48 MURAL PLANTS. [February, 



plants^ mostly such as grow on walls and roofs. The following 

 plants may be found frequently growing there; many of our 

 forest trees and shrubs have the temerity to come to reside on 

 the walls in abject misery for life, such as Acer Pseudo-Pla- 

 tanus, Fraxinus excelsior, Pinus sylvestris, Betula alba, Taxus 

 baccata, Sambucus nigra, Salix caprea, Rubus idcBus, Solanum 

 Dulcamara. Salix caprea is now growing on a brick wall, about 

 ten feet in height, and has been growing there nearly fifty years, 

 a small, miserable, stunted bush. There has been no visible differ- 

 ence in its appearance for about thirty years ; yet it bears fruit, 

 which falls to the earth, and there vegetates plentifully. And 

 on the same wall, a small plant of Rubus idaeus grew for about 

 forty years, at last died ; and a plant of Solanum Dulcamara, 

 which is still in a flourishing state, I have observed growing on 

 a brick wall, about twenty years, a plant which rather prefers 

 shade and moisture. Nature, ever procreative, dislikes a void ; 

 she scatters abroad, by various agencies, her redundancy of seeds, 

 by birds, by winds, by frost, another powerful agent, which lends 

 its assistance to open clefts and crevices in our walls to raise our 

 mural Flora. 



A mural Flora would be a desideratum for our citizens, who 

 have but little opportunity of enjoying the sestival beauty of the 

 country. The walls may be so constructed as to favour the 

 growth of many of our native plants, and some exotics also. Al- 

 though they may be a little begrimed by the fuliginous atmo- 

 sphere of such places, yet it would afford much gratification and 

 amusement. Some such plants may be chosen as suitable. 

 Verbascum Thapsus and Verbascum Lychnitis, — splendid floral 

 minarets, amply bestudded with gold and silver gems, splendid 

 objects when majestically seated on their mural throne, where 

 they often grow to the height of three or four feet, with scarcely 

 any visible support, except a few very small roots wedged closely 

 in the crevices between the bricks, yet brave the storm and seem 

 not to suffer from weather vicissitudes. Another constant deni- 

 zen of the wall is Antirrhinum niajus. These make a splendid 

 appearance when marshalled on the ramparts, bedizened in their 

 flaming helmets. Antirrhinum Cymbalaria spreads its reticulated 

 drapery, bestudded with little purple gems, and everywhere adorns 

 the wall. None have a greater claim to our regard than our 

 cheering Cheiranthus Cheiri, so abundant on our walls, arrayed 



