HABITS AND LATIN NAMES OF BRITISH PLANTS. 373 



the Bobartian Herbarium, in the Library of the Oxford Botanic Garden. The 

 roots are sometimes attacked by a minute Fungus, Peziza tuberosa, which is 

 very destructive to them. By garden culture the stamens become transformed 

 into supernumerary petals, and thus it attracts the admiration of the florists more 

 than when in its natural shades it merely affects the " simplex munditiis." As 

 the Wood Anemone is one of our early spring plants, I cannot help extracting 

 the following lines from Dr. Withering on this subject : — " The love of flowers 

 seems a naturally-implanted passion, without any alloy ; but, perhaps, it is the 

 early flowers of spring that always bring with them the greatest degree of pleasure, 

 and our affections seem immediately to expand at the sight of the first opening 

 blossom, however humble its race may be. It is not intrinsic beauty, or splendour, 

 that so charms us, for the fair maids of spring cannot compete with the grander 

 matrons of the advanced year ; they would be unheeded, perhaps lost, in the 

 rosy bowers of summer and of autumn ; no, it is our first meeting with a long- 

 lost friend, the reviving glow of a natural affection, that so warms us at this 

 season : to maturity they give pleasure as a harbinger of the renewal of life, 

 a signal of awakening Nature, or of a higher promise : to youth, they are expand- 

 ing being, opening years, hilarity, and joy. With summer flowers we seem to 

 live as with our neighbours, in harmony and good- will; but spring flowers 

 are cherished as private friendships." Though the most splendid varieties of 

 Anemonies or Wind-flowers are derived from exotic species, which beautifully 

 enamel the meadows of Greece, our native ornament of the lonely thicket cannot 

 fail to engage a due degree of admiration — 



• Where thickly strewed in woodland bowers 

 Anemonies their stars unfold." 



Anemone pulsatilla, Pasque-flower Anemone. — Gerarde expressly informs 

 us that he himself was " moved to name" this the Pasque-flower, or Easter-flower, 

 because of the time "of its appearance. There is, therefore, no occasion to seek 

 an explanation of this name in the reported use of the flowers for colouring the 

 Paschal eggs of the Catholics, or the Scotch ; especially as the flowers are said to 

 yield a green, not a purple dye. The root is sweet according to Haller, though 

 the herb itself is highly acrid, and blisters the skin. Goats and Sheep eat it. 

 Horses, Cows, and Swine refuse it. It is sometimes. admitted into gardens, the 

 flowers being very handsome, purple, and externally silky. 



Anemone Apennina, Blue Mountain Anemone. — This is at least as worthy of 

 the florist's attention as some other species. Its elegant bright blue flowers would 

 prove ornamental to the shrubbery. 



Angelica. — Named Angelic front* its cordial and medicinal properties. 



Angelica Archangelica, Garden Angelica, Candied Angelica. — A well-known 



vet. in. — NO. XXII. 3 D 



