Next, after these, come the œnanthe,[2077] the melanion,[2078] and, among the wild plants, the helichrysos;[2079] then, another kind of anemone, known as the “limonia,”[2080] and after that the gladiolus,[2081] accompanied by the hyacinth. Last of all, among the spring flowers, is the rose, which, with the exception indeed of the cultivated kinds, is also the first to fade. Among the others, the flowers which last the longest, are the hyacinth, the white violet, and the œnanthe; but to make this last keep any time in flower, it is necessary to gather it repeatedly, to prevent it from running to seed. The œnanthe grows in warm localities, and has exactly the smell of the vine when in blossom, to which circumstance it is indebted for its name. There are two fabulous stories attached to the hyacinth;[2082] according to one of them, it bears the impress of the grief[2083] which Apollo felt for the youth[2084] whom he had so tenderly loved; and we learn from the other, that it derives its name from the blood[2085] of Ajax, the veins being so arranged in the flower as to form the Greek letters ΑΙ inscribed upon it. The helichrysos has a flower resembling gold in appearance, a small leaf, and a fine, slender, but hard, stem. According to the Magi, the person who crowns himself with a chaplet composed of this flower, and takes his unguents from a box of gold, of the kind generally known as “apyron,”[2086] will be sure to secure esteem and glory among his fellowmen. Such are the flowers of spring. CHAP. 39.—THE SUMMER FLOWERS—THE LYCHNIS: THE TIPHYON. TWO VARIETIES OF THE POTHOS. TWO VARIETIES OF THE ORSINUM. THE VINCAPERVINCA OR CHAMÆDAPHNE—A PLANT WHICH IS AN EVER-GREEN. The summer flowers come next, the lychnis[2087] the flower of Jove, and another kind of lily,[2088] as also the tiphyon[2089] and the amaracus, surnamed that of Phrygia. Put the most remarkable flower of all is the pothos,[2090] of which there are two varieties, one with the flower of the hyacinth,[2091] and another with a white flower, which is generally found growing about graves, and is better able to stand bad weather. The iris,[2092] also, blossoms in summer. All these flowers pass away, however, and fade; upon which others assume their places in autumn, a third kind of lily,[2093] for instance, saffron, and two varieties of the orsinum[2094]—one of them inodorous and the other scented—making their appearance, all of them, as soon as the first autumnal showers fall. The garland-makers employ the flowers of the thorn[2095] even for making chaplets; the tender shoots, too, of the white thorn are sometimes preserved as a choice morsel[2096] to tempt the palate.