in antiquity. We find flowers in great request at the entertainments of the ancients, being provided by the matter of the feast, and brought in before the second course; or, as some are of opinion, at the beginning of the entertainment. They not only adorned their heads, necks, and breasts, with flowers, but often bedewed the beds wherein they lay, and all parts of the room with them. But the head was chiefly regarded. See Garland.
Flowers were likewise used in the bedecking of tombs. See Burial.
Eternal Flower. See Xeranthemum.
Everlasting Flower. See Gnaphalium.
Flower-Fence. See Poinciana.
Sun-Flower. See Helianthus.
Sultan-Flower. See Cyanus.
Trumpet-Flower. See Bignonia.
Wind-Flower. See Anemone.
Flower-de-lis, or Flower-de-luce, in heraldry, a bearing representing the lily, called the queen of flowers, and the true hieroglyphic of royal majesty; but of late it has become more common, being borne in some coats one, in others three, in others five, and in some some or spread all over the escutcheon in great numbers.
The arms of France are, three flower-de-lis or, in a field azure.
Flower-de-Luce. See Iris.
heraldry. They are much used in coats of arms; and in general signify hope, or denote human frailty and momentary prosperity.
chemistry. By this name are generally understood bodies reduced into very fine parts, either spontaneously, or by some operation of art; but the term is chiefly applied to volatile solid substances, reduced into very fine parts, or into a kind of meal by sublimation.—Some flowers are nothing else than the bodies themselves, which are sublimed entire, without suffering Flowers suffering any alteration or decomposition; and other flowers are some of the constituent parts of the body subjected to sublimation.
Colours of Flowers. See the article Colour (of Plants).
Colours extracted from Flowers. See Colour-Making, No 35; 40.
Preserving of Flowers. The method of preserving flowers in their natural beauty through the whole year has been much sought after by many people. Some have attempted it by gathering them when dry and not too much opened, and burying them in dry sand; but this, though it preserves their figure well, takes off from the liveliness of their colour. Muntingius prefers the following method to all others. Gather roses, or other flowers, when they are not yet thoroughly open, in the middle of a dry day: put them into a good earthen vessel glazed within; fill the vessel up to the top with them; and when full sprinkle them over with some good French wine, with a little salt in it; then set them by in a cellar, tying down the mouth of the pot. After this they may be taken out at pleasure; and, on setting them in the sun, or within reach of the fire, they will open as if growing naturally; and not only the colour, but the smell also will be preserved.
The flowers of plants are by much the most difficult parts of them to preserve in any tolerable degree of perfection; of which we have instances in all the collections of dried plants, or horti seci. In these the leaves, stalks, roots, and seeds of the plants appear very well preserved; the strong texture of these parts making them always retain their natural form, and the colours in many species naturally remaining. But where these fade, the plant is little the worse for use as to the knowing the species by it. But it is very much otherwise in regard to flowers; these are naturally by much the most beautiful parts of the plants to which they belong; but they are so much injured in the common way of drying, that they not only lose, but change their colours one into another, by which means they give a handle to many errors; and they usually also wither up, so as to lose their very form and natural shape. The primrose and cowslip kinds are very eminent instances of the change of colours in the flowers of dried specimens: for those of this class of plants easily dry in their natural shape; but they lose their yellow, and, instead of it, acquire a fine green colour, much superior to that of the leaves in their most perfect state. The flowers of all the violet kind lose their beautiful blue, and become of a dead white: so that in dried specimens there is no difference between the blue-flowered violet and the white-flowered kinds.
Sir Robert Southwell has communicated to the world a method of drying plants, by which this defect is proposed to be in a great measure remedied, and all flowers preserved in their natural shape, and many in their natural colours.—For this purpose two plates of iron are to be prepared of the size of a large half-sheet of paper, or larger, for particular occasions: these plates must be made so thick as not to be apt to bend; and there must be a hole made near every corner for the receiving a screw to fasten them close together. When these plates are prepared, lay in readiness several sheets of paper, and then gather the plants with their flowers when they are quite perfect. Let this be always done in the middle of a dry day; and then lay the plant and its flower on one of the sheets of paper doubled in half, spreading out all the leaves and petals as nicely as possible. If the stalk is thick, it must be pared or cut in half, so that it may lie flat; and if it is woody, it may be peeled, and only the bark left. When the plant is thus expanded, lay round about it some loose leaves and petals of the flower, which may serve to complete any part that is deficient. When all is thus prepared, lay several sheets of paper over the plant, and as many under it; then put the whole between the iron plates, laying the papers smoothly on one, and laying the other evenly over them; screw them close, and put them into an oven after the bread is drawn, and let them lie there two hours. After that, make a mixture of equal parts of aquafortis and common brandy; shake these well together, and when the flowers are taken out of the pressure of the plates, rub them lightly over with a camel's-hair pencil dipped in this liquor; then lay them upon fresh brown paper, and covering them with some other sheets, press them between this and other papers with a handkerchief till the wet of these liquors is dried wholly away. When the plant is thus far prepared, take the bulk of a nutmeg of gum-dragon; put this into a pint of fair water cold, and let it stand 24 hours; it will in this time be wholly dissolved: then dip a fine hair-pencil in this liquor, and with it daub over the back sides of the leaves, and lay them carefully down on a half-sheet of white paper fairly expanded, and press them down with some more papers over these. When the gum-water is fixed, let the pressure and papers be removed, and the whole work is finished. The leaves retain their verdure in this case, and the flowers usually keep their natural colours. Some care, however, must be taken, that the heat of the oven be not too great. When the flowers are thick and bulky, some art may be used to pare off their backs, and dispose the petals in a due order; and after this, if any of them are wanting, their places may be supplied with some of the supernumerary ones dried on purpose; and if any of them are only faded, it will be prudent to take them away, and lay down others in their stead: the leaves may be also disposed and mended in the same manner.
Another method of preserving both flowers and fruit found throughout the whole year is also given by the same author. Take saltpetre one pound; armenian bole, two pounds; clean common sand, three pounds. Mix all well together; then gather fruit of any kind that is not fully ripe, with the stalk to each; put these in, one by one, into a wide-mouthed glass, laying them in good order. Tie over the top with an oil-cloth, and carry them into a dry cellar, and let the whole upon a bed of the prepared matter of four inches thick in a box. Fill up the remainder of the box with the same preparation; and let it be four inches thick all over the top of the glass, and all round its sides. Flowers are to be preserved in the same sort of glasses, and in the same manner; and they may be taken up after a whole year as plump and fair as when they were buried.
Flowers (artificial) of the Chinese. See Tong-tsoo. Flowers, in chemistry, are the finest and most flowering, subtle parts of dry bodies, raised by fire, into the vessel's head and alules; and adhering to them in form of a fine powder or dust. Such are the flowers of sulphur, benjamin, &c.
the animal economy, denote women's monthly purgations or menes.—Nicod derives the word in this sense from fluere, q. d. flows. Others will have the name occasioned hence, that women do not conceive till they have had their flowers; so that these are a sort of forerunners of their fruit.
rhetoric, are figures or ornaments of discourse, by the Latins called florulae.