JUNE. 131 



flowers received their Latin name from their 

 resemblance to the imaginary dolphin, -which, 

 with griffins and other strange animals, figure 

 in heraldic inscriptions. It was formerly called 

 also lark's heel or lark's foot. It is probably 

 from the sceptre-like appearance of the double 

 flower, that the Italians call it (Fio)' regio) 

 king's flower. It is an old inhabitant of the 

 British garden, and is mentioned by the herb- 

 alists of queen Elizabeth's time. 



Far more beautiful than the common species, 

 are the handsome Siberian larkspurs, with tall 

 stems, dark green leaves, and deep blue flowers ; 

 which, as Mrs. Loudon observes, seem to have 

 a metallic lustre, the hue of which resembles 

 that of silver that has been tarnished by fire. 

 These, both in then- single and double varieties, 

 are now in bloom. The bee hirkspur {Delphi- 

 nium intermedium) is also a flower of great 

 beauty, with blossoms of intense blue, and pe- 

 tals so curiously folded, that they present the 

 ajipearance of a bee or blue-bottle fly. 



Another of the Californian annuals, which, 

 like the cscholtzia, has of late years become 

 very common in gardens, is the clarkia, with 

 rose-coloured, white, or lilac flowers, of a very 

 singular shape : and the diflerent kinds of 

 cistus are now very handsome and frequent 

 plants. There is the frail gum cistus, {Cistus 

 ladaniferus,) smiling for a day, Avith its white 

 petals, each ornamented with a dark crimson 

 spot at the centre, l^oth this and the many- 

 flowered gum cistus, {Cislus Icdon,) furnish the 



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