Cedrus 

 Cedrus. 



' odoratam stabulis accendere cedrum ' [Ge. iii. 414). 

 'effigies . . . antiqua e cedro' {Ae. vii. 177). 



The cedar of Lebanon was not known to the 

 ancient Italians, and did not come to England until 

 the year 1683, though it seems that before that the 

 name was given to some other conifer. Virgil's tree 

 is Juniper us oxycedrus, a native of central and western 

 Italy, and is hardly more than a shrub, though it 

 sometimes runs up to twelve feet. In early days wooden 

 statues were made of it. The purpose of burning 

 it in stables was to keep away snakes. Circe worked 

 at her loom by the light of a fire of perfumed juniper 

 {Ae. vii. 13). Virgil also couples the wood with 

 cypress as building and other timber {Ge. ii. 443). 

 The shrub refuses to grow satisfactorily in our 

 climate. 



Flower, February. 



Italian name, Appeggi. 



Cepa. 



'cepa rubens . . . famem domat' (Mor. 83). 



The onion, Allium cepa, is probably a native of 

 Beluchistan, and had broken into several varieties 

 before the time of Aristotle. Its Italian uses were 

 much as ours. As a vegetable it was sometimes 

 served in a thick fish-sauce. 



Flower, June. 

 Italian name, Cipolla. 



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