LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS. 
137 
in its color, having none of that sickly hue of bluish green 
which gives such a peculiar coldness to the landscapes of 
some of the Dutch painters. The upper side of the leaf has 
precisely that tint familiarly known by the name of olive. 
The under side is of shining whiteness, and as the foliage is 
turned up by the lightest breeze, its progress over the valleys 
covered with olive gardens becomes visible in the form of a 
silver cloud gliding across the landscape. The inhabitants 
of the south of Europe employ the oil expressed from the 
fruit of this tree for the same purposes as we employ 
butter, and feel at least as much dislike to the produce of the 
dairy, as an article of food, as we may feel to the use of oil.” 
Ruffini has set this last fact charmingly before his readers in 
the beautiful story of “ Doctor Antonio.” 
Pensive beauty, Laburnum. 
Pensiveness, Cowslip. 
Perfect excellence, Strawberry. See p. 33. 
Perpetual pleasure, Everlasting rea. 
Perseverance, Magnolia. 
The magnolia grandifiora is the most superb vegetable 
production of the New World. Its region is from South 
Carolina to the Isthmus of Darien. We are also told that it 
is found in China. The peculiar and fascinating odor of the 
magnolia flower can never be forgotten if once inhaled. 
Petulance, Barberry. 
The flowers of this shrub are so irritable, that at the slight¬ 
est touch the stamens contract around the pistil. 
12 * 
