A'RUM DRACUN'CULUS. 
COMMON DRAGON ARUM. 
Class. 
MONfECIA. 
Order. 
POLYANDKIA. 
Natural Order. 
ARACEjE. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in 
Duration 
Introduced 
S. Europe. 
3 feet. 
June& July 
Perennial. 
in 1548. 
No. 962. 
Tliis is a very ancient name, ha\nng, with little 
variation — that is, ^vith the change from Aron to 
Amm, been used, both by the Egyi^tians and 
Greeks, at an early period, for a species prevalent 
in the East — the Amm colocasia. Our present 
plant was not called an Arum by the old writers ; 
no similarity to other Amms could induce them to 
loose its popular appellation, which they thought 
so applicable. Its stem — spotted like a seipent, 
and its roots, as Pliny has it, writhed and folded 
round in the manner of a Dragon, plainly implied 
that Dracontium, or Dragon, was nature’s o\\ti name 
for the plant. As it necessarily became a part of 
the genus Amm under the systematic arrangement 
of Linneus, this celebrated naturalist retained the 
name Dracontium, latinized to Dracunculus, as a 
specific appellation. 
It affords a pleasing relief to turn back to our 
old authors, and read their opinions, compare them 
with our own, and speculate on what will be those 
of our successors at some distant period of time. 
Confidence in our own perfection, or, in other words, 
our natural pride, can never permit us to admit 
