m 



74 BOTANY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. 



very much resembles a miniature Iris, from its 

 bright blue flowers and narrow grass like leaves. 

 The next order in it is Pentandria, which 

 contains the Passion Flower ; this is a climbing 

 plant, peculiar to the warm countries of the 

 Weslern Continent. In the South American 

 forests, its long and many times woody branches 

 climb up to the tops of the loftiest trees, and send 

 out tendrils from one to another, until the whole 

 are securely bound fast. So strong, too, is this 

 hold, that it has happened that a tree com- 

 pletely severed below has been prevented falling. 

 Elevated, or trailing, as it sometimes does upon 

 the ground, its flowers surpass any thing else 

 in nature. The superstitious Europeans that 

 first beheld it, observing the singular appear- 

 ance of the flower having ten petals, which were 

 fancied by them to represent the ten Apostles, 

 except Peter and Judas, one of whom had de- 

 nied, and the last betrayed his Master. The 

 stamens were compared to a glory, and the small 

 purple threads at the bottom of the style to a 

 crown of thorns ; the style to the pillow on which 

 the malefactors were bound ; the clasper to the 

 cords, and the palmate leaf to the hand ; the 

 three divisions at the top of the style were the 



