! -I
ever, for its medicinal properties is the Aloe esteemed fo y n some
countries, particularly 3 are
S X S r r f b / d ° u p ? n piper r d T f r r the dbres o f the or
nith O f t h r p o in t s o f the leaves o f the Aloe are made nails,
dart’s and awls, and with these last the Indians pierce holes in
their ’ ears when they propose to honour the Devil with some
peculiar testimonies of their devotion.
A L Y S S U M . — This plant was regarded by the N e ap jitan s
as possessing magic qualities, and was suspend J m their houses
S r ch a rm f gainit L E v il Eye. Its name
from the Greek a, not, and lussa, madness. In England, tne
plant was called Alisson and Madwort, because, as Gerarde says.
Ft is ‘ ‘ r present remedie for them that are bitten of a mad dog.
A M A R A N T H . — In Spenser’s ‘ F airy Queen’ is to be found
the following allusion to the mythological origin of the Amaranth.
“ And all about grew every sort of flower,
To which sad lovers were transformed of yore ;
Fresh Hyacinthus, Phoebus’ paramour,
Foolish Narciss, that likes the watery shore ;
Sad Amaranthus, made a flower but late.
Sad Amaranthus, in whose purple gore
Me seems I see Am in ta ’ s wretched fate,
To whom sweet poets’ verse hath given endless date.
The Amaranth was a sacred plant among the Greeks and Roma j j
from the former it received its name, which means “ never-fading,
on account of the lasting nature of its blossoms. Hence it is
considered the emblem of immortality. The Amaranth was also
E s e d among the funeral flowers. Homer describes J e Thessalians
as wearing crowns of Amaranth at the funeral of Achilles, and
Thessalus decfrated the tomb of the same hero with Amman h-
blossoms. Philostratus records the custom of adorning tombs with
flowers and Artemidorus tells us that the Greeks were accustomed
fo T a n i wreaths of Amaranth in most of the temples of t J i r
divhflties: and they regarded the Amaranth as the symbol of
friendship. Milton crowns with Amaranth the angelic host
assembled before the Deity
“ With solemn adorations down they cast
Their crowns, inwove with Amaranth and gold
Immortal Amaranth, a flower which once
In Paradise, fast by the tree of life,
Began to bloom, but soon for man s oflence
To heaven removed, where first it grew.
The same poet, as well as Spenser, classes the amongst
“ those flowers that sad embroidery wear. ^In bumatra, tne
people of the Batta country lead m times of p j c e a P j r J y
nastoral life, and are accustomed to play on a kind of flute
downed with garlands of Amaranth and other flowers. At toe
the Floral Games at Toulouse, a golden Amaranth was awarded
for the best lyric composition. In modern times, the Amaranth
has given its name to an order instituted by Queen Christiana of
Sweden, in the year 1633, at an entertainment given in honour of
Don Antonio Pimentel, the Spanish Ambassador. On this occasion
she appeared in a dress covered with diamonds, attended by a suite
nobles and ladies. At the conclusion of the ball she stripped her
attire of the diamonds, and distributed them among the company,
at the same time presenting the new order of knighthood, consisting
of a ribbon and medal, with an Amaranth in enamel,
encircled with the motto Dolce nella memoria. In Roman Catholic
countries, more especially in Portugal, the species of the flower
known as the Globe Amaranth, Prince’s Feathers, and Cock’s
Comb, are much cultivated for church decoration at Christmas time
and during the Winter. The Amaranth is also selecfted as one of the
flowers peculiarly appropriate to Ascension Day. The species
of Amaranth which we know as Love-lies-bleeding, has, in France,
the singular name of Discipline des religieuses, the Nun’s Scourge.------
The Amaranth was formerly known as Flower Gentle, Flower
Velure, Floramor, and Velvet Flower. It is said to be under Saturn,
and to be an excellent qualifier of the unruly actions of Venus.
A M B R O S IA .—The Ambrosia-tree, or tree bearing immortal
food, is one of the most popular guises of the Hindu world-trees.
The Paradise of Indra had five trees, under the refreshing shade
of which the gods reclined and enjoyed life-inspiring draughts of
Ambrosia or Amrita. The chief of these trees was the Pdrijdta
(usually identified with the Erythrina Indica), and this was deemed
the Ambrosia-tree. The Greeks knew a herb which they named
Ambrosia, the food of immortals, and it was so called by the
ancients because they believed that a continued use of it rendered
men long-lived, just as the ambrosia of the gods preserved their
immortality. The Moors to this day entertain a belief in the
existence of such a plant. The old English name given to this
herb was Ambrose, which was applied to the Chenopodium Botrys;
but the ancients seem to have applied the name of Ambrosia to the
the Field Parsley, the Wild Sage, and the Chenopodium ambrosioides.
The plant known as Ambrosia at the present day belongs to the
Wormwood family.
A M E L L U S .—This plant is believed to be a species of Starwort.
Virgil, in the Fourth Book of his Georgies, states that at
Rome it was employed to decorate the altars of the gods. Gerarde
says that the Starwort having a blue or purple flower is that
referred to by Virgil as the Amellus in the following lines :—•
In meads there is a flower Amello named,
By him that seeks it easy to be found.
For that it seems by many branches framed
Into a little wood : like gold the ground
Thereof appears ; but leaves that it beset
Shine in the colour of the Violet»”