326 FLORA HISTORICA. 



THROAT-WORT. Trachelium. 



l^aXuraX Order Campanacea. Campanulacea, Juss: a 

 Genus of the Pentandria Monogynia Class. 



That a plant of such a graceful elegance as the 

 TracheUum Ccerideum, whose aerial umbels are so 

 beautifully loaded with its pretty tubular flowers, . 

 that seem dyed with the finest tint of its native 

 Italian sky, should not have had its praises sung 

 either by the classic poets of old or nature's 

 bards of later days, has induced us to make it 

 the emblem of neglected beauty. 



" Nature permits her various gifts to fall 

 On various climes, nor smiles alike on all ; 

 Tlie Latian vales eternal verdure wear. 

 And flow'rs spontaneous crown the smiling year." 



Fenton. 



In vain we have turned over the leaves of the 

 Latin authors with a hope of finding that this 

 Italian plant had been made sacred to some fair 

 goddess, or that it had formerly beautified the 

 brow of the Graces themselves. iEsculapius 

 seems also to have so completely overlooked this 



