CELANDINE. 98 



of the leaves, and follow each other in such quick succession 

 and abundance almost all the summer, as to make it a va- 

 luable plant. It begins to flower in June. It is a perennial 

 flower. The whole plant abounds with a poisonous juice, 

 which is said to occasion madness. 



The Red and the Violet Celandines, or Horned Poppies, 

 are common in Europe, growing in the same sandy soil as 

 the former. These flower in July and August. Ben Jonson 

 mentions the Horned Poppy among the plants used by the 

 witches in their incantations. 



The Great, or Major Celandine, is common in hedges, 

 and other shady places ; on rubbish, rocks, or old walls *. 

 It bears a bright yellow flower, and continues in blossom 

 from the beginning of May till the end of July. 



The juice of this plant is acrimonious : it is said to cure 

 ring-worms, and, when diluted with milk, to consume white 

 opaque spots in the eyes. It is also thought efficacious in 

 the cure of warts and cutaneous disorders. The root is 

 esteemed by the natives of Cochin-China for a variety of 

 medicinal purposes. 



This species preserves its green leaves all the year, 

 and they are remarkably handsome ; being large, elegantly 

 shaped, and of a transparency which shows the delicacy 

 of their texture, as the yellow light shines through them. 

 The double-flowered variety is chiefly cultivated in gardens : 

 it is increased by parting the roots in autumn. 



The usual mode of sowing these plants is to scatter the 

 seeds about in rock- work, where they will come up without 

 further trouble. If sown in pots, the best time for the pur- 

 pose is in September : one seed in each pot. They should 

 stand in the open air, and they require watering only in 



* This is the proper swallow-wort ; and called, in French, 1'eclaire, 

 la grande eclaire, le felongene, 1'herbe de I'hirondelle [swallow's herb] : 

 in. Italian, favagella, cerigogna. 



