cient Greek writers by whom it is described, have attributed to it a sacred
character, but only speak of it as used by the Egyptians as food.
The former distinguishes it by no particular name, but gives both to
it and the lotus, the common denomination of lily, a term which appears
to have been applied by the Greeks to various plants with large
specious flowers. Having observed that a paste is made of the pith
of the lotus, and baked into bread, he adds, there are also in the rivers
other lilies, resembling a rose, and bearing a fruit very like a wasp’s
nest, which contains numerous esculent seeds, about the size of the
stone of an olive, that are eaten both raw and roasted. According to
Dioscorides it was sometimes called the Pontic bean, and is said to be
a native not only of Egypt, but also of Asia Proper and Silicia. Theophrastus
has said before him, that it grew, though it did not attain to
its proper perfection, in Syria and Silicia; and had even added, that it
completely ripened its fruit in a lake near Torone in Chaleis. But in
all these situations some species of Nymphsea must certainly have been
mistaken for it. Dr. Smith conjectures, that this plant is the real mystical
bean of Pythagoras, concerning the prohibition of which to his
followers so much has been written and so little determined. He supposes
that this celebrated philosopher imbibed the notions of its sacred
character during his travels in India, if he actually went thither, or else
in Egypt at second hand from India, and that afterwards when he propagated
his acquired philosophy in Samos, Greece, and Italy, he took
as a substitute for it, since it did not grow in his own country, a common
seed resembling it, which the common horse-bean does very nearly.
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He consequently understands the famous prohibition in a literal, not in
a figurative, sense. The total disappearance of this plant from modem
Egypt favours the idea that it was not indigenous there, but brought
from India. And we should find but little difficulty in acceding to the
opinion of our learned friend, if we had not very strong doubts concerning
the truth of the modern doctrine which derives the mythology
of Egypt from that of India: but after all we have read on the subject
we do not scruple to confess that this doctrine appears to us to be in
all its parts unfounded.—Cyclopcedia. The roots and seeds are now
used in the East Indies as articles of food in the same manner as they
formerly were in ancient Egypt. The root having been called Colocas-
sia by some Greek writers, has sometimes been mistaken for the modern
Colocassia of the shops, which is the root of Arum Colocassia.
Mr. Salisbury asserts, that the petioles are prickly and not smooth as
Willdenow describes them, a fact that I can attest, and which I published
in the Prodromus Florae Philadelphicse many years ago. It is
surprising to me that Willdenow could ever have described them otherwise,
since even in dried specimens the petioles and even the peduncles
are beset with numerous, black, rigid, spiniform specks, which
render them quite rough to the touch.
This magnificent plant had nearly disappeared for two seasons, from
the neighbourhood of this city, as I had occasion to mention in the
Compendium Florae Philadelphicse, (see vol. ii. p. 26,) but since that
von. n; 22