The Botanic Garden. Part II. | Page 9

binding them
forceibly down lower toward the horizon than the usual inclination of
the bell in this genus, and thus constitutes a most elegant flower. There
is another contrivance for this purpose in the Hemerocallis flava: the
long pistil often is bent somewhat like the capital letter _N_, with
design to shorten it, and thus to bring the stigma amongst the anthers.]
Seeks with unsteady step the shelter'd vale,
And turns her blushing
beauties from the gale.--
155 Six rival youths, with soft concern
impress'd,
Calm all her fears, and charm her cares to rest.--
So shines at eve the
sun-illumin'd fane,
Lifts its bright cross, and waves its golden vane;

From every breeze the polish'd axle turns,
160 And high in air the
dancing meteor burns.
Four of the giant brood with ILEX stand,
Each grasps a thousand

arrows in his hand;
[Ilex. l. 161. Holly. Four males, four females. Many plants, like many
animals, are furnished with arms for their protection; these are either
aculei, prickles, as in rose and barberry, which are formed from the
outer bark of the plant; or spinæ, thorns, as in hawthorn, which are an
elongation of the wood, and hence more difficult to be torn off than the
former; or stimuli, stings, as in the nettles, which are armed with a
venomous fluid for the annoyance of naked animals. The shrubs and
trees, which have prickles or thorns, are grateful food to many animals,
as goosberry, and gorse; and would be quickly devoured, if not thus
armed; the stings seem a protection against some kinds of insects, as
well as the naked mouths of quadrupeds. Many plants lose their thorns
by cultivation, as wild animals lose their ferocity; and some of them
their horns. A curious circumstance attends the large hollies in
Needwood-forest, they are armed with thorny leaves about eight feet
high, and have smooth leaves above; as if they were conscious that
horses and cattle could not reach their upper branches. See note on
Meadia, and on Mancinella. The numerous clumps of hollies in
Needwood-forest serve as landmarks to direct the travellers across it in
various directions; and as a shelter to the deer and cattle in winter; and
in scarce seasons supply them with much food. For when the upper
branches, which are without prickles, are cut down, the deer crop the
leaves and peel off the bark. The bird-lime made from the bark of
hollies seems to be a very similar material to the elastic gum, or Indian
rubber, as it is called. There is a fossile elastic bitumen found at
Matlock in Derbyshire, which much resembles these substances in its
elasticity and inflammability. The thorns of the mimosa cornigere
resemble cow's horns in appearance as well as in use. System of
Vegetables, p. 782.]
A thousand steely points on every scale
Form the bright terrors of his
bristly male.--
165 So arm'd, immortal Moore uncharm'd the spell,
And slew the wily dragon of the well.--
Sudden with rage their injur'd
bosoms burn,
Retort the insult, or the wound return;
Unwrong'd, as
gentle as the breeze that sweeps
170 The unbending harvests or

undimpled deeps,
They guard, the Kings of Needwood's wide domains,
Their
sister-wives and fair infantine trains;
Lead the lone pilgrim through
the trackless glade,
Or guide in leafy wilds the wand'ring maid.
175 So WRIGHT's bold pencil from Vesuvio's hight
Hurls his red lavas to the troubled night;
From Calpè starts the
intolerable flash,
Skies burst in flames, and blazing oceans dash;--

Or bids in sweet repose his shades recede,
180 Winds the still vale,
and slopes the velvet mead;
On the pale stream expiring Zephyrs sink,
And Moonlight sleeps
upon its hoary brink.
Gigantic Nymph! the fair KLEINHOVIA reigns,
The grace and terror
of Orixa's plains;
[Hurls his red lavas. l. 176. Alluding to the grand paintings of the
eruptions of Vesuvius, and of the destruction of the Spanish vessels
before Gibraltar; and to the beautiful landscapes and moonlight scenes,
by Mr. Wright of Derby.]
[Kleinhovia. l. 183. In this class the males in each flower are supported
by the female. The name of the class may be translated "Viragoes," or
"Feminine Males."
The largest tree perhaps in the world is of the same natural order as
Kleinhovia, it is the Adansonia, or Ethiopian Sour-gourd, or African
Calabash tree. Mr. Adanson says the diameter of the trunk frequently
exceeds 25 feet, and the horizontal branches are from 45 to 55 feet long,
and so large that each branch is equal to the largest trees of Europe. The
breadth of the top is from 120 to 150 feet. And one of the roots bared
only in part by the wasting away of the earth by the river, near which it
grew, measured 110 feet long; and yet these stupendous trees never
exceed 70 feet in height. Voyage to Senegal.]

O'er her warm cheek the blush of beauty swims,
And nerves
Herculean