i6 
The history of BOTANY. 
and in the rind of which, toward the bafes of the Flowers, there Is a very 
tough juice : for the Daffodill is not of the number of their favourite Flerbs. 
The Purpureus Narcijfus of the fifth Eclogue alfo, is more likely to mean 
the Flower of this Plant, which is entirely purple, than that of the Purple 
circled Daffodill, the principal part of which is white : and finally, when 
in the fourth Georgick he adds, the time of the Narciffus blowing, and a 
defcriptive mark of its tufted Flowers, 
Sera comantcm Narcissum, 
it is not probable he meant the Daffodill ; becaufe tho’ there are late flower- 
ing fpecies, the ancients celebrated only thofe of Spring : nor is it poflible 
he fhould give the epithet comantem to any Narcissus, except the Red 
Valerian. The Romans exprelfed by Coma, the Tufted Summit of a ’ 
Plant, formed of numerous little Flowers, and refcmbling, in fome de- 
gree, a head of hair : this agrees with the Red \’alerian, but is wholly un- 
applicable to the Daffodill. Columella, in his book of Gardens, is yet 
more dilfindl:, he calls the Flowers of the Narciffus, 
Narcissi Comas. 
Alluding plainly 'to their Slendernefs, and Number on the Stalk, wliich 
even in the Many-flowered Daffodills is fmall, but in the Red Valerian 
very great. It has been proved abundantly, that what the Latins meant 
by Coma, fpeaking of Plants, was a complex Tuft, made of innumerable 
fmall Flowers. They called the Panicle or Tuft of the P^eed firft by this 
name; and afterwards whatever was formed like it; whence afterwards 
the Poets applied it figuratively to the innumerable Leaves which formed 
the bufhy heads of Trees. The flendcrnefs and length of the Red Va- 
lerian Flowers agree happily with the idea of hairs; but there is nothing 
in the Daffodill that bears the leaft allufion to them. 
Upon the whole, there is the greatefl probability, that the ancients 
gave the name Narciffus both to the Daffodill and Red Valerian ; as we 
even yet give the fame name, in many cafes, to two Plants abfolutely dif- 
ferent. It is impoffible Dioscorides could compare the Flowers of Va- 
lerian to the firfl: of thefe, the Daffodill : but none can wonder he fhould 
liken them to thofe of the latter ; which, tho’ it was plainly known to the 
ancients, has no other name among them : late writers have made it a 
Valerian, from the refemblance of its Flowers to thofe of this very Plant. 
This 
