22 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



blooms in April, and is a native of most parts 

 of the continent. A dye is obtained from this 

 plant which is litle inferior to indigo. The 

 small tufted coronals of flowers gave to this 

 genus of plants the name of coronilla. 



The daffodil is now nodding to the breeze, 

 and sending its strong scent on the air. The 

 old writers called it Lent lily, chaUce flower, 

 and daffy-down-dilly. Our gardens have a 

 great variety of this flower, as the Tradescant's 

 daffodil, which is the handsomest kind ; the 

 nonsuch ; the yellow incomparable, and many 

 others. They are all in blossom during this 

 month ; some of them remain through April, 

 and they all grow Avild in the fields of southern 

 Europe. Our old writers appear to have in- 

 cluded under the general name of daffodil, the 

 smaller jonquils, and indeed all the narcissus 

 tribe. Some of those which we call narcissus 

 are very pretty flowers of the early spring, but 

 the jonquils are most fragrant ; the latter were 

 sometimes called, in former times, by the name 

 of rush daffodil. The narcissus was much 

 esteemed by the ancients, and is still greatly 

 admired by the Asiatics, being fou.nd through- 

 out Syria, as far as India. The common name 

 of two of our species, Bazelman minor, and 

 major, is evidently of Eastern origin. The 

 polyanthus narcissus is much celebrated in the 

 east, as is also the poets' narcissus. The former 

 (Narcissus tazettd) derives its name from the 

 Italian tazza, a cup ; and is called in France 

 Le narcisse de Constantinople. Its scent is plea- 



