HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



19 



BOTANY. 



Goldilocks.— It may be worth noticing that on 

 December 12th, after some severe weather and 

 many nights of frost, I picked a flourishing stem of 

 Goldilocks (Ranunculus auricomus), with two full- 

 blown bright yellow blossoms upon it, which had 

 been growing in a hedgerow, under no peculiar 

 shelter. — C. W. Bingham, Binghams Meleombe, Dor- 

 chester. 



Loose-strife (p. 237).— "T. R." will find what 

 he wishes in Pliny (Hist. Nat., xxv. 35 and 

 xxvi. 83, 93), where it is said that oxen which will 

 not draw peacefully together in the same yoke, may 

 be rendered submissive by putting branches of this 

 plant on their back. It may be mentioned, however, 

 that Pliny speaks probably of Lythrum Sa Hear ia 

 (spiked purpled Loose-strife), the astringent pro- 

 perties of which are said to have been discovered 

 by a Greek physician called Lysimachos, so that 

 there might be another origin of this name. The 

 English Loose-strife, as well as the German Haderlos 

 (Kittel's "Flora"), belong both to a class of new- 

 made plant-names which appear to me altogether a 

 failure. They are no true vernacular names, though 

 in some cases they may acquire a certain degree of 

 popularity. When a boy, I knew Lysimachia vulgaris 

 as Gelber Weiderich (yellow willow-weed), Lythrum 

 Salicaria as Bother Weiderich (red willow-weed). 

 The two genera are not distinguished in the lan- 

 guage of the people, and names as Battel's Haderlos 

 would be to my Silesian countrymen as unintelligible 

 as if they were Chinese. Is not the English Loose- 

 strife in the same case ?— A. Ernst, Caracas, Vene- 

 zuela. 



The Myrtle.— Fable informs us that the Greeks 

 named this tree Muproe, from Myrsine, an Athenian 

 damsel, who, being overcome in wrestling and the 

 race by Pallas, died of envy ; but, being a favourite 

 of Minerva, she was metamorphosed into a myrtle- 

 tree, which the goddess held next in esteem to her 

 sacred olive ; but Poena says it was so named from 

 the fragrance of the berries and plant nearly 

 resembling the celebrated odour of myrrha, myrrh. 

 — Sylva Florifera. 



The Marygold.— The Tagetes appears to have 

 been introduced into this country as long back as the 

 year 1573, and we conclude that they were called 

 Erench Marygolds from our having first received 

 the seed from France. Gerard says the African Mary- 

 gold was first obtained " when Charles I., Emperour 

 of Pome, made a famous conquest of Tunis ; where- 

 upon it was called Flos Aphricanus, or Flos Tune- 

 tensis." But as these plants do not grow naturally 

 in Africa, we may conclude that they were first re- 

 ceived in Spain from South America, 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.— Flora 

 Ilistorica. 



Early Gardeners.— The monastic buildings 

 appear to have been almost the only dwellings to 

 which orchards and vineyards were attached pre- 

 viously to the reign of Henry YIII. But it was 

 under that monarch and Elizabeth that the most 

 valuable fruits were introduced into this country ; 

 for at that time, the desire of discovery pervading 

 England, many fruits, plants, and vegetables, 

 hitherto unknown, were brought hither from the 

 New World. So little does horticulture seem to 

 have advanced prior to that period, that Queen 

 Catherine was obliged to procure her salads from 

 Holland ; and, according to Fuller, green peas were 

 seldom seen, except from that country. " These," 

 says he, " were dainties for ladies, they came so far 

 and cost so dear." — Phillips, Fruits of Great 

 Britain. 



The Lotus. — A misprint may probably be de- 

 tected at p. 272, where, in lines 4, 5 of this article, 

 the word " antiquity " does duty for ambiguity. To 

 sum the matter up, whilst waiting for more light, 

 we have evidence of— 1. The Nelumbium speciosum, 

 a liliaceous, bean-producing plant, which was used 

 by the ancient Egyptians in various ways, though 

 not now found in that country. Herodotus de- 

 scribes it, and it has been specifically called the 

 Egyptian bean, used, it is said, for lustration to 

 Isis, the goddess of fecundity ; the bean fitly illus- 

 trating vegetable growth. This is a quasi-sacred 

 use. 2. Nympluea Lotus and N. ccerulea, the com- 

 mon white and blue lilies of the Nile ; still abundant 

 there, and freely represented in Egyptian interiors 

 as a favourite adjunct of all feasts and festivals, 

 and sacred to Nofre Atmoo. Here is evidence that 

 the Lotus, of various kinds, did really hold a semi- 

 sacred position, as generally supposed, although full 

 proof the exact species may still be wanting. I 

 now add that the lotus-flower appears in the hands 

 of seated figures, when feasting, iu later Assyrian 

 sculptures, just as in Egypt . {Vide Bawliuson's 

 " Ancient Monarchies," vol. ii. tig. 117, which the 

 reverend professor, at p. 109, styles " the lotus, or 

 sacred flower.") Without desiring to press inde- 

 corously upon C. V. W. or C. F. \V\ (qy.), I think 

 that he should withdraw one expression. He says, 

 "The 'lotus' was a 'sacred 5 flower among the 

 Egyptians, as an emblem of a certain god ; just, 

 may be, as the 'rose' is sacred among us." This 

 position is untenable, and the parallel altogether 

 fails. We have no god to whom the rose is sacred, 

 nor do we worship a " great goddess Britannia," in 

 the same sense that Nofre Atmoo was worshipped, 

 nor, indeed, in any sense but a jocular one, which 

 is no worship at all. — A. H. 



