316 FLORA HISTORICA. 



reign of Queen Elizabeth, as Gerard has figured 

 it in his Herbal. Parkinson also gives an engrav- 

 ing of this plant, in his work of 1629? under the 

 title of " Leucoium Marinum Syriacum, Levant 

 Stock Gilliflower ;" yet it remains rather a rare 

 than a common plant with us, principally, we 

 presume, from the little figure which its flowers 

 make either in the open garden or in the green- 

 house, for the petals, which are small, curl back- 

 wards, and are of a dingy liver-colour, rather than 

 a purple. The foliage is much less than that of 

 the common Stock, but of the same downy nature, 

 and bluish-green colour ; and as fresh leaves come 

 out the lower ones wither, and change to a sandy 

 colour, but they do not drop off, which gives the 

 plant a sickly and unsightly appearance. It is also 

 a very slow-growing plant, which is another cause 

 of its being so neglected by the market florists, that 

 not one in twenty of the cultivators of flowers for the 

 London market grow it. They acknowledge, that 

 were the plant sufficiently known to be properly 

 estimated, there would soon be a demand that 

 would induce them to attend to its propagation. 

 "We have found a single plant sufficient to perfume 

 a moderate-sized room, even when it has not had 

 more than four or five flowers expanded. It is 

 perfectly hardy, and may be kept in flower the 

 greater part of the year. It will stand in the open 



