their fruit. It was formerly called "Pennie Flower, or Money Flower, Silver Plate, Pricksong Wort, and White Satin." It has had similar names bestowed upon it by the French, who frequently call it Monnaie du Pape, Pope's Money; Satin Blanc, White Satin; Medaille, Medal; and Herbe aux Lunettes, Spectacle Plant. The Brabanters name it Paeschbloement, Easter Flower, because it generally flowers about the feast of Easter. Mr. Aiton considers the Annual Lunaria to be indigenous to Germany, and the Perennial to be a native of Austria, the latter being, he states, introduced to this country in the year 1596, and the former in 1570. This is evidently a mistake, as we have already noticed Chaucer's mention of this plant as early as the middle of the fourteenth century. We might have concluded that Chaucer had alluded to some other plant, such as the Cluster Mounwurt of Turner, who calls it the Less Lunary; Gerard, however, not only describes these plants, but has left us good figures of both species, and says, "These plants are set and sowen in gardens, notwithstanding the first (round podded) hath beene founde wilde in the woods about Pinner, and Harrow on the Hill, twelve miles from London, and in Essex likewise about Hornchurch. The second (long podded) groweth about Watforde, fifteene miles from London."

Thus, if we admit of their being exotic plants, their introduction must have been at a much earlier period than that noticed by the able compiler of the Hortus Kewensis, a work which we hold in such high estimation, that we feel always a degree of pride when we can point out a trivial inaccuracy, and more particularly so, knowing that the liberality of the author will receive it as a mark of our regard for his labours, from which we have received so much useful assistance.

These plants frequently grow to the height of from three to five feet, and are therefore better adapted to fill vacant spaces amongst shrubs than in the spots allotted to more delicate flowers. If the seeds be thrown on the ground soon after they are ripe, the young plants will appear early the following spring, whilst those that are carefully covered with earth frequently disappoint us by not appearing. The Lunaria will not bear transplanting; and although we recommend several plants to stand near enough to form but one head when in flower, yet they ought to be from two to three feet distant from each other. The only attention they require is to be kept free from weeds, as they will grow in almost any kind of soil and situation, but thrive best in a partial shade.

As the farce of witchcraft is no longer played by the assistance of the Lunaria, and as the plant

does not fill a place in the floral vocabulary, we will, by permission, place it there to represent the necessary and honourable virtue of Honesty, which title was, according to Gerard, bestowed upon this flower by an English gentlewoman, whom our immortal bard makes to say,

mine Honesty shall be my dower.

CANDY-TUFT. Iberis.

Natural Order Siliquosæ, or Cruciformes. Cruciferæ, Juss. A Genus of the Tetradynamia Siliculosa.

Here also, bathed in dew,
Plants in minutest growth
Are painted with flow'rs.

ANDREINI.

IN floriculture the aid of humble plants is frequently found to be as important in the general decoration of the garden as that of the more towering kinds; for Nature has made the same wise provision in miniature plants that we observe in the smaller kinds of the animal creation, which propagate by thousands, whilst the more gigantic tribes multiply singly.

The parent eagles will not suffer their offspring to build themselves a habitation within a given distance, nor will the sturdy oak or the noble chestnut permit their seedlings to thrive beneath the paternal branches; but that their fruit should not be formed in vain, Nature has made it the food of particular kinds of animals, and thus we find a due proportion observed in every part of the creation.

Few plants are more conspicuously ornamental

in the borders of the flower-garden, or the foreground of the shrubbery, than some species of the Iberis, when a number of plants are so congregated in one spot as to form a single cluster, or an irregular mass. Of these, we shall first notice the Ever-flowering Candy-tuft, Iberis semperflorens, which remains in blossom nearly the whole year, but more particularly so from the end of August to the beginning of June, braving all the inclement seasons with such an apparent negligence of the changes in the weather, that the Persian ladies have, in their floral language, adopted this flower as the representative of indifference.

The snow itself is scarcely whiter than the petals of this plant; and therefore it is particularly well adapted to enliven the sombre appearance of evergreen plantations during the winter season,-if not placed near the Laurustinus, which requires no aid of this kind, for that beautiful shrub, like the Iberis, seems awake whilst the rest of vegetable nature sleeps.

Pliny slightly mentions this plant under the name of Iberis; it is also the Iẞeps of Dioscorides, and is supposed to be so named from Iberia, where it formerly grew abundantly. The English name of Candy-tuft seems to have originated out of the circumstance of the first species of these plants being brought from Candia, from whence, says