0260 



recalls Apollo's love for the daughter of the Pinios river [Translator's note: the river 

 flows through the valley of Tempe in Thessaly between Ossa and Olympus. In the myth. 

 the nymph Daphne, a daughter of the river, was pursued by Apollo. She loved another 

 and escaped, and a laurel tree was left in her place. The genus of the tree described here 

 was named Daphne by Tournefort in the 1 8th century because the foliage of some of its 

 species resembles that of the laurel tree (genus Laurus)]. German, kellerhals. Dutch, 

 peper boomje. English, common spurge olim. Russian, woltschje luko. Polish, wylcze liko. 

 Hungarian, farkas hars. Commonly, boisjoli, malherbe. 



USES. The mezereon embellishes gardens and parterres in early spring. The 

 fragrance of its flowers is pleasant but dangerous to inhale for a long time, especially at 

 night in a closed room. 



The bark, leaves, and fruit of this shrub are very bitter. The bark sometimes is 

 used to make setons, and three or four of its fruits make a powerful purgative. Russel 

 [Translator's note: possibly Alexander Russell, 1715-1768, Scottish physician and 

 naturalist] claims that he has used a decoction of the bark to treat long-term and 

 refractory syphilitic diseases. 



CULTIVATION. These two shrubs are propagated by layering, but more often by 

 seed planting in open ground. The seeds are scattered or sown in furrows and covered 

 with a couple of inches of soil. These shrubs prefer loose soil and slightly shaded 

 locations. 



KEY TO PLATES. 



1. Alpine daphne 2. Complete flower. 3. Open calyx, stamens, and pistil 

 1. Mezereon. 2. Open calyx and stamens. 3. Pistil. 4. Fruit. 



