HEXANDRIA. 133 



Squill, Asparagus, Hyacinth, Solomon's Seal, and Crown Im- 

 perial. It contains most of the conspicuous plants of the 

 class, and more than twice the number of all the other Orders 

 combined. 



GENUS Narcissus. Name from the Greek, narke, signify - 

 ing stupor, because some of the species of this tribe are poi- 

 sonous. For this reason, Narcissus was dedicated to the 

 Furies, who, by its means, (it is said) stupified their victims. 

 This is a very large genus, and contains several beautiful and 

 favorite flowers. They are perennial plants, with bulbous 

 roots. They grow from three to twelve inches high, and 

 bear chiefly yellow and white flowers. The Jonquil is one 

 of this genus, and the Daffodil another. The first is a very 

 popular flower, and some of its varieties are remarkably beau- 

 tiful and very fragrant. The Daffodil is well known as one 

 of our earliest spring flowers. It is a native of England. 



GENUS Musa. The Plantain Tree. The generic name, 

 according to Linnaeus, is from Antonius Musa, a Roman, and 

 the freed man of Augustus. This splendid genus consists of 

 species, which have perennial, roundish, solid, watery bulbs, 

 with biennial, and sometimes longer enduring stems. The 

 stems are round, thick, smooth, and simple, and from five to 

 twenty-five feet in height. The leaves are oblong, and from 

 three to ten feet in length, andiearly two feet wide. The 

 flowers are generally white, and in large terminal racemes. 

 The fruit of the common Plantain, (Musa paradisiaca), is 

 borne in spikes, which sometimes weigh forty pounds each. 

 It is at first green, but when fully ripe becomes pale yellow. 

 Each fruit or piece of which the spikes or clusters are com- 

 posed, is about eight or nine inches long, a little curved, and 

 an inch or more in diameter. The Banana tree, (Musa sa- 

 pientwn,) is a species of this genus, or perhaps only a variety 

 of the common Plantain. There is little difference in the 

 appearance of the tree, or taste of the fruit. 



These trees are natives of warm climates, and are con- 

 sidered by many who cultivate them as among the greatest 

 of earthly blessings. In a plantation of these trees, one o* 

 another of them will bear fruit most of the year. It is eaten 

 boiled, roasted, fried, or dried, and preserved as a sweet- 

 meat. Poor families are said to subsist entirely on this fruit, 

 with a little fish or salt meat, for seasoning. 



Whence does the name Narcissus come ? What is said of the plan- 

 tain and banana ? 



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