APEIL, 47 



ground. The larger kind, called Irish -whin, is 

 a very luxuriant plant for the garden or shrub- 

 bery. It has no sjjines, and is often eight feet 

 high. It must be propagated by cuttings, as 

 it has never been known to ripen its seeds. 

 The wild fiu'ze is common on our English 

 heaths, and Stephens saw it gromng in great 

 profusion in central America, on the ruins of 

 some of those interesting ancient cities, on 

 whose history books tlirow little hght, yet 

 whose origin and decay are deeply interesting 

 to the philosopher. 



In many gardens we now find m flower one 

 or two species of arum, as the purple and 

 Virginian arums. All kinds of this plant are 

 sutficiently like our Avild flower, called lords 

 and ladies, to be recognised without difficulty 

 as belonging to the same genus. They all 

 have a central column, called by botanists a 

 spadix, on which the flowers are found. The 

 roots of all, hke those of the wild ai'um, are 

 pungent and acrid ; but some of them are 

 milder, and, as well as the leaves, are nutritive, 

 when cooked. The celebrated yam of the 

 isles of the southern ocean is the root of one 

 of them. They are very abundant, and of 

 various species in hot climates, and are used 

 as common food by the natives of the West 

 Indies. One species cultivated in our gardens, 

 and growing wild in many parts of southern 

 Europe, is the common dragon flower (Arum 

 dracunculus) called by the French la ser~ 

 pentaire. It is a remarkable plant, and 



