INULA. — SMIL AX. 351 



The plant which grows in such masses below the 

 marine parade at Nervi, with tufts of dark green leaves 

 sprouting even from last year's dried up inflorescences, 

 is Inula viscosa (Fig. p. 2,39). It is a weed which cannot 

 be overlooked as it intrudes everywhere. The Ligurians 

 call it "Nasca" and attribute various healing properties 

 to it. The leaves, when bruised, emit a strong aromatic 

 odour. By this smell and the stickiness of all its parts 

 we recognise it as the real '-Alant''. The peasants use 

 the leaves principalh' as a remed\' for viper-bite. In 

 many district.s Inula is put into wine to improve its 

 keeping properties. On the rocks and walls here we 

 also see the lovel^^, silver\'-grey, busli-^' Ciiicrariii niari- 

 tiiiia, (Fig. p. 77). The large handsome pinnate-lobed 

 leaves owe their silvery appearance to their thick hairy 

 covering. L'ineraria produces bright yellow flower-heads 

 in the summer. The plant is much used in our own 

 gardens for forming a light border to ga\' flower beds. 



Many different plants are overgrown hy the Siiiilax 

 aspcrci, (Fig. p. 3iS7) on the coast at Nervi. Its berries 

 are generally green in the spring, but in particularly 

 warm ancl sunn\' spots some of them are alread^■ turning 

 red. Occasionalh' the Smilax will climb to the top of 

 a high tree and festoon it with evergreen garlands. It 

 clings very closeh" to other plants, and this may lia\'e 

 given rise to the legend that the Nympli Smilax was 

 changed into this climber when she died ot love Jor the 

 youth Crocos. 



Pines and Pittosporum stretch out towards the sea 

 above the high garden walls which border the marine 



