JUNE. 123 



gaiety now, for it is thickly covered with patches 

 of the bright yellow flowers of the stonecrop, 

 {Sedum,) which cluster both here and on the 

 cottage roof. The Latin name of the stonecrop is 

 derived from the word " sedere," to sit, because 

 many of the species may be said to sit on the 

 walls, clothing them like mosses. The yellow 

 biting stonecrop, (Sedum acre,) now in blos- 

 som, grows also on sandy hills, and is often 

 planted on rock work in gardens ; it is very 

 acrid, and when bitten, its juice leaves on the 

 tongue a flavour as pungent as that of pepper, 

 hence it is frequently called wall-pepper. It 

 has also the old familiar names of gold dust, 

 and gold chain. In former days, too, it was 

 known as jack of the buttery, country pepper, 

 pricket, and bird's bread. It is given in beer 

 or milk to invalids : if laid on the skin, it will 

 quickly raise a blister. 



We have eleven wild kinds of stonecrop, 

 which are, with one exception, very similar to 

 each other in nature and habit, though several 

 have red or white flowers. The plant com- 

 monly termed orpine, or livelong, {Sedum tele- 

 pJiium,) differs much from the other stonecrops ; 

 it has a spotted stem, and instead of the closely 

 imbricated foliage of the other stonecrops, has 

 broad leaves ; its pui-ple flowers appear in July, 

 on waste places, or field borders ; its leaves are 

 occasionally ])oilcd and eaten. One would won- 

 der at the taste of those who selected them for 

 this purpose, as even after boiling, they retain 

 a considerable portion of acridity and though 



