JUNE. 135 



which will thrive only in a greenhouse, is a 

 native of Panama. 



The white and yellow prickly poppies are 

 now blowing freely. They are fit only for a 

 large garden bed, for their showy flowers and 

 spreading foliage occupy much room. The 

 yellow Mexican poppy {Argemone Mexicand) is 

 a most annoying weed in the West Indies, 

 springing up in the plantation, and attaining a 

 luxuriance of growth which it requires constant 

 care to check. Its fruit is something like a 

 fig, closely beset with prickles. It abounds in 

 a thick white juice, and contains seeds which 

 are said to be even more powerfully narcotic 

 than opium. The thick juice, when exposed to 

 the air, becomes hard and yellow, and can 

 scarcely be distingiTished from gamboge. 



Besides the common fox-glove, we have 

 some other handsome species on the garden 

 bed. The yellow fox-glove {Digitalis amhigud) 

 grows wild on the hills of Switzerland, and is 

 less general than the smaller yellow species, 

 {Digitalis lutea,) which is as common in the 

 woods of France and Germany, as is oiur purple 

 species with us. Then we have the iron fox- 

 glove, {Digitalis ferruginea,) which has short 

 globular bells of rust colour, and is common in 

 the countries at the south-east of Eiirope, and 

 also in many parts of Asia. 



The handsome ^ladeira fox-glove {Digitalis 

 sceptrum) requires to be kept in the greenhouse 

 during winter. It grows wild in the woods of 

 Madeira, and when cultivated by florists in the 



