THE PENTSTEMON. 



Fentstemon genticmoides. 



HE pentstemon has no his- 

 tory, and it would be a trying 

 task to find a sonnet in praise 

 of its beauty, for if there be 

 one in existence it must be 

 buried deep in the recesses 

 of unknown literature. The 

 generic name affords a rare 

 example of common sense in 

 botanical nomenclature. It 

 tells us that the flower has 

 five stamens, such being the 

 exact meaning of pent-ste- 

 mon. It is unfortunate, 

 perhaps, for such a charming 

 and peculiarly useful flower 

 to be of American origin, and 

 introduced to Europe only 

 , within the present century. 



It is thus separated from the superstitions and fancies 

 and usages that render certain flowers famous in literature 

 and art, and bring them into the very midst of our 

 domestic sympathies and affections. What a histoty, 

 for example, has the violet ! That has been from the 



