Marygold. 277 



America about the time Charles returned from the coast of 

 Africa ; and in compliment to that monarch for having given 

 liberty to twenty-two thousand Christian slaves, they were 

 called African Marygolds. Thunberg, who visited Japan 

 about the year 1775, for the purpose of making discoveries in 

 Botany, tells us that these plants are cultivated by these jea- 

 lous and cautious islanders ; and Loureiro notices their culti- 

 vation in China, Cochin China, and many parts of India ; but 

 he remarks, it is not indegenous to these countries. Hernandez 

 mentions it as a native of Mexico, in his history of that coun- 

 try. 



They are in the same class, but in a different order, with the 

 Common Marygold, from which they also differ in not closing 

 their petals at night. It is remarked by Linmeus, that the 

 Marygold usually opens its petals about nine o'clock in the 

 morning, and closes them again at three in the afternoon ; but 

 it is probable, it depends more on the state of the atmosphere 

 than upon the hour of the day. Keats says : 



Open afresh your rounds of starry folds, 

 Ye ardent Marygolds; 

 Dry up the moisture of your golden lids, 

 For great Apollo bids. 



The African and French Marygolds usually begin to flower 

 in July, and continue to give out a succession of blossoms until 

 the branches are destroyed by frost ; on which account, they 

 are considered rather an autumnal than a summer flower. 

 When judiciously planted, they add considerably to the gaiety 

 of the parterre during the later months of the year, the tall 

 African Marygold forming a brilliant background to clumps of 

 China Asters, or displaying its golden corollas amidst the ever- 

 greens of the shrubbery ; while the more richly painted petals 

 of the French Marygold, is well calculated to contrast with the 

 blue or purple stars of the Aster, since no plant displays a 

 richer coloring of carmine and gold ; this flower sports con- 

 siderably in varying its corolla, some being single, semi-double, 

 quadruple or full as the Rose Centifolia ; whilst Flora seems to 

 have given the petals as many changes as can be wrought in 

 two gay colors, — one flower displaying petals of a rich car- 



