6 
THE FLOWER OF BRISTOWE. 
Inquiring into the history of the Scarlet Lychnis, we find that 
the philosopher Theophrastus, nearly 400 years before the Christian 
era, and the Greek physician Dioscorides, living about A.D. 60,' 
both mention in their writings a plant which they call Lychnis, 
but we cannot be sure of its identity. The first actual record in 
any book of the plant we now know as the Lychnis is by Ulyssus 
Aldrovandus, an Italian, who visited many countries in search of 
plants, and who wrote largely on natural history about A.D. 1570, 
forming a museum at Bologna, his native place. He calls the 
Lychnis Chalcedonica by the name of “ Flos Creticus,” the 
“ Flower of Candia.” 
Next we come to Gerard’s “ Herball,” written about 20 years 
later, in which he gives an illustration, clearly describes its botanical 
characteristics, and states that it was common in English gardens 
at that time. This puts us on a surer foundation, and we are 
able to trace the plant through a number of references down to 
the present time. Gerard tells us that in the Latin tongue used 
by the educated men of Europe its name was Lychnis Chalcedonica, 
and, further, that in the English language it is usually called 
Nonesuch, Flower of Bristowe, and Flower or Campion of 
Constantinople. 
From these names of Candia and Constantinople we can 
recognise that the same plant was well known to the Continental 
nations, arid the names thus given to it suggest that the first 
introduction of the Lychnis to the West of Europe was brought 
about during the Crusades, because it is called in French, Spanish, 
Norman-French, and German, “ Cross of Jerusalem ” ; in Italian, 
“Cross of the Knights”; and in Portuguese, “ Cross of Malta ” 
— names which all tell of its association with the religious orders 
that had their origin in the defence of the Holy Land. It is 
probable that the flower known by these names of the Levant 
was regarded as specially connected with the Knights of Malta, 
otherwise called the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. 
It will be remembered that this was a celebrated military and 
religious Order which was founded at Jerusalem about the time 
of the Norman Conquest to maintain a hospice for receiving the 
pilgrims from Europe on their way to visit the Holy Sepulchre. 
This work was carried on for nearly 500 years at Jerusalem and 
in the Island of Rhodes, and the Order became likewise a great 
military one, nearly equalling the Knight Templars in importance. 
It had also hospices at the chief ports in the Mediterranean where 
pilgrims stayed, but after A.D. 1530 it had Malta as its head- 
quarters. During these centuries many pilgrims must have seen 
this Lychnis — a plant hitherto unknowm to them — and when 
describing the wonders of the East, on their return to their 
native countries, must have spoken of the plant by the name of 
the place in which they saw it growing. 
