270 THE WONDERS OF VEGETATION. 



ported," he says, " that in the Euphrates the iiowei 

 of the lotus plunges into the water at night, remain 

 ing there till midnight, and to such a depth that it 

 cannot be reached with the hand. After midnight it 

 begins gradually to rise, and as the sun rises above the 

 horizon, the flower also rises above the water, ex- 

 pands, and raises itself some distance above the ele- 

 ment in which it grows." According to some writers, 

 this circumstance is the origin of the worship by the 

 Egyptians of the nymphsea lotus, which they consid- 

 ered sacred to the sun. Its flowers and fruit are often 

 to be seen engraven on Egyptian and Indian monu- 

 ments. The flower ornaments the head of Osiris; 

 Horns, or the sun, is likewise represented seated on 

 the flower of the lotus. Hancarville has proved it, 

 that they considered this flower an emblem of the 

 world as it rose from the waters of the deep. 



In speaking of the floral clock, it may not be out 

 of place to give the calendar in which each month is 

 represented by its favorite flower. 



January, Black Hellebore. 



February, Daphne. 



March, Alpine Soldaneila. 



April, Wild Tulip. 



May, Dropwort. 



June, Red Poppy, 



July, Centaury. 



August, Scabiosa. 



September, Alpine Cyclamen. 



October, Chinese Hypericum. 



November, Ximenisia. 



December, Cluster Lopezia. 



