. Familiar garden flowers . Flowers; Plants, Ornamental; Floriculture. THE CAPE LEADWOKT. Plumbago c/ipensis. HE names of plants present for our consideration innumerable strange questions, mostly of a mirth-provoking kind, but some- times sad enough. The name that now confronts us possesses but little interest of any kind; but the reader may very properly ask why a plant should be called a plumbago? It is, perhaps, impossible to explain the reason of the name, but it seems to have originated from the use of one of the species as a remedy in some disease of the eye. Then the decoction of the p
. Familiar garden flowers . Flowers; Plants, Ornamental; Floriculture. THE CAPE LEADWOKT. Plumbago c/ipensis. HE names of plants present for our consideration innumerable strange questions, mostly of a mirth-provoking kind, but some- times sad enough. The name that now confronts us possesses but little interest of any kind; but the reader may very properly ask why a plant should be called a plumbago? It is, perhaps, impossible to explain the reason of the name, but it seems to have originated from the use of one of the species as a remedy in some disease of the eye. Then the decoction of the plant was probably considered the equivalent of a solution of lead, or the name of the disease may have carried with it an allusion to the metal. The blue colour of the flowers is not far unlike that of pure lead that is as yet free from corrosion and dirt. But, after all, plumbago is not lead; it is "graphite/' and graphite is a natural charcoal, or silicate of carbon, without a shadow of lead in its substance. It derived its name from its likeness to lead, or "plumbum;" 4V. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Hibberd, Shirley, 1825-1890; Hulme, F. Edward (Frederick Edward), 1841-1909. London : Cassell
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