38 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



And now the garden bower is covered not 

 only with numerous sprays of green leaves, 

 but odours from the sweet-scented clematis 

 invite us to linger near it, though as yet the 

 sun is scarcely so warm as to make the shade 

 valuable. The commonest and most fragrant 

 garden species, is that called the sweet-scented 

 virgin's bower, (Clemcdis flmnnuila,) which is 

 very similar in the appearance of its flowers to 

 the wild traveller's joy of our woods. This 

 plant is remarkably acrid in its nature, and 

 indeed some portion of acridity exists in every 

 species of the genus. Millar says of this, that 

 if a leaf be gathered on a hot day, and after 

 being bruised, be put to the nostrils, it has the 

 scent of a flame, and will produce in the per- 

 son who smells it the sensation of having been 

 scorched. The bruised leaves applied to the 

 skin, will also raise a blister on its surface. 

 The large-flowered species, {Clematis florida,) 

 with white flowers, is commonly admired ; and 

 the more hardy clematis aziirea, with beautiful 

 violet blue flowers, though well fitted to bear 

 the open air, is still often found ornamenting 

 the conservatory. Some of the common spe- 

 cies are of a dark dull purple ; others bright 

 blue, or white ; while the evergreen virgin's 

 bower, {Clematis cirrJiosa,) which is a native of 

 Spain, has green flowers, which bloom very 

 early in the year, and a few have yellow blos- 

 soms. The common Japan corchorus, {Kerria 

 Japonica,) which is still very generally called 

 by gardeners corchorus Japonicus, is a good 



