358 HISTORY OF FRUITS. 



brought out of Italy, where there is found store thereof, 

 as Mathiolus testifieth : I have," says he, " a small tree 

 in my garden : there is likewise a tree thereof in the gar- 

 den vnder Londonwall, sometime belonging to M. Gray, 

 an apothecary of London ; and another great tree in the 

 garden neere Colman streete, being the garden of the 

 queen's apothecary, called Mr. Hugh Morgan, a curious 

 conseruer of rare simples. The lote-tree doth also grow in 

 AfTricke, but it somewhat differeth from the Italian lote 

 in fruit." Gerard adds, that the fruit ripens in September : 

 the berries, he says, are round, and hang on stalks like 

 cherries, and not like the African lotus. " They are," 

 says he, " of a yellowish white colour at the first, and 

 afterwards red, but when they be ripe they be somewhat 

 blaoke." 



The lotus-flower, that is now become so fashionable in 

 ornamenting furniture, from the circumstance of its 

 having been selected as the decoration of the superb 

 Chinese chandeliers made for his majesty's Pavilion at 

 Brighton, is not the blossom of the lotus-tree, but of the 

 Nymphtea Nelumbo, or Chinese water-lotus. This water- 

 lily is called Nymph&a, from its growing in the water, 

 which the poets feign to be the residence of the Nymphs. 

 In China, where it was always held in such high value, 

 that at length it has become regarded as sacred, it is 

 called Lien-wha. Puzza, a Chinese divinity, is repre- 

 sented as seated on the flowers of the lotus. The gods 

 of Japan, which are exhibited of a gigantic figure, are 

 also seated on the blossoms of this plant. The ponds in 

 China are generally covered with this beautiful aquatic 

 blossom, which is also grown in large vases in the houses 

 of the Mandarins. The roots and seeds are served up on 

 ice at their breakfasts as a delicacy, mixed with the ker- 

 nels of fruits. 



Nievhoff says, "in the province of Huquang, near the 



