88 THE HUMAN SIDE OF PLANTS 



fusion swinging from the boughs of pine-trees 

 forty to fifty feet in the air. 



Perhaps the greatest charm of the yellow jessa- 

 mine is not its athletic prowess as a climber, nor 

 the beauty of its golden flowers, but its marvellous 

 perfume! 



"The perfume from the blossom's cell, 

 On every zephyr stealing." 



Yet it is a plant of many notions and moods, 

 and as a result it is often found entirely devoid of 

 perfume. A strange trait indeed, for a plant famed 

 for its delightful fragrance! 



An interesting error has arisen regarding the 

 name of this climber. While it is commonly known 

 in the South as "jasmine," it is not botanically re- 

 lated to the genus Jasminum, or the true jasmines. 

 "Jasminum" probably came from the Arabic name 

 of the plant, "jasmin." 



But, whatever the origin of its name, the yellow 

 jessamine is enthroned forever in the minds of 

 those who have been fortunate enough to see it in 

 all its glory of golden perfumed blossoms joyously 

 proclaiming to the world, "Spring has come!" 



The plant which climbs eternally, always strain- 

 ing toward the light, shows in its glossy leaves or 

 its gorgeous blossoms and in its long natural term 



