364. 



HISTORY OF THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



cumference, and two feet and a half high, in- 

 cluding the cap. But in the West Indies there 



The MeloD Thistle. 



are plants nearly twice this size. Linnieus re- 

 marks that this plant resembles a hedgehog in 

 its form and spines, and on the top has a discoid, 

 convex, villous body, from which the flowers 

 proceed. 



These plants grow out from the steep rocky 

 mountain sides in the wanner parts of America, 

 where they seem to be thrust out of the aper- 

 tures of the rocks, liaving apparently little earth 

 to support them; their roots shooting down the 

 fissures to a considerable depth, so that it is 

 troublesome to get the plants up. As they de- 

 light in such rocky places, they seldom live long 

 when transplanted into a better soil. In times 

 of great drought the cattle repair to the barren 

 rocks where these plants grow, rip them up with 

 their horns, tear off the outside skin, and greedily 

 devour all the fleshy moist part. The fruit is 

 frequently eaten by the inhabitants of the West 

 Indies. It is about three quarters of an inch in 

 length, of a taper form, drawing to a point at 

 the bottom, but blunt at the top. The taste is 

 an agreeable acid. 



C. repandus has a fniit about the size and 

 sliape of a Bergamot pear, having many soft 

 spines in the skin. The outside is a pale yellow, 

 the inside very white, full of pulp, having a 

 gjeat number of small black seeds lodged in it. 

 It frequently flowers in July; and in warm sea- 

 sons will perfect its fruit, which has very little 

 flavour in this country, but is frequently served 

 up at tible in the West Indian islands. 



The NiGHT-FLOWERixo Cactus, (c. grandi- 

 fiorus,) as its name implies, produces flowers of 

 great beauty and sweetness; they are very evanes- 

 cent, however, like most of their kind, enduring 

 at the most for not more than six hours. They 

 begin to open between seven and eight o'clock 

 in the evening, are fully blown by eleven, and 

 by three or four in the morning they fade and 

 hang down quite decayed, never opening again 

 ■when once closed. During their short continu- 

 ance there is scarcely any flower of greater beauty, 



or that makes a more magnificent appearance; 

 for the calyx of the flower, when open, is nearly 

 a foot in diameter, the inside of which being of 

 a splendid yellow colour, appears like the rays 

 of a bright star: the outside is of a dark brown; 

 the petals being of a pure white, add to the lus- 

 tre. The vast number of recurved stamens sur- 

 rounding the style in the centre of the flower, 

 make a fine appearance, while the delicious odour 

 scents the air to a considerable distance. Few 

 plants are more deserving of a place in the hot- 

 house than this, especially as by training it 

 against the wall it occupies little room. Tho 

 usual season of its flowering is in July; and when 

 the plants are large, many flowers will blow the 

 same night, and there will be a succession for 

 several nights together. Sometimes from six to 

 ten flowers open on the same plant in one night, 

 thus exhibiting a most magnificent appearance 

 by candle light. In this country the fruit never 

 forms. 



Another species, the jhgelliformis, produces a 

 greater number of flowers than the preceding. 

 They blow in May, or even earlier, in mild sea- 

 sons. The petals are of a delicate pink colour, 

 both outside and inside; their petals are not so 

 numerous as in the other species, while the tube 

 of the flower is Ipnger. These flowers remain 

 open for three or four days, provided there is 

 not too much warmth; fruit sometimes succeeds 

 the flowers, but seldom ripens. Tliis species has 

 slender trailing branches. 



The Strawbehry Pear, (c. triangularis,) 

 bears the best flavoured fruit of any of the family. 

 It is sweetish, slightly acid, pleasant, and cool- 

 ing. In Martinique, and the other West India 

 islands where it is cultivated, it is much es- 

 teemed. 



TuE Indian Fig, (cactus Opuntia,) a native of 

 the country of the Opuntiani, whose chief town 



136. 



«*!-='';*«'^''- -1= 



The IndlRii Fig. 

 was Opus, in the vicinity of Phocis, though, like 

 others of the same family, a native of America 

 also, is now found growing wild on the sides of the 



