Part 14
3. Hollyhock, _Althea rosea_. Discovery of the relics of St. Stephen, 415.
4. Bluebell, _Campanula rotundifolia_. St. Dominic, founder of the Friar Preachers, 1221.
5. Lily, Egyptian water, _Nelumbo nilotica_. St. Mary ad Nives.
6. Meadow Saffron, _Colchicum autumnale_.--Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor.
7. Amaranth, common, _Amaranthus hypochondriacus_. St. Cajetan, 1547.
8. Love-lies-bleeding, _Amaranthus procumbens_. St. Hormisdas.
9. Ragwort, yellow, _Senecio jacobæa_. St. Romanus.
10. Balsam, _Impatiens balsamea_. St. Lawrence, martyr, 258.
11. China Aster, _Aster Chinensis_. St. Susanna, third century.
12. Sowthistle, great corn, _Sonchus arvensis_. St. Clare, abbess, 1253.
13. Groundsel, marsh, Great Fen Ragwort, or Bird’s Tongue, _Senecio paludosus_. St. Radigunda.
14. Zinnia, _Zinnia elegans_. St. Eusebius, third century.
15. Virgin’s Bower, white, _Clematis vitalba_. Assumption of the Virgin Mary; or the miraculous ascent of her body into heaven.
16. Lily, belladonna, _Amaryllis belladonna_. St. Hyacinth, 1257.
17. Snapdragon, Toadflax, _Antirrhinum linaria_. St. Manus, 275.
18. Marigold, African, _Tagetes erecta_. St. Helen, empress, 382.
19. Timothy grass, branched Cat’s Tail grass, _Phleum panniculatum_, or _Ph. asperum_. St. Timothy, 304.
20. Dandelion, _Leontodon serotinus_. St. Bernard, abbot, 1153.
21. Marigold, French, _Tagetes patula_. St. Jean Francois de Chantal, 1641.
22. Timothy, common Cat’s Tail grass, _Phleum pratense_. St. Timothy, 311.
23. Tansy, common, _Tanacetum vulgare_. St. Philip Beniti, 1285.
24. Sunflower, tall, _Helianthus annuus_. St. Bartholomew, apostle.
25. Sunflower, perennial, _Helianthus multiflorus_. St. Louis, king of France, 1270.
26. Amaryllis, banded, _Amaryllis rotata_. St. Zephyrinus, pope, 219.
27. Hawkweed, hedge, _Hieracium umbellatum_. St. Cæsarius, archbishop of Arles, 542.
28. Golden rod, _Solidago Virga aurea_. St. Augustine, bishop, 430.
29. Hollyhock, yellow, _Althea flava_. St. Sabinus, king, about 697.
30. Lily, Guernsey, _Amaryllis sarniensis_. St. Rose of Lima, 1617.
31. Pheasant’s eye, _Adonis autumnalis_. St. Raymond Nonnatus, 1240.
SEPTEMBER.
1. Orpine, or Livelong, great, _Sedum telephium_. St. Giles, patron of beggars and cripples. Born at Athens; abbot of Nismes, in France, died 750.
2. Golden rod, _Solidago_. St. Margaret, thirteenth century.
3. Flea-bane, common yellow, _Inula dysenterica_. St. Simeon Stylites, the younger, 592.
4. Soapwort, pale pink, _Saponaria officinalis_. St. Rosalia, 1160.
5. Mushroom, or champignon, _Agaricus campestris_. St. Laurence Justinian, first patriarch of Venice. 1455.
6. Dandelion, _Leontodon autumnalis_. St. Pambo of Nitria, 385.
7. Starwort, golden, _Aster solidaginoides_. St. Cloud, 560.
8. Starwort, Italian blue, _Aster amellus_. St. Adrian, 306.
9. Golden rod, Canadian, _Solidago Canadensis_. St. Omer, 607.
10. Crocus, autumnal, _Crocus autumnalis_. St. Pulcheria, empress, 453.
11. Meadow Saffron, variegated, _Colchicum variegatum_. St. Hyacinthus, 257.
12. Passion-flower, semilunar, _Passiflora peltata_. St. Earnswith, abbess, seventh century.
13. Crocus, officinal, _Crocus sativus_. St. Eulogius, patriarch of Alexandria, 608.
14. Passion-flower, blue, _Passiflora cœrulea_. Exaltation of the Holy Cross, 629.
15. Saffron Byzantine, _Colchicum Byzanticum_. St. Nicetas, fourth century.
16. Starwort, sea-blue, _Aster tripolium_. St. Editha, 984.
17. Mallow, narrow-leafed, _Malva angustifolia_. St. Lambert, bishop, 709.
18. Starwort, pendulous, _Aster pendulus_. St. Thomas, archbishop of Valencia, 1555.
19. Scabius, Devil’s bit, _Scabiosa succisa_. St. Lucy, 1090.
20. Meadow Saffron, common, _Colchicum autumnale_. St. Eustachius.
21. Passion-flower, fringed-leafed, variegated, _Passiflora ciliata_. St. Matthew, the Evangelist.
22. Boletus, tree, _Boletus arboreus_. St. Maurice, fourth century.
23. Starwort, white bushy, _Aster dumosus_. St. Thecla, first century.
24. Fungus, _Agaricus fimetarius_. St. Gerard, bishop, 1046.
25. Boletus, great, order Fungi, _Boletus bovinus_. St. Ceolfrid, abbot, 716.
26. Golden rod, great, _Solidago gigantea_. St. Justina, 304.
27. Starwort, white small-leafed N. American, _Aster multiflorus_. St. Delphina, 1323.
28. Golden rod, evergreen, _Solidago sempervirens_. St. Eustochium, 419.
29. Michaelmas Daisy, _Aster tradescanti_. St. Michael and all angels.
30. Amaryllis, golden, _Amaryllis aurea_. St. Jerome, 420.
OCTOBER.
1. Amaryllis, lowly, _Amaryllis humilis_. St. Remigius, bishop of Rheims, 533.
2. Soapwort, _Saponaria officinalis_. Feast of the holy guardian angels.
3. Helenium, downy, _Helenium pubescens_. St. Dionysius, the Areopagite, 51.
4. Southernwood, dwarf, _Artemisa abrotanum_. St. Francis of Assissi, founder of the order of Franciscans, 1226.
5. Chamomile, starlike, a fungus, _Boltonia asteroides_. St. Placidus, 546.
6. Feverfew, creeping rooted, _Pyrethrum serotinum_. St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusian order, 1101.
7. Chrysanthemum, Indian, _Chrysanthemum Indicum_. St. Mark, pope, 336.
8. Maudlin, sweet, _Achillea ageratum_. St. Bridget, 1373.
9. Mushroom, milky, _Agaricus lactifluus acris_, or _A. Listeri_. St. Denys, patron saint of France.
10. Aletris, Cape waved-leafed, _Aletris viridifolia_. St. Francis Borgia, 1572.
11. Holly, common, _Ilex aquifolium_. St. Ethelburga, 664.
12. Fleabane, wavy, _Inula undulata_. St. Wilfred, bishop of York, 709.
13. Helenium, yellow, smooth, _Helenium autumnale_. St. Edward, king and confessor, 1066.
14. Fleabane, Indian, _Inula Indica_. St. Calixtus, pope, 222.
15. Sweet Sultan, purple, _Centaurea moschata_. St. Teresa, 1582.
16. Yarrow, _Achillea millefolium_. St. Gall, abbot, 646.
17. Sunflower, dwarf, _Helianthus indicus_. St. Anstrudis, 688.
18. Mushroom, _Agaricus floccosus_. St. Luke, Evangelist, 63.
19. Tick-seed, perennial, _Coreopsis procera_. St. Frideswith, patroness of Oxford, eighth century.
20. Sweet Sultan, yellow, _Centaurea suaveolens_. St. Artemius, 362.
21. Silphium, hairy-stalked, _Silphium asteriscus_. St. Ursula, fifth century.
22. Silphium, rough three-leafed, _Silphium trifoliatum_. St. Nunilo, 840.
23. Starwort, slender-stalked, _Aster junceus_. St. Theodoret, 362.
24. Starwort, Carolina, _Aster Carolinus flexuosus_. St. Proclus, archbishop of Constantinople, 447.
25. Starwort, fleabane, _Aster Conizoides_. St. Crispin, 287.
Starwort, meagre, _Aster miser_. St. Crispinian, 287.--These were brothers and martyrs, shoemakers, and patrons of that art.
26. Golden rod, late flowered, _Solidago petiolaris_. St. Evaristus, pope, 112.
27. Starwort, floribund, _Aster floribundus_. St. Frumentius, apostle of Ethiopia, fourth century.
28. Chrysanthemum, late-flowering creeping. _Chrys. serotinum_ St. Simon, Apostle, the Zealot.
Starwort, scattered, _Aster passiflorus_. St. Jude, Apostle.
29. Narcissus, green autumnal, _Narcissus viridiflorus_. St. Narcissus, bishop of Jerusalem, second century.
30. Mushroom, mixed, _Agaricus fimetarius_. St. Marcellus the centurion, 298.
31. Tick-seed, fennel-leaved, _Coreopsis ferulafolia_. St. Quintin, 287.
NOVEMBER.
1. Laurustinus, _Laurustinus sempervirens_. St. Fortunatus.
2. Cherry, winter, _Physalis_. St. Marcian, 387.
3. Primrose, _Primula vulgaris_. St. Flour, 389.
4. Strawberry tree, _Arbutus_. St. Brinstane, bishop of Winchester, 931.
5. Cherry, common winter, _Physalis alkakengi_. St. Bertille, abbess of Chelles, 692.
6. Yew tree, common, _Taxus baccata_. St. Leonard, sixth century.
7. Furcræa, _Furcræa gigantea_. St. Willebord, first bishop of Utrecht, 738.
8. Aletris, Cape, _Veltheimia_. The four crowned Brothers, martyrs, 304.
9. Aletris, glaucous-leafed, _Veltheimia glauca_. St. John Lateran.
10. Fir, Scotch, _Pinus sylvestris_. St. Nympha, fifth century.
11. Pine, Weymouth, _Pinus strobus_. St. Martin, bishop, 397.
12. Aloe, great orange-flowering, _Veltheimia_, or _Aletris uvaria_. St. Nilus, 390.
13. Bay, _Laurus poetica_. St. Homobonus, 1197.
14. Laurel, Portugal, _Cerasus Lusitanica_. St. Lawrence, bishop of Dublin, 1180.
15. Colt’s foot, sweet-scented, _Tussilago fragrans_. St. Gertrude, abbess, 1292.
16. Hemp, African bow-string, _Sanseviera Guineensis_. St. Edmund, archbishop of Canterbury, 1242.
17. Stramony, or Thorn-apple tree, _Datura arborea_. St. Gregory, Thaumaturgus, bishop, 270.
18. Passion-flower, notch-leafed, _Passiflora serratifolia_. Dedication of the churches of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome.
19. Passion-flower, apple-fruited, _Passiflora maliformis_. St. Elizabeth of Hungary, 1231.
20. Stapelia, red, _Stapelia rubra_. St. Edmund, king and martyr, 870.
21. Sorrel, wood, _Oxalis grandiflora_. Presentation of the Virgin Mary.
22. Sorrel, wood, tube-flowered, _Oxalis tubiflora_. St. Cecilia, martyr, and patroness of music, particularly of sacred music; supposed to be the inventress of the organ, 230.
23. Sorrel, convex, _Oxalis convexula_. St. Clement, pope, 100.
24. Stapelia, starry, _Stapelia radiata_. St. John of the Cross, 1591.
25. Butterbur, sweet, _Tussilago fragrans_. St. Catherine, patroness of spinsters, third century.
26. Sorrel, linear, _Oxalis linearis_. St. Conrad, bishop of Constance, 976.
27. Sorrel, lupine-leafed, _Oxalis lupinifolia_. St. Virgil, bishop of Salzburg, 784.
28. Stapelia, variegated, _Stapelia variegata_. St. Stephen the younger, 764.
29. Sphenogyne, _S. piloflora_. St. Saturninus, bishop, 257.
30. Sorrel, three-coloured, _Oxalis tricolor_. St. Sapor, bishop.
DECEMBER.
1. Stapelia, dark, _S. pulla_. St. Eligius, bishop of Noyon, 659.
2. Geodorum, lemon, _Geodorum citrinum_. St. Bibiania, 363.
3. Indian tree, _Euphorbia tirucalle_. St. Francis Xavier, 1552.
4. Gooseberry, Barbadoes, _Cactus pereskia_. St. Chrysologus, 450.
5. Hibiscus, long-stalked, _H. pedunculatus_. St. Crispina, 304.
6. Heath, nest-flowered, _Erica nudiflora_. St. Nicholas, archbishop of Myra, 342.
7. Achania, hairy, _Achania pilosa_. St. Ambrose, 397.
8. Arbor Vitæ, American, _Thuga occidentalis_. Blessed Virgin Mary.
9. Spruce, Corsican, _Pinus laricio_. St. Leodocia, 304.
10. Cypress, Portugal, _Cupressus pendula_. St. Eulalia.
11. Pine, Aleppo, _Pinus halapensis_. St. Damascus, pope, 384.
12. Heath, crowded, _Erica abietina_. St. Eadburga, 751.
13. Arbor Vitæ, African, _Thuga cupressoides_. St. Lucy, martyr of Syracuse, 304.
14. Pine, swamp, _Pinus palustris_. St. Spiridion, archbishop, 348.
15. Pine, pitch, _Pinus resinosa_. St. Florence, abbot.
16. Arbor Vitas, Chinese, _Thuga orientalis_. St. Adelaide, empress, 999.
17. Cedar, white, _Cupressus thyoides_. St. Olympias, 410.
18. Cypress, New-Holland, _Cupressus australis_. St. Winebald, 760.
19. Heath, two-coloured, _Erica bicolor_. St. Samthana, abbess, 738.
20. Stone-pine, _Pinus pinea_. St. Philogonius, bishop of Antioch, 322.
21. Sparrow-wort, _Erica passerina_. St. Thomas, apostle.
22. Heath, pellucid, _Erica pellucida_. St. Cyril, 881.
23. Cedar of Lebanon, _Pinus cedrus_. St. Victoria, 250.
24. Pine, frankincense, _Pinus tæda_. Sts. Thrasilla and Emiliana.
25. Holly, _Ilex aculeata baccifera_. Nativity of our Saviour.
26. Heath, purple, _Erica purpurea_. St. Stephen, first martyr.
27. Heath, flame, _Erica flammea_. St. John, the Evangelist.
28. Heath, bloody-flowered, _Erica cruenta_. The Holy Innocents, who suffered from Herod’s cruelty.
29. Heath, _Erica genistopha_. St. Thomas, archbishop of Canterbury, 1170.
30. Ponthieva, glandular, _Ponthieva glandulosa_. St. Anysia, 304.
31. There is no flower appropriated to this day.
The Dial of Flowers.
’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 coloured 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 sunset hour, A charm for the shaded eve!
_Hemans._
When a plant is approaching its state of perfection, when its organs of nourishment are completely developed, and its vegetation is most luxuriant, then arrives the time of flowering, which has been aptly termed “the joy of plants.” The most superficial observer must have noticed how different is the season of flowering of individual plants, and how each month is adorned with its particular flowers. When the intense cold of January confines us to our houses, the Black Hellebore, or Christmas Rose, unfolds its dazzling white blossoms; in February, the innocent Snowdrop presents to us her elegant cup. In the same month the Hazel puts forth its catkins, and not rarely the early-blooming Crowfoot shows the blue tips of its clusters of blossom. March boasts a richer Flora; then the Violet delights us with its fragrance; the Mezereon offers its peach-coloured flowers, and the Primrose leads on a long train of the charming children of Spring. These now continue to advance in increasing numbers, displaying, especially in May and June, their highest splendour; till at length the Meadow Saffron takes leave of inclement Autumn, and, saturated with rain, the Mosses acquire fresh vigour, and open to the botanist a new field for investigation.
Not less different than the period of flowering is the time of the opening and shutting of flowers. Some plants habitually open and close their flowers by turns; others are governed in these respects by the weather; others again, by the length or shortness of the day: while some open and shut at certain hours, and thus furnish materials for composing the Dial of Flowers.
According to the observations of later botanists, the flowery crown of plants serves, among other things, to envelop the tender organs of fructification, and to protect them from the pernicious influence of external agents. Those organs of fructification are the chief objects of the maternal care of Nature; while shut up in the flower-bud, they acquire that strength and perfection of parts which enable them to endure the light of the sun, and to perform the functions for which they are designed. It is not till they are capable of fulfilling these functions that the flower unfolds itself; but it again closes at such times when external influences might be injurious to the delicate organs of fructification. Many flowers can bear only the refreshing morning air and the first rays of the sun, but remain shut all the rest of the day. This may be particularly observed in the different species of Convolvulus, Ipomæa, and Goat’s Beard. We find these, in general, open only till about eleven o’clock. In like manner, the Mallows and the Mesembryanthemums unfold their flowers about noon: and precisely at that time, in serene weather, open the singularly-formed Drosera, and the common Purslain, which shut again in an hour. Others unfold themselves only in the evening, and continue open all night, probably because their delicate organs would be injured by the sun. The Œnotheras, the Gauras, and the different species of the Mirabilis, furnish examples of this kind. Thus, too, the Cactus opuntia opens its magnificent blossoms at night only, and towards morning shuts them up for ever. The flowers of many plants of the nineteenth class are observed to hang their heads during night--the Camellia, for example--by which means the rain, or dew, which might injure the tender organs of fructification, can run off the more easily. In other plants of this class, the flower shuts up against rain, and on the approach of evening, as is the case with the Marigolds.
The periodical change of colour in some flowers is also worthy of remark. Thus, the flowers of the speckled French Honeysuckle (_Hedysarum maculatum_) are purple in the morning and green at noon. The changeable Hibiscus (_Hibiscus mutabilis_) is white in the morning, flesh-coloured at noon, and rose-red in the evening. Thus, too, the great Corn-flag (_Gladiolus grandis_) changes its colour several times in the course of the day.
Neither is the scent of flowers equally strong and agreeable at all hours of the day: many, even of our indigenous flowers, have the strongest scent at night. The _Ixia cinnamomea_ gives out its fragrance in the evening only; the highly-scented Lesser Orpine (_Crassula odoratissima_) only in the night; the _Epidendrum fragrans_, morning and evening; another species of Epidendrum, hung up in a room, without earth or water, yields an agreeable perfume for years. The flowers of the _Hebenstreitia dentata_ are scentless in the morning, have a disagreeable smell at noon, and give out in the evening a fragrant odour, not unlike that of the Hyacinth.
These properties of flowers, and the opening and shutting of many at
## particular times of the day, led to the idea of planting them in such a
manner as to indicate the succession of the hours, and to make them supply the place of a watch or clock. Those who are disposed to try the experiment may easily compose such a dial by consulting the following table, comprehending the hours between three in the morning and eight in the evening.
+-------------------------------------------+--------+---------+ | Names of Plants. |Hours of|Hours of | | |Opening.|Shutting.| +-------------------------------------------+--------+---------+ |Yellow Goat’s Beard (_Tragopogon | | | | luteum_) | 3 | | | | | | |Common Base Hawkweed, (_Crepis | | | | tectorum_) | 4 | | | | | | |Field Sowthistle, (_Sonchus agrestis_) | 5 | | | | | | |Dandelion (_Leontodon Taraxacum_) | 5 | | | | | | |Alpine Base Hawkweed, (_Crepis | | | | alpina_) | 5 | | | | | | |Naked-stalked Poppy (_Papaver | | | | nudicaule_) | 5 | | | | | | |Orange Day-lily (_Hemerocallis fulva_) | 5 | | | | | | |Red Hawkweed (_Hieracium rubrum_) | 5-6 | | | | | | |Meadow Goshmore (_Hypochæris | | | | pratensis_) | 6 | | | | | | |Red Base Hawkweed, (_Crepis rubra_) | 6-1/2 | | | | | | |White Water Lily (_Nymphæa alba_) | 7 | | | | | | |White Spiderwort (_Anthericum album_) | 7 | | | | | | |Tongue-leafed Mesembryanthemum | | | | (_M. linguiforme_) | 7-8 | | | | | | |Bearded Mesembryanthemum | | | | (_M. barbatum_) | 8 | | | | | | |Dandelion (_Leontodon Taraxacum_) | | 8-9 | | | | | |Yellow Goat’s Beard (_Tragopogon | | | | luteum_) | | 9 | | | | | |Field Marigold (_Calendula arvensis_) | 9 | | | | | | |Single-flowered Hawkweed (_Hieracium | | | | Pilosella_) | 9 | | | | | | |Red Pink (_Dianthus prolifer_) | 9 | | | | | | |Red Sandwort (_Arenaria rubra_) | 10 | | | | | | |Ice Plant (_Mesembryanthemum | | | | crystallinum_) | 10 | | | | | | |Common Base Hawkweed (_Crepis | | | | tectorum_) | ... | 11 | | | | | |Alpine Base Hawkweed (_Crepis | | | | alpina_) | ... | 11 | | | | | |Field Sowthistle (_Sonchus agrestis_) | ... | 12 | | | | | |Red Pink (_Dianthus prolifer_) | ... | 1 | | | | | |Red Base Hawkweed (_Crepis | | | | rubra_) | ... | 1 | | | | | |Bearded Mesembryanthemum | | | | (_M. barbatum_) | ... | 2 | | | | | |Single-flowered Hawkweed (_Hieracium | | | | Pilosella_) | ... | 2 | | | | | |Red Sandwort (_Arenaria rubra_) | ... | 3 | | | | | |Field Marigold (_Calendula arvensis_) | ... | 3 | | | | | |Tongue-leafed Mesembryanthemum | | | | (_M. linguiforme_) | ... | 3 | | | | | |Red Hawkweed (_Hieracium rubrum_) | ... | 4 | | | | | |Ice Plant (_Mesembryanthemum | | | | crystallinum_) | ... | 4 | | | | | |White Spiderwort (_Anthericum | | | | album_) | ... | 4 | | | | | |Meadow Goshmore (_Hypochæris | | | | pratensis_) | ... | 5 | | | | | |White Water Lily (_Nymphæa | | | | alba_) | ... | 6 | | | | | |Naked-stalked Poppy, (_Papaver | | | | nudicaule_) | ... | 7 | | | | | |Orange Day-lily, (_Hemeroeallis | | | | fulva_) | ... | 8 | +-------------------------------------------+--------+---------+
It is, of course, impossible to ensure the accurate going of such a dial, because the temperature, the dryness, and the dampness of the air, have a considerable influence on the opening and shutting of flowers.
THE END.