100 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



yellow flowers, a native of Siberia, is a frequent 

 flower of the garden border. 



The aconites are regarded as a highly poi- 

 sonous tribe of plants, but no other species, not 

 even the purple monkshood, can be compared 

 for its virulence to an Indian kind, (Aconitum 

 ferox.) The root of this is the celebrated sub- 

 stance called hikli, or hisli, and is a poison of 

 the most deadly nature. The great yellow 

 aconite, {Aconitum lycoctomim,) which grows 

 wild on the Alps, and is very common in Lap- 

 land, is said by Linnaeus to be boiled and 

 eaten as greens in that country, but it cannot 

 be recommended. It grows in some districts of 

 Lapland, he tells us in his " Flora Lapponica," 

 as commonly as heath or ling. It is called by 

 the Laplanders giske, and not being eaten by 

 any kind of cattle, it thrives luxuriantly, and 

 increases in proportion as other herbs are 

 devoured. The wife of a clergyman of Lulea, 

 on whose accuracy the great botanist says he 

 could place the greatest dependence, assured 

 him that at a post-house where she dined, she 

 saw great quantities of this aconite collected and 

 brought to table cooked as greens. As she 

 knew the plant to be used as a poison to flies, 

 she expressed some surprise that it should be 

 eaten. The maid-servant of the house, how- 

 ever, laughed at her fears, and told her it was 

 too good to be slighted. 



Many very pretty species of stellaria, some 

 of them much like our common stitchwort, 

 adorn the garden beds at this season, and by 



