-thou-
sand who do not obey this rule, can be seen in the Dial, page
.33. The direct rays of the sun are necessary to enable plants
to decompose carbonic acid gas in any great quantity ; the
carbon retained by the plant is the cause of its green color.
Monsieur Sennebier is of opinion that this carbon is not black,
but of a dark blue color. The cellular tissue of plants is of a
yellowish white ; consequently when these minute particles are
lodged within the yellow cells, the combination of the two
colors produces green, in which the blue or yellow tint prevails
in proportion as the carbon or cellular tissue predominates,
which well accounts for the pale delicate tint of the spring
verdure, when but a small quantity of carbon has been deposi-ted in the leaves, and the deeper shades which plants acquire
in the autumn and summer, when they have accumulated a
greater stock. The variety of colors at the fall of the leaf
which is presented to us, Macaire supposed was owing to the
absoq)tion of oxygen, which thus produced various colored
rusts, and to which also the different colors of flowers he
thinks may be likewise attributed. Humboldt met with some
green plants growing in complete darkness, at the bottom of
one of the mines of Freuberg, which he attributed to the pre-
sence of hydrogen, which abounded in the rryne. Another
effect of the intensity of light is to make plants remarkably
hard and firm in their texture, owing to the vigor they receive
from its influence, but it also makes them of smaller dimen-
sions. In hot climates, both causes, heat and light, operate
and produce the remarkable results we have often noticed with
w'onder. Plants deprived of these genial influences are
strangely altered in every respect. The celebrated Dr. Robin-
son, of Edinburgh, gives an account of a plant found in the
drain of a coal work under ground, which was very luxuriant,
with large indented foliage and perfectly white. He had never
seen anything like it, nor could any one inform him what it
was. He had the plant with a sod brought to t,he open air in
the light, when in a little time the leaves withered, and soon
after new leaves began to spring up of a green color, and dif-
ferent shape from the old ones. On rolling one of them be-
tween his fingers he found that it had the smell of common
tansy, and it ultimately proved to be that plant, which had
been so changed by growing in the dark ; indeed it was re-
collected that some soil had been taken into a drain from a
neighboring garden, some time before it was found so altered.
The Abbe Tassier ascertained by experiment, that the green
color of vegetables may be produced by artificial light in the
absence of the sun. Kept in the dark, plants become dropsi-
cal, nnd have both smell and flavor diminished; advantage
has been taken of this circumstance to soften the smell of vege-
tables when too strong. That of celery is tempered by bury-
ing the stem in the ground and sheltering it from the light,
while the leaves alone are suffered to appear above; those last
have of course the usual green color and fulfil their necessaryfunctions, but the stem is perfectly white. Nature adopts the
same plan in cabbages, by having sufficient leaves to cover up
the inner and softer parts, to suit the refined palate of man.
Endive is also artificially withered by covering it with tiles ;
this softens its flavor, and preserves its leaves from the unplea-
sant and bitterish taste they have in their natural state. Pota-
toes, when sprouting in a dark cellar, throw out weak, slender
branches, six, eight, and ten feet in length. We may find from
all this, that a careful study of Nature’s works will lead us to
greater and more important results than we ever dreamed of
when the study was first commenced, and is not only pleasant
but extremely profitable.

Marygold.

Hark ! liark! the lark at heaven’s gate sings,

And Phoebus ’gins arise
His steeds to water at those springs.

On chaliced flowers that lies.

And winking Mary-buddes begin
To ope their golden eyes,

With every pretty thing that bin
My lady sweet arise!

Arise! arise!

Shakspeare.

This plant is in the class Syngenesia, order Polygamia Nes-
sessaria. Its generic characters are:—Receptacles, naked,
flat; down, none ; calyx, many-leaved, nearly equal; seeds of
the disk membranaceous. Its specific character: seeds all
boat form ; muricated, bent in. It is an ornamental annual, a
great favorite in our garden, bearing an orange colored flower
from June to September. It is a native of Europe. Tvas
remarks, that Madame Lebrun, in one of her charming pic-
tures, has represented grief as a young man, pale and lan-
guishing ; his head appears to be bowed down by the weight
of a garland of marygolds. All the world knows this gilded
flower, which has been made the emblem of Inquietude, or
rather of that distress which is caused by uncertainty as to thesentiments of the one we love with a peculiar affection. It
continues in flower the whole of the year, hence its scientific
name, Calendula. Its flowers open at nine o’clock in the
morninof, and close again at three o’clock in the afternoon. It is said, that like the Heliotrope, it always turns towards the
sun, following his course from east to west. During the months
of July and August, it emits small luminous sparks during the
night. This quality it possesses in common with the Nastur-
tiam, and many other flowers of the same color. On account
of its being confounded with the African and French mary-
golds, we shall give a description of these hnd point out the
differences, following Phillips.

Tagetes Erecta—African Marygold ; Tagetes Patu-
la—French Marygold. The generic characters are : calyx,
tubular ; simple, five parted ; one leaved ; florets of the ray,
persistent, generally fine. Egret, five erect awns. The gen-
eric name of these Mexican flowers is said to have been de-
rived from Sages, a grandson of Jupiter, who first taught the
science of augury and divination to the twelve nations of the
Etrurians, who from hence, became so celebrated for their pre-
tended knowledge of omens and incantations. But as Sages
could not have taught the use of plants peculiar to lands the
gods themselves had not visited, we think the name badly
adapted, unless the Spaniards pretend that they were instruct-
ed through the arts of Sages, to seek for the precious metals
in fields covered with these golden flowers ; and this will be
as readily believed, as that the species called French Mary-
golds, became first stained and marked with a dark red by the
blood of the unhappy Mexicans, whom the insatiable Span-
iards slew in their own peaceful fields. Mr. Pirolle tells us
with a greater degree of probability, that these flowers were
called Sagetes, from a Greek word, meaning principality,
which shows the rank these flowers held in the garden. They
were introduced into England as far back as 1573, and were
called French Mary golds, from the seed being first brought
from France. Gerard says, that it was first obtained when
Charles, the first Emperor of Rome, made a famous conquest
of Tunis. But as these plants do not grow naturally in Africa,
we may conclude they were received in Spain from SouthAmerica about the time Charles returned from the coast of
Africa ; and in compliment to that monarch for having given
liberty to twenty-two thousand Christian slaves, they were
called African Marygolds. Thunberg, who visited Japan
about the year 177f for the purpose of making discoveries in
Botany, tells us that these plants are cultivated by these jea-
lous and cautious islanders ; and Loureiro notices their culti-
vation in China, Cochin China, and many parts of India; but
he remarks, it is not indegenous to these countries. Hernandez
mentions it as a native of Mexico, in his history of that coun-
try.

They are in the same class, but in a different order, with the
Common Marygold, from which they also differ in not closing
their petals at night. It is remarked by Linnaeus, that the
Marygold usually opens its petals about nine o’clock in the
morning, and closes them again at three in the afternoon ; but
it is probable, it depends more on the state of the atmosphere
than upon the hour of the day. Keats says :

Open afresh your rounds of starry folds,

Ye ardent Marygolds;

Dry up the moisture of your golden lids,

For great Apollo bids.

The African and French Marygolds usually begin to flower
In July, and continue to give out a succession of blossoms until
the branches are destroyed by frost; on which account, they
are considered mther an autumnal than a summer flower.
When judiciously planted, they add considerably to the gaiety
of the parterre during the later months of the year, the tall
African Marygold forming a brilliant background to clumps of
China Asters, or displaying its golden corollas amidst the ever-
greens of the shrubbery ; while the more richly painted petals
of the French Marygold, is well calculated to contrast with the
blue or purple stars of the Aster, since no plant displays a
richer coloring of carmine and gold ; this flower sports con-
siderably in varying its corolla, some l>eing single, semi-double,
quadruple or full as the Rose Centifolia ; whilst Flora seems to
have given the petals as many changes as can be wrought in
two gay colors,—one flower displaying petals of a rich car-mine, slightly edged with gold ; others exhibiting yellow flow-
ers, so fancifully striped or dashed with crimson, that it would
be difficult to find two plants with flowers alike. These
flowers have only their gaiety to recommend them, since their
odor is more offensive than agreeable, and may be compared
to those persons who depend more on their wardrobe than their
conduct in making themselves agreeable ; we therefore present
them as emblematical of Vulgar Minds.

These showy annual flowers may be raised by sowing
the seeds on a warm border in the open garden; but the more
certain method of procuring fine plants is to sow the seed
in the beginning of April, upon a moderately hot bed, and when
the plants are come up they should have sufficient air to prevent
their being drawn up weakly. When about three inches high
they should be transplanted to a second bed very moderately
heated, covering them with mats to screen them from the sun
and winds until they have acquired sufficient strength,observing
to give them water in dry seasons. In May they will be ready
for removal into the parterre; and in doing this they should be
taken up with a ball of earth about the roots, so as to check
their growth as little as possible. Should the earth be dry
about this time, it would be advisable to water the bed about
an hour before the young plants are removed, so as to make
the soil adhere. It is desirable to have a considerable number
of them, as well as China Asters, in pots, as a reserve, to be
plunged into any part of the grounds that may be deficient in
autumnal flowers. The seeds should be collected, not only
from the finest plants, but from the centre of flowers of the
principal stems only. The varieties of the African Marygold
are very subject to change; so that unless the seeds are pro-
cured from the finest flowers, they are more apt to degenerate
than the French, and Miller recommends that the seed should
have a change of soil every second year, so as to keep the va-
rieties in perfection.

Belonging to the same class and order as the common Mary-
gold ; is a renowned plant, the generic name of which is Sil-
phiuai. It is found in the Southern, Western and Middle States?
the Savannahs, prairies and mountain meadows of which
present us with a gigantic race of vegetables somewhatresembling Sunflowers or Marygolds ; but yet even on a
cursory examination, so very plainly and distinctly marked as
to render it impossible to mistake it for anything but itself.
The calyx is peculiar, with spreading segments, quite broad
and ending in short leafy appendages. The receptacle is
covered with chaff, the seed flat, and somewhat heart-shaped.
The flowers always 3rellow, with remarkably long and easily
perceivable styles. Some species of it exude drops of trans-
parent fragrant resin from the flower disk.

Cypress,

The Cupressus Sempervirens—Cypress is in the class
Monoecia, order Monedelphia. Its characters are:—male:
calyx scale in ament; corolla none ; anthers four; sessile,
without filaments. Female: calyx a strobile ; scale one flow-
ered ; corolla none; styles concave dots ; nut, angular. Spe-
cific characters :—leaves imbricate ; fronts quadrangular.

The mouruful cypress rises round
Tapering from the burial ground.

Lucan.

This is an ornamental evergreen tree, and on account of its
perpetual verdure as well as the imperishable nature of its
wood, it has been in many nations considered as an emblem of
Immortality, and therefore planted on the graves of the dead,
and carried in funeral processions. It is said to last as long as
stone itself; and we have read that the doors of St. Peter’s
Church, at Rome, which had been formed of this material in
the time of the great Constantine, were not at all injured by
time, when taken down eleven hundred years afterwards, by
Pope Eugenius, to be replaced by gates of brass.

It is the universal emblem of mourning, and is the funeral
tree of the Eastern World from the Persian Gulf to the Cas-
pian Sea. It is also dedicated to the dead from Mazanderan
to Constantinople as well as to the utmost bounds of China’s
fruitful shores. The Greeks burned the remains of their heroesin coffins of Cypress ; and chests in which the Egyptian mum-
mies are found are generally of this wood. Ovid gives a tradition-
ary account of the mournful origin of this tree. Cyparissas, son
of Telephus, of Cea, was beloved by Apollo. Having killed the
favorite stag of his friend, he grieved, pined, and dying was
changed by Apollo into a cypress tree. Calmet describes it as
a tall straight tree having bitter leaves. The shade and smell
were said to be dangerous, and hence the Romans look on it
as a fatal tree and used it at funerals. The wood is heavy, of
a rather fragrant smell; not liable to be attacked by insects,
and does not speedily decay. When the Turks plant it over
the graves of departed friends they are careful to select the
upright variety, as they suppose it to indicate that the soul of
their friend has ascended to the regions of bliss.

Peace to the dust that in silence reposes
Beneath the dark shades of cypress and yew ;

Let spring deck the spot with earliest roses,

And heaven wash their leaves with its holiest dew.

Pierpont

%

O’er ruined shrines and silent tombs
The weeping cypress spreads its glooms
In immortality of woe,

Whilst other shrubs in gladness blow,

And fling upon the passing wind
Their liberal treasures unconfined.

And well its dark and drooping leaf
May image forth the gloom and grief
Which, when we parted, gave reply
From heaving heart and dewy eye
Then, lady, wear this wreath for me,

Plucked from the faithful cypress tree.

We have some species in common use in the United States
i>r timber trees. The Cupressus Thuyoides—White Ce-
dar, is an evergreen, and looks somewhat like the funeral cy-
press ; its cones are small and nearly spherical. The abundance
with which.it grows in mossy swamps often gives the names of
Cedar Swamps to such morasses. Nuttall speaks of another
important species, the Cupressus Disticha, one of the largest
of our American forest trees, which has been placed by Mir-
bel in a distinct genus called Schuberti : it differs from all the
other species in having some of its leaves regularly fall off!We are told, however, that it is the branchlets and not the
leaves which are deciduous, as the latter still remain attached to
the former when they have fallen off. Like the other it grows
in mossy swamps and is found from Delaware to Mexico. It
is principally used for shingles to which it is well adapted.
The well known cypress knees are branches from the roots, of
a conical form, rising several feet above the surface, and re-
maining bare. We are told that it was a species of this genus
which was selected by the earliest architects for the most sacred
and magnificent of their buildings. Of Solomon’s temple,
which was built more than two thousand years before the time
of CaHist, it was said that the cedar of the house within was
carved with knobs and flowers: all was cedar ; there was
no stone seen. Ancient shipping also was frequently built of
this timber. No doubt that the qualities of strength and dura-
bility, coupled with the advantage of readily yielding to the
tool, were among the reasons that induced the early builders to
select it. Besides this, it was then in many places more plen-
tiful and larger than any timber which could be procured.
We are told that now even in their own native soils they are
scarcely more abundant than in England. The mountains of
Lebanon have still a few cedars, and these are of great size;
thirty-six feet, or more, in circumference.

“ The cedars wave on Lebanon,

But Judah’s statelier maids are gone.”

There is a peculiar character and air, says a writer, in the
masses of foliage belonging to this tree—a sort of flaky struc-
ture ; the branches having a flattish form, and these lying in a
level direction over each other, give it an appearance which
none can	mistake when they have once seen	it.	When	it	has

attained its	full size, and is in its prime, it is	the	most	mqjestic.

of trees.	N

Red o’er the forest peers the setting sun,

The line of yellow light dies fust nway

That crowned the eastern copse; and chill and dun

Falls on the moor the brief November day.

Now the tired hunter winds a parting note,

And echo bids good night from every glade;

Yet wait awhile, and see the calm leaves float,

Each to his r :st beneath that parent shade.How lika decaying life they seem to glide,

And yet no second spring have they in store j
But where they fall, foigotten to abide
Is all their portion, and they ask no more.

Kebbe.

Beil Flowers.

Lind ley observes, that the modest beauty of the Bell flow-
ers amplv recompenses us for the absence of the gaudy scented
and often venomous flowers of more southern climates ; and
that in this plant we find a 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 strug-
gle with an atmosphere, that neither plant nor animal can well
endure. We know the Harebell tribe only in its humblest
state, bedecked with no other ornament than a few purple or
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 conceived ; on the rocks of Madeira, lives one
which was formerly not uncommon in our gardens, whose
corollas are of a rich golden yellow ; and finally, in the pas-
tures of the Cape of Good Hope, are Roellas, the flcwers of
which are elegantly banded with streaks of violet or rose,
passing into white. In every grassy lane there grows a dimi-
nutive herb with little grassy leaves, and a few bell-shaped
nodding flowers; this is the real Harebell—Campanula
Rotundifolia. Some will wonder why it is so called since
its leaves are narrow like those of a grass ; but if pulled up
by the roots, the lowest of all the leaves will be found to have
a roundish outline, from which circumstance it derives its
name. The calyx of the plant has five deep divisions, whichspread regularly away from the base of the corolla, and from
the top of the ovary. The corolla has very regularly the figure
of a bell, except that it is too narrow at the base ; its border
is divided into five lobes, which show tnat it is made up of
five petals, and it is veined in a pretty and peculiar manner.
From the base of the corolla, and consequently from the sum-
mit of the ovary, spring five stamens whose filaments are
broad, firm, and fringed, curving inwards at the base, and
bending over the top of the ovary, as if to guard it from injury ;
their points touch the style and keep the anthers parallel and
in contact with it till they shivel up and fall back, which hap-
pens immediately after the flower unfolds. The style is a stiff
taper column about the length of the corolla and longer than
the stamens. It is covered all over up to the very tips of the
stigma with stiff hairs, which Nature has provided to sweep
the pollen out the cells of the anthers, as the style passes
through them in lengthening ; if it were not for this simple but
effectual contrivance, as the anthers burst as soon as ever the
corolla opens, their pollen would drop out of the nodding flow-
ers and be lost before the stigma was exposed and ready to
receive the fertilizing influence ; the hands of the style catch the
pollen and keep it till insects, wind, or accident brush it down
upon the inverted stigmas. The ovary is a case containing
three cavities or cells surrounding a central axis ; in each cell
there is a large fleshy receptacle over which is spread a multi-
tude of ovules. After the stigma is fertilized, the corolla and
the stamens drop off, the sepals harden, enlarge, and collapse,
all the parts become browner and thicker, stout ribs appear in
the substance of the ovary which droops still more than the
flower itself, and at last a general dryness, hardness, and
brownness, announce that the ripening of the fruit is accom-
plished. But how are dust-like seeds ever to find their way
out of this lidless box, or to penetrate its tough sides ? Con-
sidering what happens in so many other plants, we should
naturallv expect that it would take place by a separation of
the edges of the three carpels, into valves near their points;
but upon looking at the top of the ovary between the sepals,
we find that part still tougher than the sides, and without the
slightest appearance of an opening. It is by a rending of thethinnest parts of the sides of the fruit, in the fork of the three
principal ribs, that these valves are produced, and that nature
provides for the escape of the seeds ; the rending takes place
upon the final drying of the sides of the fruit, when every
part becomes stretched so tight that any weak portion must of
necessity give way. As the stretching takes place with uni-
formity, and as the skin at the forks of the ribs is always more
tender than any other part, the opening of the valves will,
consequently, occur with the same invariable certainty as the
formation of the seeds. The whole tribe is as harmless as it
is beautiful; the roots of some species are eaten under the
name of Rampion, the leaves of others are used in salads, and
the bells afford an abundant supply of honey to the bee. The
stems and roots abound in a milky juice, which, though in this
case innoxious, is usually a symptom of poisonous properties,
and which in the neighboring lobelia tribe, indicates the pre-
sence of the most fearful venom. The Harebell is an herba-
ceous and deciduous plant, perennial in its duration, and pro-
pagated by seed. It has a round, small, erect stem, bearing
one or more flowers. It frequents damp rocky woods, and
flowers in June and July.

Blue-Bell! how gaily art thou drest,

How sweet and trim art thou, sweet flower:

How silky is the azure vest,

How fresh to flaunt at morning’s hour.*'

Tyas tells us that this beautiful flower, from the richness of
its color, has been made the emblem of Constancy.

This genus is in the class, Pentandria; order, Monogynia
and the name of Campanula, which signifies a little bell has
been given to it from, the resemblance which the corollas of
its species bear to that instrument; its characters are: calyx,
generally five cleft. Corolla bell-form, closed by valves at bottom
bearing the stamens. Stigmas three to five cleft. Capsules
corresponding three to five celled. Campanula Persicifolta
—Peach-leaved Bell-flower, which is, according to Phil-
lips, from whom we take the description and cultivation of the
remainder, frequently called the Paper-flower, from the deli-
cate yet stiff texture of the corollas, ranks among the mostancient ornaments of the English parterres. Gerard, one of
their writers, said in 1597 :—It is planted in our gardens, but
does not grow wild in England ; and a French book claims its
nativity in France. It was first cultivated in its double state
about the middle of the last century, and since then, has de-
servedly attracted the attention of all good florists; for although
we lose the graceful bell-shape of the flower in its natural
state, its cylindrical stalks of snowy or azure rosette flowers
form most beautiful bouquets, from the end of June to the
beginning of September. It loves a light and fresh loamy
soil and a sunny exposure; and is propagated by parting the
roots in autumn.

Campanula Medium—Canterbury Bell ; though for-
merly considered a native of England, it is not now allowed
that claim. It was formerly known under many names, appli-
cable to its supposed virtues in curing swellings and inflam-
mations of the throat. Of this species there are varieties with
blue, purple, white, and striped flowers, both single and
double. It is biennial, and decays after having matured its
seed. It is raised by sowing the seed on a common border in
the spring of the year ; and it should be transplanted when of
a proper size into other beds, and in the autumn it may be
removed to spots where it is intended to flower the following
year. These flowers are large and branching, and therefore
better calculated to embellish the shrubbery than to mix in
the borders of choice flowers. The French distinguish the
species by the name of Bell, Little Bell, and Our Lady’s
Gloves.

Campanula Pyramidalis—Pyramidal Bell-flower;
this is an ornamental, perennial, deciduous, herbaceous plant,
bearing a pretty pale blue flower in July and September.
The leaves are smooth, ovote, cordate, cartilaginous serrated ;
the cauline leaves, lanceolate. The stem upright, elongated,
and branched. Peduncles, three flowered. This plant, as its
name implies, bears its bells on tall pyramidal branches, rising
from the flower border, like a Chinese pagoda amongst more
humble buildings. It is a magnificent plant when in full
flower, and is frequently employed by country people to deco-
rate their windows, as it is sufficiently pliable to accommodateitself to any shape ; sometimes bending its branches round
like a hoop, forming a complete circle ; at others, taking a fan
shape, so as to serve as a blind either to the window, or to the
rustic grate of a country parlor.

I

So did the maidens with their various flowers,

Deck up their windows and make neat their bowers.

We have sometimes seen its branches trained over hoops so
as to form a complete globe, which is an ingenious device ; but
Nature has formed this plant so peculiarly graceful, that to
attempt to mend it is only to add deformity. This species is
biennial, and grows naturally in some parts of France, Savoy,
and Carniola. It is usually increased by offsets, but those
raised from seed produce the tallest plants, and give the great-
est number of flowers. The seed should be sown in the
autumn in pots or boxes, filled with light unmanured earth,
and placed in the open air until the frost or hard rains come
on, when they should be removed under cover of a frame,
always giving them free air when the weather will admit.
The young plants will appear in the spring, when the pots
should be placed in a warm situation until the summer, at
which time they should be situated so as to receive only the
morning sun. About September, they may be transplanted
into a- border of light sandy soil, without any mixture of
manure, which is fatal to these plants, as is too much mois-
ture. They will require the protection of hoops covered with
oiled paper or matting, to screen them from severe frosts.
In this bed they are to remain two years before being planted
for flowering. On account of its susceptibility to culture, it
has been made the emblem of Gratitude.

Campanula Speculum—Venus’ Looking-Glass ; this is
•an ornamented green-house annual, bearing a pretty purple
flower in July and August. It has a prostrate stem. The
flowt r-stalks very long, coming out at the angle formed by the
leaf and stem, solitary, and bearing one flower, which has a
salver-shaped corolla. There is an ancient fable which tells
us, that Venus accidentally let one of her mirrors fall on the
earth. A shepherd found it, and casting his eyes upon 1 lie
glass, which had the power of adorning the object it reflected,
he forgot lus mistress, and had no other wish than to admirehimself. Love, who feared the consequences of so foolish an
error, broke the glass and transformed the remains into this
pretty plant, from which circumstance, as well as from the
corollas reflecting the rays of the sun, occasioned its name;
although some think this title was bestowed upon it on account
of the glossy nature of its seed. It is made the emblem of
reflection as well as of flattery. It varies in color from
a fine violet, to a blue, and sometimes a white. Towards the
evening the corollas fold up into a pentagonal figure, enclosing
the parts of fructification, and securing them from the damp
air until they are again opened by the rays of Aurora. From
the shape of the flower when thus folded, it has sometimes
borne the name of Viola Pentagonia. It grows naturally
amongst the corn in the southern countries of Europe. It is a
great ornament to the parterre, particularly when sown in large
patches on sloping banks. Though seldom over from six to
twelve in height, its spreading branches completely cover the
earth, presenting a mass of beauty by its mirrors, not exceed-
ed by any of the humble plants which expand the petals to the
sun of summer. The shining seed should be sown in the
autumn, on a dry soil, to produce early flowers, and the spring
sowing will succeed them so as to prolong the enjoyment of
these agreeable little flatterers.

THE HAREBELL.

BV CAROLINE STMOXDS.

In Spring’s green lap there blooms a flower
Whose cup imbibes each vernal shower,

That sips fresh Nature’s balmy clew,

Clad in its sweetest, purest blue ;

Yet shines the ruddy eye of morning,

The shaggy woods’ brown shade adorning.

Simplest flow'ret! Child of May!

Though hid from the broad eye of day,

Doomed in the shade thy sweets to shed,

Unnoticed droop thy languid head;

Still, Nature’s darling thon’lt remain;

She feeds thee with her softest rain;

Fills each sweet bell with but honied tears,

With genial gales thy bosom cheers.

O, then unfold thy simple charms,

In yon deep thicket’s sheltering arms,

Far from the fierce and sultry glare,No heedless hand shall harm thee there ;

Still, then, avoid the gaudy scene,

The flaunting sun, the embroidered green.

And bloom and fade with chaste reserve, unseen.

THE HAREBELL AND FOX-GLOVE

In a valley obscure, on a bank of green shade,

A sweet little Harebell her dwelling had made
Her roof was a Woodbine, that tastefully spread
Its close woven tendrils, o’erarching her head:

Her bed was of moss,that each morning made new;

She dined on a sunbeam, and supp’d on the dew:

Her neighbor, the nightingale, sung her to rest,

And care had ne’er planted a thorn in her breast.

One morning she saw. on the opposite side,

A Fox-Glove, displaying his colors of nride:

She gazed on his form, that in stateliness grew,

And envied his height, and his brilliant hue;

She marked ho v the flow’rets all gave way before hiu
While they press’d round her dwelling with far less dt
Dissatisfied, jealous, and peevish she grows,

And the sight of this Fox-Glove destroys her repose.

She tires of her vesture, and swelling with spleen,

Cries, “ Ne’er such a dowdy blue mantle was seen !”

Nor keeps to herself any longer her pain,

But thus to a Primrose begins to complain:

“I envy your mood, that can patient abide,

“ The respect paid that Fox-Glove, his airs and his pridt..

1 There you sit, still the same, with your colourless cheel
But you have no spirit—would 1 were as meek."

The Primrose, good humoured, replied. “ If you knew
“ More about him—(remember. I’m older than you,

'* And. better instructed, can tell you his tale)

‘You’d envy him least of all flowers in the vale:

• With all hL fino airs and his dazzling show,

“ No blossom more baneful and odious can blow ;

“ And the reason that flow'rets before him give way
“ Is because they all hate him, and shrink from his sway :

“ To stay near him long would be fading or death,

44 For he scatters a pest with his venomous breath ;

“ While the flowers that you fancy are crowding you there
“ Spring round you, delighted your converse to share :“ His flame-color'd robe is imposing, ’tis true;

“ Yet, who likes it so well as your mantle of blue?

“ For we know that of innocence one is the vest;

“ The other the cloak of a treacherous breast.

“ I see your surprise—but I know him full well,

“ And have number’d his victims, as fading they fell;
“ He blighted twin Violets that under him lay,

“ And poison’d a sister of mine the same day !”

The Primrose was silent—the Harebell, ’tis said,
Inclined for a moment her beautiful head ;

But quickly recovered her spirits, and then
Declared that she ne’er should feel envy again.

Water Lily,

This plant is in the class Polyandria; order Monogynia. The
generic name is derived from N}rmph, a Naiad of streams ; its
characters are calyx four, five or six leaved. Corolla many
petalled : Berry, many celled, truncated. Specific characters:
—Leaves cordate, quite entire: Lobes imbricated, rounded:
calyx four leaved. This aquatic plant, observes Lindley, of-
fers in its stem no precise character by which we may refer it
either to the Endogens or Exogens. Its leaves, moreover, are
referable as much to the type of the one as the other. Its
flowers consist of about twenty-five thickish oblong leaves of
a dazzling white color, and the five external ones more or less
green at the back in representation of a calyx; these leaves
grow gradually smaller and smaller toward the centre, till at
last their points become callous and 3rellow; at length bear a
pair of short anther lobes in the room of the yellow callositv ;
these again narrow into straps, having more perfect anthers at
the points, and finally next the ovary, shorten and diminish, pio-
ducing less perfect anthers. What we have called anther-bear-
ing petals are obviously stamens. Do not suppose the Water
Lily offers in this respect an exception to general rules; in all
cases the stamens are nothing but contracted and altered
petals provided with anthers; onl\" in this instance the transi-
tion is gradual and apparent, in others it is too abrupt to beperceived. The number of stamens is about fifty; but it is
not fixed nor indeed easily ascertained. The ovary is in a
curious state; instead of being altogether free or altogether
united with the calyx, it has the lower floral leaves free from
it, and the upper united with it, so that the anther-bearing
petals or stamens grow from just below the stigmas. It has
ten or eleven cells, the partitions of which are covered all over
with oval and the same number of orange yellow stigmas,
which spread away from the centre like the rays of a poppy
head, to which they bear no resemblance. As the leaves and
stems afford no satisfactory evidence of its being an Exogen or
Endogen ; we ascertain that fact from the manifest tendency
of the number five in the flowers of this plant. Had the
tendency been to four, the evidence would still have been
inconclusive, for four does sometimes occur in flowers of Endo-
gens, but five never. Without searching farther it might
confidently be affirmed a polypelous Exogen; a conclusion
confirmed by the seed which is a little dicotyledonous body
lying in a bag on the outside of a quantity of farinaceous
albumen. This plant has a curious conservatory provided for
it by nature, without which it could not exist in our cold
climate. It is never found but in deep waters which thus
protect it from the severity of the frost. The roots creep
through the muddy bottoms of ponds to a considerable ex-
tent. They are well known by the black contorted appear-
ance they present; being about three or four inches in diame-
ter. From these roots spring directly both the stalks of the
leaves and flowers. The length of each varies with the depth
of water from one foot to five or six, or even ten or sixteen;
and both are perforated throughout by long tubes, which, con-
taining air, serve to float them. The leaves swim on the
surface, are nearly round, with a sinus extending to the centre,
at the termination of which cleft the leaf stalk is inserted in
the manner of a shield ; on each side, the lobes are produced to
acute points. The upper surface is a bright and glossy green,
in this all the pores are situated ; the lower surface some-
what redish, having a multitude of radiating veins.

It has been remarked as one of the most noted examples of
these plants which dedicate their beauty to the sun as its bios-soins expand in bright weather, and in the middle of the day,
oi.ly closing towards the evening; when they recline on the
surface of the water or sink beneath it. The sinking of
flowers under water at night, observes a botanist, having been
denied, I have been careful to verify it in this species. The
same circumstance has been recorded from the most remote
antiquity. The stimulus of light which indeed acts evidently
on other blossoms and leaves expands, and raises with pecu-
liar force these splendid white flowers, that the pollen may
reach the stigma uninjured; and when the stimulus ceases to
act they close again, drooping by their weight to a certain depth.
The roots have often been used as an emollient in medicine.
When the mystery of fructification has been completed the
flower sinks to the bottom, and in silence and solitude ripens
its fruit; which is a large roundish, many celled berry, im-
pressed with the marks of the petals and stamens and con-
taining numerous seeds. It is a perennial plant which opens
in beautiful and extremely odorous blossoms in the month of
July. The fine odor has been often, but in vain, endeavored
to be extracted from it, but without so far the slightest success.
It is the emblem of Eloquence. Like as with ourselves in
China and Japan, the ranks and ponds are generally covered
with different species of this elegant genus whose large and
beautiful blossoms are no less fragrant than handsome. The
Blue Lotus—Nymphea Cerulea, grows in Egypt and in
Cashmere and Persia, but not in Bengal, where are only seen
the red and white, and hence is taken occasion to feign that
the Lotus of Hindoostan w is dyed crimson by the blood oflrva.
In allusion perhaps to the world rising out of the waters, the
eastern deities are frequently represented seated on a Lotus
flower; a circumstance to which Sir William Jones, in his
imitations of Hindoo odes, often elegantly adverts.

* Mark where transparent waters glide
Soft flowing o’er their tranquil bed;

Tiiere, cradled in the dimpling tide,

Nymphea rests her lovely head.

But conscious of the earliest beam,

She rises from her humid rest,

AnJ sees reflected in the stream
The virgin whiteness of her breast,Till the bright day star to the west
Declines in Ocean’s surge to lave;

Then, folded in her modest vest,

She slumbers in the rocking wave.”

Yes, thou art day's own flower; for when he’s fled,
Sorrowing thou droop’st beneath the wave thy head,
And watching, weeping through the livelong night,
Look’st forth impatient for the dawning light,

And, as it brightens into perfect day,

Dost from the inmost fold thy breast display.

Oh! would that I, from earth’s defilement free,

Could bare my bosom to the light like thee!

But ah! I feel within a blighting power,

Marring each grace, like hidden worm the flower,

And trembling, shrinking, gladly would I fly
That “light of light,” Jehovah’s piercing eye.

Yet whither can I go 1 Oh! there’s a wave
Where he who weeps for sin his soul may lave ;
lie re would I plunge, and sad, l.ot hopeless, lie,
Waiting the first fair day-spring from on high,

Then glad emerging from the healing stream,
Welcome, like thee sweet flower, the dawning beam.

Wood Sorrel.

This plant belongs to the class Decandria, order Penta-
gynia. The generic name is derived from oxus, sour, on account
of the quality of its juice. Its characters are :—Calyx, five
parted ; petals five, often connected at the base ; capsules five
oelled, five cornered, opening at the corners; seeds arilled.
Specific characters :—Styles equal; leaflets in threes, obcor-
date, hirsute ; root toothed. This is a bulbous perennial plant,
much used for culinary purposes. The leaves are all radical,
or spring direct from the root, and in threes ; leafstalks long
and slender, semicilindrical; leaflets inversely heart-shaped
and hairy; flowerstalks round and hairy, with two opposite
sharp floral leaves; sharp segments of the calyx, oblong in
shape; petals oblong, white, striped with purple, yellowish atbase. This is very abundant by our roadsides and in the
woods; its handsome white drooping flowers appear in May
and June. This in England, vulgarly called cuckoo’s bread,
flowers very freely, about Easter, in that place. This pretty
little plant, says Tyas, shuts its leaves, closes its corollas, and
the flowers hang pendant and drooping from the stems at night.
They seem to yield themselves to sleep ; but at the first dawn
of day we may say that they are filled with joy, for they throw
back their leaves and expand their flowers, and we doubt not
it is on this account peasants have said that they sung the
praises of their Creator, and that they emblemize Joy. This
plant is totally inodorous, but its grateful acid taste which pro-
ceeds from a juice abounding in every part, amply recompenses
this want and makes it a favorite among cooks for salads ;
approaching nearly in this respect, that of taste, to the juice of
lemons or the tartaric acid ; it also closely resembles them both
in its medical effects, being eminently useful as an anti-scor-
butic, duretic, and refrigerant. A pleasant whey has been
made by it with milk. Among other important uses this has
long been celebrated in the composition of the essential salt of
lemons which is made by mixing one part of oxalic acid with
two parts of cream of Tartar, and is used to remove stains
from linen.

Wake Robin.

This is a genus in the class Monoecia, order Polandria. Its
characters are :—Spathe one leafed, cowled ; spadix naked
above ; female, below; stamenious in the middle. Specific
characters :—Leaves hastate, quite entire ; spadix club-shaped.
The tribe to which this belongs, according to Lindley, consist
of stemless or long stemmed plants, whose internal structure is
strictly that of Endogens, but whose leaves bear more resem-
blance to those of Exogens ; it is, however, to be observed that
the lobed figure of the lea ves and their branched veining to
which the resemblance is due, need not be confounded withthe netted veining of Exogens, because on Arum the veins are
branched rather tha.n netted, and are in a great measure desti-
tute of the lateral, minute branchlets to which the peculiar ap-
pearance of Exogenous leaves is chiefly owing. Many of
these have large, tuberous, under-ground stems, which, al-
though acrid and even poisonous when raw, nevertheless, by
slicing, washing and cooking, become fit for food, and are ac-
tually so employed, in England only in a few places or in times
of scarcity, but in tropical countries as a common every-day
esculent vegetable. Their foliage is generally more or less
lobed, and sometimes very curiously; but is so much diversi-
fied that it can hardly be said to offer any certain mark of
recognition. The great and striking feature of the natural
order resides in the spathe, which we have before explained
to be a leaf usually colored, but sometimes green, which is
rolled up round a spike of flowers ; in fact a sort of large
bract; and the spadix, which is a fleshy spike, covered all over
with flowers, and enclosed in a spathe. In all Araceous plants
the flowers are collected upon a spadix and are enclosed in a
spathe. The spathe, for example, is more than a foot some-
time in diameter, forming a huge vegetable bell, of which the
spadix would be the clapper if the spathe were- not erect. It
is often stained with the deepest and richest colors; and in
some cases it is extended on one side into a long slender tail,
very much like that of the calyx in the long tailed Birthwort.
The spadix on the other hand is either covered all over with
flowers, in which case it makes no unusual appearance, or it
is naked at the point, and then assumes the strangest shapes,
which sometimes moreover glow with all the colors of the
spathe. Thus in the Dragon Arum it is a long purple horn,
standing up and projecting from a large deep-purple spathe ; in
others it hangs down from the spathe, like a slender tail; and
in some cases it is enlarged into a disgusting fungus, like livid
excrescence. The Common spotted Arum, Wake Robin—
Ahum Maculatum, gives a sufficiently correct idea of the
structure of this tube. It has a smooth, erect, oblong spathe,
green outside, whitish inside, and unrolling to unclose the point
of the spadix, which children call the Lady riding in her
coach. If the spadix is extracted, a long, soft, fleshy branchwill be found, the upper part of which is quite naked and the
lower part covered with naked (lowers. At the bottom stands
several tiers of round ovaries; above them are placed two
or three rows of abortive ovaries in the form of horned, pear-
shaped bodies; then appears a crowd ol stamens; and above
these is again collected a small cluster of abortive ovaries.
The ovaries are so many naked, fertile flowers; the stamens
are each as naked, sterile flowers ; and the inflorescence is, in
strict technical language, a crowded monoecious spike, wrap-
ped up in a large, leafy bract. The ovary is puckered and
hollowed out at the apex for a stigma, and contains two ovules,
growing from the side of a single cell. The stamen has a short, thick filament, with two round lobes placed obliquely on
its end for an anther. The fruit ripens in the form of a spike
of orange-colored, roundish berries, each of which contains a
single seed, enclosing a monocotyledonous embryo, surrounded
by farinaceous albumen. On one side of the embryo is a
narrow slit, at the bottom of which lies the minute point or
plumule which eventually becomes the new stem.

Pliny tells us that the leaves of the Arum were anciently
used to preserve cheese, by covering it over with them.
Wedelius is of opinion, that the Chara which Ccesar’s soldiers
found abundantly about Dyrrachium, was this plant. Being
reduced to straits for want of provisions, they mixed the roots
with milk and made them into a sort of bread. This proba-
bly was the Italian Arum, the roots of which are considerably
larger than those of England, and might certainly be eaten
with safety after having their acrid nature destroyed by several
waters. This species was formerly called Starch Wort, on
account of the roots being employed to stiffen frills and ruffs,
particularly in the time of Queen Elizabeth, when these orna-
ments were worn by gentlemen as well as ladies. They are
also occasionally used for soap. It is from them, dried and
powdered, that the French make a wash for the skin, which is
esteemed a good and innocent cosmetic, and which sells for a
high price under the name of Cypress powder. Sir Hans
Sloane says, that a species of these plants is carefully culti-
vated 111 the West India plantations, principally for the sake
of the leaves, which are boiled and eaten like spinach or cab-

bage ; they are also eaten after being baked in hot ashes.
The natives of the South-Sea Islands bestow great pains on
the culture of this root, by inundating the land at one time,
and draining it dry at others, by means of ditches dug round
the fields. Thus, says Phillips, we have another instance ot
the importance attached to the same plant, in one part of the
world, which in others are utterly despised, and deemed by
the illiterate, almost a curse to the land. It is little used in
modern medical practice, though formerly highly extolled by
the old medical writers.

* Oh! wander not where Dragon Arnm showers
Her baneful dews, and twines her purple flowers,

Lest round thy neck she throw her snaring arm
Sap thy life’s blood, and riot on thy charms
Her shining berry as the ruby bright,

Might please thy taste, and tempt thy eager sight;

Trust not this specious veil; beneath its guise,

In honied streams a fatal poison lies.

So Vice allures with Virtue’s pleasing song,

And charms her victims with a siren’s tongue.’’

Lucerne.

This plant is in the class Diadelphia, order Decandria. Its
characters are :—Keel deflexed from banner; legume spiral,
compressed. Specific characters :—Peduncles racemed ; le-
gumes loosely spirally twisted ; stipules entire ; leaflets obo-
vate, oblong toothed. This is an agricultural perennial, bear-
ing a blue colored flower in June and July. It is a native of
the East, but naturalized in the United States. The generic
name appears to come from the place of which it is a native,
as it is said to have been carried to Greece during the expedi-
tion of Darius. Lucerne occupies the same ground for a long
time, but when it forsakes it, it is forever. On this account,
says Tyas, it has been made the emblem of Life. Nothing
is more charming than a field of Lucerne in full flower. It

seems spread before our eyes like a carpet of green and violet.
Cherished by the husbandman, it yields him an agreeable crop
without much care, and when mowed, it springs up again.—
The cattle rejoice at its appearance ; it is a favorite plant with
the sheep; and the goat receives it as a delicacy, while the
horse also eats it with avidity. This precious gift may be said
to be showered direct from heaven. We possess it without
much trouble, enjoy it without reflection, and often without
gratitude ; and frequently prefer to it a flower whose only merit
is transient beauty.

We are told th°‘ although it affords more green food, it con-
tains less nutrimen a a single crop than red clover; but this
it fully compensates for by the fact of its growth being much
quicker and bearing cutting at least twice as often. It thrives
well in places one hundred miles north of New-York city, and
stands cold weather even better than clover. Fifteen pounds
of seed are required for the acre if drilled, and ten more if sown
broad cast.

The authoress of the Moral of Flowers observes that the ex-
quisite adaptation of scriptural imagery to the subject intended
to be illustrated, must be apparent to the commonest observer.
Is sublimity required ?	“ The heavens above, the earth be-

neath,” nay, even “things under the earth,” are put in requi-
sition to give dignity to the subject; and whilst imagination
sinks under the accumulated grandeur of the figures employed,
nothing seems strained, nothing out of place. In the same
mnnner, when pathos is intended, what can exceed the touch-
ing piopriety, if one may so speak, of the illustrations selected.
What, for instance, can form a more mournful comment on
man’s earthly history than the simile which compares him to
grass, and his glory to the flowers of the field? unless,indeed,
we add to it the declaration of Job, “ man that is born of
a woman is of few days and full of trouble.”

’Twiis not to tell of foes subdued,

Or battle spoils to bring,

Th' appointed herald daily stood
Before the Grecian king.With solemn shout and trumpet’s clang,
Each morn this truth severe,

“Remember thou art mortal,” rang
In royal Philip’s ear.

And why? To ripen into deed
Each high and lofty aim,

And urge him 011 to win the meed,

The meed of deathless fame.

This record of the olden days
May useful hints supply;

But say, what herald shall upraise
For me the warning cry ?

For I have deadlier foes to quell
Than bow’d beneath Philip’s spear,

And realms he wot not of to win,
Imperishably fair.

A blade of grass—a simple flower,

Cull’d from the dewy lea :

These, these shall speak with touching power
Of “ change and death” to me.

For if “ stars teach as well as shine,”

Not less these gems of earth,	•

In budding bloom and pale decline,

May pour instruction forth.

Come, then, and ever when I stray,

Breathe still the solemn cry,

‘Man and his glory, what are they,

Fragile as grass or flow’ret gay,

Which blossoms but to die.’

Hollyhock.

The Althea Rosea—Hollyhock ; is in the class Mona-
delphia, order Polyandria. The generic name is derived from
the Greek, to cure, because it was supposed to be highly effi-
cacious in medicine. Its characters are :—calyx, double, outersix cleft; arils, many, one seeded. Specific characters:—
leaves, sennate, angular. This is a deciduous, herbaceous
plant, ornamental in its appearance, and biennial in its dura-
tion. The flowers, which appear from July to September, are
red. The stem is upright and hairy ; the leaves are cordate ;
five seven-angled, crenate, rugose. The flowers are axillary
sessile.

Phillips remarks, that the cultivation of this magnificent
Eastern plant is of great antiquity. Its noble size, majestic
height, and splendid flowers, could not fail to attract the atten-
tion of the earliest collectors of exotic plants. The derivation
of the English name of this flower may be traced to the Saxon
language, the old name of Holyoak being the same as Holihee.
Mortimer retains the old name of Holyocks for these plants, in
his work on Husbandry, as late as the year 1707, wherein he
sayS ;—Holyocks far exceed Poppies for their durableness, and
are very ornamental. The French, who consider this plant as
a native of Syria, call it by several different names, Rose
tremiere, Rose de mer, Rose de Damas. In floral lan-
guage, it is figured as the symbol of fecundity, and its ex-
treme fruitfulness seems to justify the device. 1 hese plants
grow naturally in various eastern parts of the globe. It is
common in China, from whence the seeds of the tall, as well
as the dwarf Hollyhock, have been frequently received.
Pliny speaks of this flower in the fourth chapter of his twenty-
first book, where he describes it as a Rose growing on stalks
like the mallow ; and Miller says he received the seeds from
Istria, where it was gathered in the fields ; but these seeds
produced single red flowers only, whereas from the seeds pro-
cured from Madras, he raised plants with double flowers, of
many different colors. A late traveller in Africa says, that the
Hollvhock is also a native of Marootzee country, where he
found it growing wild among the rocks around Kurreeehone ;
but these appear to have been only of a yellow color. Lin-
nreus ascribes it to Siberia, and we have, continues Phillips,
at different times received seeds from all the various places
where it grows naturally ; we have not only procured nil the
, varieties which these countries produce, but by bringing them
to one spot together, so that the several kinds have been im-pregnated by each other, we have procured a greater variety
in their colors, than is to be found in any one country where it
grows spontaneously. Many of the colors of these flowers
have been changed by accidental circumstances ; and that the
corollas become doubled by the art of cultivation, there can
be no doubt in the mind of the florist, who has regarded the
formation of the flower. Miller says, although the varieties of
the Double Hollyhocks are not constant, yet where the seeds
are carefully saved from the most double flowers, the greatest
number of the plants will arise nearly the same as the plants
from which they were taken, both as to their color and the ful-
ness of their flowers, provided no plants with single or bad
colors are permitted to grow near them. Therefore, as soon
as any such appear, they should be removed from the good
ones, that their farnia may not spread into other flowers, which
would cause them to degenerate.

We have but few flowers that contribute more to the embel-
lishment of our gardens than the Hollyhock, although their
hardy nature and easy propagation have rendered them so
common, that they are less regarded by the generality of
florists than they deserve, since it yields to no flower for the
grandeur and beauty of its appearance, as \yell as the great
variety of its colors, which embraces all the shades of the
Rose, from the palest blush to the deepest carmine ; and from
a pure white the yellows are equally numerous, until they
reach the richest orange, from which the color is carried on to
a dark chesnut. Others are dyed of a pale reddish purple
running up to a black. Their noble stalks, which resemble so
many floral banners garnished with roses, render the Hollyhock
particularly desirable for ornamenting the borders of planta-
tions, and for giving gaiety to the shrubbery in the later season
of the year, since it generally continues its succession of flow-
ers until the frost warns the floral goddess to depart.

The florist who is possessed of taste, will not reject it because
it so familiarly flourishes in the rustic gardens of the cottagers,
as it will be found equally appropriate for the decoration of
the most princely grounds, if properly dispersed and grouped, •
so as to give effect, and receive assistance from other plants ;
for it readily displays its Eastern splendor, whilst many of theexotic plants that are so eagerly sought after, show that they
are

Ilourne from their native genial airs away,

That scarcely can their tender bud display.

The tall Hollyhock is not adapted for the small parterre,—
its aspiring height befits it for a noble situation, and it rises
with a degree of dignity from amongst clumps of flowering
shrubs, that is not excelled by any plant whatever. But to
give full effect to this flower, they should be planted in clumps
of from five to ten plants, according to the size of the grounds ;
and each of these clumps should be formed of one color, con-
triving to have a clump of the darkest colored flowers between
two plantations of the paler colors. Where the grounds are
very extensive, clumps of mixed varieties may be admitted,
but these never tell so well in the perspective as a mass of a
single color. It adds considerably to their beauty when the}'-
are so placed as to appear emerging from among dwarf shrubs,
where the lower part of the stalks are obscured, care however
should be taken not to plant them too near each other, as every
stem of flowers should be seen distinct, and when they require
support, they should each have a separate stake, for when
several are pressed together, the flowers have not room to dis-
play their beauty, and they take a stiff and unnatural appear-
ance, instead of that careless freedom which constitutes the
beauty of all plants. Yet in this wild disorder art presides

Designs, corrects, and regulates the whole,

Herself the while unseen.

Masov.

The vulgar planter who has no idea of the beauty of per-
spective gardening, frequently plants his Hollyhocks in rows ;
this is one of the errors never seen in Nature, and has as bad
an effect in the garden, as a straight line of Lombardy Poplars
in a plantation, or a long rank of soldiers painted in a land-
scape picture. It may be planted so as to ornament the bounds
of gardens, by forming clumps at the angles, and at irregular
distances near the fence, so that they do not form a straight
line, for such an arrangement would only make the limits ofthe ground more conspicuous. For small gardens, or where
the situation is much exposed to the winds, the dwarf Holly-
hock is the most desirable ; and when some of these are planted
in front of the taller kind, it adds considerably to the beauty of
the group.

Considerable benefit would be received by those who keep
hives of bees, by giving attention to the cultivation of this flower,
since the late season at which it flowers gives the bees an
opportunity to make a second season for collecting their sweets ;
and when a wet or cold season has impoverished the hive, or
brought sickness into the swarming community, these autumnal
flower« will afford them relief, and give them strength to endure
the winter, which is also considerably shortened by enabling
them to subsist without falling on their store at too early a
season.

The ancients attended their bees with so much care that the
hives were conveyed in the night to distant spots, abounding
■with such plants as afforded the most honey, and surely it were
easier to plant flowers for the bees than to take the bees to the
flowers. These industrious insects have peculiar claims on the
lower classes, since they stray into the grounds of the wealthy,
where, without committing devastation or fraud, they obtain
treasure for their muster ; and are therefore a kind of licensed
flock, which feed at freedom without the fear of giving offence
or receiving imprisonment, for they neither break down fences
nor transgress against the laws.

The Hollyhock is also likely to hold a higher rank in rural
economy than that of feeding bees. For some years past, it
has been known that a good strong cloth may be made from
the fibrous bark of the flower stalks of this plant, and in the
year 1821, about two hundred and eighty acres of land near
Flint, in Wales, were planted with the common Hollyhock,
with the view of converting the fibres of this plant into thread,
similar to that of hemp or flax. In the process of manufac-
ture, it was discovered that the plant yields a fine blue dye,
equal in beauty and permanence, to the best indigo. This
important discovery cannot fail of producing beneficial conse-
quences, both in a commercial and agricultural point of view.The receptacles containing the seed of these plants should
be collected when ripe, in dry weather, and placed in situations
where they will receive no damp during the winter; these are to
be sown in early Spring, in beds of light earth, from which the
young plants may be removed when they have six or eight
leaves each, into nursery beds, placing them about twelve
inches from each other, observing to water them should the
season be dry, until the plants have taken root; they should
be then kept free from weeds until October, when they may
be planted where they are to remain. A method has some-
times been successful of sowing the seeds as soon as they are
ripe in the autumn ; and by planting them early in the spring,
and thereby obtaining flowers a year sooner than could be pro-
cured from the spring sowing. The flower stalks of the
choicest varieties of the Hollyhocks should be cut down to the
earth when the beauty of the flowers is decayed, for if suffered
to mature the seed, it frequently impoverishes the plant so
much that they decay during the winter, and a single stalk of
these emblems of Fecundity will yield sufficient seed for a
large garden.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

BY BARRY CORNWALL.

There the rose unveils
Her breast of beauty, and each delicate bud
O’ the season conies in turn to bloom and perish,
But first of all the violet, with an eye
Blue as the midnight heavens ; the frail snow-drop
Born of the breath of winter, and on his brow,
Fixed, like a pale and solitary star,

The languid hyacynth, and pale primrose,

And daisy, trodden down like modesty.

The foT-glorc, in whose drooping bells the bee
Makes her sweet music ; the narcissus, (named
From him who died of love,) the tangled woodbine,
Lilacs, and the flowering limes, and scented thorns,
And some from the voluptuous June,

Catch their perfumings.Mosses.

Mosses, Lindley observes, are among the smallest plants
with true leaves ; they are often so minute that the whole spe-
cimen, leaves, stem, fruit and all would escape the eye, if they
did not grow in patches ; and they never, even in the largest
kinds, exceed the height of a few inches. Nevertheless, they
are organized in a manner far from incomplete, with the ex-
ception of air vessels and breathing pores. They are usually
the first plants that show themselves on rocks, or walls, or
barren places, where no other vegetation can establish itself,"
provided the air is damp they will flourish there, and in time
lay the foundation of a bed of vegetable mould, in which the
roots of grasses and other stronger plants may find support,
till they in their turn have decayed and prepared the way for
shrubs and trees. This is the usual order observed by Nature,
in converting the face of rocks into vegetable mould, and
Mosses thus perform the office of pioneers to larger plants, an
office fur which one would suppose their lilliputian size would
have hardly qualified them. They are formed precisely upon
the same plan as flowering plants, as far as the arrangement of
their organs of vegetation. They have in all cases a stem or
axis however minute, round which the leaves are arranged
with the utmost symmetry ; they have parts that answer to
seeds, enclosed in a case, and this case elevated on a stick,
which arises from among the leaves. But beyond this, analogy
ceases ; in all other points of structure, the Moss tribe is of the
most singular nature. They are said to be in fruit when the
stems are furnished with brown hollow cases, seated on a long
stalk. The theca wears a long cap not unlike that of the Nor-
man peasant women, with its high peak and long lappets, (see
plate,) this part is called a Calyptiia ; when young, it was
rolled around the theca, so as completely to cover it like an
extinguisher, but when the stalk of the theca lengthens, the
calvptra is torn away from its support, and carried up upon
the tip. After a certain time the calvptra drops off; and then
the theca is in the best state for examination. It is terminatedr»y a lid or operculum, which is thrown off when the spores
or reproductive parts are fit to be dispersed. When thus
spontaneously thrown off, a new and peculiar set of parts comes
in view ; it will be found that the lid covered a kind of tuft of
twisted hairs, which at first look as if they stopped up the
mouth of the theca. But cutting it perpendicularly from the
bottom to the top, will show by the sectional view thus obtain-
ed, that the hairs in reality arise from the rim of the theca in
a single row ; these are the teeth of the fringe or peristome ;
the latter term designating the ring of hairs. The nature of
this fringe varies in different genera, and in some it is entirely
wanting. What office it may have to perform we can only
guess ; it seems to be connected with the dispersion of the
spores, and often acts in the most beautiful hygrometrica man-
ner. Taking a theca when dry, and putting it in a, damp
place or in water, will cause its teeth to uncoil and disentangle
themselves with a graceful and steady motion, very beautiful
to observe. Inside the theca the spores are confined ; they lie
there in a thin bag which is open at the upper end, and which
surrounds a central column, called the columella ; they are
exceedingly minute. Accurate investigation of botanists has
led to the discovery, that there is a minute and concealed sys-
tem of organs, which in many cases, precedes the appearanee
of the theca. It has been thought that these organs represent
pistles and anthers of an imperfect kind ; but this is somewhat
doubtful. At the end of the shoots of some Mosses the leaves
spread into a starry form, and become colored with brown.
Amongst these lie a number of cylindrical whitish green
bodies, which are transparent at the point and filled with a
cloudy granular matter, which it is said they discharge with
some degree of violence, and these are the supposed anthers.
The second kind of apparatus is shown in the bosom ff other
leaves, shortly after the Mosses have begun to grow, a cluster
of little greenish bodies, thickest at their lower end, tapering
upwards into a slender pipe, and at last, expanding into a
shallow cup. After a certain time, the pipe and cup, which
by some are considered style and stigma, shrivel up, and the
lower part or ovary, swells, acquires a stalk, and finally,
changes to a theca.

u	*Evening Primrose.

The (Enotheras Biennis—Evening Prtmrose, is in the
class Octandrea, order Monogynia. Its characters are:—
Calyx four cleft tubular caducous; petals inserted on the
calyx, four; stigma, four cleft; capsule correspondingl}r four
celled ; four valved. Seeds affixed to a central four-sided
columella. Lindley observes, that in the meadows and woods
of Europe, North America, and the colder parts of Asia, nre
found a great number of herbs which with a great accordance
in their general appearance, agree also in this remarkable
circumstance, that every one of the parts of the flower consists
either of four pieces or of some number that may be divided
by four. In South America, are many species of a similar
nature, only that they are shrubs and much more richly
colored. These are called the Evening Primrose tribe,
because the charming yellow flower which unfolds its bosom
to the evening sun, and drinks up the dews of night with its
petals, rendering darkness as lovely as noonday, but which
retires at the approach of the sun, rolling up its petals and
carefully protecting its stamens and pistils from the glare of
light, is one of the tribe; it might be called the owl of the
vegetable world, only it is much more beautiful and delicate
than that hard hearted enemy of mice. Taking the CEno-
thera Fructicosa—Shubby Evening Primrose, one of om
own beautiful little plants, but with an absurd name, for it is
not a shrub. Let us examine it, ns by doing so accurately
with one of them there will be no after difficulty in recognising
the rest. Its leaves are of a narrow figure, not unlike the
head of a lance, and their veins disposed in a netted manner ;
it has therefore a stem which increases in size by the addition
of matter to the outside of the wood; or in other words, it is
Exogenous; the leaves do not grow opposite each other from
opposite sides of the stem, but are placed one a little above
the other so as to be alternate. The flowers are of a bright
yellow, and are entirely different from any of those of the
preceding tribes. In the first place, the calyx has a longslender tube from the top of which arise two leaves, both
turned the same way and notched at the point; it is in reality
composed of four sepals, united at the base into a tube, but
capable of being separated above the tube into four pieces, as
may be easily seen on an attempt to divide it with the point of
a pin. From the top of the tube of the calyx arise four petals,
which are of a bright yellow, and rolled together, except at
night, when the flowers are expanded. Twice four stamens
spring from the top of the tube ; each of which has a very long
anther which swings by its middle from the summit of the
filament, and sheds its pollen in such a way that it looks os if
it were mixed with cobweb. If this pollen is magnified in a
drop of water, each grain will be found three cornered, and
held to its neighbor by excessively delicate threads; a pecu-
liarity in the pollen rarely to be met with except in this tribe.
The ovary is inferior, and is marked by eight (2 X 4) ribs, of
which four are more prominent than the others : it contains
four cavities, in each of which is a great many seeds. The
style is a long slender body, rising within the tube of the
calyx as high as the stamens, and then separating into four
narrow stigmas. The fruit is a dry oval case, with four
angles, opening into four pieces called valves. This tribe has
little, with the exception of beauty, to render it interesting to
mankind, for there is not a single species which possesses any
useful property worth mentioning.

The Evening Primrose with us is vulgarly known by the
name of Scabish; though how it acquired the name, it is
difficult to understand, as the Scabious, of which some sup-
pose this name is a corruption, has not the slightest affinity
with the plant. Its stem is from four to six or seven feet high,
rough, covered with hair, and branching. The leaves from
the root provided with footstalks; those from the stem without
any; both hairy, and slightly toothed on the margin:

You, Evening Primroses, when day has fled,

Open your pallid flowers, by dews and moonlight fed.

Barton.

This flower is a native of North America, and was first
sent from Virginia to Padua in the year 1619, and becameExtensively known—was very much liked, and great pains
were taken to naturalize it, so at the present time it grows
wild in Europe. Its flowers generally burst open and expand
between six and seven o’clock in the morning.

The Evening Primrose shuns the day,

Blossoms only to the western star
And loves its solitary ray.

Langhorn*.

Phillips tells us that he has frequently stood over this plant
to watch the expansion of its flowers, the petals of which are
confined together by means of the calyx, the ends of which
meet over the corolla, and clasp each other as by a hook. As
ihe corolla swells in its confinement, the segments of the calyx
separate at bottom and discover the primrose corolla, which
appears to be gradually inflating with a gaseous fluid until it
acquires sufficient expansive force to burst the hooks of the
calyx. When its petals are thus freed they expand instanta-
neously to a cup shape, and in about half an hour after they
progressively spread until they become quite flat; by the mor-
ning the flowers become flaccid, so that the impregnation must
take place after sunset. It is made the emblem of Incon-
stancy, and is therefore seldom worn by the fair, excepting
by those gay belles who love to coquette with and teaze their
smitten swains.

These biennial plants are raised by sowing the seeds in
autumn, on a border, where they should remain until the fol-
lowing autumn, when they may be removed to situations in
which they are intended to flower the following summer. In
removing them care should be taken to avoid breaking the
roots, which run deep into the ground. This common kind
will grow in almost any soil or situations, but the Grandiflora,
being more delicate, requires a south aspect and a light free
earth.

(Enothera Odorata—Sweet Scented Primrose, has
such a delightful fragrance and hardy nature as to make it
likelv to succeed the other species, and banish them from the
best gardens. Tt was first obtained from Patagonia. It proves
to be a tolerably hardy perennial plant, growing freely in mostsituations, and producing plants wherever the seed scatter*
itself. The stem does not die completely down, even in the
open air; and when protected in a conservatory, it become*
an evergreen shrub, singular by its waved foliage, beautiful bj
its yellow blossoms, delightful for its perfume, and curious be-
cause its flowers only open

“ When weary peasants, at the close of day
Walk to their cots, and part upon the way;

When cattle slowly cross the shallow brook,

And shepherds pen their folds and rest upon their crook.”

EVENING PRIMROSE.

“ The sun his latest ray has shed,

The wild-bird to its nest has sped,

And buds that to the day-beam spread
Their brightest glow,

Incline their dew-besprinkled head
In slumber now.

Then why art thou lone vigils keeping,

Pale flower, when all besides are sleeping ?

Are not the same soft zephyrs sweeping
Each slender stem,

And the same opiate dew-drops steeping
Both thee and them?

Eve is my noon—at this still hour
When softly sleeps each sister*flower.

Solo watcher of the dusky bower
I joy to be.

And conscious feel the pale moon shower
Her light on me.

Soon as meek Evening veils the skv,

And wildly fresh her breeze flits by,

And on my breast the dew drops lie,

I feel to live,

And what is mine of fragrancy
I freely give.

Say, thou who thus dost question me,

Wouldst thou from earth’s dull cares be free,

O listen, and I’ll counsel thee
Wisely to shun
Tumult, and glare, and vanity,

As I have done.‘ Enter thy closet, shut the door,’

And heavenward let thy spirit soar;

Then softer dews than bathe the flower,
On thee shall rest,

And beams which sun nor inoon can pour
Illume thy breast.”

Snap Dragon.

The Antirrhinum Majus—Snap Dragon, belongs to the
class Didynamia, order Angiospermia. The generic name
is derived from two Greek words, meaning against the nose;
supposed by some to arise from an unpleasant odor emitted
by one of the species; and by others, to the resemblance of the
flower to the nose of a calf. Its characters are :—Calyx, five
leaved; corolla, with the base produced downwards, and
nectariferous ; capsules, two celled. Specific characters :—
Corollas, tailless ; flowers in spikes ; calyxes, rounded. This is
an evergreen, ornamental perennial plant; bearing pink,
sometime purplish red, often white flowers. The leaves are
somewhat lance-shaped, and alternate, those of the branches
being opposite. The flower, observes Phillips, is made the
emblem of presumption from its monopetalous corolla forming
a mask, which resembles the face of an animal; and it has
from hence received various names, as Dog’s Mouth, Lion’s
Snap, Toad’s Mouth, and Snap Dragon. On pressing the
sides of this flower it opens like a gaping mouth, the stigma
appearing to represent the tongue ; on removing the pressure
the lips of the corolla snap together, which has occasioned the
last and most generally adopted name. It belongs to the fam-
ily of the Toad Flax, and is a flower that we cannot examine
without admiring how wonderfully it is adapted for the bleak
situation in which it grows naturally, as on the highest rocks or
out of the -crevices of the most exposed cliffs or chinks of the
loftiest towers : in all of these situations its parts of fructifica-
tion are guarded against the tempest by the singularly shaped
corolla, which defies either wind or rain to enter it until im-pregnat ion has taken place, when the mask falls off to allow
a free access of air to the seed vessel. ^iVe have frequently
remarked that bees, and more particularly the humble-bees,
have entered this flower by pressiug open the lips, as if they
were conscious that such an opening existed, although it shuts
so close as to deceive the nicest eye, and snaps to the moment
the insect has gained admittance,leaving it to revel unmolested
within the mask, from which it makes its exit with the same
case as it entered. This species of instinct approaches near to
reason, since the bee cannot have been trained or instructed to
this habit.

This plant produces its flowers in a spike, but the whole of
them fronting one way, which is generally to the sun; and as
it gives out numerous branches, from two to three feet in
height,it becomes highly ornamental, particularly amongst dwart
shrubs. The colors are numerous, consisting of all the shades
of a rich orange and yellow down to white, with the same va-
rieties in red and purple, and an endless change of pa rty colors,
the most esteemed of which is that with a gold colored throat
and a dark crimson mouth and lips.

It grows naturally in the South of Europe ; and as it is fre-
quently found on the cliffs of Dover, is now classed as one of
the native plants of England, although supposed not originally
to have belonged to that soil.

These plants love a light soil and an open, sunny situation ;
but when transplanted into a rich and moist earth they produce
larger flowers, though the plant generally dies in the winter,
whilst those that grow on a dry or rocky soil continue several
years. They are easily raised from seed, which should be
sown in early spring; and it may be increased by cuttings, if
planted during the winter months. When intended to ornament
rock work the seeds should be scattered both in the autumn
and in the spring, which will ensure a supply of plants with-
out much farther trouble, and they are observed to endure the
winter better in such situations than when growing in the
borders of the garden ; and on this as well as other accounts it
should be considered rather a rustic than an elegant plant, and
therefore should not be placed among choice flowers, but mixed
with shrubs in the background, or placed on the banks or mostelevated parts of the grounds, where, in large clumps it produ-
ces a showy effect from the end of spring until autumn. The
use of eating oil not being very general, checks the cultivation of
these plants that could afford a good substitute for olive oil.
Most of the continental European countries consume a great
deal of oil, which they consider indispensable in their diet, and
hence they seek plants whose seeds yield the best oil; and in
Russia the Snap Dragon is sown for the sake of the seeds,
which produces by expression an oil little inferior to that
obtained from olives.

Antirrhinum Linaria—Toad Flax. Specific characters
are:—leaves, lanceolate, linear, crowded. Stem, erect.
Spikes, terminal, sessile. Flowers, imbricate. This species
is also a native of Europe, but so long naturalized in this
countiy as to be considered by some indigenous. It is a well
known and very common plant. The stem is smooth, generally
rising to the height of two feet ; the leaves numerous, narrow,
and pointed, and like the stem, quite smooth. The branches
rise from the angle formed by the leaves and stem, and bear
tufts of leaves. The spike is long, crowded with yellow
flowers that so closely simulate the Snap-Dragon, as to render
another description unnecessary. It is a perennial plant,
flowering in July and August. The leaves have a bitterish
and somewhat saltish taste, giving out when rubbed between
the fingers, a smell that considerably resembles that emitted
by the Elder. They are said to lie diuretic and cathartic, in
both of which to act powerfully, and consequcnth7’ hnve been
held in great repute, and much used in dropsies and other
disorders requiring powerful evacuations. Dr. Wolpole, we
are told, was the first physician who used it in haemorrhoid al
affections, and the ointment which he made with it, was emi-
nently successful in curing and alleviating that painful disease,
the piles. The Landgrave of Hesse, to whom he was physi-
cian, tried for a long time to induce him to discover the ingre-
dients of his preparation which lie had hitherto kept secret
but could not prevail till the prince subdued his obstinacy by
the promise of a fat ox annually.

Antirrhinum Canadense—Canada Snap Dragon, is a
delicate plant, annual in its duration, and not often more thnnfrom ten to fourteen inches in height. It has a straight, smooth
stem. The leaves, small, scattered, and sharp. The flowers
which are small and blue, are fixed on a loose terminal raceme.
Scions covered with leaves, sometimes come out from the root.
It is a very common plant, mostly found by the road-side,
perhaps because driven from other places, and blooms in July
and August.

Holly.

The Ilex Aquifolium-Holly, is in the class, Tetrandria,
order, Tetragynia ; the origin of the generic name is unknown.
Its characters are :—calyx, four toothed; corolla, wheel-
shaped ; style, none; berry, four seeded. Specific characters :
leaves, ovate, acute, shining, spiny waved. Flowers, axillary,
umbelled.

Some to the holly-hedge
Nestling repair, and to the thicket some ;

Some to the rude protection of the thorn.

Thompson.

This is an ornamental timber tree, bearing a white flower
from May to June, followed by red berries which ripen late.
The Holly leaf, a writer remarks, is one of the most singular
in nature." By a remarkable contrivance, the points beneath
the scollops of the leaf .are made to answer the purpose of
thorns pointing every way. It is^as it were, warped by the
action of fire up and down or in and out at the edges, so that
it is armed above and below, by those exceedingly sharp and
penetrating needles. The stiff and almost horny substance of
the leaf, hardened as it were at those extremities, enables it to
resist many injuries from men and animals, who might other-
wise wantonly destroy it.

The wood of this tree is exceedingly hard, solid, and heavy,
and is worked by cabinet-makers and engravers on wood. Of
the bark the best bird-lime is made ; both leaves and berries
form a nutritious and grateful food for the deer and small birdsin winter; besides the ornament, its shining red berries afford
contrasting with the lively green of its leaves; making it in
more ways than one, a general favorite. Loudon tells us that
the common Prickly Holly makes the best of all fences, whether
we regard its qualities for defence, shelter, duration, or beauty.
The plants are raised from the seeds which require the second
year to sprout up after planting them ; they are then trans-
planted in rows and as they grow, trimmed or shorn to suit the
taste of each.

Tyas remarks, the providence of an all-wise Creator is
shown in an admirable manner in this beautiful plant. The
great Hollies which grow in the forest of Needwood, bear
leaves bristling with thorns to the height of eight or ten feet,
and above this height the leaves cease to be thorny. There
the plant has no need to arm itself against enemies which can-
not reach it. This tree, with its dazzling verdure, is the last
ornament of our forests, when they are despoiled by the
winter’s frosts and chilling blasts ; its berries serve as food for
the little birds which remain with us through the inclement
season of winter ; and it also offers them a comfortable shelter
amid its foliage.

In Jesse’s Gleanings in Natural History, the eloquent author,
speaking of the Holly, says,—The economy of trees, plants,
and vegetables, is a curious subject of enquiry, and in all of
them we may find the hand of a beneficent Creator. The
same care which he has bestowed on his creatures is extended
to plants. This is remarkably the case with respect to hollies:
the edges of the leaves are provided with strong sharp spines,
as high up as they are within the reach of cattle ; above that
height the leaves are generally smooth, the projecting spines
being no longer necessary.

Dr. Southey has noticed this circumstance in the following
pretty lines:—

O reader! hast thou ever stood to see
The holly tree ?

The eye that contemplates it well perceives
Its glossy leaves;

Order’d by an intelligence so wise

As might confound an atheist’s sophistries,Below a circling fence its leaves are seen,

Wrinkled and keen;

No grazing cattle through their prickly round
Can reach to wound ;

But, as they grow where nothing is to fear,

Smooth and unarm’d the countless leaves appear,

The Ilex Opaca—American Holly is, as Bigelow re-
marks, the more interesting as it is one of the few evergreen
trees which we possess which are not of the coniferous tribe.
Its small flowers, of a greenish white, grow in bunches, coming
out in the month of June, and are succeeded by the red berries,
which fall very late.

Yellow Day Lily.

The Hemerocallis Flava—Yellow Day Lily, is in

the class Hexandria, order Monogynia. Its generic characters
are •—Corolla, six-parted, tube-shaped funnel form; stamens
declined; stigmas small and simple. Specific characters :—
Leaves broad-linear, keeled; petals sharp, flat, with united
nerves. This fragile beauty, observes Philips, is made the
emblem of Coquetry, because its flower seldom lasts a sec-
ond day. The generic name is derived from two Greek
words meaning beauty of a day, and hence the French name
it Belle d’un jour. Tournefourt called it Lis-Asphodele,
because the plant has the root of an Asphodel and the flower
of a Lily.

This species is a native of Hungary, Silesia, and the north-
ern parts of China. Both the Yellow and the Copper-Colored
Day Lilies are old inhabitants of the English gardens, since
Gerards says, in 1596, these lilies grew in his garden, and
also in the garden of herbarists and the lovers of fine and rare
plants. This excellent old writer distinguishes these Lilies
by the title of Lilium non Bulbosum ; the root being partly
fibrous and partly tuberous, and not bulbous, like other Lilies.
Parkinson writes on this flower under the name of Liliaspho-delus, from if * root resembling that of the Asphodel; and he
tells us it grows naturally in many moist places in Germany.

This plant flowers in June, and although the blossoms are
not durable they are followed by others in succession, so that
the plant continues to display its beauty, and to give out its
agreeable fragrance a considerable length of time, and more
particularly so when planted in a moist soil, and somewhat
shady situation. It is an admirable flower for the vase of the
saloon, as its graceful corollas, being supported on an erect stem,
show to peculiar advantage when towering above roses or lilies.

It is of a hardy nature and easy propagation, being increased
by numerous offsets from the roots, which should be removed
about every third year in the autumn, observing to keep them
out of the earth as short a time as possible. It is also raised
from the seed which, when sown in the autumn on an open
bed, sends up young plants in the spring which generally flower
the second year. These plants require considerable room for
their roots to spread, and they make a fine appearance 'when
in large clumps among flowering shrubs.

The Hemerocallis Fulva—Copper Colored Day Lily,
frequently grows to the height of four feet, and is therefore bet-
ter calculated to ornament the shrubbery than the parterre. It
flowers in July and August; and although the corollas wither
at the close of the same day on which they expand, yet the
plant continues gay for nearly three weeks from the succession
of flowers that follow each other daily. This species is a na-
tive of the Levant, and is found also in some partjj of Franee.
It requires the samne plan of cultivatio as the other, but in cold
latitudes never ripens its seeds.

Lily of the Valley,

The Convallaria Majalis—Lily of the Valley, is in
the class Hexandria, order Monogynia. The generic name is
derived from Convallis, a valley. Its characters are :—Co-rolla, six-cleft; berry-spotted, three celled. Specific characters :
Flowers on a scape.

Sweet flower o’ the valley wi’ blossoms of snow,

And green leaves that turn the cauld blast from their stems;

Bright emblem of innocence, thy beauties I lo’e
Above the king’s coronet encircled wi’ gems.

There's nae tinsel ahint thee, to make thee rnair bright
Sweet lily! thy loveliness a’ is thine aim,

And thy bonny bells dangling sae pure and sae light
Proclaim thee the fairest o’ flower’s bright train.

J. L. S.

The flowery month ot May, says Philips, produces no plant
of more exquisite fragrance or more delicious form than the
Lily of the Valley. In floral language it is made to represent
a Return of Happiness, because it announces by its ele-
gance and its odor the happy season of the year. The grace-
ful manner in which the perfumed bells are suspended on the
stem, and the agreeable contrast which their broad leaves of
bright green afford to the snowy corollas could not escape the
notice of the poets. Prior says :

Take but the humblest Lily of the field;

And if our pride will to our reason yield
It must by sure comparison be shown
That on the regal seat great David’s son,

Arrayed in all his robes and types of power,

Shines with less glory than that simple flower.

This elegantly modest plant lias had the name of Lily very
improperly given it, as it has not the least affinity with the
Lily in its root, fruit, or flower. We presume it was called
Lily from the purity of its white corolla, for even at the pres-
ent time, notwithstanding we have orange and scarlet Lilies,
we attach an idea of delicacy to their very name. As it
grows spontaneously in shady valleys it is natural to call it the
Lily of the Valley.

The proper situation of this plant in the garden is its 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 noonday sun. It will grow in almostany earth, but produces most flowers in a loose, sand}r soil,
that is rather poor than otherwise; for when planted in a rich
cow-yard mould the roots spread and multiply rapidly, but the
plants give but few flowers, and like most other crecping-rooted
plants it seldom produces seed where it can propagate so rea-
dily by the nature of its roots. From the 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 growth of the tree too rapidly to form its fruits.

The Lily of the Valley is a desirable creeper for the shady
banks of lakes and ornamental streams, and we love to meet
its grateful fragrance beneath the pendulous brunches of the
Weeping Willow. Autumn is the proper season for pla-
cing their perennial fibrous roots in the ground, where they
should he covered with about two inches of earth, and not be
disturbed oftener than every third or fourth year, as they sel-
dom flower strongly or plentifully after being removed. The
plants will require no other attention than that of keeping them
free from weeds and thinning the roots about once in three or
four years, according to the nature of the soil and increase of
the plants.

It is one of the few flowers that will bear forcing in pots, and
as but few plants are more agreeable in the house in the
months of March and April, this mode of flowering the Con-
vallaria Mnjalis should never be omitted when there is an op-
portunity of doing it; and we strongly recommend potting
them for the market; for

• Whoever a true epicure would be
May there find cheap and virtuous luxury.

Cowlet.

These plants are so numerous in the woods of Eileride, in the
neighborhood of Hanover, that the ground in many places is
completely covered with them, and the air scented for a con-
siderable distance by their agreeable perfume. These woods
are regularly visited on Whit Monday by numerous parties
from Hanover, who go to gather these May-flowers; and the
forest on that day is a scene of rural festivity and mirth. Cot-
tages are erected for the sale of coffee, and other refreshments,and neither the pleasures of tobacco nor the twirling of the
waltz are omitted on that occasion. The roads leading to the
forest are thronged by persons of all ages, from the earliest
dawn to the closing of the day ; and few are the houses in the
city of Hanover that are not furnished with the Whitesuntide
Bouquet of the Lily of the Valley.

The flowers of this plant possess not only an agreeable
odor, but also a fragrance that is highly medicinal against ner-
vous 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
hence called golden water. In Germany it is common to make
a wine of these flowers by drying them in the summer, and in
the time of the vintage mixing them with the grapes when
pressed ; which wine they use for various purposes.

In the United States there are many species and varieties of
the Convallaria; they are all of an elegant and rather singular
shape, which entitles them to a situation in the shady parts of
our gardens, but more particularly so in the grove and amongst
the shrubs in the wilderness walks; they are all of the same
easy propagation as the Lily of the Valley.

--------------------to	the	curious eye

A litt^> monitor presents her page
Of choice instruction, with her snowy bells,

The Lily of the Vale. She nor affects
The public walks, nor gaze of midday sun;

She to no state or dignity aspires,

But silent and alone puts on her suit
And sheds her lasting perfume, but for which
We had not known there was a thing so sweet
Hid in the gloomy shade. So when the blast
Her sister tribes confounds, and to the earth
Stoops their high heads, that vainly were exposed
She feels it not, but flourishes anew
Still sheltered and secure.A m a r y 11 i s.

The Amaryllis Formosissima—Amaryllis is in the class
Hexandria, order Monogynia ; the generic characters are :—
corolla superior, unequal, six petalled. Filaments unequal,
inserted in throat of tube. Specific characters : tube fringed ;
corolla nodding with a very ringent limb ; stamens, included
in the involute lower segment. This is an ornamental green-
house perennial, bearing dark red flowers from May to
August.

Pride was not made for men; a conscious sense
Of guilt, and folly, and their consciousness,

Destroys the claim, and to beholders tells
Here nothing but the shape of manhood dwells.

Waller.

In floral language, the Amaryllis is made the emblem of
Pride, and the beauty of this splendid genus of plants makes
the name of Amaryllis very appropriate, as it appears to be
derived from the Greek signifying splendor. Monsieur Pirolle
translates it, Le brille, I shine, and perhaps we have no family
of flowering plants, more beautifully gay than the Amaryllis.
We have three well known species of this in the United States,
one of which is native, and the other two, exotics.

The Amaryllis Atamasco—Atamasco Lily, which is
our indigenous species, has a two cleft sheath, and pedicillated
flower. The corolla is bell shaped and erect, with stamens
curved downwards archwise. The flowers, which are white
and red, come out in June.

The Amaryllis Lutea—Yellow Amaryllis is of a more
hardy nature than most of the other species ; it is fre-
quently called the Autumnal Narcissus, or the Star Lily, and
grows naturally in the south of France, Spain, Italy, and
Theace. Phillips says it was brought to England at the time
of Queen Elizabeth, as Gerard mentions the cultivation of it
in his garden. It is a very desirable flower to contrast with
the Purple Colchicum or Saflron Crocus of the autumn, as it
usually continues m flower from the beginning of Septemberto the middle of November, provided it is not planted under
the drip of trees or shrubs. It loves an open situation, and
thrives best in a fresh light and dr}^ soil; it is perfectly hardy
and increases very fast by its vivaporous nature. The season
for transplanting the offset bulbs is from the end of May to the
end of July, but not later, as they then begin to send out new
fibres, and to disturb them after this time, will prevent their
sending up flowers. Phillips recommends that the bulbs
should not be taken out of the ground oftener than once in
three or four years, as they will be found to produce stronger
and more numerous flowers. This is also one of the flowers
that may be planted so as to spring out of the turf in many
situations, and will give a good effect to banks that surround
pieces of water. Gardeners say the Amaryllis is a proud
plant because it frequently refuses its flowers to their earnest
cares, but when it does deign to come forth and show out its
brilliant cherry red blossoms, the sun shines upon them and
studs the whole with gems of gold, producing an effect that
must be seen to be appreciated. .

BEAUTY AND FRAGRANCE OF FLOWERS.

BY THOMPSON.

But who can paint
Like Nature ?—Can imagination boast,

Amid its gay creation, hues like hers
Or can it mix them with that matchless skill,

And lose them in each other, as appears
In ev’ry bud that blows ?

Along these blushing borders, bright with dew,
And in yon mingled wilderness of flowers,
Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace :
Throws out the snow drop and the crocus first:
The daisy, primrose, violet, darkly bine,

And polyanthus of unnumber’d dyes ;

The yellow wall-flower, stain’d with iron brown ;
And lavish stock, that scents the garden round;
From the soft wing of vernal breezes shed,
Anemones, auriculas, enrich’d
With shining inear o’er all their velvet leaves ;
And full ranunculus of glowing red.Then comes the tulip race, where beauty plays
Her fdle freaks, from family diffused
To family, as flies the father-dust,

The varied colors run, and while they break
On the charm’d eye, the exulting florist marks.
With secret pride, the wonders of his hand.

No gradual bloom is wanting, from the bud
Firstborn of spring, to summer s musky tribes'
Nor hyacinths, of purest virgin white,

Low-bent, and blushing inward ; nor jonquils
Of potent fragrance ; nor narcissus fair,

As o’er the fabled fountain hanging still;

Nor broad carnations, nor gay spotted pinks,

Nor shower’d from every bush, the damask rose :
Infinite numbers, delicacies, smells,

With hues on hues expression cannot paint,

The breath of Nature and her endless bloom.

Anemone.

The Anemone Coronaria—Garden Anemone, is in the
class Polyandria, order Polygynia ; its generic name is derived
from a Greek word, signifying wind, because it flowers both
in a windy season and in exposed windy situations. Its
characters are : calyx, none ; petals, six or nine ; seeds, many.
Specific characters :—leaves, tenate, with multified segments
and linear mucronate lobes. Sepals, six oval close. Lindley
remarks, that the Anemones are a charming collection of pretty
flowers, with their pur;le, white, or scarlet petals, which
modesdy hang their heads as if unwilling to expose their
beauty to every curious eye. These have their calyx and
corolla mixed together, so that one cannot be distinguished
from the other, and when their flowers are gone, they bear
little tufts of feathery tails or oval wooly heads; which are
collections of the grains of the Anemone, and contain seeds ;
the tails themselves are nothing but the styles of the carpels
grown large, and hard, and Dairy ; they are thought to be
intended by Nature as wings upon which the grains may be
carried by the wind from place to place.That veteran troop who will not for a blast
Of nipping air, like cowards quit the field.

Mason.

And coy Anemone that ne’er uncloses
Her lips until they’re blown on by the wind.

Horace Smith.

The ancients, remarks Phillips, made this flower the emblem
of sickness. Pliny tell us that the magicians and wise men
in old times, attributed wonderful powers to this plant, and
ordered that every person should gather the first Anemone he
saw in the year, repeating at the same time :—I gather thee
for a remedy against disease. It was then devoutly placed in
scarlet cloth and kept undisturbed, unless the gatherer became
indisposed, when it was tied either around the neck or arm of
the patient. Some suppose it was made the emblem of sick-
ness, in allusion to the fate of Adonis, the favorite of Venus,
who changed his body into the flower after he had been killed
bv a boar, which he had wounded in the chase. It is related
by other mythologists, that Adonis was restored to life again
by Proserpine, on condition that he should spend one-half the
year with her, and one-half with Venus ; which fable is thought
to imply the alternate return of summer and winter.

It was held in great estimation by the Romans who formed
it into wreaths for the head ; and there is scarcely any flower
better calculated to be artificially imitated for the purpose of
ornamenting the temple of Venus; for as its flowers are of
such various colors, the Venuses of every tint from the black-
est child of Africa to the fairest daughter of Caucasus, may
suit their complexions by wreaths of Anemonies.

Very early in flower in the shade of the forest may be seen
the early native species of this genus; and we possess quite
a number, and as they flourish under trees, and in situations
where the greater variety of plants would not live; they arc
certainly worthy of more care than is generally bestowed upon
them. The roots of all of them may be procured in the
woods, and taken up at the season the leaves decay to trans-
plant in the shrubbery, or to ornament the walks of the wilder-
ness pfantations, which but few flowers do more effectually in
the spring.The Garden Anemonies that embellish and enliven our par-
terres at the earliest dawn of spring, are obtained in a few
cases from Europe, but mostly are cultivated indigenous flowers.
The Anemones are generally divided into two distinct fami-
lies by the florists, under the names of Coronaria and Hor-
tensis. The latter expands its petals in the form of a star,
and hence, is called the Star Anemone. Its colors run through
all the shades of crimson, scarlet, purple, blue, or yellow, down
to pure white, with all the intermediate tints, and frequently
the petals are beautifully striped or exquisitely shaded, from
the fullest of each color to the softest stain of each dye.
These flowers are equally admired in the single state, semi-
double, or when all the filaments are converted into petals. It
grows naturally in Switzerland, Provence, Italy, and Germany,
as well as in the vicinity of Constantinople, from which last
place they were brought to England, and from thence intro-
duced to America. Mr. Hobhouse informs us, that he found
these plants blooming in wild profusion under the hedges and
beside the paths between Smyrna and Bournabat.

The Coronaria or Poppy Anemonies were first obtained
from the Levant, and their cultivation at a very early date
carried on to a great extent in Holland and France. Mr. Ray
enumerates near three hundred varieties of Anemonies, and
our modern seedsmen offer us nearly two hundred varieties of
the Poppy Anemone, through the varying hues of the last kind,
and still more diversified in the shades of their double petals ;
we shall therefore desist from description, and say with Miss
Milford—

’Twere hard to sing thy varying charm.

To flower these plants in the greatest perfection, a suitable
compost must be prepared of good loam and rotted product of
the cow-yard, adding more or less of the latter according to
the lightness or richness of the loam. This should be well
mixed, and if prepared a year before, and frequently turned
over, so much the better. Where the Anemonies are to be
planted, let holes be dug of the size the clumps are to be
formed, of about eighteen inches deep, and filled about six
inches, as would the bottom of melon and cucumber beds.This space must then be filled with the compost of mixed
earth, leaving it a few days to settle before the roots are
planted. Observe to place that side of the roots next to the
earth, in which the decayed rudiments of small thready fibres
are seen; then cover them about two inches deep with the
prepared soil. This may be done at three different periods in
the fall, with a month’s interval between each planting, by
which means the clumps will flower in succession during the
spring. Some should also be reserved for spring planting, to
flower in summer, and those planted as late as August will
flower in the autumn. In choosing roots, select those that are
fresh, plump, and of a moderate size, as large roots that are
hollow in the centre never blow strong. The roots may be
divided to increase the best varieties, but care must be taken
not to break off the little tubers, as everyone of these will pro-
duce a plant. The time to take up the roots will be known by
the decay of the leaves, and in no case should they be suffered
to remain in the ground after the proper time, for in wet years
the roots will shoot afresh and be thereby considerably weak-
ened. Wash the roots when you take them out of the ground,
and then spread them on a mat or board in a dry shady place.
When perfectly dried they are more securely kept in bags,
hung up in the ceiling of a dry room, than when kept on
shelves in boxes, where the mice will frequently destroy them.
The stem of a model double Anemone, should be strong,
elastic and erect, and not less than nine inches high. The
corolla should be at least two inches and a half in diameter;
consisting of an exterior row of large, substantial, well-rounded
petals, or what is termed guard leaves; at first horizontally
extended, and then turning a little upwards, so as to form a
broad shallow cup, the interior of which should contain a great
number of long, small petals, imbricating each other, anti
rather reverting from the centre of the blossom. The color
should be clear and distinct, when diversified in the same
flower, or brilliant and striking if but simple, as blue, crimson
and scarlet, in which case the bottom of the broad exterior
petals is generally white ; but the beauty and contrast is con-
siderably increased, when both the exterior and interior petals
are regularly marked with alternate blue and white stripeswhich in the broad petals should not quite extend to the
margin.

The seed being light and downy, must be gathered from
time to time as it opens, for it will otherwise be blown away
by the first breeze of wind. In summer a bed of good mould
should be prepared, and the seeds being mixed with sand, to
prevent their falling in lumps, must be strewn as regularly as
possible, and then some earth should be lightly sifted over the
bed about a quarter of an inch thick. If the season should
prove dry, the bed must be watered in the most gentle manner
so as not to wash the seeds out of the ground. For which
purpose a watering pot should be used, the nose of which
should be perforated with very small holes that will discharge
only fine streams of water. It is advisable to cover the bed
with a mat during the great heat of the day, but always
attending to its removal at sunset, so that the bed may have
the advantage of the moist dews and gentle showers. The
young plants appear about ten weeks after they are sown, and
will require great care to protect them from severe frosts which
will often injure them in the months of February and March, if
not screened by some fence from the cutting winds of the
season. In the following autumn the beds should be carefullv
weeded, and about a quarter of an inch of additional mould
placed over them, and they will flower the second year; after
which the roots may be taken up as before directed.

Phillips closes his history of the Anemone with an anecdote
related by a Frenchman, who states that a Parisian florist
having procured some beautiful specimens of these plants from
the east, kept them to himself in the most miserly manner for
ten years, during which time, neither friendship nor money
could obtain the least root of one of these rare plants from the
selfish owner. A witty member of the French parliament,
vexed to see one man hoard up for himself what ought to be
distributed to beautify gardens in general, paid a visit at his
country house, where, in walking round the garden, and
observing the Anemones were in seed, let his robe fall upon
them as if by accident; by this device he swept off a consid
erable number of the little feathery seeds, which stuck fast to
it. His servant, whom he had purposely instructed, wrappedthem up in a moment without exciting suspicion or attention.
The innocent theft was made known to the friends of the
member, who enjo}Tcd the joke against the niggardly florist, and
they by this project, soon spread the young plants over the
Parisian gardens.

The flying savage, wounded turn’d again,

Wrench’d out the gory dart, and foamed with pain.

The trembling boy by flight his safety sought,

And now recall’d t'.ie lore which Venus taught.

But now too late to fly the boar he strove,

Who in the groin his tusks impetuous drove:

On the discolored grass Adonis lay,

The monster trampling on his beauteous prey,

Yet dares not Venus with a change surprise
And in a flower bid her fall’n hero rise !

Then on the blood sweet nectar she bestows,

The scented blood in little bubbles rose;

Little as rain drops, which fluttering fly,

Borne by the winds along a low’ring sky.

Short time ensued, till where the blood was shed
A flow’r began to rear its purple head,

Such as on Punic apples is reveal’d.

Or in the filmy rind but half conceal'd.

Still here the fate of lovely forms we see
So sudden fades the sweet Anemone.

The feeble stems, to stormy blasts a prey,

Their sickly beauties droop and pine away,

The winds forbid the flow’rs to flourish long,

Which owe to winds their name in Grecian song.

Eosdkn’s Ovid.

Strawberry.

The Fragaria Vesca—Strawberry, is in the class Icos-
andria, order Polygynia. The generic name is derived from
fragra, to smell sweet—given on account of its odor. The
characters are :—Calyx, ten cleft. Petals, five ; receptacle of
the seeds ovate and like a berry. Specific characters:—
creeping by runners.

The Strawberry, says Lindley, is an herb with three parted
leaves, and a pair of large membranous stipules at the base.The veins of the leaves are netted. When the 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 called, a runner; the other kind of shoot grows
nearly erect, and bears at its end a tuft of flowers, which
afterwards become fruit, or at least what is commonly called
so. The calyx is a flat, green, hairy part, having ten divi-
sions ; it is therefore caused by the union of ten sepals, five of
which are on the outside of the others, and smaller. The
corolla has five petals. The stamens are very numerous, and
are placed in a crowded ring around the pistil, growing out
from the side of the calyx. The pistil consists of a number of
carpels, arranged in many rows and with great order upon a
central receptacle; each carpel has a style which arises from
below its point and terminates in a slightly-lobed stigma. In
the inside of the ovary is one single ovule. The changes
that take place in the organization of a pistil, during its trans-
formation into fruit, are many and strange, and in no case
more interesting than in this. Watching to detect these in the
growth of the Strawberry would show as a first occurrence
after the petals have fallen off and the calvx closes on the
tender fruit, the swelling of the receptacle of the carpels, which,
in turn, gain a greater size and more shining appearance;
while their styles begin to shrivel up. At a more advanced
stage, the carpels arc found but little augmented in size, while
the receptacle has increased so very much in dimensions, that
the carpels are beginning to be separated by it, and the surface
of the receptacle can be distinctly seen between them. A
little older, and the carpels seem scattered in an irregular
maimer over the surface of the receptacle, which has become
soft and juicy, while they have remained almost stationary in
size. All along, the swelling receptacle has been pushing the
calyx aside, as being no longer of use to it; and at last the
calyx is scarcely remarked in consequence of' the greater size
of the receptacle. This part finally gains a crimson color,
swells more and more rapidly—acquires sweetness and soft-
ness, and at last is the delicious fruit we are all so well
acquainted with; in that, its final state, the carpels ares» altered over the surface in the form of minute grains, looking
like seeds, for which they are usually mistaken. This, how-
ever, is an error, for each, from the first, had a style and
stigma, which seeds never have; and by cutting them open
the seed can be detected lying in the inside of the shell of the
carpel. The Strawberry is not exactly a fruit, but is merely
a fleshy receptacle bearing fruit; the true fruit being the ripe
carpels.

Every year adds to the immense number of varieties of this
plant; we have them at present of all sizes and flavors; and
in both respects they are constantly improving. We are told
by the best cultivators of them, that a light, warm, and
gravelly soil suits them best. The manure applied should be
exclusively vegetable ; never animal. As the vines which
bear the fruit require great moisture to bring it to its proper
size, they should be carefully placed in a not too dry soil.
The usual time for transplanting them is in August; because
they have then ceased from bearing, and generally make good
offsets. No leaves except the dead or decayed ones should be
taken off when they are planted. They should, says an Ameri-
can gardener, be put eight inches apart, in rows ten inches from
each other, so as to form a matted bed at least two feet wide,
with a foot-path between them. The larger and finer kinds
should be planted in larger beds, with a still greater distance
between them ; and care should be observed to prevent them
running together.

'fhe origin of the word Strawberry, came from the quantities
of straw used in the beds ; so as to prevent the fruit from
lying on the ground, and the moisture round the plant from
evaporating. Oak leaves, however, have been recommended
as much preferable.

Witli regard to its use, we are told that the fruit is fragrant,
delicious, and liked by almost every one. It contains some nutri-
tious matter which is easily digestible in the stomach, and hence,
very nourishing; and which may be eaten in safety by gouty
and rheumatic persons. Hoffinan states, that he has known
consumptive people recover by their means.

It is the emblem of perfect excellence. Tyas remarks,
that an illustrious French writer conceived the design of com-piling a general history of nature, in imitation of the ancients,
and of some moderns. A strawberry plant, which chanced
to grow by his window, dissuaded him from this design. On
minutely observing it, he discovered so much to learn and to
admire, that he felt convinced that the study of a single plant,
with its habits, would suffice to employ the lives ol many
learned men. He therefore abandoned his design and the
ambitious title he had selected, and gave to his book the
simple title, “ Studies from Nature.” In this book, which is
worthy of Pliny or of Plato, we find the best history 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. It is a charm-
ing gift, that Nature has withdrawn from the operation of those
laws which render property exclusive :—this she is pleased to
bestow on all her children.

The flowers form pretty boquets ; but what barbarous hands
would wish to gather them, and so destroy the promised fruit.
Let us heat Wordsworth’s plea for the Strawberry Blossom.

That is a work of waste and ruin
Do as Charles and I are doing!

Strawberry blossoms, one and all,

We must spare them,—here are many—

Look at it}—the flower is small,

Small and low, though fair as any ;

Do not touch it;—summers two
I am older, Anne, than you.

Pull the primrose, sister Anne,

Pull as many as you can.

Here are daisies, take your fill;

Pansies, and the cuckoo-flower;

Of the lofty daffodil

Make your bed and make your bower;

Fill your lap and fill your bosom ;

Only spare the strawberry blossom.

Primroses, the spri tg may love them;—

Summer knows but little of them.

Violets, a barren kind,

Withered on the ground must lie;

Daisies leave no fruit behind,

When the pretty flow'rets die;

Pluck them, and another year,

As many will be growing here.God has given a kindlier power
To the favored strawberry flower,

When the months of spring are fled,

Hither let us bend our walk;

Lurking berries, ripe and red,

Then will hang on every stalk,

Each within its leafy bower;

And for that promise spare the flower.

It is, however, most delightful to find the fruit of the straw-
berry, 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,—in the midst
of those forests, half destroyed by avalanches,—vainly seeks
a hut to rest his weary limbs, or a fountain to refresh himself
—unexpectedly he sees, emerging from the midst of the rocks,
troops of young girls, advancing towards him with baskets of
perfumed strawberries ; they appear on all the heights above,
and in every dell below. It seems as if each rock and each
tree were kept by one of these nymphs, as placed by Tasso
at the gate of the enchanted gardens of Armida. As seduc-
ing, though less dangerous, the young Swiss peasants, in offer-
ing their charming baskets to the traveller, instead of retarding
his progress, give him strength to pursue his journe}\ The
strawberry has the property of not undergoing the acetous
fermentation in the stomach. The learned Linnaeus was cured
of frequent attacks of gout by the use of strawberries. This
fruit, it is said, has often restored to health patients given ovei
b}* every physician. They will compose a thousand different
sherbets, they are the delight of our tables, and the luxury of
our rural feasts. Eveiywhere these charming berries, which
dispute in freshness and in perfume the buds of the most beau-
tiful flowers, please the sight, the taste, and the smell. Yet
there are some unfortunate enough to hate strawberries, and to
swoon at the sight of a rose. Ought it to astonish us, since we
hear certain persons grow pale at the relation of a good action,
as if the inspiration of virtue were a reproach to them !
Happily, these sad exceptions take nothing from the charm of
virtue,—fr?ni the beauty of the rose,—nor from the perfect
excellence of the most charming of fruits.Cherry Tree.

The Prunus Cerasus—Cherry Tree, is in the class
[cosandria, order, Monogynia. The generic name is derived
from a Latin word meaning plum. Its characters are : calyx,
five cleft, inferior; petals, five ; drupe, with a nut having the
sutures prominent. Specific characters :—umbels, sub-pedun-
cles ; leaves, ovate, lanceolate, smooth folded together.

This well known tree bears its white flowers in April and
May, in preparation for its loads of fruit the forthcoming sea-
son. We find an account of its first introduction to Italy,
seventy-three years before our Saviour’s advent, by Lucullus,
who obtained it from a town in Pontus, in Asia, called Cera-
sus, from whence it derives its specific name. The Romans
brought it to England, though it is supposed that these have
all been lost. There is no proof that cherries were in England
at the time of the Norman conquest, nor for some time after,
but Lydgate, who wrote about 1415 or before, says that
cherries were then exposed for sale in the London market, as
they are now in the early season. It is a very ornamental
tree in the shrubbery, and in woods, argl is esteemed valuable
in England, as encouraging the various species of thrush.

This tree is of a medium size ; the branches of an ash
color and shining. The leaves, egg-shaped, and minutely
toothed on the margin. The flowers are white, and produced
in umbels. The fruit, a roundish drupe of different colors,
yellow, red, or black ; always covered with a shining cuticle.
Louden speaks of it as a refreshing summer fruit, always
grateful to the palate of man ; as well as the flying denizens
of the air. It is used in some places, not only as an article of
luxury but of food. Bose tells us, that in the forests of the
mountains east of France, great quantities of them are pre-
pared by drying ; upon which the Charboniers, a half civil-
ized, but kind and hospitable race, mostly exist in the winter.
Thei soups are made by boiling the dried fruit in water, with
:i small portion of butter and bread. The gum which exudes
from the tree has been found equal to Cum Arabic. Hassel-quist tells us, that more than two hundred men, during a lon»
siege, were kept alive by its means ; they put a litde of the
gum in their mouths and allowed it to dissolve slowly.

Prunus Virginian a—Wild Cherry is, like the fruit tree
we have just named, of but a medium size in our latitude, but
further to the south and west, it attains an enormous magnitude.
Michaux mentions trees on the banks of the Ohio, which are
from eighty to one hundred feet high, and their trunks from
twelve to sixteen feet in circumference. The fruit is small
black and rather bitter ; and the bark possesses a spicy, bitter-
ish taste, which is but an index to its valuable tonic properties.
It flowers in May or June. The wood, for which it is solely
valued, is well known in cabinet work, manufacture of flutes,
picture frames, and many other uses, for which purposes it is
often preferred to mahogany, which it closely resembles in
color and qualities. Tyas remarks, that the Wild Cherry tree,
by careful cultivation, will yield agreeable and excellent fruit,
in lieu of the dry berries which it bears naturally. So the
human intellect, if uncultivated, will be found full of tares and
weeds, but if trained carefully, it will bring forth the fruit of
uprightness and integrity. The Cherry tree is consequently
the emblem of a good education.

Marvel of Peru,

Mirabilis Jalapa—Four O’clock, or Marvel of Peru,
is in the class Pentandria, order Monogynia. Its characters
are :—Corol, funnel form, narrowed below ; calyx, inferior;
germ, between calyx and corol; stigma, globe shaped. Spe-
cific characters :—Flowers clustered, stalked; leaves smooth.

Lindley remarks, that people are so accustomed to identify
gay colors with the corolla of a flower, that it is always difficult
to make them believe the ovary and red striped pan of the
Marvel of Peru to be really a calyx. It is the representative
of a tribe named after it, belonging to the Apetalous division
of Dicotyledonous plants. It has fleshy perennial roots,jointed stems which perish at the first attack of frost, and broad
opposite leaves with netted veins. Its flowers appear in com-
pact clusters, and are each surrounded at the base by a green
involucre, divided into five segments, so as to resemble a
calyx, for which it would certainly be mistaken, did it not
sometimes bear two flowers within the same involucre ; a kind
of structure that is never found in a true calyx.

Each flower consists—firstly, of a funnel shaped calyx, divi-
ded at the end into five orange and red plaited lobes, and
contracted at the base into a roundish fleshy ball; secondly,
of five stamens of unequal lengths, arising from below the
ovary, round which they form a fleshy cup, and then adhering
to the sides of the calyx; so that they are actually ferigynous
and hypogynous at the same time. The ovary is a superior
body containing a single ovule, which grows from the bottom
of the cavity ; it is terminated by a long thread-shaped style,
which ends in a cluster of little round warts, forming a stigma.
As soon as the flower begins to fade, the roundish fleshy ball at
the bottom of the calyx, swells and grows harder, contracting
at the top, and in time throwing off the thin and colored part. At
last it acquires a woody texture—shrivels round the veins and
becomes an oblong brown nut, with a little hole at its point,
where the upper colored part of the calyx fell off. On exam-
ining it the fruit will be found with a very thin shell, and the
remains of the style at the top. Within it lies a single seed,
having an embryo rolled round a quantity of mealy substance
which is the albumen. Such is the character of the natural
order that contains the Marvel of Peru, which is by far the
most handsome genus it comprehends.

Generally, the order consists of obscure weeds which are
rarely seen in gardens, although they are common enough in
tropical countries. The singular circumstance of the lower
part of the calyx becoming hardened and forming a sort or
spurious shell to the fruit, is generally considered the essential
character of the tribe ; which, in this case, affords a striking
instance of the highly colored condition often assumed by
the calyx, and of the singular manner in which one part is
occasionally employed by nature to perform the office of
another.Phillips observes, of this marvellous plant of the new
World, whose flowers seem too timid to expand their curiously
colored corollas even to a meridian sun, has occasioned the
French to name it Belle de jNuit. In emblematical language
the flower is made the emblem of Timidity. The generic
name, Mirabilis, was given to this plant from the wonderful
diversity of colors in the flowers. It was originally brought
into Spain from Peru, where it was called Hachal, and for
some time it retained the name of Hachal Indi. It was named
Mirabilis Peruviana by Carolus Clusius, and we may,
therefore, naturally conclude that it was first introduced into
Europe from the middle to the end of the sixteenth century,
that being the period of his botanical labors. From the form
of the flowers being somewhat similar to those of the Jasmine,
several old writers named it Jasminum Mexicanium. It was
first cultivated in England in the time of Gerard, who tells us
in his work of 1597, that he had then planted it many years in
his garden, and that in temperate years he had procured ripe
seed. He writes at considerable length on the beauty of the
flowers, and says it ought to be called Marvel of the World
rather than of Peru alone.

Cartusus, a Professor of Botany at Padua, who died in 1593,
was the first one who discovered the cathartic qualities of the root
of this plant, and it was shortly afterwards supposed to be the
true Gelapor or Jalap of the shops, and the plant was named
accordingly. Dr. James observes, in his History of Drugs,
1745, that the Jalap was a root unknown to the ancients, and
also in Europe till the discovery of America. He adds, that
it usually comes from the Spanish West Indies in transverse
slices about an inch thick, being rugged, and of a dark brown
color on the outside and whitish within, full of black shining
resin. This has been believed to be the opinion of most
authors, that it is a species of Convolvulus, and often noticed
as such in their descriptions; but if we may rely on the
account Father Plumier gives of it, it is a species of Marvel
of Peru. This error has been since discovered, and it is now
clearly ascertained that the true Jalap is the root of an
American species of Convolvulus, distinguished by the name ofJalapa, consequently our plant is known often as the False
Jalap. We are indebted to Dr. Houston for this discovery,
he having ascertained the fact in the Spanish West Indies,
from whence he brought over a drawing of the plant, made by
a Spaniard at Xalapa or Halapa.

The Marvel of Peru has a fusiform root, which should be
taken up in the autumn, and kept undercover in dry sand until
the spring, when it may be planted where it is to flower ; but
as the seeds which are sown in the spring produce plants that
flower in the summer, this mode of preserving the roots is not
usually attended to.

The seeds should be sown in early spring, quite early, on a
moderate hot-bed. When the plants come up, plenty of air
should be admitted as often as the weather is mild, and when
they are about two inches in height they may be transplanted
into a second very moderate hot-bed; or each plant be put
into a small pot filled with light rich earth, and plunged into a
hot-bed, from whence they may be taken out into the borders
with more security than those that are planted in the bed.
As soon as the plants have taken root in the second hot-bed,
they should be gradually inured to the open air, which will
prepare them for the open garden about the beginning of June.
The seeds may be sown in a warm open border in April,
which will give plants for the autumn flowering.

From the size of these plants, being branchy, and from three
to five feet in height, they are better calculated for the fore-
ground of the shrubbery than for the smaller borders of the
parterre. They retain their beauty for a great length of time,
being frequently covered with blossoms from the beginning of
July to the end of October, and the flowers are so numerous
that the plants have a most cheerful appearance, particularly
towards the evening, as they seldom expand in warm weather
before four o’clock in the afternoon, on which account it is
sometimes called the “ Four o’clock Flowei\” But when the
sun is obscured, and the weather is moderately cool, these
timid blossoms remain open during the whole day.

It is necessary lo preserve seeds from different plants, since
those of the white or purple varieties, however they may spoilin these two colors, never produce plants that give out red or
yellow flowers, and one great beauty ir.i the effect of these
plants is to give a mass of varying colors.

The Marvel of Peru is particularly adapted for public gar-
dens that are frequented in the evening, since these flowers
appear awake and gay when most other blossoms sleep ; and
when the light of lamps is thrown on their numerous and richly
dyed corollas, their appearance becomes enchanting, and
deserving of the title of Belle de Nuit.

These plants, when forced and cultivated in large pots, are
well calculated to decorate the saloons of the gay; for however
timid the flowers may appear in meeting the smiles of the god
of day, they stand the blaze of the strongest artificial light as
cheerfully as other belles who delight to shine at the same hour
with the emblem of timidity.

M u sh rooms,

These plants, so different from all the rest of the vegetable
kingdom, agree without exception in being destitute of the green
color, of very rapid growth and correspondingly rapid decay. It is
in the beginning, according to Lindley, nothing but a thin layer
of cobweb-like matter spread amongst old tan, but by degrees
little protuberances of a whitish color appear on the surface of
the cobwebs, they gradually lengthen and acquire a sort of
stalk, and up to a particular period consist of only a single
fleshy mass of fibres and minute cells; if cut through at the
time, exhibiting only one uniform face. But in a short time, a
minute cavity is formed in the fungus at the thicker end, within
which a sort of cap is gradually elevated upon a stalk; the cap
and stalk keep progressively enlarging, and stretching the skin
within which they are enclosed till at last it cracks ; the cap
and its stalk rapidly enlarge and tear away through the skin,
and at last burst forth into light, a perfect mushroom, with
numerous cinnamon brown gills or lamella radiating from the
stalk underneath the cap, and concealing the theca in which
the spores are laid up. When it has gained its full size, itsstalk is surrounded at the base by a thick fleshy sheath called
the volva or wrapper, which is nothing but the remains of the
skin within which the fungus wras formed. So simple is the
growth of this and such plants, as to have given rise to the
belief that they are not propagated by the agency of spores,
which are always sure to reproduce the plant from which they
originate, but are dependent for their peculiar appearances
upon the different circumstances under which they are devel-
oped.

Agaricus Campestrus—Edible Mushroom (See Plate)
is known by its white, fleshy, dry and somewhat scaly
appearance. The lamellae are free, inflated, and of a pink
color, changing to dark furrows. The stripes are white and
solid, with an annular veil. Tyas remarks, that many species
are known to be deadly poison, and places it under the head
of Suspicion in floral language. A Siberian tribe make a pre-
paration from it which will kill the most robust man in twelve
hours. Several around us are almost as dangerous; as there
is a liquid hid within them of a nature so acrid, that a single
drop put on the tongue will produce a blister. The Russians,
during their long fasts, live entirely on them, and are thrown
into violent convulsions in consequence. Though a dainty
dish, they should be used with much caution. Before using
them, they should be exposed to the heat of boiling water; this
will ascertain, it is said, their quality, as if not of a good kind
their perfume will be evaporated.Preserving and Preparing Plants.

In a former part of the work we have spoken of the conver-
sion of garden flowers into monsters, or their having parts
unnaturally changed and developed. It is on this account that
cultivated flowers should always be avoided by the student.
Two advantages are gained by this; one, having the proper
specimens, which must be picked wild, and the other the exer-
cise afforded by their pursuit. A gentleman of this city who
understands as much of the science of Botany as perhaps any
man in it, informed us sometime since, that he gave up the
study of Chemistry, in which he had made considerable
advances, for that of Botany, on account, solely, of health.
We cannot conceive of a more pleasant excursion than that of
collecting plants, affording as it does, for the majorit}^ of persons,
just enough of exercise to make it exciting, while the mind is
constantly interested and instructed.

The student should remember to gather at least two good
specimens; one for dissection, and the other for preservation.
A year’s file of any of our daily papers will afford the best
possible apparatus for drying them. Place the specimens be-
tween the sheets, laying on top of the whole a board with a
weight; an occasional airing of the whole will be sufficient.
The time occupied will vary, according to the juiciness of the
plant, from two days to three weeks. When well dried, trans-
fer them to the leaves of a large blank book of white paper,
prepared for the purpose, of a proper size. Write 011 each
page with the plant, its artificial - class and order, and generic
and specific distinctions, and natural order ; the place where
found, and season of the year in which it flowers. We will
suppose it to be the Dandelion.

Dandelion—Leontodon Taraxicum, or more modern,
Taraxacum Dens-Leonis. Class, Syngenesia; order, Po-
lygamia iEqualis. Natural order, compositae. Generic char-
acters:—calyx, imbricate with loose scales. Down, capillary ;
receptacle naked, dotted.

Specific characters :—lower calcynine, scales reflex ; leaves
ruminate, toothlets even. Blossoms all the year except winter:
found in August. Flowers, golden yellow color ; height six
inches. And any other remarks that would prove interesting.

In fastening them to the sheet, some cut the paper into loops,
others use glue, and a third, and we think rightly, prefer to
sew them on with a fine needle and thread. To guard against
moisture and insects, wash the whole over with a solution of
corrosive sublimate.FLORAL DICTIONARY.

Acacia. Platonic love.

Acacia Rose. Elegance.

Achillea Millefolia. War.

Adonis Flos. Painful Recol-
lection.

Agnus Castus. Coldness.—
To live without love.

Agrimony. Thankfulness.

Aloe. Bitterness.

Almond T ree. Indiscretion.

Almond Laurel. Perfidy.

Amaranth. Immortality.

Amaryllis.	Haughtiness;

Pride.

American Cowslip. You are
my divinity.

Anemone, Field. Sickness.

“ Garden. Forsaken.

Angelica. Inspiration.

Apple Blossom. Preference.

A Rose Leaf. I never impor-
tune.

Arum, or Wake Robin. Ar-
dor.

Ash. Grandeur.

Asphodel. My regrets follow
you to the grave.

Aster, China. Variety and
after thought.

s

Balm Gentle. Pleasantry.
Balm of Gilead. Healing.
Balsam. Impatience.
Barberry. Sharpness.

Basil. Hatred.

Bear’s Breech. Arts (the).
Beech. Prosperity.
Bee-Ophrys, or Orchis. Error.
Billberry. Treachery.
Bindweed. Humility.

Black Thorn. Difficulty.
Bladder-Nut Tree. Frivolous
amusement.

Blue Bottle Centaury. Delicacy.
Borage. Bluntness.

Box. Stoicism.

Bramble. Envy.

Broken Straw. Dissension :
Rupture.

Broom. Neatness.

Buckbean. Calm repose.
Burdock. Importunity.
Buttercups. Ingratitude.
Cactus. Horror.

Candy Tuft. Indifference.
Canterbury Bell, Blue. Con
stancy.

Carnation, Yellow. Disdain.
Catchfly. SnareCherry Tree. Good educa-
tion.

Chestnut Tree. Do me justice.

China Aster. Variety.

China or Indian Pink. Aver-
sion.

Cinquefoil. Beloved Daugh-
ter.

Clematis. Artifice.

Clove Pink. Dignity.

Colt’s-foot. Justice shall be
done you.

Columbine. Folly.

Coriander. Hidden Merit.

Corn. Riches.

Cornelian Cherry Tree. Du-
rability.

Crown Imperial. Majesty.

Cuscuta. Meanness.

Cypress. Mourning.

“ and Marygold. Despair.

Daisy. Innocence.

Daisy, Garden. I partake
your sentiments.

Daisy, White. I will think
of it.

Daffodil. Delusive hope.

Dandelion. Oracle.

Dead Leaves. Sadness.

Dittany of Crete. Birth.

Dodder. Baseness.

Ebony. Blackness.

Eglantine or Sweet Briar. Po-

©

etry.

Enchanter’s Night-shade. Fas-
cination.

F ennel. Strength.

Fern. Sincerity.

Fern, Flowering. Reverie.

Fir Tree. Elevation.

Flax. I feel your kindness.

Flora’s Bell. You are without
pretension.

Flaxinella. Fire.

Fuller’s Teazel. Misanthropy.

Geranium. Sorrowful; Melan-
choly spirit.

Geranium, Pencil Leaf. Inge-
nuity.

Gillyflower. Lasting beauty.

Goose-foot. Goodness.

Grass. Utility.

Hawthorn. Hope.

Hazel. Reconciliation.

Heart’s Ease, or Panzy. Think
of me.

Heath. Solitude.

Heliotrope, Peruvian. Devoted
attachment.

Hepatica, or Noble Liverwort.
Confidence.

Holly. Foresight.

Hollyhock. Ambition.

Honeysuckle. Bonds of love :
devoted affection.

Hop. Injustice.

Hornbeam. Ornament.

Horse Chestnut. Luxury.

Hydrangea. You are cold.

Hyacinth. Game: play.

Ice Plant. Your looks freeze
me.

Indian Jasmine. I attach my-
self to you.

Iris. Message.Iris, German. Flame.

Ivy. Friendship.

Jasmine, Indian. I attach
myself to you.

Jessamin e, or Jasmine. Amia-
bility.

Jonquille. Desire.

Juniper. Asylum: protection.
Larch. Boldness.

Laurel. Glory.

Laurestine. I die if neglected.
Leaves, dead. Melancholy.
Lilac. First emotion of love.
Lilac, White. Youth.

Lily; White. Purity and mo-
desty.

Lily of the Valley. Return
of happiness.

Linden Tree. Conjugal love.
London Pride. Frivolity.
Lotus. Eloquence.

Lucern. Life.

Madder. Calumny.

Maiden Ilair. Discretion: se-
crecy.

Mallow. Mild or sweet dis-
position.

Manchineel Tree. Falsehood.
Mandrake. Rarity.

Maple. Reserve.

Marvel of Peru. Timidity.
Madwort, Rock. Tranquility.
Marygold. Inquietude.

“ Small Cape. Presage.
Met low Saffron. My best
da) " are past.

Meadov Sweet. Uselessness.
Mezereon. Desire to please.

MiehaelmasDaisy. Afterthought

Mignonette. Your qualities sur-
pass j'our charms.

Milkwort. Hermitage.
Misseltoe. I surmount all diffi-
culties.

Moon wort. Forgetfulness.
Moschatel. Weakness.

Moss Rose. Pleasure without
alloy.

Moss, Tuft of. Maternal love.
Motherwort. Secret love.
Moving Plant. Agitation.
Mulberry Tree, black. I will
not survive you.

Mulberry, white. Wisdom.
Mushroom. Suspicion.

Musk Rose. Capricious beauty.
Myrobalan. Privation.

Myrtle. Love.

M)'osotis, or Mouse Ear. Forget-
me-not.

Nettle. Crueltv.

J

Night Convolvulus. Night.
Nightshade, Bitter Sweet.

Truth.

Nosegay. Gallantry.

Oak. Hospitality.

Olive Branch. Peace.

Orange Flower. Chastity.
Orange Tree. Generosity.
Orchis, Bee. Error.

“ Spider. Ingenuity.
Parsley. Entertainment:Feast
ing.

Pasque Flower. You are with
out pretension.

Peri winkle.Sweet remembrancePeruvian Heliotrope. I love
you : infatuation.

Pheasant’s Eye. Sorrowful
remembrance.

Pimpernel. Assignation.

Pine Apple. You are perfect.
Pink. Lively and affectionate.
Plane Tree. Genius.

Plum Tree. Keep your promi-
ses.

Plum Tree, wild. Indepen-
dence.

Poet’s Narcissus. Egotism.
Potato. Beneficence.

Poplar, Black. Courage.

“ White. Time.

Poppy. Consolation of sleep.
“ White. Sleep of the
heart.

Primrose. Early Youth.

“ Evening. Inconstancy.
Privet. Prohibition.

Provins Rose. Graces.
Pyramidal Bell Flower. Grati-
tude.

Quaking Grass. Agitation.
Ranunculus. You are radi-
ant with charms.

Red Shanks. Patience.

Red Valerian. Accommodating
disposition.

Reeds. Music.

Rest Harrow. Obstacle.
Rose. Beauty.

“ Monthly. Beautytever

new.

Rose, Wild. Simplicity.

“ White. Silence.

Rose, Hundred leaved. Graces.

Rosebud. Young Girl.

“ White. The heart
that knows not love.

Rosemary. Your presence re-
vives me.

Rose-scented Geranium. Pre-
ference.

Roses, a Garland of. Reward
of Virtue.

Rush. Docility.

Saffron. Excess is dangerous.

Sage. Esteem.

Scarlet Iporaae. I attacabpy-
self to you.

Sensitive Plant. Timidity.

Serpentine Cactus. Horror.

Service Tree. Prudence.

Shaking Saintfoin. Agitation.

Snap Dragon. Presumption.

Snowdrop. Consolation.

Spider Ophrys. Skill.

Spiderwort. Transient happi-
ness.

Spindle Tree. Your image is
'engraven on my heart.

Stock, Ten-week. Promptitude.

Stramonium, common. Disguise

Strawberry. Perfect excellence.

Sunflower. False Riches.

Sweet-briar, or Eglantine. Po-
etry.

Sweet-scented Tussilage. Jus-
tice shall be done you.

Sweet Sultan. Felicity.

Sweet William. Finesse.

Teazle. Misanthropy.Thistle. Austerity.	Wake Robin. Ardor.

Thrift. Sympathy.	Wall-flower. Fidelity in ad-

Thorn Apple. Deceitful charms, versity.

Thyme. Activity.	Water Lily. Eloquence.

Tremella. Resistance.	Weeping Willow. Melancholy.

Truffle. Surprise.	Wild, or Dog Rose. Simplicity.

Trumpet Flower. Separation.Willow Herb. Pretension.
Tulip. Declaration.	Wood Sorrel. Joy.

Venus’ Looking-glass. Flattery.Wormwood. Absence.
Vervain. Enchantment.

Veronica. Liberty.	Yarrow. War.

Vine. Intoxication.	Yellow Day Lily. Coquetry.

Violet, Blue. Modesty.	Yellow Rose. Infidelity.

“ White. Candor.	Yew. Sorrow.

ERRATA.

In the preface read, “ And ever as the blue bells, &c. did its islanders.” Page 17,
Asperfolia, read four naked seeds instead of five In page 19, read, it is in the class
Monadelphia/oraer/i/Gynandria. Page 34, read Scoparium for Scoparuis. There
are many minor errors, but we have noticed the most important that presented them-
selves, in a rapid glance. In closing our connexion with the Illustrated Botany,
we would direct those who wish an exceedingly simple exposition of its elements to
a work recently prepared by us for Mr. Wellman called Botany for Young PeopleGLOSSARY OF BOTANICAL TERMS.

A is a prefix, signifying privation; as
acaufis, without a stem.

Abortive; without use.

Abrupt; cut off suddenly.

Acerose ; stiff, linear, and sharp.
Acicular; needle-shaped.

Acinaciform; scimetar-shaped.

Acinus; a berry of a compound cluster,
as the raspberry.

Aculeate ; prickly.

Acuminate; awl-pointed.

Acute; sharp.

Adnate; growing together.
Agglomerated; crowded together.
Aggregate; clustered,but not compound.
Alated; winged.

Agamous; without visible stamens or
pistils.

Albumen ; the fleshy substance of seeds.
Alveolate ; cells like a honey-comb.
Ambitus ; outer rim of a frond recepta-
cle.

Anient; a collection of flowers on a
stalk, resembling a cat’s tail.
Amplexicaule; clasping.

Ancipital; two edged.

Androgynous; monoecious.

Angustifolius; narrow leaved.

Annulated ; with a ring.

Anomalous; not in order.

Aphyllous; without leaves.
Appendiculate; having some append-
ages.

Anti-scorbutics; curers of eruptive dis-
eases.

Appressed ; pressed closely.

Apterous; without wings.

Arachnoid ; simulating a spider’s web.
Arboreous; resembling a tree.

Aril; an outer seed covering.

Aristate ; ending in a bristle.

Armed; furnished with thorns.
Arbustivous; shrubs.

Arcuate ; bent like a bow.
Arundinaceous; resembling a reed.
Arvensis; growing in fields.

Ascidium; bottle-shapeu.

AtteQuated; diminishing.

Auriculate; eared.

Axil; an angle formed by the leaf and
6tem.

Axis; an elongated stalk, serving as a
support and centre for flowers.
Bacca; a berry.

Banner or Vexillum ; the largest petai
of flowers, resembling those of the
pea.

Barren; without producing fruit.
Bicuspidate; with two projections or
points.

Barb ; a straight process, armed with
teeth. |

Barbatus; bearded.

Bicornis; two-horned
Bifid; two parted.

Bil ibtate ; with two lips.

Botrus ; a grape cluster.

Branchlet; little branch.

Brachiate; branches opposite, each pair
at right angles with the preceding.
Caducous; dropping off early.
Cespitose; forming tufts.Calcarate ; furnished with a spur.
Calyculated; furnished with an addi-
tional outer calyx.

Canipanulate ; bell-shaped.

Campestris; growing wild.

Canescent; whitish and hoary.
Cancellated ; filled with cells.

Capitate ; growing in heads.

Capillary; hair-like.

Capsule ; a little chest.

Carrina: a keel; applied to butterfly
flowers.

Carnose; of a fleshy consistence.
Carpel ; a terra used in dividing the
fruit.

Caudate; furnished with a tail.

Caudex; the upper part of a root which
gives rise to a stem.

Cauline; growing on a stem .

Ciliate ; fringed with hairs.

Cinereous; ash color.

Cirrhose ; bearing a tendril.

Cereal; applied to fruits of which bread
is made.

Clavate ; club-shaped.

Coadunate ; united at base.

Coarcate; crowded.

Cochleatc; coiled spirally, like a snail
-hell.

Coccmn; a seed or gram.

Collinns : growing on hills.

Colors; any thing that differs from green
is called in botany a color.

As, Water color; Hyalinus.

White : Albus.

Lead color or ash; cinereous.
Black; niger.

Brown : fuscus.

Pitch Black; ater.

Yellow; Luteus
Straw color; flavus.

Flame color; fulvus.

Red; rubex.

Flesh color; incarnatus.

Scarlet: coccineus.

Purple; purpureus.

Violet color; certtleo-purpurcus.
Blue; cernleii8.

(ireen ; Virtdis.

Columella ; a central pillar.

Conn ; a tuft of bracts on the top of a
spike of flowers

Connate; opposite, with the bases grow-
ing in one.

Connivent: convergent.

Contorted; twisted.

Cortical; belonging to the bark.
Coriaceous; leathery, tough, and thick
Corneous; horny.

Costate; ribbed.

Crenate; scallopped
Cribriform; full of holes like a seive.
Crested ; resembling a cock's comb.
Crinitus; long-haired.

Cucnlate ; hooded, or cowled.
Cucurbitaceous; cucumber-like plants.
Culm; the stem of graces.

Cupule; a cup, as an acorn.

Cypsele ; a little chest.

Deciduous; falling off in the usual season
Declined; tending downwards.
Decumbent; leaning upon the ground.
Decurrent; when the edges of a leaf run
down a stem or stalk.

Decussated ; in pairs, crossing each other.
Deflected ; bent off.

Dehiscent; cracking open, as in capsular
seed vessels.

Dentate; toothed.

Denticulate; minutely toothed.

Demersus; under water.

Dichotomons; forked, dividing into two
equal branches.

Digitate; hand, or fringe-shaped.
Dimidiate ; half.

Discord; disk covered with florets, but
without rays.

Disk; the top.

Dissepiment; the partition of an internal
wall of a capsule.

Divaricate; diverging so far as to turn
backward.

Divergent; spreading.

Dorsal; belonging to the back.

Drooping; more of a downward tendency
than nodding.

Dulcis; sweet
Dumostis; bushy.

Duplex] double.

Drupaceous; resembling drupes.

Fchinate ; beset with prickll*.

Eburneus; ivory white.

Ecostate ; without nerves or ribs.
Emarginate ; with a notch on the end.Enodis; without joints or knots.

Ensiform; sword-shape, two-edged, like
the leaves of the common Iris.

Entire ; even or whole at the edge.

Eroded, with an appearance of knaw-
ing at the edge.

Exserted : projecting out of the bowl or
sheath ; beautifully shown in the Wild
Columbine and Fuchsia Coccinea

Falcate ; linear and crooked.

Farina ; used sometimes to denote meal
or corn, and at other times pollen.

Fascicle; a bundle.

Fastigate; flat topped.

Favose; honeycomb-like.

Fertile; producing fruit.

Filament; a slender, thread-like part.

Fimbriate ; simulating a fringe

Fistulous; hollow, or tubular, like an
onion leaf.

Flabelliform; spreading, like a fan.

Flagelliform ; like a whip lash.

Flexuous; serpentine or zigzag.

Flo-cular; a floret in a compound flow-
er, which is tubular, and not ligulate,
as in the thistle

Follicle; a seed vessel, which opens
lengthwise,or on one side only.

Frugilis; breaking easily.

Frondose; leaf-like.

Frutescent; becoming shrubby.

Fugaceous; easily flying off*

Fulcra; props or supports.

Furfuraceous ; resembling bran, the clo-
thing of some leaves.

Galea; a hemlet.

Gemmaceoi.s; belonging to a bird.

Geniculate; bent like a knee.

Germination; sprouting of the seed.

Gibbous; swelled out, commonly on
one side.

Glabrous; smooth, without hair or pu-
lescence.

Gland; a little appendage, generally
roundish, for the secretion of various
substances.

Glandular pubescence; hair-tipped, with
little heads or glands, as in the sun-
dew.

Glaucous; palish green, easily rubbed
otT.

Glome ; a roundish head of flowers.

Glomerate; many little branches termina-
ted by heads.

Glume; the scales, valves, or chaff which
make the calyx and corolla of grasses.

Glutinous; adhesive; covered with a
sticky fluid.

Graminaceous; grass-like.

Grandiflorus; with large flowers.

Granular; covered or composed of little
grains.

Gravcolens ; having a strong odor.

Gregarious; so called from growing to-
gether, in large groups.

Grooved ; marked with deep lines.

Grumose; thick, crowded.

Habit; plants appear capable of contract-
ing habits. The Mimosa, or Sensitive
Plant, if conveyed in a carriage, closes
its leaves as soon as the carriage is in
motion, but soon after it becomes accus-
tomed to it, the contraction ceases, and
the leaves expand : but if the carriage
stops for any length of time, and after-
wards recommences its motion, the
plant again unfolds its leaves ; and it is
time only that can reconcile it to its new
situation.

Habitation ; this term relates to the geo-
graphical distribution or native places
of plants on the globe.

Head ; a dense round collection of flow-
ers, nearly sessile, as the clover.

Helmet; the concave upper lip of a la-
biate flower.

Herb ; a plant without a woody stem.

Herbarium; a collection of dried plants.

Hirsute ; rough with hairs.

1 lisped ; more bristly than hirsute.

Hoary; whitish colored, having a scaly
mealiness.

Humilis; low and humble

Husk; a larger kind of glume, as that of
corn.

Hybernalis ; growing iu winter.

Hybrid ; a mongrel or intermediate spe-
cies between two others from which it
is descended, produced by different pob
len.

Hypocrateriform; salver-shaped, with a
tube abruptly expanded into a flat bor-
der.

Hypogynous; under the style.Imbricate ; lying over each other.

Included ; wholly received or contained
iu a cavity ; the opposite of exserted.

Incrassated; thickened upwards, larger
toward the end.

Incumbent; lying against or across.

Indigenous; growing native within a
country.

Indusium; a covering.

Inferior; below. A calyx or corolla is
inferior when it comes out below the
germ.

Inflated ; appearing as if blown up by
wind, tumid or hollow.

Infractus ; bent in, with an acute angle,
so as to appear broken.

Infundibuliformis; funnel-shaped: tubu-
lar at bottom and gradually expanding
towards the top.

Inserted into ; another mode of saving
growing out of, &c.

Idsideus; setting upon.

Insignitus; marked.

Internode; the space between the nodes
or joints of some stems, as in the
grasses.

Intortus, twisted inwards.

Involucruin; a kind of general calyx,
serving for many flowers, generally
situated at the base of an umbel or
head.

Keel; the under petal of a butterfly or
papitonaceous flower. Also the low-
er side of the midrib of a leaf when
edged.

Knobbed ; in thick lumps.

Labiate ; having an upper and a lower
lip.

Laciniate ; cut, torn, and jagged.

Lactescent; yielding a white or milky
juice.

Lamellated; in thin plates.

Lacunose ; covered with little pits or de-
pressions.

Lacustris ; growing about lakes.

Levis ; smooth and even.

Lamina ; the border or flat end of a pe-
tal in distinction from its claws : and
a thin plate of any membrane.

Lanate ; woolly.

Lanceolate ; spear-shaped. Narrow,
with both ends acute.

Lateral ; on the side, above the axil.
Lepanthium ; a petal-like nectary.
Ligneous; woody.

Ligulate ; strap or ribbon-shaped.

Limb; the border or spreading part of
a monopetalous corolla.

Linear; long and narrow.

Lip ; the upper or under side of the
mouth of a labiate corolla.

Littoribus ; growing on coasts or shores.
Lobe ; a large division : a distinct por
tion of either petal or leaf.

Loment; a pod resembling a legume.
Longifolius; long leaved.

Longissimus; very long.

Lucidus ; bright and shining.

Lurid; of a pale dull color.

Maculatus; spotted.

Maresceut; withering
Margin; edge or border.

Maratime; growing near the sea.
Medulla; pith of vegetables: pulp.

Mollis; soft.

Monilliform; strung together, like a string
of heads.

Mouospermus; one seed to a flower.
Montanus ; growing on mountains.
Mucronate; having a small, sharp point
projecting from an obtuse end.
Multipartite ; many parted.

Muricate ; covered with spines or prickles.
Nanus ; dwarfish : yery small.
Napiformis; resembling a turnip.

Natant; floating.

Nemorosus; growing in groves.
Nectariferous; bearing honey.

Nictitans; winking.

Nictidus; glossy, glistening.

Nodding; inclined to one side: partly
drooping.

Node; a knot.

Nudus; naked.

Ob, when a prefix denotes the inversion
of the usuul position.

Obtuse ; blunt and roundish.

Officinalis; such plants as are kept for
sale, answeriug different purposes.
Palate ; the prominence in the lower lip
of a labiate corolla, closing, or nearly
closing at the throat.

Paleaceous; chaffy
Palmate ; hand-shaped.Pulustris ; growing in marshy places.

Papilonaceous; butterfly-shaped: an ir-
regular corolla, consisting of four
pieces or petals; the uppermost is the
banner, the lateral ones wings, and
the lowest the keel.

Pappus; the down of some seeds, as
the Dandelion.

Papillose; covered with protuberances.

Pateus ; spreading.

Pectinate; like the teeth of a comb.

Pedate ; having a central leaf or seg-
ment and two side ones, which are
compound.

Pedicel; a little stalk.

Pellicle ; a thin, membraneous coat.

Pellucid ; transparent or limpid.

Peltate ; having the petiole attached to
the under part of the leaf.

Pendant; hanging down.

Peregrinus ; wandering ; foreign.

Perfoliate; having a stem running thro’
a leaf.

Perianth ; a sort of calyx : surrounding
the flower.

Persistent; not falling ofT.

Peristomium ; the fringe or teeth around
the mouth of the capsule of mosses
under the lid.

Personate; masked.

Phrenogamous; such flowers as have
stamens and pistils visible, in opposi-
tion to cryptogamous.

Phylloid ; resembling a leaf.

Pilose ; hairy, with a stiff pubescence.

Phytology; the science which treats of
the organization of vegetables.

Plumose; feather-like.

Premorse ; bitten off: ending abruptly.

Prasinus ; green, like a leek.

Pratcnsis ; growing in the meadow land.

Procumbent; lying on the ground.

Proliferous; smaller flowers growing
out of a centre flower.

Pubescent; hairy, downy, or woolly.

Puinilus; small, low.

Punctate; dotted.

Pyriform; pear-shaped.

Quaternate; four together.

Quinate; five together.

Quinquafid; five-cleft.

Rachis; the common stalk, to which the

florets and spiklets of grasses are attach-
ed. Sometimes applied to the mid-
rib of leaves and fronds.

Radiate ; having ligulate florets placed like
rays at the circumference of some
compound flowers.

Radical ; growing immediately from the
root.

Rameus ; proceeding from the branches.

Ramose; branching.

Reclined ; bending over.

Rectus; straight.

Recurved; curved backwards.

Reflexed; bent backwards.

Repand; waving on the edge.

Repeus; creeping.

Resupinate; upside down.

Reticulate; veins crossing each other, like
net work.

Retuse; having a slight notch in the end,
less than marginate.

Reversed; bent backvvrad towards the
base.

R ingent; gaping, or grinning.

Rostrate; wbeel-form.

Rotundus; round.

Rugose ; wrinkled.

Runcinate; having large teeth pointed
backwrad.

Rupestris; growing among rocks.

Sagittate; arrow-shaped.

Samara ; a seed vessel having a winged
appendage, and not opening by valves.

Saliferous; producing salt.

Sarmentosc; running on the ground.

Scabous; rough.

Scandeus; climbing.

Sempervirens; living through the winter
and retaining it leaves.

Serrated : notched, like the teeth of a saw.

Sessile ; placed immediately 011 the stem,
without the intervention of a footstalk.

Seta; a bristle.

Siccus: dry.

Sinuate; the margin hollowed out, resem-
bling a bay.

Spatulatc; large, obtuse at the enu grad-
ually tapering to a stalk at the base.

Spine; a sharp process growing from
the wood.

Sqnamose ; scaly.

Squarrose; ragged.Stipe ; the stem of a fungus ; and also
of seed clover.

Stoloniferous; putting forth scions or
running shoots.

Striate ; marked with fine parallel lines.

Strictus ; stiff and straight.

Strigose; bristly.

Suavis; sweet, agreeable.

Suberose; corky.

Subulate ; awl-shaped ; narrow and
sharp pointed.

Succulent; juicy.

Sulcate; furrowed.

Superior: a calyx or corolla is superior
when it proceeds from the upper part
of the germ.

Supinus; face upwards.

Suture; line or seam formed by the
junction of two valves of a seed ves-
sel.

Sylvestris ; growing in woods.

Tegens; covering.

Tendril; a thread-like appendage of
climbing plants, enabling them to as-
cend.

Tenellus; tender, fragile.

Terete; round, cylindrical.

Thorn; a sharp process from the woody
part of a plant.

Tinctoriua; plants containing coloring
matter.

Tomcntose; downy.

Torose; uneven.

Trachea; names given to vessels sup-

posed to be designed for receiving and
distributing air.

Tuber; a solid, fleshy knob.

Tunicale; coated with surrounding layers>
as in the onion.

Turgid ; swelled : inflated.

Turbinate; shaped like the top of a pear.

Uliginosus ; growing in damp places.

Umbilicate ; marked with a central de-
pression.

Uncinate; hooked.

Unctuosus; greasy: oily.

Undulate , waving gently : rising and
falling.

Unguis ; a claw

Uniflorus ; one-flowered.

Unicus ; single.

Unilateral; growing on one side.

Urceolate ; pitcher-shaped.

Utricle ; a little bladder.

Valves; the parts of a seed vessel into
which it finally separates.

Ventricose ; swelled out.

Vernal; appearing in the spring.

Verrucose; warty ; covered with little
protuberances.

Vertical; perpendicular.

Vesicular ; made up of cellular substances.

Vespertine; flowers opening in the eve-
ning.

Villose ; hairy : the hairs long and soft.

Virescens; inclining to green.

Virgate ; long and slender.

Virose; nauseous : poisonous.INDEX.

PAGE.

Ashwort,  .............................    70

Arrangement of Flower Gardens,.... 81

American Cowslip,.. — ....................185

Apple,....................................194

Agrimony,..................-..............226

Agriculture,..............................231

Aster,....................................217

Architecture, Floral, .................... 86

iEcnlus,..................................250

Althea,....................-..............298

Anagallis,..............................  214

Armn,.....................................293

Antirrhinum,..............................310

Amaryllis,................................320

Anemone,..................................322

Broom,..  ...............................  34

Boruge,................................... 37

Blue-hottle Centaury,......................42

Bramble,..................................100

Black Hellebore,.... .....................136

Blue Ilepatica,...........................220

Bell Flowers..............................282

Beilis,...................................253

Bignonia.................................. 95

Beauty and Fragrance of Flowers,..321
Conspectus of the Science, or Intro-
duction,.................................   5

Classes of Jussieu,.....................   55

Crown Imperial,..........................  05

Coriander.................................105

Cactus....................................206

China Aster,..............................217

Coltsfoot,................................250

Cypress,..................................279

Cineraria................................. 70

Cowslip, American,....................... 185

Ceutaurea,................................ 42

PAGE.

Campanula,............................282

Cupressus,............................279

Crategus,.............................107

Caprifolium,.......................... 29

Cydonia,.............................. 15

Colchicum.............................188

Calendula,............................275

Dianthus.............................. 30

Convallaria,  ..............-.........316

Cherry Tree,..........................332

Dial of Flowers,...................... 33

Dittany,...............................HO

Dirge of Flowers,.....................202

Daisy,............................... 253

Dodecatheon, ........................ 185

Dictamnus,............................110

Datura,...............................140

Evening Primrose,...................  306

Forget-me-not,.................... 17,	97

Floral Architecture,	—	85

Flowering and its results.............1J4

Fuchsia,.............................—132

Flower Garden,______________81, 207, 303

Flowers,..............................237

F ritillaria,...............— ---------65

Fragaria,.......................... ..327

Geranium,..............................38

Garlands of Flowers,..................145

Genista,.............................. 34

Geography, vegetable,.................238

Hawthorn,.............................107

Hop...................................169

Heliotrope,...........................177

Horse Chestnut........................259

Hollyhock,............................298

Honeysuckle,.......................... 29

Helleborus,...........................136Hepatica,		PAGE. 	220	Orchis tribe,		PAGE
Humulus			169	Orders,			... 56
Hcdera,				222	Oxalis		...292
Helianthus,			Passion Flower,		... 19
Holly,			Pink		... 30
Hemerocallis,			315	Primrose,		... 40
Irritability,			203	Propagation, theory of,		... 44
Ivv			222	p°ppy>		
Iris			241	Parasite,			
Indian Jasmine,					247	Percival’s Flowers,		...197
Internal modifications,			257	Pimpernel,		
Influence of Light,			273	Pyrus,		
Introduction,			Primrose, F.vening		....306
Ipotnea,			247	Prunus,		
Ilex	-			313	Rose,		
Japan Quince,			 15	Rose, Monthly,		... 27
Jasmine, white,			27	Roots,		...174
Jussieu, classes of,				55	Ranunculus		
Jasmine, Indian,			247	Remarks on Flower Gardens,..	...235
Kitabi Gulistan,			Ill	Rub us,		....100
Leaves,			 87	System, Linntean and Natural,..	.... 49
Lily,			127	Series of the Orders		... 56
Linntean Dial of Flowers,			208	Sunflower		...153
Laurestine			248	Songs of the Linntean tribes,...	... 59
Lombardy Poplars,		070	Seeds,	_		...188
Lucerne,			269	Sap			...262
Lonicera,			 29	Shadow ofa Flower,		...266
Linmean system,			49	Spartiuin				
		Snap Dragon				...310
Mezereon			 43	Strawberry,		
Mallow,			133	Trumpet Flower		... 95
Mandrake,				171	Tulip,		...121
Meadow Saffron			Thorn Apple,		....140
		275		...199
Mosses,					304	Tussilago,						...250
Myosotis,			Violet		.... 22
Medicago,			296	Vine		... 79
Malva,			133	Vegetable Tissue		...227
Mandragora,			171	Vegetable Geography,		,...238
Marvel of Peru,			Wallflower,		
			333	Water Lily,			...289
Mushrooms,				337	Wood Sorrel,		090
Narcissus,			Wake Robin		...293
Nymphea,			289	Yellow Day Lily		...315