INTRODUCTION. 
The Language of Flora has been traced by its stu¬ 
dents to widely different sources, each presenting 
some true claim to the title, yet none so entirely sub¬ 
verting those of others, as to stand forth alone as its 
originator ; for truly the origin of this voice of the 
flowers is co-eval with their creation, and is still a 
tongue sufficiently simple and attractive to have a 
charm for every student of nature, and to suggest ap¬ 
propriate emblems, even to the illiterate rustic, who 
plucks the way-side daisy, or the blue Forget-me-not, 
to be presented to some village maiden as the readiest 
expression of his love. Doubtless, when in the pure 
and sinless state of our first parents, all living nature 
were assembled in the Garden of Eden, that the first 
man, fresh in life and intelligence from the hand of his 
Creator, should give to each its appropriate name; then 
also, each lovely flower of the garden received at his 
hand, the term that most aptly conveyed its nature and 
properties, and peculiar charm ; and could we now 
recover that nomenclature, and know each blossom of 
the field and garden by that name by which it first was 
known, we should have therein a complete vocabulary 
of a pure and virtuous floral tongue, such as might suit 
the state of that happy pair, who then walking fami¬ 
liarly in the garden adorned and beautified for their 
pleasure, heard there the voice of their Creator, and 
held fearless converse with his highest intelligences. 
It would indeed be wanting in all those emblems, 
which the sinful passions and feelings of later times 
