I 26 CASSANDRA CAL I CULATA. LEATHER-LEAF | CASSANDRA. 



in European works ; but it will be seen by the description we 

 have adopted at the head of our chapter from Chapman, that 

 American botanists regard the two as one. 



Cassandra differs from the true Andromedas, particularly in 

 the stigmas and in the anther-cells. These cells are elongated 

 in Cassandra, but are short in Andromeda, which latter also 

 has a truncated stigma, while the stigma of Cassandra is ring- 

 like, with a five-tubercled disk. There are other differences; 

 and a very striking one is the absence of small bractlets under 

 the regular, five-cleft calyx in Andromeda, while there are con- 

 stantly two under the calyx of Cassandra. 



As the early history of Cassandra is connected with Andro- 

 meda, we may as well stop here to say a few words about the 

 latter name. Andromeda, as Grecian mythology informs us, 

 was the daughter of King Cepheus, of Ethiopia. Being proud 

 of her beauty, she boasted that she was handsomer than even 

 the Nereids, whereat these envious damsels became so enraged 

 that they petitioned Neptune to avenge their wounded feelings. 

 The god accordingly not only devastated the realms of Cepheus 

 by inundations, but also sent a terrible sea-monster, which 

 devoured men and beasts indiscriminately. The oracle of 

 Ammon having announced that these plagues would not cease 

 until the offender had been thrown to the monster, the people 

 compelled their king to chain his daughter to a rock on the sea- 

 coast. In this situation Perseus, who had just cut off the head 

 of the Medusa, found Andromeda, and of course delivered and 

 afterwards married her. 



The great Swedish naturalist, Linnaeus, came across a plant, 

 in the wilds of Lapland, growing under circumstances which 

 suggested this ancient story to his mind, and he accordingly 

 named it Andromeda polifolia. Anything connected with Lin- 

 naeus always pleases those who love wild flowers ; and in this 

 anecdote, especially, we seem to be made a sharer of his own 

 thoughts, and are given an insight into his deeper nature which 

 few other anecdotes afford. It shows him as a man of fine, 



