24 CRASSULACE^ 



si)ecies of this genus, and has a very succulent stem, terminating, in July 

 and August, with clusters of handsome purple flowers. The stem is often 

 two feet high, and spotted ; and the thick leaves at the upper part are in 

 one variety rounded at the base, but in another all the leaves become narrow 

 towards the stem. The Orpine is a generally dispersed plant, but not very 

 abundant, occurring in field-borders, hedges, and bushy places. Its properties 

 are slightly astringent, and the plant is boiled with milk and used medicinally. 

 It is also sometimes pickled like samphire, but is very inferior to that 

 vegetable. 



The name of Livelong well denotes a peculiarity of this plant, which 

 Spenser describes as — 



"Cool Orpine growing still," 



for it not only continues fresh long after it is gathered, but if hung up in a 

 room will continue to grow for some weeks as well as when in the earth. It 

 seems to have been a very favourite flower of our ancestors, and Ave find it 

 in the list of almost all accounts of such processions and floral ceremonies as 

 occurred when it was in season. It was one which was named in all the 

 accounts given of the practices of Midsummer Eve, and it has the old name 

 of Midsummer-men. Lyte, in his translation of Dodoens' "Herbal," says 

 of the "Orpyne": "The people of the countrey delight much to set it in 

 pots and shelles on Midsummer-even, or upon timber, slattes, or trenchers, 

 daubed with clay, and so to set or hang it up in their houses, where as it 

 remaineth greene a long season, and groweth if it be sometimes oversprinkled 

 with Avater. It floureth most times in August." Many foolish and super- 

 stitious practices were connected with it, for it was a kind of love-charm ; 

 and they appear to have been sometimes used even in later days, for Hannah 

 More relates of a young country girl, that she would never go to bed on 

 Midsummer Eve without putting up in her room a piece of the plant called 

 Midsummer-men, as the bending the leaves to the right or to the left 

 would indicate the constancy or faithlessness of the object of her thoughts. 



Sir Henry Ellis mentions that " A small gold ring was some years since 

 found by the Rev. Dr. Bacon, of Wakefield, in a ploughed field near Cawood, 

 in Yorkshire, which had for its device two Orpine plants joined in a true-love- 

 knot, with this motto above, ' Ma fiance velt ' — that is, ' My betrothed wills, 

 or is desirous.' The stalks of the plant inclined towards each other, inti- 

 mating that those to whom it belonged expected to be united in marriage. 

 The motto uiider the ring was, 'Joye V amour feu.'" The Society of 

 Antiquaries, to whom it was exhibited, judged from the form of the letters 

 that it Avas a ring of the fifteenth century. 



2. Rose-root Stonecrop {S. rhodiola). — Leaves oblong, flat, smooth 

 and toothed ; flowers having stamens and pistils on different plants. Plant 

 perennial. This Rose-root Stonecrop, Avhich much resembles the Orpine, 

 formerly constituted the genus called Ilhodiola. It is a succulent broad- 

 leaved plant, stouter than the Orpine, but with its stem shorter, and rarely 

 more than a foot in height. Its flowers expand in June, and are of yellow 

 or purplish colour. The root-stock is long, thick and knotted, and has, Avhen 

 dried, a SAveet odour, resembling that of the rose. The plant is abundant 



