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VL THE SPECIES AND VAKIETIES OF IVY. 



Flower in the crannied wall, 



I pluck you out of the crannies ; 



Hold you here, root and all, in my hand. 



Little flower but if I could understand 



What you are, root and all, and all in all, 



I should know what God and man is." 



TENNYSON. 



EDERA HELIX represents an interesting 

 genus of plants allied to the Aralia of China, 

 and the Adoxa of the British, flora. The 

 generic name is said to be derived from 

 the Celtic, and to express the climbing 

 character of the plant. The French call it 

 Lierre ; the Germans, Epheu ; the Dutch, 

 Eli mop; the Italians, Edera ; the Spa- 

 niards, Hiedra ; the Russians, Bljustsch. 

 In the natural system the genus Hedera is 

 placed in the order AHALIACE^, an order 

 consisting for the most part of handsome 

 trees and shrubs. 



The characters of the order are leaves 

 usually alternate, calyx adherent to the 

 corolla, corolla five to ten petals, stamens 

 equal in number to the petals, inserted with 



them in the ovary ; ovary inferior, fruit a berry. Between Hedera and Aralia 

 there are many points of obvious resemblance, especially in the details of fructifi- 

 cation, the umbels of Aralia racemosa, for example, being so much like those of 

 the common ivy as to indicate their relationships to the most casual observer. 

 Equally easy of determination is the close relationship of Araliacece to Umbelliferece, 

 for the flowers in both families are produced in umbels, and in fact the only definite 



