PLANTS BY THE SEA SHORE. 135 



may grow, for it finds shelter among their branches, 

 riolh leaves and stem are set with spines which facili- 

 tate its climbing. The Smilax flowers in the autumn, 

 and in the spring is adorned with clusters of red berries. 

 On account of their sweet perfume flowering .spra^'s of 

 this plant were twined into garlands with Iv\- for the 

 Bacchic festivals. 



This sketch ma\' ser\'e to give those who are in- 

 terested in the \arious aspects of vegetable life an idea 

 of the character of the Macjuis, that t\pical development 

 of the Mediterranean flora. 



In close pro.\iinit\- to the sea the reddish-brown 

 earth of the Cap is coloured an almost uniform grev b\ 

 quantities of a much-branched, ^■er^■ hair}', prostrate 

 shrub. Onl\- the withered inflorescences arc to be found 

 on this plant in spring, but its odour is so characteristic 

 that we at once recognise it as J/rlicIirYSiiin Su>ec//as 

 (Fig. p. 227). [t is a spic\- smell like a mi.xture of Worm- 

 \\ ood and T^iquorice. At ever\' step we take, especialh' 

 to\\'ards evening, the \olatile oil is liberated from these 

 plants, and we walk, as it \\'ere, in a cloud of perfume. 

 This Helichr^'sum belongs to the same family as those 

 plants called •Tmmortels", and "Strohblumen" in Ger- 

 man. In the summer it bears shin\-, ^•ellow, scarious 

 capitula united into flat-topped panicles, which were used 

 even hv the ancients to wea\'e '■everlasting" wreaths. In 

 the spring the uniform gre^■ of the IIelichr\sum bushes on 

 the shore is relieved hv the bright ^-ellow flowers of the Bird's 

 foot Trefoil (I^oli/s oniilJwpodioidcs, Fig. p. 28.:^), which 

 lie close on the stones and cover them in great profusion. 



