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JUDAS-TREE. — CERCIS. 



Natural order, Lomentacece. LeguminoscB, Juss, 

 A genus of the Decandria Monogynia class. 



" And where Judaea's tree its bloom expands 

 Of purple hue, to fancy's eye it shows 

 The fertile banks where hallow' d Jordan flows." 



Delille. 



If this tree possessed no other recommend- 

 ation to a situation in the shrubbery, than 

 that of being the identical species of tree on 

 which Judas Iscariot hanged himself, we 

 would have passed it over in neglect, 

 however we might have been condemned by 

 those credulous devotees who often believe 

 the absurdities which have had no other 

 birth than that given to them by their own 

 lunatic brain. 



Gerard, who is less given to superstitious 

 stories than most authors of his day, says, 

 " This is the tree whereon Judas did hang 

 himselfe ; and not upon the elder-tree, as it is 

 said." At that period, it had no other Latin 



