114 GARDEN FLOWERS. 



alhis) are natives of Germany. The root is 

 used in medicine, and contains a powerful 

 opiate. They are hardy perennial plants, and 

 will thrive in almost any situation, or on any 

 soil. 



Sixty years since, the lovely tribe of fuchsias 

 were unknown in Great Britain, and now they 

 hang their crimson bells in our gardens, or 

 bloom among the flowers which deck the win- 

 dow-sill, smihng even in the dim atmosphere 

 of London, but looking greener and gayer in 

 the little garden-pot of the country cottage 

 parlour. We have now several species, and 

 many others will probably yet be brought from 

 the wild places of Peru and Chili. The most 

 interesting as well as the earliest introduced, is 

 the scarlet fixchsia, (Fuchsia coccinea) which is 

 wild in Chili, and was brought into this country 

 and presented to the royal garden at IJew, in 

 1788 ; the remaining species of the genus not hav- 

 ing been introduced before 1823. This fuchsia 

 was long considered a very delicate plant, and 

 was kept in the greenhouse, and known only to 

 the rich ; but it is found to be so hardy as to 

 be now also the poor man's flower. The richly 

 coloured tints of its crimson calyx, and the 

 purple corolla within, rolled up like a ribbon, 

 enable the scarlet fuchsia to vie in beauty even 

 with the brighter scarlet of the splendid fuchsia 

 {Fuchsia fnlgens) and others recently imported ; 

 while it is far superior in beauty to the pale flesh- 

 coloured and green varieties, now cherished by 

 the curious. The slender fuchsia, (Fuchsia 



