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The Crown Imperial. 
(POWER.) 
“This lily’s height bespeaks command, 
A fair, imperial flower ; 
She seems designed for Flora’s hand, 
The sceptre of her power.” 
Anon. 
T HIS stately scion of the lily family is significant o {power. 
The flowers are formed by a circle of tulip-shaped 
corollas turned downwards, which have the appearance of so 
many gay bells, the stigma answering for the clapper; the 
whole is crowned by a coma or tuft of green leaves, which 
gives to it a singular and agreeable effect. Each of the bells 
contains some drops of water, which adhere to the bottom of 
the corolla till it withers. 
The French, who seem to pay delicate compliments by 
instinct, have the following pretty little story appertaining to 
florigraphy, in which this superb blossom plays a prominent 
part: The Duke de Montausier was married to Mademoiselle 
de Rambouillet on New Year’s Day, 1634, and on the morning 
of the bridal the duke placed upon the bride’s dressing-table 
a magnificently-bound book, on the vellum leaves of which 
were painted from nature, by the most eminent native artists, 
a series of all the most beautiful European flowers. Appro¬ 
priate verses for each bloom were written by famous French 
poets, and elaborately emblazoned on their respective pages. 
The chief poem in the collection was contributed by Chapelain, 
who chose the Crown Imperial Lily for his theme, representing 
it as having sprung from the blood of Gustavus Adolphus when 
he fell mortally wounded on the field of Lutzen. This was 
intended more as a compliment to the bride than to the 
Swedish hero, of whose character the lady was an intense ad¬ 
mirer. This splendid wedding gift, which was named after its 
fair recipient, “Julia’s Garland,” is said to have been sold at 
the disposal of the Duke de la Vailliere’s effects in 1784, to 
an Englishman, for upwards of £600. 
A very rare member of this imperial family grows wild in 
Britain. It is sometimes called the Mourning Widow. 
