Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-09-27
The Mystery Of Flowers.
CURIOUS STUDIES IN THE WORLD OF yEGETAB

From the New York Herald. 2lst instant

CURIOUS STUDIES IN THE WORLD OF VEGETABLE
From the Chicago Inter Ocean
The name OF the peOny is derived from Peon
celebrated Greek physician, who taught the Greeks
that this pretty flower was OF divine ORIGIN ema-
mating from the light of the moon, and valuable
cure therefore for epilepsy, which was supposed to
to have power over the winds, to protect the har-
vest from storms, and 10 avert tempestS
me iloTal Kingdom furnishes plants which flower
un1alllngly on certain days, and superstition has
seized on this fact and associated some with
the qualltles OF great persons who happened to be
born on the day they plant flowers. The cyclamOn
opens in southern Europe on st. Romoalds day
ana Is dedicated to this romantic recluse who
abandoned noble career for monastery because
ne witnessed his father Kill kinSnan in duel.
The rose bay willow herb the French called St An
thony's IRE because OF its brilliant red hue and its
having appeared first in the eleventh century, when
the plague OF erysipelas was raging and accord to
IL the powers OF fntercesSion with disease, which
It's patron, St Anthony, was believed to possess.
me early CHRISTIANS, attracted to some flowers
by their peculiar beauty, gathered number of
these into herbarium, and dedicated them to the
lily or the valley, white daffodil. white rose white
hyacnth. and white clematiS. lady'S finger ladys
supper lady's glove, marlgold, ladyS mantle etc.
TO an OF which superstition attached qualities OF
purity ana goodness, and conferred these upon the
Wearer OF any OF these symbocal flowers. The
common hoyhock is a corruption OF holy oak, and
Is reverenced In parts of fral England, where ira
ditions percolate through centuries because crusa-
ders brought 1t from the Holy Land. The modest,
quatleS, plant OF war In the SuperStitOuS belief
OF the same people. 1t is dedicated to st. George,
tlelr patron saint By the French the white va
rety OF this plant is In curious contrast associated
with the peaceful character of num- and is called
Ia religious deS champs
The familiar line "balm OF Gilead," is the name
OF a plant whose nearest summer relation is our
acacia In the earliest age it was celebrated by
fnny, StraDO, IactuS anu Justin, not alone for its
medicinal qualities but the lofty spirit and dignity
us meaning was supposed TO increase. The Queen
OF sne6a brought 1T to King solomon, and Cleo
paCra planted one species or 1t Matrara which
rlpened into a shrub celebrated by travellers for
ages afterwards. The eastern christians believed
Cne plant would grow only under the care OF a
CHRISTIAN gardener, and that the bark incised
Dy any instrument OF metal the flow OF balsam
WOULD De corrupt Under their fostering care the
plant grew as large as ir tree, and such was the
respect That 1t eXerted that when christianity
spread into European courts the balm of Gilead
came to be mingled in the Oil used at the corona
ZION OF monarchs The Coptic christians had a
tradition that when the Holy family were leaving
Egypt to return to Judea they stopped to rest at
malaria and went from house to house begging
cup OF water, and were everywhere refused Faint
with thirst and sorrow the Virgin Mary sat down
under balm OF Gilead tree, and Immediately
fountain sprang up beside her. and the tree rusted
us leaves and famed a gentle breeze as the
Mother and Child drank of the water and rested.