24 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



little tree, the branches of which form a round top like 

 a dome. Its trunk is tender, its leaves large, angular, 

 and of a pale green colour. The flowers are followed 

 by round fruit as large as oranges, which contain an al- 

 mond. 



The Jollocxochitl (^sj, or flower of the heart, is alfo 

 large, and not lefs eftimable for its beauty than for its 

 odour, which is fo powerful, that a Angle flower is fuffi- 

 cient to fill a whole houfe with themoft plealing fragrance. 

 It has many petals, which are glutinous, externally 

 white, internally reddifli or yellowifh, and difpofed in 

 fuch a manner, that when the flower is open and its pe- 

 tals expanded, it has the appearance of a ftar, but when 

 Ihut it refembles in fome meafurc a heart, from whence 

 its name arofe. The tree which bears it is tolerably 

 large, and its leaves long and rough. 



The Coatzontecoxochitl, or flower with the viper's 

 head, is of incomparable beauty (^tj. It is compofed of 

 five petals or leaves, purple in the innermofl: part, white 

 in the middle, the refl: red but elegantly fl:ained with yel- 

 low and white fpots. The plant which bears it has 

 leaves refembling thofe of the iris, but longer and larger, 

 its trunk is fmall and Aim; this flower was one of the 

 moft efl:eemed amongft: the Mexicans. 



The Oceloxochitl, or tyger-flower, is large, compofed 



of 



fsj There is another JoUoxochitl alfo exceedingly fragrant, but different in 

 form. 



ft ) Flos forma fpedlabilis, ct quam vix quifpiam poffit verbis exprimere, aut 

 penecillo pro dignitate imitari, a princlpibus Indorum ut natnrse miraculum valde 

 expetitus, et in magno habitus pretio. Hernandez Hiftor. Nat. N. Hifpanire, 

 lib. viii. c. 8. The Lincean Academicians of Rome, who commented on and 

 publifhed this Hiftory of Hernandez in 165 1, and faw the paintings of this 

 flower, with its colours, executed in Mexico, conceived fuch an idea of its 

 beauty that they adopted it as the emblem of their very learned academy, de- 

 nominating it Fior di L'wce. 



