286 FLORA HISTORICA. 



Gerard, st I receiued seede, by the liberalitie of the 

 Rio-ht Honourable the Lord Edward Zouche, at 

 his return into England from those partes, with 

 many other rare seedes which do flourish in my 

 garden." This was purple umbellata, which Ge- 

 rard calls Candie Mustard, Thlaspi Candle. The 

 tufts of these white flowers, which blossom in win- 

 ter, have the appearance of being candied over by 

 -white frost ; and hence probably its name, as we 

 find one of our early descriptive poets makes the 

 observation — 



Since when those frosts that winter brings, 



Which candy every green, 

 Renew us like the teeming spring, 



And we thus fresh are seen. 



Drayton. 



The French distinguish this plant by the name 

 of Ibe'ride, Thlaspie, and Taraspie, and they have 

 ingeniously enough made one of the species the 

 emblem of architecture, because its flowers are dis- 

 posed in stories from the bottom of the stalk to the 

 top, which is thought to produce a resemblance to 

 the pretty open columns of one of the most delicate 

 orders of architecture. 



The broad-leaved evergreen Candy-tuft, Iberis 

 semper florens, is a native of Persia and Sicily : it 

 was brought to this country in the year 1679, and 

 cultivated in the Botanical Garden at Oxford in 

 the following year. 



