2 M. Morren on the Spur-shaped Nectaries 



which he gives it calls to mind the comparison already men- 

 tioned, of the beak and talons of an eagle; but since that time 

 that of Columbine prevailed in England and in Holland, where 

 they were fonder of likening the spurred petal of this flower 

 to the stately neck of a pigeon. When one of these flowers 

 is turned upside-down, says an English author *, we might 

 fancy we saw a group of young eagles, or, if we like better, a 

 ilest of pigeons. It is evident that these spur-shaped necta- 

 ries had considerable influence on the mind of Dodoens, since 

 on their account he places his Akeleyen ^ancolies^ columbines,) 

 between the Cypripedium Calceolus, a monocotyledon ous 

 plant, and his Orant or Antirrhinum majus, — an alUance 

 which would not at all square with our present ideas of classi- 

 fication by families. By a singular chance, the Cypripedium, 

 which in our mythological language we call the Venues foot, 

 was at - that period of religious struggles called Our Lady''s 

 shoe {Calceolus Maria), and the Columbine was named in its 

 turn the Virgin's glove : thus we see that shoes and gloves 

 shook hands in our Lady's toilet. 



Chief ornament of the gardens of the middle ages, and even 

 of those of the sixteenth century, the Aquilegia, carefully and 

 almost universally cultivated, produced those varieties which 

 modern botanists have pointed out in this species. Joost van 

 Ravelingen, the commentator of Dodoens, and L'Obelf, men- 

 tion the varieties in colour and those of form to be met with 

 in their time : blue, red, flesh-coloured, blue and white, white 

 and variegated. The garden of a gentleman of Leyden, Jean 

 van Hogelande, produced an Aquilegia plenoflore roseo, ^^ hirh 

 Clusius described and illustrated. The same botanist had also 

 recorded a variety truly monstrous [Aquilegia degener), in 

 that the petals, being reduced to their primitive type of leaves, 

 had remained green ; only Van Ravelingen did not think that 

 such monstrosities were worth the pains of describing. No^\- 

 a-days we should be eager to do it, and not without reason ; 

 for the organography of such a flower is very interesting to 

 know, in relation to the subject which will occupy us further 

 on. 



The varieties of structure known under the name of Aqui- 

 legia vulgaris corniculata, in which Biria % and DeCandoUe § 

 discovered that the cornets are deviations of the anther, 



* Burnett's Outlines of Botany, p. 840. 



t Generally written Lobel ; but the true name of the author of the Stir- 

 pium Historia was Matthias De L*Obel, as appears from his lettei-s and tiie 

 portrait engraved during his life-time. 



J Biria. Monographie des Renonculacees. Montpellier, 1811. 



§ DeCandolle. Organographie, torn. i. p. 496. 



