100 THE GEOGRAPHY OF PLANTS. 



Arabians. Tamarisks abound in the deserts of 

 Arabia, and, with their pretty spikes of small 

 pink flowers, enliven the gloom of those barren 

 wastes. One species of tamarisk (T. Gallica) 

 is commonly cultivated in many of our gardens, 

 especially on the coast, and gives a good idea 

 of the character of the genus. Two species 

 (Tamarix orientalis and T. passcrinoides) grow 

 in Arabia ; the former is probably the plant 

 mentioned in Jer. xvii. 6, " For he shall be 

 like the heath in the desert, and shall not see 

 when good cometh ; but shall inhabit the 

 parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land 

 and not inhabited." Its spare and neglected 

 form peering above the sand of the desert, 

 might well be taken as an emblem of desertion 

 and solitude. 



One of the most cherished plants of 

 Arabia is the. henna, (Lawsonia mermis,) a 

 plant of the loosestrife tribe, which is in 

 universal estimation for its beauty and sweet 

 perfume. It is a native of India, Arabia, Per- 

 sia, Egypt, and Greece, and is not only found 

 wild, but is universally cultivated. Mohammed, 

 speaking of this flower, called it " the chief of 

 the sweet-scented flowers of this world and the 

 next." Mr. Lane says, " I approve of his taste 

 for this flower, which grows in clusters, some- 

 what like the lilac, and has most delicious fra- 

 grance." The light green foliage, the yellowish 

 white flowers, and the coral-red flower-stalks, 

 give an elegant appearance to the shrub. It is 

 supposed to be the plant alluded to in Solomon's 



