JIAIIVEL or PERI". 213 



Sons le voile niysterieiix 



De la craiiitive modt'stie, 

 Tu veux echapper a iios yeiix, 



Et til n'ou es que pins jolie. 

 On clierche, on aime h dccouvrir 



Le (lonx tresor que tu rtcCles ; 

 Ah ! pour encor les embellir, 



Donne ton secret a nos belles. 



In emblematical language this flower is made 

 the symbol of timidity. 



The generic name of Mirahilis was given to this 

 plant from the wonderful diversity of colours in 

 the flowers. This beautiful plant was originally 

 brought into Spain from Peru, where it was called 

 Hacked, and for some short time it retained the 

 name of Hacfial Ind'i. It was first named Mira- 

 hilia Peruviana by Carolas Clusius, and we may 

 therefore naturally conclude that it was first intro- 

 duced into Europe from the middle to the end of 

 the sixteenth century, that being the period of his 

 botanical labours. From the form of the flowers 

 being somewhat similar to those of the Jasmine, 

 several old writers named it Jasminum Mexicanum, 



It was first cultivated in this country in the time 

 of Gerard, who tells us, in his work of 1597, that 

 he had then planted it many years in his garden, 

 and that in temperate years he had procured ripe 

 seed. He writes at considerable length on the 

 beauty of the flowers, and says, it ought to be 



u 2 



