KIDD'S OWN JOUKNAL. 



225 



OUR EARLY FLOWERS. 

 THE HYACINTH AND HAWTHORN. 



Go, mark the matchless working- of the power 

 That shuts within the seed the future flower ; 

 Bids these in elegance of form excel, 

 In color these, and these delight the smell ; 

 Sends Nature forth, the daughter of the skies, 

 To dance on earth, and charm all human eyes. 



HE FLOWER TO WHICH WE 

 SHALL NEXT INVITE ATTEN- 

 TION IS NOT ONLY BEAUTIFUL 

 AND FRAGRANT ; IT IS A DO- 

 MESTIC pet, as well as a 

 florist's favorite and a garden 

 ornament. Hyacinth glasses 

 are a part of tl}e furniture of our 

 parlors. The gradual development of the 

 root, leaves, and flowers, and the little at- 

 tentions necessary for complete success, 

 afford familiar lessons in vegetable physio- 

 logy ; whilst the oriental splendor of the 

 gorgeous colors, and the rich perfume which 

 breathes around, adorn and enliven the 

 humblest home, as well as the luxurious 

 halls of grandeur and wealth. 



The plants we have hitherto examined all 

 belong to the great Exogenous class, so that 

 with the hyacinth we enter on a new field, 

 and are led to the contemplation of plants 

 differing in the structure of the seed, of the 

 stem, of the leaf, and of the flower, as well as 

 in their general aspect and habit, from any 

 that have yet come before us. We enter on 

 the Endogenous division of the vegetable 

 kingdom, characterised by the single seed- 

 leaf, the absence of any distinction between 

 bark and wood, the parallelism of the vena- 

 tion of the leaves, and the tendency to the 

 number three in the circles of parts forming 

 the flower. In the hyacinth the true stem is 

 reduced to a mere plate, from which, under- 

 neath, the roots proceed ; and on the upper 

 surface of which is a bud, known as the bulb, 

 and popularly, though very erroneously, re- 

 garded as the root. The coatings of the bulb 

 are transformed leaves. When duly stimu- 

 lated by moisture and warmth, it sends forth 

 leaves, and a flower-stalk. Each separate 

 flower is, properly speaking, produced in the 

 axil of a leaf; but the leaves accompanying 

 flowers are commonly reduced to a very small 

 size, and transformed in appearance. Bota- 

 nists give the name of bractes to these and all 

 other leaves which are changed in form or 

 appearance by their connexion with the 

 flower, but do not form parts of the floral 

 circles. 



The hyacinth flower seems to be a bell, 

 consisting of one piece divided into six 

 radiating and reflexed parts towards the ex- 

 tremity ; six stamens growing out of the 

 interior of the bell, and a seed-vessel stand- 

 ing in the midst. Careful inspection will, 

 however, make it manifest that three of the 



divisions of the flower lie within the. other 

 three ; and a comparison with other flowers 

 of similar structure shows that we have here, 

 in fact, five successive circles of three parts 

 each, of which the four outermost are com- 

 bined together. The exterior circle may be 

 recognised by its tendency to produce nec- 

 tariferous tails, something resembling that of 

 a violet, which may be seen in strongly- 

 grown hyacinths. This is, properly speak- 

 ing, a calyx of three united sepals. Alter- 

 nating with them, are the three petals of the 

 corolla, so combined with the outer circle as 

 to form with it but one bell. Then follow 

 two circles of stamens, alternating with each 

 other, but forced by pressure into a com- 

 plete union with the parts already described. 

 Very little observation is necessary to ascer- 

 tain that the seed-vessel is formed by the 

 union of three capillary leaves, whose edges 

 meet in the axis, and whose mid ribs are as 

 strongly marked as the lines of junction, 

 producing the appearance of six parts. On 

 the young seed-vessel are said to be found nec- 

 tariferous pores, the presence of which is 

 part of Linnseus's technical character of 

 hyacinths, but which nevertheless are not 

 often found in the plant we are describing, 

 and not at all, we believe, in the other species 

 which Linn?eus included in the family ; so 

 that the mention of them is only an embarrass- 

 ment to the student. 



The natural color of the hyacinth is the 

 rich dark blue which is so often seen in it ; 

 but numerous varieties are common, as 

 various shades of blue, from almost black to 

 very pale, pink and flesh color, pale yellow, 

 and white. Each color is also occasionally 

 produced double. Florists value the flowers 

 for the clearness and brilliancy of their 

 colors, the number, size, and regularity of 

 the bells. The double ones are very rich and 

 splendid ; yet the single, if good in color, 

 size, and growth, are not accounted much 

 inferior. The number of distinct named 

 varieties which are increased by offsets irom 

 the bulbs, and retain their separate charac- 

 teristics, is very great ; but many of them are 

 scarcely different, being similar seedlings 

 raised and named by different persons, and a 

 collection of twenty-five or thirty sorts would 

 exhibit all that are really worth notice. The 

 hyacinth is very successfully cultivated in 

 Holland, from which country the bulbs are 

 imported to satisfy the demand amongst us. 



The hyacinth of the ancient fabulists ap- 

 pears to have been the cornflag {Gladiolus 

 communis of botanists), but the name was ap- 

 plied vaguely, and had been early referred 

 both to the great larkspur (Delphinium 

 Jjacis), on account of the similar spots on the 

 petals, supposed to represent the Greek excla- 

 mation of lamentation, Ai, ai, and to the hya- 

 cinth of modern times. To the latter it was in 



Vol. V.— 15. 



