84 WILD FLOWEBS. 



crystals, partly in form of needles, and partly 

 cubical ; and that the needle crystals were found 

 to be perfect nitre, and the cubical ones sea salt. 

 If a dried piece of this plant be held in a flame, 

 it emits, while burning, a kind of coruscation, 

 accompanied by a slight detonation. This is 

 caused by the nitre which it contains, and 

 which renders it suitable for match-paper, of 

 which it is sometimes an ingredient. We see 

 something of those small sparks in burning the 

 dried stalks of lavender ; and one of our wild 

 reed plants, — the great bur cat's tail, {Typha 

 latifolid) — will produce a flash of light if a 

 candle be held near it. 



The borage grows round about Aleppo in 

 such profusion as to attract the attention of 

 travellers ; and its flowers are, in the east, 

 larger and of a deeper blue than ours. This 

 plant was once thought to strengthen the frame, 

 and give courage and spirit to those who partook 

 of it. The old English bowl, called a cool tank- 

 ard, and made of cider, lemon-juice, and water, 

 was considered to derive its refreshing powers 

 from the borage-blossoms which were steeped 

 in it ; and as may easily be ascertained, they 

 certainly possess the power of imparting cool- 

 ness to liquid. Any part of the plant will also 

 give its peculiar flavour to water in which it is 

 placed ; though few, perhaps, would relish its 

 strong taste. The leaves are very rough, but, 

 when young, are sometimes eaten as salads ; and 

 were once highly esteemed as improving the 

 flavour of cresses and chervil. Indeed the 



