BRITISH PLANTS. 153 



liave long reaped garden honours ; although tliey have charmed royal 

 eyes, and been year after year crowned with green laurels, yet the 

 lowly and lovely virgin we introduce to the reader's notice, still dwells 

 unheeded in lier own wild rocky home, known only to tlie wild bee, 

 that wooes her for the nectar of her rosy lips, and to the little spider, 

 that on dewy mornings decks her with its delicately beautiful gossamer. 

 The flowers of tiie Maiden Pink are exceedingly beautiful ; but smaller 

 (as is the whole of tlie plant) than tliose of the florist's Pink. How- 

 ever its size miglit be increased by cultivation, and would undoubtedly 

 be so, were attention paid to it. JD. ccesius is likewise worthy of the 

 florist's attention ; but it is much rarer than D. deltoides, and some 

 difficulty will be experienced in getting plants. We do not recom- 

 mend D. armeria nor D. prolifer for garden culture, although botli are 

 beautiful. 



PlYrERicuM HUMIF0SUM, or Trailing St. Johns Wort. 



" Hypericum all bloom, so thick a swarm 

 Of flowers, like flies, clothing its slender rods 

 That scarce a leaf appears !'' 



IT. calycinum is often cultivated in slirubberies for the sake of its 

 profusion of flowers ; but v>e have not seen any other species under cul- 

 tivation. The species to which we here draw attention (H. humi- 

 fusum), is a lov/ trailing plant, and very beautiful ; exceedingly well 

 fitted for a herbaceous border. We iiave most frequently foiujd it in 

 its wild state, in pastures, &c., and it is probable that it will grow with- 

 out difficulty in the garden. It should have a rather damp soil, and 

 not much sun ; at least until it be thoroughly established in the garden, 

 and its likings better known than we can as yet know them. It may 

 be liere useful to remark that wild plants of all kinds, natives of tiiis 

 country, ought to be planted in a rather moist and shady situation at 

 first, whatever be their natures ; as such a situation is favourable to 

 plants gaining strength, and it is likewise generally safer to err by 

 giving native plants too much shade and moisture, tlian to err in oi^'. 

 ing them too much sunshine and drought ; the latter is likely to cut off 

 most plants altogether, while the former can injure them only very 

 immaterially. 



IIvpERicuM ruLCHRUM, or Small upright St. John^s Wort, is a 

 beautiful neat little plant, and in regard to habit is all that could be 

 desired of any plant, as indeed are some other species of the genus. 

 Tlie plant generally grows about a foot, or a little more, high ; the 

 stem and branches are slender, very rigid, and quite erect ; the flowers 

 form a loose pinnacle on the top ; they are of a bright yellow colour, 

 and the anthers, or male organs, inside the flower, are red ; and this 

 mixture of yellow and red makes the plant look very showy and beau- 

 tiful. Before the flowers expand they are tipped with red on tlie out- 

 side of the petals. It is a perennial, and is frequent in dry woods and 

 Iieaths, &c. It flowers in July, and may then be removed to the 

 garden, retaining all tiie soil possible. A somewhat dry soil and shady 

 situation are probably best for this species. 



IIypkkicum perforatum, or Common perforated St John's Wort. 

 Tliis plant, which has been designated " Balm of the AYarrior's wound," 

 in allu.sion to its healing properties, is generally taller than the pre- 

 ^^eding species, and it is not less showy on that account. It grows in 



