DODECA'THEON MEAD'IA. 



AMERICAN COWSLIP. 

 Class. Order. 



PENTANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 



Natural Order. 



PBIMULACEjE. 



No. 25. 



Dodecatheon is formed of two Greek words, sig- 

 nifying twelve gods. Meadia was the only name 

 this plant first received, and it was given to it by 

 Catesby, in honour of Dr. Mead, an English phy- 

 sician of considerable eminence. It is not quite ob- 

 vious why Linneus rejected Meadia, and adopted 

 Dodecatheon, as a generic term ; a name applied by 

 Pliny, it is supposed, to our English cowslip. Mea- 

 dia, as it stood named by Catesby, must be consi- 

 dered as reasonable an appellation, since Dr. Mead 

 appears to have been a man fully worthy of the 

 honour at first done him. 



Very few plants excite more general interest than 

 is produced by the Dodecatheon Meadia. It is one 

 of those attractive flowers that will bear the most 

 scrutinous examination, and still leave us the more 

 in admiration of its beauties. 



The grains of the farina or dust of this flower, 

 when inspected with the assistance of a compound 

 microscope, will be found to be peculiarly beautiful. 

 They are distinctly organized minute pearls. So 

 minute, that one square inch will contain of them 

 upwards of three millions ; and as squares cannot 



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