234 
LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
ALOE. 
GRIEF. 
The Aloe is attached to the soil by very 
feeble roots; it delights to grow in the wilder¬ 
ness ; its taste is extremely bitter. Thus 
grief detaches us from the earth, separates 
us from the world, and fills our hearts with bit¬ 
terness. These plants live almost entirely on 
air, and assume singular and grotesque shapes. 
Le Vaillant found several species in great pro¬ 
fusion in the deserts of the Namaquas, in South 
Africa. Some had leaves six feet long: they 
are thick and armed with long spines: from 
the centre of these leaves shoots up a slender 
stem as tall as a tree, and covered with flowers. 
Others are marbled, and look like snakes creep¬ 
ing upon the ground. Brydone saw the ancient 
city of Syracuse overgrown with large Aloes in 
blossom ; their elegant stems gave to the pro¬ 
montory on which it stands the appearance of 
an enchanted wood. These magnificent and 
