SSvSMtaMMAvivMB
mu
;
nts.
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Cornell IniueraitH SIthrargStifuta,
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BOUGHT WITH THE INCOME OF THE
SAGE ENDOWMENT FUNDTHE GIFT OF
HENRY W. SAGE1891
Cornell University Library
QK
13.C18 1900Ir
The Gaelic names of plants (Scottish
3 1924 001 376 171
B
H
Cornell University Library
The
original of this
book
is in
the Cornell University Library.
There are no known copyright
restrictions intext.
the United States on the use of the
http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924001376171
THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS.
JOHN
CAMERON
THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS(SCOTTISH, IRISH,
AND MANX),
COLLECTED AND ARRANGED IN SCIENTIFIC ORDER, WITH NOTES ON THEIR ETYMOLOGY, USES, PLANT SUPERSTITIONS, ETC., AMONG THE CELTS, WITH COPIOUS GAELIC, ENGLISH,
AND
SCIENTIFIC INDICES,
JOHN ^CAMERON,SUNDERLAND."What's in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet."
Shakespeare.
NEW AND
REVISED
EDITION.
GLASGOWJOHNMACKAY,I
:
"CELTIC
MONTHLY"DRIVE.
OFFICE,
BLYTHSWOOD1900.
[All Sights Reserved.]Fo-
"
I
study to bring forth somerare
acceptable
work
:
not striving toto
shew any
invention that passeth * man's capacity, but
utter
and receive matter of some moment known and talked of long ago,yet over long hath been buried, and, asfruit itit
seemed, lain dead, for anyChurch-ward, 1588.
hath shewed in the
memory
of man."
TO
THE MEMORYOF
MY DEAR WIFEI
DEDICATE
PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.
The
Gaelic'
Names
of Plants, reprinted from a series of articles
in the
Scottish Naturalist,' which have appeared during the last
four years, are published at the request of
many who wish
to
have
them
There might, perhaps, be grounds for hesitation in obtruding on the public a work of this description, which can only be of use to comparatively few ; butin
a more convenient form.
the fact that no book exists containing a complete catalogue ofGaelic names of plantsin this separate form.that,is
at least
Moreover,
some excuse for their publication it seemed to many able botanistsit
both for
scientific
and
philological reasons,
would be very
desirable that an attempt should be
made
to collect such
names
as
areit
still
used in the spoken Gaelic of Scotland and Ireland, beforelate
became too
by the gradual disappearance of the language.this task at the request of the
Accordingly the author undertookIf the difficulties of
Editor of the 'Scottish Naturalist,'its
Dr Buchanan Whyte,itis,
F.L.S.
accomplishment had been foreseen, he
would have hesitatedlaries,
to
make
the attempt; as
nearly ten
years of his life have been occupied in searching through vocabu-
reading Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and generally trying tointo
bring
order the
confusion
to
which these names have
been reduced, partly by the carelessness of the compilers of To Dictionaries, and frequently by their botanical ignorance. accomplish this, numerous journeys had to be undertaken amongthe Gaelic-speaking populations, in order, if possible, to settle disputed names, to fix the plant to which the name was applied, andto collect others previously unrecorded.
In studying the Gaelic nomenclature of plants, it soon became evident that no collection would be of any value unless the Irish-
Indeed when the lists supplied Gaelic names were incorporated. (Mac-Mhaighster-Alastair), published in by Alexander Macdonald
Vlll
PREFACE.
his vocabulary in 1741, are examined, they are
found
to correspond
with those in
much
older vocabularies published in Ireland.
The
same remarkLightfoot's'
applies, with a
few exceptions,
to the
names of plants
in Gaelic supplied
by the Rev.
Mr
Stewart of Killin, given in
Flora Scotica.'in the
Undoubtedly, the older names haveCeltic literature of Ireland;it
been preservedis
more copious
certainly true that
"In vetustd Hibernicd, fundamentum habet"
the investigations of Professor O'Curry, O'Donovan, and others,
have thrown muchtopics.
upon many other Celtic included, and spelt according to the various methods adopted by the different this gives the appearance of a want of uniformity to authoritieslight
on
this as well as
The;
Irish
names
are
therefore
the spelling not altogether agreeable to Gaelic scholars, but which,
under the circumstances, was unavoidable.It
was absolutely
essential that the existing Gaelic
names should
be assigned correctly. The difficulty of the ordinary botanical student was here reversed he has the plant but cannot tell the:
name
here the namename
existed, but the plant required to
be found
to which thetheir original
applied.
Again, names had been altered from;
form by transcription and pronunciation
it
became
a matter of difficulty to determine the root word.
However, the recent progress of philology, the knowledge of the laws that govern the modifications of words in the brotherhood of Europeanlanguages,
when applied
to these
names, rendered the explanationCelts
given not altogether improbable.(1), their uses; (2), their
named
plants often from
appearance;
(3), their habitats; (4), their
superstitious associations, &c.
naming was the keyselected
that
The knowledge of opened many a difficulty.
this habit
of
For the sake of comparison a number of Welsh names is given, from the oldest list of names obtainable those appended
to Gerard's 'Herbalist,' 1597.
The author cannot
sufficiently express his obligation to
numerous
correspondents in the Highlands and in Ireland for assistance in gathering local names ; without such help it would have beenimpossible to
Notably the Rev. A. whose knowledge of natural history is unsurpassed in his own sphere the Very Rev. Canon Bourke, Claremorris, who gave most valuable assistance in the Irish names,Stewart, Nether Lochaber,;
make
a complete collection.
particularly in the
etymology of many abstruse terms, his accurate
PREFACE.scholarship, Celtic
IX
and
classical,
helping him over
many a
difficulty.
Mr W.
Brockie, an excellent botanist
years ago
made
a collection
and philologist, who some of Gaelic names of plants which wasthis
unfortunately destroyed, placed at the author's disposal valuablenotes'
and information
relative to'
subject;
and
lastly,
theits
accomplished Editor of the
Scottish Naturalist,' who,
from
commencement, edited theorder of the whole.
sheets
and secured the correct
scientific
this work as free from some have escaped attention any names omitted, any mistake in the naming of the
With every desire to make
errors as
possible, yet, doubtless,
;
therefore,plants, orthis sub-
any other fact tending towards the further elucidation ofject will
be thankfully received for future addition, correction, or
amendment.
JOHN CAMERON.Sunderland, January,i88j.
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
This
edition
is
largely
extended by additional Gaelic,
Irish,
and
Manx namesscientific
of plants, the greatest care being taken to fix the exact
the popular plant and flower names. names are added, mainly from Threlkeld's 'Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum* (1728); also Manx names from list published in 'Yn Lioar Manninagh,' by Messrs. Moore, Quayle, other names are to be found in the Manx Ralfe, Roeder, etc.equivalents ofIrish
Many more
;
dictionaries, but they are not to
be relied on.
With respectinfallibility of
to the etymologies of
many
of the Gaelic
names
the author rather suggests than maintains withthe etymologies given.
much
tenacity the
A
book
that purposes to
deal with the legends and superstitions of plants could not ignorealtogether the popular idea of the
meaning of the names.
Not-
withstanding the great results of recent Celtic scholarship,
many
terms are obscure and impossible of explanation.very
dictionary fame, in a recent speech said that the fact was,little
about etymology and the way init
Dr Murray, of we knew which words had arisen.but
After the discovery of Sanskrit,roots existedthis(if
was fondly supposed that Aryan;
they could be found) for most of our wordsall
does not apply to
English or Gaelic words.
This book aims
at giving in
a condensed form as
much
informa-
tion as possible (regarding the subject
of the legends, superstitions,diffusion of the
from a Celtic point of view) plant lore, uses, medicinal value, and
knowledge of simples among the Celtic peasantry.poetic quotations have been revised
Clan badges have been re-examined and determined with moreaccuracy.
The
and
errors
corrected, thanks toCelticliterature),
Mr Henry Whyte (the well-known Fionn of to whom the author, as well as all Gaelic
scholars, is
under a deep obligation.
PREFACE.
XI
WithPlants"years.
this the
author finishes his study of the
'
Gaelic
a
subject that has occupied his spare time for
Names of many
JOHN CAMERON.Sunderland, March,igoo.
At the request ofinserted
several of the subscribers, the publisher has
a
portrait
of the
author,
by Mr. R. E. Ruddock,
Newcastle-on-Tyne.
LIST OP SUBSCRIBERS,
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Burgess, Captain A., Gairloch, Ross-shire
Burns, Robert
J.,
M.R.C.S
,
Sunderland
Burns, William,
J. P.,
Sunderland
Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron, Cameron,
Angus, Blair-Atholl (2 copies) Archibald, Sunderland A. E., Sunderland C, New York, U.S.A. C. J., Sunderland D., Jersey City, U.S.A. Donald A., Southland, New Zealand E. G., Philadelphia, U.S.A. H. R., Sunderland Captain John, Fort William J. W., New York, U.S.A.Mrs.,
Hyde
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Dempsey, Cormac, New York, U.S.A. Dewar, Rev. James, The Manse, ArroquharDuffy, James,
&
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Vincent, G., Sunderland Vincent, William, Sunderland
THE GAELIC NAMES OF PLANTS.
EXO GEN S.RANUNCULACEjE.Thalictrum.GaelicIrish::
(0a\\., tO'
same
most of the ancient languages ; said to be fromruith, flow, rush; their roots, especially T.
flow; Gaelic
flavum,
possessing powerful cathartic qualities like rhubarb.also ru, run, a secret, mystery, love, desire, grace.
Compare
Welsh: runa,is
hieroglyphics (Runic).
The Thalictrum
of Pliny
supposed touile
be the meadow-rue." Oir a ta1
luibhean.'
(See Freund's Lexicon.) sibh a toirt deachaimh a moinnt, agus a rii, agus gach For ye tithes mint and rue, and all manner of herbs,lossery
ghn&
Manx: yn"
dy gkrayse.of rue, sour
The herb
of grace, used for
sprinkling holy water.I'll set
a
bank
herb of grace."
Shakespeare.
graveolens
The Rue of Shakespeare is generally supposed to be Ruta (Ru garaidh), a plant belonging to another order, and
not indigenous.Hepatica.
Dike Aubrinnfor "
(Threl), dike
is
written for " Dtthean"It
and Aubrinn
Abraoin
"
April, the April flower.
blooms'
early in the Spring.
Anemone nemorosa.
Wind-flower,
wind-flower (Armstrong).
Gaelic: pliir na gaoithe, Welsh: Uysiaur gwynt, wind-flower:
Irish nead because some of the species prefer windy habitats. woman's nest. Nead is an alteration of the old caillich, oldIrish neidh, the
wind; and Cailleach, theto
first
then the wind flower begins
bloom.
week in Spring Manx: /us ny geayee,
wind
wort.
Ranunculus,
From
Latin, rana, a frog, because
some of the A
:
species inhabit
humid
places
frequented
by that creature, or
because some of the plants have leaves resembling in shape afrog'sfoot.
Ranunculusfamily.
is
also
sometimes called crowfoot.
The Buttercupleaves.
Gaelic: cearban, raggy,
Gair-cean, Gairghin
fromuisge,
gair, a crow.
from its divided Welsh era/range:
yfran, crows' claws.R. aquatilis
Manx: spag sfeeach,crowfoot.
raven's claw.:
Waterspear,chis,
Gaelic fleann uisge, probablywater,
from leanna, aKaibhne, the
and
Waterspear.
Ms,
river-flax.
Irish: neul uisge,
tuir,
a lord;
purse (fromstill
plant generally grows in
Tuir numerous achenes). This water or ponds the flowers formingneul,
Lion na
a
star.
its
a beautiful sheet of white on the surface.
R
ficaria
Lesser celandine.Irish:
Gaelic
:
grain-aigein, that
whicha pig.
produces loathing.toddedig wen,
gran arcain
;
gran, grain
;
arc,
Searraiche (Armstrong), according to O'Reilly, Searraigh.fire
Welshlittle
dissolvent; toddi,
melt,
dissolve.is
This&c.;
buttercup, oftener called the "pilewort,"flowers.Its roots are still
one of ourpiles, corns,
earliest
used as a cure forGaelic:
R. flammula
Spearwort.Lus
a swamp. swamp, alus
Lasair-hanaspear.
lasair, ayIt
glas-leunflame,
glas,
green
leun,
and leana or
leun,
a
Welsh: blaershleig.
guaew, lance-point.
Manx
y
binjey, rennet wort.
was one of the plants formerly used(In Scotch Gaelic, sleagh, a spear.)
for curdling milk.
R. Auricomusfollais,
Goldilocks.:
Gaelic follasgain ; probably from:
conspicuous.
Irish foloscain,
a tadpole.
The
Gaelic
may be
a corruption from the Irish, or vice versd; also gruag
Mhuire, Mary's locks.R. repensone.Irish:
Creepingbairgin,
crowfoot.
Gaelic: buigheag, the yellowbairghin, a pilgrim's habit.
Fearban
fearba,
more frequently
killing, destroying.
The whole
of this family
are full of acrid, poisonous juices.
R. acris
UprightIrish:
meadow
crowfoot.
Gaelic
:
cearban febir,
the grass rag.
the same name.
This plant and R. flam-
mula were usedraising blisters,
in the Highlands, applied in rags (cearban), for
R.tuile)
Bulbosus
Bulbous
crowfoot.
Gaelic(it
:
fuile
(sometimessoil).
thalmhuinn, blood of the earth
exhausts the
B..
Sceleratus
Celery-leaved
crowfoot.
Gaelic
and
Irish:
iorachas biadhain ; probably means food of which one would be.afraid.
Caltha palustris
Marsh
marigold.
Gaelic: a chorrach shod,
the clumsy one of the marsh.
Threlkeld has "corr a h'ot" applied
to the bog bean (Menyanthes).yellow plant of Beltane orteine, fire.
Mayfire
The name" Beith
survives in
Lus bhuidhe Bealltuinn, the Bel or Baal, the sun-god, and many Gaelic names e.g., Tulliof Baal.
Jjeltane,
the high place of the
a's calltuinn ]3.tha.-Bealltuinn."first
Mackay.Irish:
Birch and hazel
day of May.
Bearnan Bealltuinn.j>lubairsin
The
orbicular leaves are notched.
from plubrach, plunging.
Lus Main,
Marywort,
Marygold.
charm
against fairiesviridis.
Manx: Blughtyn. Lus and witches.
airh, gold weed,
used as a
Helleborus
Green hellebore.
Gaelic: elebor, a corruphelein, to
tion of helleborus (from the
Greek eXXe,
cause death;
and
/3o/>os,
boros,
food
poisonous food).
Dathabha, O'Reilly,
Dahough
(Threlkeld),
and Dahou ban (Threl)
dropwort.
These
three names, though differently spelt, evidently refer to something
common
to the plants so
that they are all violently poisonous.
by the ancientavengetheir
Celts to
named, the predominant quality being The "hellebore" was used poison the arrows, and the "dropwort" to
enemies by poison.
do with the names.
Dath colour has not anything to More probably dath or dbth to burn, to seize,
and, in Irish Gaelic, daitheoir, an avenger.
Many
plants of the
hellebore family are noted for producing blisters, and were formerly
used for that purpose.H. fcetidus
Manx
:
blaa Nolic, Christmas flower.
Stinking hellebore.
Meacan
sleibhe,1
the hill-plant.
Aquilegia vulgarisdove's plant.Irish:
cruba-leisin
Columbine. Gaelic: lus a cholamain, the from cruba, crouching, andleise,
thigh or haunch; suggested by the form of the flower.
xholam (O'Reilly), pigeon's flower. woman's foot. Manx lus yn ushtey:
Lusan Welsh: troed y glomen, nakedvio,
plant of the living water.
Aconitum napellus{Shaw),thewolf's
monkshood.choke.
mhadhaidh Currachd manaich (Armstrong), Welsh: bleiddag from bleidd, a wolf, and tag,Gaelic: fuathaversion.
Monkshood.
Nigella damascena
Chase-the
devil.
Gaelic: /us an fhbgraidhT
the pursued plant.
Irish: /us tnhic Raonai/,in gardens.
MacRonald's
wort..
Not indigenous, but commonPseonia officinalis
Peony.who
Gaelicfirst
:
/us a phione.it
A corruption*
and cured' Welsh b/adeu'r brenin, Irish: /us phoine. the king's flower. Meacan easa beanine, female peony and meacan easa firine, male peony. Oldof Pceon, the physicianPlato of a
used
in medicine,:
wound;
inflicted
by Hercules.
herbalists used to distinguish between
two
varieties of the
peony,
and named them male and female. This was a mere fanciful distinction, and had no reference to the real functions of the stamens and pistils of plants but yet there existed a vague idea from time immemorial that fecundation was in some degree;
analogous to sexual relationship,allusions as
as
in
animals
hence("Wood
suchbull,"
"Tarbk
coi//e"
"
Dair na
coil/e,'' etc.
"Fecundation of the wood.")BERBERIDACE^E.Berberis vulgaris
Barberry.
Gaelic: barbrag (a corruption'
from Arabic barbdris, the barberrythe sour berry- bush.barbrog.
tree. Preas nan geur dhearc, Preas dei/gneach, the prickly bush. Irish:
NYMPH^EACE^E.
(From
vv/ufrfj,
nymphe, a water-nymph, referring to their habitats.)alba
Nymphsea
Whiteleaf.
water- lily
Gaelic
:
dui/kag bhaite bhan,
the drowned white
Cuirinin (O'Reilly).is
"Feur
lochain
tachair,
An
cinn an duilleag bhhite."algae,
Macintyre.
Water, grass, and
Where
the water-lily grows.righ
"0
lili, lily,
namrose.
fliiran."
Macdonald.
OBiorrbs,
king of flowers.
meaning waterIrish
Rabhagach, giving caution orlily.
warning; a beacon.water-lily.:
Li/i bhan, white
Welsh: Li/ir-dwfr,
buU/ite (Shaw).water-lily.leaf.
Nuphar luteum.Yellowbhuidhe, the yellowwater-lily.
drowned
Gaelic: dui/kag bhaite Li/i bhuidhe ' uisge, yellow
Irish: liach /oghar, the bright flag.
Cabhan abhainn
cabhan, a hollow plain; and abhainn, of the river.
:
PAPAVERACEjE.
Papaver rhoeas
Poppy.le
a
little
pestle (to
Gaelic meilbheag, sometimes beilbheag, which the capsule has some resemblance).:
"Le
meilbheag,
neoinean,
's
le slan-lus."
Macleod.Cromlus,
With a poppy,Jothros, corn-rose
daisy,
and
rib-grass.
fromnam
ioth (Irish), corn; rbs, rose.
bent weed.of
Paipean ruadh
ruadh, red; and paipean a corruptionThejuicesleep.
papaver, from papa, pap, or pappo, to eat of pap.Irish: blath
was formerly put into children's food to make thempabi.
Welsh
bodaigh, old men's flower.
Cathleach-
.dearg (O'Reilly).
Cochcifoidedevil's
(Shaw).eye.
Corn poppy.red,
Welsh
Jlygad
y
cythraul, the
Cathleach
connected with cathlunn corn and dearg.altogether dubious
may perhaps be but Shaw's name isGaelic:codalian,
and meaningless.
P. somniferuiri
Common
opium poppy.
from codal orP.
cadal, sleep.
Collaidin ban, white poppy.
nigram sativummajusis
Paipean
dubh,
black
poppy.
Manx:of
Jus
y
chadlee, the plant for sleep.
Chelidoniumhead.
CommonWelsh:
celandine
(a
corruption
XeAiSwu, chelidon, a swallow).
Gaelic: an ceann ruadh, the redIrish: lacha
Theis
flower
yellow, not red.
cheann ruadh,swallow-wort.
the red-headed duck.Aonsgochswallow-floweraon,
llysie
y
wennol,
another Gaelica
name
for
swallow-wort,
meaningScotch
swallow; and sgoth,
a flower.
Gaelic name for a swallow, ainlag.
Manx
:
/us
y
ghollan gheayee,
swallow herb, formerly used by herbalists as a cure for cancer.
Glaucium luteum Yellow horned poppy. Gaelic: barrag The flower is yellow, not ruadh (?), the valiant or strong head.red.
FUMARIACEjE..(From fumus, smoke.
"The smoketoterre.
of these plants being saidevil
by the ancientspirits" (Jones)
exorcists
have the power of expelling
French: fume
Fumaria
officinalis
Fumitory.Welsh:
Gaelic
:
lus deathach
thalmhuinn thalmhuinn
(Armstrong), the earth-smoke plant.(O'Reilly), earth-smoke..allusion
Irish: deatach
mwg y ddaer,
earth-smoke.
The
being to the disagreeable smell of the plant when burning.Irish
Another
name is caman scarraigh (O'Reilly)
caman, crooked,
and scaradh, to
Fuaim an f Siorraigh, a humorous play Manx: booa-ghodayn. Main on the words "fumaria officinalis." tenagh (Threl) It is difficult to know the meaning implied in thisBy main is probably meant magh, field; and peculiar name. The field fire, instead of "earth by tenagh, our word teine, fire.scatter.
a.
smoke."
It
grows often in potato and cornfields, with small
emerald leaves and pink flowers.
A
variety of
it
grows frequentlyan:
on old thatchedflowers,
roofs,
having long fragile stems and small whitishin
and
is
known
some
places by the
names of Fliodh
tugha and Fliodh mbr
(Corydalis claviculata).CRUCIFERjE.
(From Latinof this order.
crvx, cruris, a cross;
and
fero,
to bear, the petals
being arranged crosswise).
Wallflowers and stocks are examples-
Crambe maritimapot-herb
from theyo.v\o;
Seakale.caulis;
Gaelic praiseag tragha, the shore:
Irish praiseach, Gaelic praiseag, a little pot (a
common nameGreek,
for pot-herbs).Latin,
English, cole or kale; Irish, cal;
Cal na mara, seakale (from German, kohl; Saxon, cawl,~ Welsh, cowl; Manx, caal hraie,ancient Celts used to stain theirIts pale
shore kale.Isatis tinctoria
Woad.
The
bodies with a preparation from this plant.Gaelic: guirmean, the blue one:
blue hue was
supposed to enhance their beauty, according to the fashion of thetime.lus,
pale-blue weed.
Irish and Gaelic: glas Welsh glas lys. Formerly called Glastum. "Is glas mo Iuaidh." Ossian.Pale-blueis
the subject ofits
my
praise.
On
account of the brightness ofcalledit
manufactured colours, the
Celts
gwed
(guede in French to this day (whence the
Saxon
wad andIrish
the English woad.
Thlaspi arvensepot-herb.:
Penny
cress.
Gaelic
:
praiseach feidh, deer's-
preaseach fiadh, a deer's pot-herb
Oapsella Bursa-pastorisfola,
Shepherd'sbugail,
purse.
Gaelic:
lus
naa
the blood-weed; an sporan, the purse.star.
Irish: sraidin,
spark or
Welsh pwrs y:
shepherd's purse (bugail,
from GreekCochlearia
/3iikoAos, a
shepherd).
officinalisbitter.
Scurvy
Latin
:
amarus,
grass. Gaelic: am maraich. Carran, the thing for scurvy, possessing;
;
:
antiscorbutic properties.(Stuart).
(Stuart in
"Plaigh na carra," the plague of leprosy "Duine aig am bheil carr," a man who has the scurvy Lev.) Manx: lus-y-vinniag, pinch herb. Kelly explainslividity called dead men's no more than the symptoms of scurvy.llysie'r
"minniag" or "minniag merrin" as thatnips or pinches, whichis
Welsh: mor Iwyau, sea-spoons;blwg, scurvy).
Irish: biolair traghaIt
blwg, scurvy-grass (from
bio/air, dainty;
and tragha,
shore or sea-shore.
grows also on mountain tops.
ar, land;
Armoracia rusticana ( Armoracia, a name of Celtic origin, "from mor or mar, the sea; ris, near to)." This derivation is doubtful. English horse-radish. Gaelic meacan each, the horse: :
plant.rotcoll
Irish:
racadal,
perhaps the same as
rotocal.
Scotch:
(Macbain).
Raphanus raphanistrumwild radish.
Radish.
Gaelic
:
meacan ruadh, theIrish:
reddish plant, from the colour of the root.
fiadh
roidis,
Raidis (Armstrong).
Curran dhearg
(O'Reilly), the
red root.R. maritimus
Raibhe
Sea radish.
Irish
:
meacan ragum
usee (O'Reilly).
radish,
from Latin raphanus.
Cardamine pratensissome,pretty.
Cuckoois
flower, ladies'
smock.
Gaelic:
plur na cubhaig, the cuckoo-flower.
Gleoran, from gleote, handwell.
The name
given to other cresses as
Biolair-
ghriagain, the bright sunny dainty.
Cakile
maritimum
Sea
gill y-flower
rocket.
Gaelic fearsaid:
eag; meaning uncertain, but probably from Irish saide, a seat(Latin, sedes), thesitting individual
from
its
procumbent
habit.
Gearr bochdan.Nasturtiumor thatofficinalis
Water-cress.to
Gaelic
:
biolair,
a dainty,
which causes the nose:
smart, hence agreeing withtortus,
nasturtium, (Latin
nasus, the nose,lus, plant.
dur, water, andberwyr dwfr,
and
Dobhar-lus
dobhar,
tormented.water.
Durlus Welsh
water-cress.
The
Gaelic and Irish bards used these
names
indefinitely for all cresses.
" 'S a bhiolair luidneach, shliom-chluasach. Glas, chruinn-cheannach, chaoin ghorm-neulachIsi
fas glan, uchd-ard, gilmeineach,
Fuidh barr geal iomlan,
sonraichte. "
Macintyre.
:
8Its drooping,
smooth, green, round-leaved water-cress growing so radiantly,;
treast-high, trimly
under
its
remarkably perfect white flower.
"Dobhrach bhallach mhln." Macintyre.
Biorardwr.garden
Bior-fheir,Berwr,cress.
Smooth-spotted water-cress."water-cress.;
Bior, water.
Welsh
:
cress
dwr, water.
Biolar Frang
French cress orin Scotland
Berwr y
A
curious old superstition respecting the power of this plant as
a charm to facilitate milk-stealing wasIreland.
common
and
"Not long
ago,
an old woman was found, on a
May
morning, at a springpersons
well, cutting the tops of water-cresses
with acertain
pair of scissors, muttering strange words,
who hadthinesprig,is
cows, also the wordsmine).
"
and the names of'.S
leamsa leth do chuid-
sa'' (half
She repeated these words as often as
she cut a
which personated the individual she intended to
rob of his milk and cream." "Some women make use of the root of groundsel as an amulet against such charms, by putting itcress*'
amongst the cream." Martin. formed a most importantIf they
Among
the poorer classes, watertheir ordinary food.
auxiliary to
found a plot of water-cresses or shamrock, there they flocked as to a feast for the time." Spencer.
Virgin Mary's fennel.jiargey,flux-herb,
Sisymbrium Sophia Flixweed. Gaelic: fineal Mhuire, the Welsh piblys, pipe-weed. Manx lus-y: :
used for curing
flux.
Flux was a terriblein the
scourge in Britain and the Isle ofeighteenth centuries.
Man
seventeenth and
Erysimumhedgegarlick.
alliaria
and officinalis Garlic mustard, saucerough,threatening.chleigee,
alone.
Gaelic: garbhraitheach,
Gairleach colluid,
Manx
:
mustard
hedge mustardGaelic:
Cheiranthus cheiri Wallflower,
gilly-flower.:
lus leth
an t-samhraidh, half the summer plant. Irish the same Welsh Moden gorphenaf, July flower or gilly-flower. Wedgewood saysgilly-floweris
from the FrenchSt.
giroflee.
Manx: blaa yn(O'Reilly).
eail Eoin,
the flower of
John's Feast.
Matthiola incanaStock"
Stock.
Pincin
The "QueenIrish,
of the gardens, well
known
to every one.
Brassica rapa
Common
turnip.
Gaelic,
neup;
neip;
Welsh, maipen; Scotch, neep (and navew, French, navet); corruptions from Latin napus.
9B.
campestris
Wildof
navew.
Gaelic:
neup fhiadhain,
wild
turnip.
B. oleraceabhaidhe, the
Sea-kale or cabbage.pot-herbthesea,its
Gaelic and Irish
:
praiseach
mor (Welsh), tolbhairt the kale withMorranplant,
the wave (baidhe, inhabitat
Irish,
a wave).
the
seaside.
Chi
stout fleshy stalks (from colbh, a stalk of
a
and
art, flesh), cal ox cadhal.
Welsh: caw/,
kale.
Gaelic:
cal-cearslack
(cearslack,
globular),
cabbage; cal gruidhean (withlittle
grain like flowers), cauliflower; colag (a
cabbage), cauliflower;
garadh
cail,
a kitchen garden.
Rotheach tragha (O'Reilly).
" 'Dh 'itheadh biolair an fhuarain Macdonald. 'S air bu shuarach an chl." That would eat the cress of the wells,
AndSinapis
consider kale contemptible.
arvensis
Charlock,shlol
wild
mustard.
Gaelic:
bhuidhe or amharag, from amh, raw or pungent.
Sceallan
maragsceall,
a
shield.
Sgealag (Shaw)
sgealpach, biting.
Mustard-from
the
English.
" Mar ghrkinne de
mustaird."
Stuart.
Like a grain of mustard-seed.
The mustardnaconachta
of Scripture, " Salvadora persica," was a tree twentyit
feet high, therefore
could not be our mustard.
Cas or GasGaelic:
(O'Reilly).
Cas an thunnagta (Threl).
praiseach garbh, the rough pot-herb.
Subularia aquaticabogawl,
RuideogMay
is
given
by O' Donovanin
"as
a
kind
of
butterweed growingwort.It is a
bogs (County of
Monaghan)."
Awl
possibly be from the old Irish4
name
ruit,
a dart or short spear.
small plant found inIt rarely
shallow edges of alpine ponds and lakes.
exceeds two
or three inches in height, leaves cylindrical, slender, and pointedlike little awls,
hence the name awl wort.
RESEDACE^.
Beseda luteolaWeld, yellow weed.the large
Gaelic
:
lus buidhe mbr,
yellow
weed.dye-wort.
Irish:
buidhe mbr, the
large
yellow.
Welsh
:
llysie lliu,
Reseda, from Latin resedo.CISTACEjE.
(From Greek-capsules.
/a'cn-17,
kiste,
a box or capsule, fromciste.
.their peculiar
Latin: cista
Gaelic:
Danish:
kiste.)
Helianthemum vulgarerose; pliir
Rock-rose.
Gaelic: grian rbs, sun-
na
grkine, flower of the
sun (also heliotrope).
Welsh:
blodawfr haul, sun-flower,
Badge of the Clan Fergusson.violace^e.
(From Greek
lov,
ion,
a violet
the
food given to the cow, Io r
one of Jupiter's mistresses.)Viola odorata
Sweet
violet.
Gaelic: fdil-chuach,
scented
bowl; jaile, scent, and cuach, a bowl hollow as a nest; also cuckoo.Scotch: quaich, cogie (dim.), a drinking-cup.
Manx:
blaa
villish,
sweet bloom. " Faile chuachaig
ar uachdar an fheoir."
Macfarlane.
Scented violet on the lop of the grass.
V. canina afield).
Dog-violet.:
Gaelic: dail chuach, field-bowl (dail,.
Danish
dal, a valley.
" Gun sobhrach gun dail chuach.
Gun
lus uasal air earn."
Macintyre.
Without primrose or violet, Or a gay flower on the heap.
Sail chuach
sail,
a.
heel (fromis
its
spur), cuckoo's heel.
" Coille
guirme sail chuach."
Old Song.;
AIrish:
wood where
violets are bluest.
biodh a leithid, the world's paragonfaint,
also fanaisge, probably
from fann, weak,crinllys,
agreeing in meaning with the
Welsh name
a fragile weed.
V.
tricolor
Heart'Gaelic:
s-ease
pansy.
Irish:
goirmin searradh,
spring blue.shoe.
spbg,
no brbg na cubhaig, cuckoo's claw orchree, heart's ease.
Manx: kiunid fea ash
DROSERACEiE.
(From Greekasif
8/ooo-epos, droseros,
dewy, because the plants appear
covered with dew).
Drosero rotundifolia
Round-leaved
sundew.
Gaelic
:
rbs
anred
fsolais, sun-rose or flower; geald-ruidhe or dealt ruaidhe, very
dew;
lus
an Earnaich.
"Earnach" was the name givencaused by eating a poisonous herb
to
a
distemper
among
cattle,
some
say the sun-dew.
Others, again, aver the sun -dew was an effectual
remedy.dyeing the
This plant washair.
much employed among(eil,
Celtic tribes for
Irish: eil drtlichd
to rob,
and druichd, dew)
:
the one that robs the dew); drilkhdin mona, the
dew
of. the tolltwisted'
Manx:thread,
lus-y-driiight.
Welsh:
doddedig
rudddodd,
and rudd red, the plant being covered with red hairs. Drilchd na muine, the dew of the hill. Gil driugh (Threl) Our word, gille, a lad, a servant; and driichd, dew. This interestinglittle
plant
is
very
common
in
the Highlands, growingIt
among
the
white bog moss (sphagnum).
has
little
red spoon-like leaves,It
with red hairs, and always covered with dew drops.lives
grows and:
on small black
insects,
which are grasped and absorbed by
the leaves.
POLYGALACB^E,
(From Greekwort.
ttoXv, poly,
much; and yaAa,
gala, milk).
Polygala vulgarisIrish: lusan
Milk-wort.bainne,
Gaelic: lus a' bhainne, milk-
the
same meaning, alludingit.
to
the
reputed effects of the plants on cows that feed upon
CARYOPHYLLACE.E.Saponariaofficinalis
Soapwort, bruisewort.bitter,
Lus an fsiabuinn.usedto
The whole
plant
is
and was
formerly
cure
same meaning (sebon, soap). Manx: brellish heabinagh (brdlish wort). Soap wort. Latin sapo, so called probably because the bruised leaves produce lather like soap. Soap was a Celtic invention.cutaneous diseases.
Welsh:
sebonllys, the
"" Soap is good grease and ash."
Prorlest et sapo.
Gallorum hoc inventum.
Rutilandis capillis, ex sevo et cinere."
Pliny.
that invention
of the Gauls
for
reddening the hair out of
Lychnis flos-cuculileana, the
Ragged Robin.
Gaelic: pliir
the cuckoo flower; currachd na cubhaig, the cuckoo's
na cubhaig, hood caorag;
marsh spark.
L. diurnain
Red
campion.coille,
Gaelic: cirean
coilich,
cockscomb;
some
places corcan
red woodland flower.Gaelic: brbg na cubhaig, the cuckoo'sIothros, corncockle.
L. githagoshoe.cogall,1
Corn-cockle.cockle orits
Lus
loibheach, stinking weed.
rose.
Irishcoquille.
fromgith,
coch (Welsh), red;
hence
French:
Welsh:
seed,
a corruption from githago, or
vice versa.
1
Spergnla arvensiscluain,
Spurrey.lin,
Gaelici.e.,
:
cluain tin (also corran lin)flax.
fraud,is:
and
flax
fraudulous
Carran,
This plantLatin
sometimes called currachd na cubhaig, and cochalcucullus.
(hood or
cowl).
;
;
twisted or knotted, from kars, rough (Macbain).Irish:
Scotch: yarr.:
cabrois
cab, a
head
;
rois,
polished.
Manx
carran.
" Gun deanntag, gun charran " Without nettle or spurrey.
Macdonald.flige,
Arenaria alsine
Sandwort.
Gaelic
:
perhaps from
flige,
water, growing in watery or sandy places.
Stellaria
media
Chickweed.also flock,
Gaelic: fliodh, an excrescenceIrish:
(Armstrong), sometimes written fluth.fluich,
lia,:
wetting (Gaelic:
wet);
compare
soft
(Latinflig.
flaaus).
Welsh:
_gw/ydd, the soft or tender plant.S.
Manx:
holostea
Thesoft
greater stitchwort.
Gaelic: tiiirseach, sad.
dejected.
Irish:
titrsarrain,
the same meaning; and Stellaria
graminea,w/ydd, the
fiirsarranin, the lesser stitchwort.fair
Welsh:
y wenn-
stemmed
plant,
from gwenn and gw'ydd, soft
tender stem.Cherleria
sedoides
Mossy
cyphel,
found
plentifully
on Ben
Lawers.
No
Gaelic name, but sebrsa cbinich, a kind of moss.
Cerastium alpinum.an luch, mouse-ear.
Mouse-earedLINACEjE.
chickweed.
Gaelic:
cluas
Lirmrn usitatissimum
Flax.
Gaelic: lion, gen. singular,
lin.
Welsh:
"Greek Xivov and Latin linum, a thread, are derived from the Celtic." Loudon.//in,
" Iarraidh
i
olann agus lion,"
Stuartclos
(Job).
She
will desire
wool and's
flax.frois,
" Meirle
salainn
meirle
Meirl' o nach fhaigh
anam
Gus an teid an t-iasg air tir, Cha 'n fhaigh meirleach an lin
clos."
"This-especially-salt
illustrates
the
great
value
attached to
salt
and
lint,
among
a fishing population, at a timelint
when
the duty on
was excessive, and
was cultivated
in the Hebrides."
Sheriff
Nicolson.flax.
L.
catharticum Fairyflax;
Gaelic: /Ion
na mna
sith, fairyit
woman's supposed
miosach, monthly, from a medicinal virtue;
was
to possess
mionach, bowels
;
/us cao/ach, slender
weed
compare also cao/an, intestine (Latin: colon, the large Both names probably allude to its cathartic effects.Lightfoot's "Flora," gives these
intestine).
Stuart, in
names
in a
combined form
an
.
'3 caol mtosachan, the slender monthly one.Irish: ceolagh ; ceolr
music.
"
It's little bells
made
fairy music."
MALVACEAE.Latinmalache,plants.:
malvce, mallows.soft, in allusion to
Gaelic
:
maloimh, from Greek fia\dxr},
the soft mucilaginous properties of the
"A gearradhbhiadh."
sios
maloimh laimh(Job. xxx. 4).
ris
na preasaibh,agus freumhanfor their
aiteil
mar
Stuartcut
"Who
up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots
meat."
Welsh: meddalai, what softens.
Gaelic: mil mheacan,
honey-
from Gothic, grob, English, grub, to dig. The roots were dug, and boiled to obtain mucilageMalva rotundifolia Dwarf mallow. Gaelic and Irish: ucas Frangach ucas from Irish uc, need, whence uchd, a breast (Greek, o\0r] the mucilage being used as an emollient for breasts andplant; gropais or grobais (Macdonald)
Frangach, French
i.e.,
the French mallow.
M.
sylvestris
Common mallow.in
Gaelic
:
ucas fiadhain, wild
mallow.servant's
Manx: Lus na meala mor; /us ny maol Moirrey, Mary's plant. The common mallow was probably distinguished
by the word "beg''arborea, by "nibr,''
Manx
little,
and the
large one,
lavatera
big.
Althaea officinalis
Marsh-mallow.;
Gaelic and Irish: leamhadh,
perhaps from leamhach, insipid fochas,itch (ochas,itch).it
Welsh: morhocys
mor,Gaelic
itch,
a remedy for thethe sea,
and
hocys,
phlegm-producer,
being used for various pulmonary complaints.TILIACEjE.
Welsh: Rbs mall.Tilia europea
crann
teile
Lime-tree,perforatum:
linden.
:
craobh
theile.
Irish:
teile,
a corruption from
tilia.
Welsh: pis gwydden.St.
HYPERICACE^E.
HypericumGaelic andIrish
The's
perforated
John's
wort.
eala bhuidhe (sometimes written eala bhi), probhi,
bably from eal (for neul), aspect, appearance, and bhuidhe oryellow.
" Sibhrach
a's
eala bhi
barra neoinean."
MACINTYRE.
Primrose, St. John's wort, and daisies.
"An
eala bhuidhe 'san neoinean ban
'S an t'sobhrach an gleann fas,
nan luibh
Anns am faigheadh anFurtachIn the glen where thefiach,
leighe liathe
St.
grow, the grey doctor will
do chreuch a's leon." Collath. John's wort, the white daisy, and the primrose find a valuable remedy for every disease and wound
.
14
'The belief was
common amongmankindis
the Caledonians that forthere
all
the diseases to which
liable,
grows an herb
somewhere, and not far from thediseaseit.
prevails,
where the particular the proper application of which would curelocality
Mackenzie. Alias Mhuire (Mhuire, the Virgin Mary; alias, perhaps another form of the preceding names) Mary's image, which would agree According to Linnaeus, it is derived with the word hypericum. from Greek virkp, uper, over, and elicwv, eikon, an image that is"
to say, the superior part of the flower represents an image.
Caod aslachan CholumSt.
chille,
from Colum and
cill
(church,it
cell),
Columba'sit
flower,
the saint of Iona,
who reverenced
and
carried
in his
arms (caod)
(Irish),
caodam, to come, and aslachan,St. John. was carried about
arms,
it
being dedicated to his favourite evangelist,
Seud, a jewel.
Lus an fhbgraidh.
"Formerly
it
by the people of Scotland as a charm against witchcraft and Welsh: y fendigaid, the blessed plant. enchantment" (Don). French toute-salne. English tutsan. The St. John's wort is the "fuga damonum" which Martin describes in his "Western Isles.": :
"John Morrison, who lives in Bernera (Harris) wears the plant "Send" in the neck of his coat to prevent his seeing of visions, and says he never saw any since he first carried that plant Children have a saying when they meet this about with him."called
plant" Luibh Cholum Chille, gun sireadh gun iarraidh, 'Sa dheoin Dia, cha bhasaich mi 'nochd."St.
Columbus-wort, unsought, unasked, and, please God,
I
won't die to-night.
The Manx namespirits
" lus-y-chiolg" (Stomach herb) was used for low
and nervousness.freckles.
The
roots were scalded in butter milk to
removeSt.
O'Reilly has also Beachnuadk beinionn, female
John's wort.of Clan Mackinnon.
firionn (Threl), male
SquarestemmedSt.John'swort. Beachnuadk John's wort H. androsaemum Tutsan, meastork H. elodes The marsh measaturk the marshH. quadranguhimSt.
The badge
(see Pce.onia).
keeil (Threl).
alta (Threl),
St.
John's wort, meaning thefruit.
wood
hog's fruit,
and the stream hog'sSt.
TheIt
first is
one of the most beautiful of the
John's
grows in the Highlands from Ross southwards pretty frequent about Loch Salen and other places in Argyllshire. Ifworts.
:
fingers, they will immedicommunicate a deep crimson stain, hence the Greek name androscemum man's blood. The association of the Irish names accounted for by the fact that the bruised plant smells with hogs is strongly of swine. The Welsh name has the same meaning dail y twrch. Threlkeld gives both names to the Tutsan, the second name is more applicable to the water or bog St.
the yellow tops be bruised between theately
John's work.latter
The former
never grows in watery places, but theit is
always does, and besides,it is
very
common
in Ireland.
In
Ulster
called,
according to Threlkeld, bonan leane (Lean, a
swamp), and caochrain curraithnut without a kernel.
(currach, afromac,
marsh), and caoch, a
The
old herbalist spells his names variously.
ACERACE^E.
(" Acer,Theis).
in Latin
meaning
sharp,
a point, in Celtic."
Dulikely
Acer campestris
Common maple.
Gaelic and Irish
:
craobh
mhalip or malpais ; origin of name uncertain, but very
from mal, athink the
satchel or a husk,is
from the form of
its
samara.
Somem
name
only a corruption of maple
Anglo-Saxon, mapalfat),
Welsh: masarnen.
Gothic: masloenn (from mas,juice.
from
its
abundance of saccharineA. pseudo-platanus.a
Sycamore.
Gaelic and Irish
:
craobh
sice,
corruption from Greek sycaminos.it
The
old botanists erroneously
believedPalestine.
to be identical with the sycamine or mulberry-fig of
"If
Nam
bi air
biodh agaidh creidhimh, theireadh sibh ris a chraobh shicamin so, do spionadh as do fhreumhaibh." Stuart. ye had faith ye might say to this sycamore tree, Be thou plucked up by
the root.
St.
Luke,
xvii. 6.
Irish Croabh pleantrinn, corruption of platanus or plane-tree. xrann ban, white tree. Fir chrann (O'Reilly), same meaning. {Fir,fair, white).
The badge
of the Clan Oliphant.VINIFERjE.
Vitis (from the Celtic gwyd, a tree, a shrub.
Spanish
:
vid.
French:
vigne).
Vitis vinifera
Vine.Otvos.
Gaelic: crannfiona,fionan: Irish :fion,
wine.
Greek:
Latin: vinum.
Fion
dearc,
a
grape.
Muin,
the vine, also
M,
Gaelic alphabet.
i6 "Is mise an fhionain fhior, I am the true vine. John
xv.
I.
The
wild grapes are bitter,is
and frequently
putrid.
The
reference-
in Isaiah v. 2
to the wild grape.fiona,
" Agus dh' amhairc e dh' fheuchainn an tugadh e mach dearcanthug e mach dearcan fiadhain.''
agus
And hegrapes.
looked that
it
should bring forth grapes, and
it
brought forth wild
The
dried fruit raisins
is
mentioned
in
1
Samuel, xxv.
18
"'Agus ceud bagaide do fhion dhearcaibh tiormaichte." And a hundred clusters of raisins (dried berries).
GERANIACE.E.
(From Greekbill.
yepavos, geranos, a crane.bill
The
long beak that;
ter-
minates the carpel resembles theGaelic:crob
of a crane
English
:
crane-
priachain
(Armstrong), (Mackenzie).Robert.cuil, fly,
the
claw
of
any
rapacious bird). LUs-gna-ghorm.
Evergreen plant.Gaelic and Irish:
Geranium Eobertianumreprover.
Herband
righeal cuil (from right, reproof,
gnat, insect), the fly
Riaghal"
cuil,
also rial chuil, that
which rules insects;
earbull righ (earbull, a
tail).
Insects are said to avoid it."
Don.cancer weed.
Ruidel, the red-haired.righ.
Lus an
eallan, the
Righeal(righ, a lus
Irish: righean
righ, that
which reproves a kingfromits
king),
on account of
its
strong disagreeable smell).
Manx:
ny:
freeinaghyn-vooarey, the big pins' herb,
long carpels
a
cure for sore
mouth and
eyes.
Welsh
:
troedrydd, redf oot.
Llysie
Robert, herb Robert.G.
sanguineum
Bloody
cranesbill.
Gaelic: creachlach dearg,
Geranium Robertianum and geranium sanguineum have been and are held in great repute by the Highlanders, on account of their astringent and vulnerarythe red wound-healer (creach, a wound).properties.
OXILIDE^.
(From Greek
6vs, oxys, acid,
from the acidGaelic:
taste of the leaves).
Oxalis aceto&ella
Wood-sorrel.Also thethe
samh,
shelter.its
It
grows in sheltered spots.Also summer.It
may simply be
name given to summer flower.sorrel.
capsules.
" Ag itheadh saimh," eating
Seamrag.
Irish:
seamrog (shamrock), generally applied to the
i7trefoils.
Sealbhaig nafiodha (O'Reilly).sorrel."It is
The
Gaelic
name meansfrequently
"
wood
not a sorrel (sealbhaig), butits
it is
used as a substitute on account of
acidity,
caused by the abun-
dance of oxalic acid formed" Le seamragan'S's
in the leaves.neoineanan,
le
gach
lus a dh'fheudain
ainmeachadh
Cuir anbharra dhreach boidhchead air."
MACINTYRE.
With wood-sorrel and with
daisies,
And
plants that I could name,
Giving the place a most beautiful appearance.
The shamrockofSt.
is
said to be
worn by the:
Irish
upon the anniversary
Patrick for the following reason
When the Saint preached
the Gospel to the pagan Irish, he illustrated the doctrine of the
Trinity by showing them a
trefoil,
upon thebutter,
Saint's anniversary.
which was ever afterwards worn " Between May-day and harvest,
and curds and shamrock are the food of the all this season." Piers's "West Meath." Surag, the sour one; Scotch: sourock (from the Armoric sur, Welsh: suran y gdg, cuckoo's sorrel. Teutonic, suer, sour). Manx: bee cooag, cookoo's Gaelic: biadh ebinean, birds' food. meat. Irish billeog nan eun, the leaf of the birds.cheese,
new
meaner
sorts
during
:
" Timchioll thulmanan diamhair
Mu
'm bi'm biadh-ebineansheltered hillocks
a' fas."
MACDONALD.
Around
Where
the
wood
sorrel grows.
Feada
coille,
candle of the woods,
name
given to the flower ;feadk
a candle or rush."
Clobhar na maighiche, hare's clover.
Mar
sin
is
leasachan
soilleir,
Do
dh' fheada-coille nan cos."light
Macdonald.
Like the flaming
Of the
wood-sorrel of the caverns.
CELASTRACiE.
Eunoymusoir,
feoras,
europseusoir,
Common
spindle-tree. Gaelic
the east point, east.
"
A
tir
and Irish: an oir" from the
land of the East (Oirip,Ireland, but
Europe), being rare in Scoland and
common onlimit,
the Continent.it
Oir and feoir also meanin
a border, edge,
being
commonly plantedOir, the
hedges.it
Whether the name has any referencethirteenthletter,
to these significations,
is
very difficult to determine with certainty.
name
of theItis
O, of
the
Gaelic and Irish alphabet.
worthy of notice thatplants:
all
the letters were called after
trees
or
19
LEGUMINIFERJE.Gaelic:
luis
meihgeagach, pod-bearing plants.
Barr-guc, papil-
ionaceous flowers (Armstrong). Por-cochullach, leguminous. " Bhrr-guc air mheuraibh nosara." Macintyre.Blossoms on sappy branches.
Sarothamnus scoparius
Broom.
Gaelic
:
bealaidh or bealBaal,
uidh, said to be (by popular etymology)
"from Beal,it
and uidh,
favour, the plant that Belus favoured,
being yellow-flowered.
Yellow was the favourite colour of the Druids (who were worshippers of Belus),
and
also of the bards " (Brockie.)Irish:
Welsh banadl,:
etymologyobscurea brush(giolc,
brum; and Welsh; ysgub.Latin;:
Gaelic sguab,:
made from
the broom.
scoparius.
Giolcach sleibkehill).
a reed, a cane, a leafless twig
sleibhe,
of the
Manx
:
guilcagh.swelling.
A decoction
of
it
was used as a purgative, and to reduce
The badgenative of
of the Clan Forbes.
Acacia seyal
In the Bible the
shittah tree.
Gaelic
:
sitta.
A
Egypt and Arabia." Cuiridh mi anns an fhasach an seudar, ansitta,xli.,
Am miortal,Cytisus
agus an crann-oladh. "
Isaiah
19.
laburnum Laburnum.Frangachis
Gaelic: bealaidh Fhrangach (in
Breadalbane), in some parts Sasunnach, French or English(Ferguson).very often affixed to
foreign origin.
This tree
1596.IllexIT.
Craobh Abran
Abraon,
broom names of plants of was introduced from Switzerland inApril.ac,
europaeus
Name from the Furze, whin,Welsh:Teine.eithin,
Celtic ec orgorse.its
a prickle (Jones).
Gaelic and Irish
:
conasg,
from
Irish conas, war, because of
armed or
prickly appearance.:
Attin.prickles.
prickles.
Manx
jilg choyin,
dogs'
Also the
namein
of the letter
T
in Gaelic.
Some
authorities give teine for heath.
O'Reilly gives ur, the letter
U
for heath.
Not commonarvensis
the Highlands, but plentiful about
Fortingall, Perthshire.
Ononis
bogha, bowstring
ground prickles. Trian tarran (O'Reilly),called wild liquorice.
Gaelic and Irish sreang Rest harrow. Welsh tagaradr, stop the plough ; eithin yr eir, Scotch cammock, from Gaelic cam, crooked.: :
:
tri
a
terrain
(Threl).
Also oftenwith
A
troublesome, shrubby
little plant,
flowers like those of the
broom
or furze, not yellow but rosy, with
strong, string-like roots that arrest the harrow or plough, requiring
three times the strength to pull.
Does
that fact explain the Irish
names
tri
-three,draw?
but trian, the third, and in our Gaelic tar-
ruing, pull,
Trigonella ornithopodioides
Fenugreek,j:
Greek hay.
Gaelic
:
ionntag-Ghreugach (Armstrong)trubh-eMn,birds'
Fineal Ghreugach, Greek nettle
;
shoe.
Used
as an emolient for
Welsh y Groeg gwair, Greek hay. sores and wounds for horses and other
animals.
Trifolium repens
White or Dutchis
clover.
Gaelic
and
Irish:
seamar bhan, the
fair gentle
one (see Oxalis); written also sameir,Wood-sorrel and clover are often coninvariable for white clover,trefoil,
siomrag, seamrag, seamrog.
founded, but seamar thanTrifoliumclover.
and for
procumbens, hop:
seamhrag bhuidhe, yellow
Manx
Samark.
"Gach saimeir neonean' '
Macdonald. 's masag." Every clover, daisy, and berry. An t-seamrag uaine 's barr-gheal gruag, A's buidheann chuachach neoinean." Maclachlan.The green white-headedclover,daisies.
And
clusters of
cupped
The badgeT. pratenseclover.caballus,
of Clan Sinclair.
Red
clover.
Gaelic
:
seamar a'
chapuill, the mare's
Capull, from Greek Kay8aAA?;s, a work-horse.
Latin:
Welsh: tairdalen, the same meaning. Meillonem, honeywort, from mel, honey. Gaelic: sugag, Scotch sookie, the bloom of clover, so called because it contains honey, and children suck it. Seirg (O'Reilly). Being more sappy, therefore more difficult to dry and preserve, may have suggested the name seirg, decay.trefoil,
a horse.
Tri-bilean,
three-leaved.
Alpestre and T.small, slender.
minus Smallclover.
yellow clover.
Gaelic
:
seangan,
T.
arvense Hare's-foot
Gaelic: cas maighicke
(Arm-
strong), hare's foot.
Lotus corniculata Bird's-foot trefoil. Gaelic: barra mhisleanbarra, top or flower; mislean, anything that springs or Irish: cruibin, claws. grows. (See Cranberry). Manx: crouwkayt.
Scotch: cat-dukis, cat's claws.
Adharc an
diabhoil,
mean-
; :
ing "the Devil's horn.''
Thefeet.
flowers are yellow,
So called from the form of and often streaked with red.
its
pods.
Common2800
in pastures,
and ascending the mountains
to the height of
AnthyllisGaelic:
vulneraria
Kidney
vetch,;
or
Lady's
Fingers.foot.
mebir Mhuire, Mary's fingers
cas
an uain, lamb's:
Vicia 1 sativa
Vetch.
Gaelic and Irish fiatghal, nuitritious
(from Irish fiadh, now written biadh, food); peasair fhiadhain, wild peas ; peasair chapull, mare's peas. Welsh idbys, edible:
peas.
Irish: pis fhiadhain, wild peas ;pis dubh, black peas.
Siorr.
V.peasall;
cracca
Tufted
vetch.
Gaelic: peasair nan
luch,
mice
pesair (Latin, pisum; Welsh, pys; French, pots, peas), areroot, pis, a
from the CelticV. sepium
pea ; ajso peasair radan,:
rat pease.
Bush
vetch.
Gaelic
peasair
nam preas,Gaelic:
the bush
peas.
Lathyrus
pratensis
Yellow
vetchling.
peasair
bhuidhe, yellow peas.
Irish: pis bhuidhe, yellow peas.
Ervum hirsutumpysen
Hairy vetchoats.
or tare (from erv, Celtic
arv,
Latin, tilled land). Gaelic: peasair
y
ceirch
an arbhair, corn:
peas.
Welsh:for
ceirch,
Gaelic
gall pheasair, ato
name
lentils or vetch.
Gall,
sometimes prefixed
names of plants
having lowland habitats, or strangers." Lan do ghall pheasair."Full oflentils.
2 Sam., Stuart.Irish:
nish:
Faba vulgaris Bean. Gaelic pbnair. pbnar (from the German pdna,:
pbnaire.
Cor-
a
bean.
Gaelic:
pbnair Fhrangach, French beans ; pbnair airneach, kidney beans pbnair chapull, buckbean (Menyanthes trifoliata). Seib (O'Donovan) (Faba)
Bean.
Manx
:
poanrey.pbnair, agus peasair,
" Gabh thugad
fos cruithneachd agus eorna, agus
agus meanbh-pheasair, agus peasair fhiadhain, agus cuir iad ann an aonsoitheach, agus dean duit fein aran duibh."
Stuart, Ezekiel
iv. 9.
" Take thoumillet,
also unto thee wheat,
and
fitches,
and put them
in
and barley, and beans, and lentiles, and one vessel, and make thee bread thereof."bitterftovs,
Orobus tuberosus
Tuberousand
vetch
(from Greek
opu>,
oro, to excite, to strengthen,1
an
ox).
Gaelic and Irish
Loudon.
Vicia (from Greek pmiov, Latin vicia, French vesce, English vetch).
22
tairmeal (Armstrong)moel, a knob, a tubermeille
cair,i.e.,
dig; meal, enjoy; also mall; Welsh,the tuberous root thatis
dug
;
corra-
(Macleod and Dewar).Buain corran cos
Cbrlan in Killarney.'
"Is clann bheag a trusa leolaicheann
nam
bruachagan.".
Macintyre.
Little children gathering
.
.
AndCorra, a
digging the bitter vetch from the holes in the banks.
and meillg, a pod, the crane's pod or peas. "The garanod, crane's peas; garan, a crane. y Highlanders have a great esteem for the tubercles of the roots they dry and chew them to give a better relish to their whisky.crane,
Welsh: pys
;
good against most diseases of the by the use of them they are enabled to repel thirst for a long time. In Breadalbane and Ross shire they sometimes bruise and steep them in water, and make an They have agreeable fermented liquor with them, called cairm.
They
also affirm that they are
thorax,
and hunger and
that
a sweet taste, something like the roots of liquorice, andboiled are well flavoured
when
and
nutritive,
and
in times of scarcity
have served as a substitute for breadBitter vetch to be the
" (Lightfoot).
and
sometimes called "wild liquorish"
seems;
same name
as the French " caramel" burnt sugar
and
according to Webster, Latin, " carina mellis," or sugar-cane.
The
fermented liquor that was formerly made fromatirm, seems to be the
it,
called cairm or
same
as the " courmi"
which Dioscoridesinfused,
says the old Britons drank.
The
root was
pounded anditself
and
yeast added.
It
was either drunk bysignifies
or mixed with
their ale
a
liquor held in
high estimation before the days ofa feast.
whisky; hence the word " cuirm"which might be expected,of spiritual communion.dating about the year 798,
That
their
drinking gatherings cannot have had the demoralising tendenciesis
evident, as they were taken as typical In the Litany of " Aengus Cdile De,"
we have a poem ascribed
to St. Brigid,
now preserved
in
the Burgundian library, Brussels.
" Ropadh maith lem corm-lind mor,
Do1
righ na righ,ul,
Leolaicheann, probably Trollius europceus (the globe flower), fromdrink,
blachan,
drinking.
Children frequently use
the globe flower as ait
drinking cup.
Scotch: luggie go-wan.
Luggie, a small wooden dish; or
may be
a corruption from trol or trollen, an old
German word
signifying
round, in allusion to the form of the flower, hence Trolhus.
"
23
Ropadh maith lem muinnter nimhe Acca hoi tre bithe shir.I
should like a great lake of ale;
For the King of KingsI
should like the family of heavendrinkingit
To be
through time eternal.ale,
To
prevent the inebriating effects of
" the natives of Mull
-are very careful to
chew a piece of " charmel " root, finding it to be aromatic especially when they intend to have a drinking bout for they say this in some measure prevents drunkenness/' Martin's "Western Isles."
;
ROSACEA.{From theCeltic.
Gaelic,
rbs
;
Welsh, rhos ; Armoric, rosen ;
Greek, poSov; Latin, rosa).
Prunus spinosaWelsh:eirinen.
Blackthorn,Irish:
sloe.
Gaelic: preas
nan
air-
neag, the sloe bush.
airne,
a sloe.
Manx
:
dri?ie
am.
Sanskrit: arani.
"Suilean
air
11
himeag.'"
Ross.publisheda.d.
Eyes the colour of
sloes.
Bugh
O'Clery,is
in:
his
vocabulary,
1643,
describes bugh thus " Bugh, i.e., luibh gorm no:glas."r grey.
glas ris a samhailtean suile bhiosis
gorm nobe blue
That
a blue or grey plant, to which the eye
compared
if it
"Dearca mar
dhlaoi don bhugha."ri
O Brien.means weary, butit
"Cosmall
bugha a
shuili."
His eyes were.Sgitheach
like slaes.
O'Curry.
dubh
the
wordit is
sgith ordinarily
means
also (in Irish) fear; dubh, black, the fearful black one, but
-probably in this case
a form of sgeach, a
haw
(the fruit of the
white thorn), the black haw.
Welsh: ysbyddad, draenenddu.Mackellar.
"Crun
sgithich an aite crun rlgh."
A crown of thorns instead of a royal crown.-penetrate, pierce, bore),
Droighionn dubh, the black penetrator (perhaps from druid, to account of spines in the Latin "Spinosa."Gothic, thruita:Sanskrit,
Compare
trut ; Latin, trit ;
German,
Jorn; English, thorn; Irish Manx, drine doo. Skeag dot?.''
(old form), draigen; Welsh, draen;
Croinn droighnich o'n
ear's o'n iar. "
Old Poem.
Thorn
trees
from east and west.
;
24
Afor
superstition
was
common among
the
Celtic
races
that
tants in that district
in any Many ancient forts, would die that year. which surrounded them, were preserved by the and the thorns veneration, or rather dread, with which the thorns were held hence, perhaps, the name sgitheach, sgith (anciently), fear ; hence
every tree
cut
down
district,
one of the inhabi-
also,
droighionn (druidh), enchantment, witchcraft.
damascena Damson. Gaelic and Manx: airney ghoo, black plum. plum.P.
Irish
:
dai?nsin,
Damascus
P. insititia
Bullace.
Gaelic and Irish
:
bulastair.
Compare
Breton, bolos ; Welsh, eirinen bulas.P.
domestica
Wild
plum,
Gaelic
:
plumbais fiadhain, wild
plum; plumbaisP.
seargta, prunes.
Airidh.
Welsh:
eirinen.bricyllen.
armeniaca Apricot.and the English
Gaelic:
apricoc.
Welsh:
Regnier supposes from the Arabic berkoch,albicocco,
whence the
Italian
apricot;
or,
as
Professor Martyn
observes, a tree
when
"praecox," or earlyfor thefirst
syllable
introduced might have been called a and gardeners taking the article "a" of the words, might easily have corrupted itfirst
fruit,
to "apricots." P. cerasus
Cherry-tree."
Gaelic
:
craobh shiris, a corruption
of Cerasus, a town in Pontus in Asia, fromfirst
whence the
tree
was
brought.
Si/in (O'Reilly).
Do
bheul mar an t-siris."like the cherry.
Thy mouth
Welsh:P.
ceiriosen.
padus
Bird-cherry.
Gaelic
:
craobh fhiodhag, from fiodh,Glocan.riisg,
wood, timber ; Jiodhach, a shrubbery.
Dunbrown
reisk (Threl),
probably he means in our Gaelic donn
bark.
The
plum and cherrybarks.
trees are
characterised by their dun-coloured
P.
avium
guigne,
Wild cherry. Gaelic geanais, the gean. French ^ from a German root. Welsh ceiriosen ddu, black cherry.: :
Amydalus communis" 'Nuair a bhios A. persicadair.a'
Almond.:
Gaelic
:
almon.Eccl.xii.
chraobh almoin fuidh bhlath. "
5.
Peach.of the
Gaelic peitseag, from the English.family.
NeochThe-
One
numerous peach
"The
fruit is called
nectarine,
from
nectar,
the poetical drink of the gods."
;
:
25
product of the seeds of Amygdalus communis is familiar to us under the name of almonds, and its oil oil of almonds.
Spiraea ulmaria
Meadow-sweet, queen of the meadow.flower mentioned by
Gaelicbelt"
trios (or cneas) Chu-chitlainn*
The plant called "My lady'sMacdonaldin his
(Mackenzie).
"A
poem
'Allt an t-sithair,' v/ith the English of which I
am
not acquainted""
(Armstrong).It is
not mentioned in the
poem
referred to, but in "
t-Sam/iraid/i''
The Summer Song.!
Oran an
"'S cubhraidh faileadh do mhuineil A chrios-Chu-Chulainn nan cam
NaNa
d'
chruinn bhabaidean riabhach,
Loineach, fhad luirgneach, sgiamhach.d'
thuim ghiobagach, dreach mhin,
Bharr-bhuidhe, chasurlaich, aird
Timcheall thulmanan dlambair
Ma'm
bi
'm biadh-eoinean
a' fas."
Macdonald.
Sweetly scented thy wreath,
Meadow-sweet
of the cairns
!
In round brindled clusters,
And
softly fringed tresses,tall,
Beautiful,
and graceful,;
Creamy flowered, ringleted, high Around sheltered hillocks Where the wood-sorrel grows.
Airgiod luachra,flower.plant. S. filipendula
silver rush.
Welsh
:
llysiu'r forwyn, the
maiden'smen's-
In Argyleshire lus nan gillean bga.
The young
Dropwort.
Irish:
greaban.
Meddlys, sweet
wort (O'Reilly).Linnaeus informs us that, "in a scarcity of corn, the tubers have-
been eaten bysuspend.the
men instead of food." Welsh crogedyfcrogi, toThe tuberous roots are suspended on filaments, hence:
names filipendula and dropwort.rivale
Geum1
Water avens.all, alli.e.,
Gaelic
:
machall uisge; in Irish r
macha, a head, and
allhead
the
flower being large-
Cu
chullin's belt.
Ciichullin
was the most famous champion of the Ulster
Militia in the old Milesian times.
He
lived at the
dawn
of the Christian era.
He wasMany
so called from Cu, a hound,still
and Vllin, the name of the province-
stories are
extant regarding him.
:
26"in
proportion to the plant.
Uisge,
water.
It
grows in moist
places only. G.
urbanum
Commongenerally
avens.
Gaelic: machall
coille
coille,
wood, where
it
grows.
Benedin
O'Reilly gives this
name to the tormentil; he also gives "Septfoil" (Comarum). The geum is very like those plants both in flower and properties. To a non-botanist they seem pretty much the same. The old English name was Herb-Bennet. The rootstock of all these ispowerfully astringent, and yields a yellow dye.geidlys, llys
Welsh: Bendi-
Bened.
Dryas octopetala
White dryas.
Gaelic
:
machall monaidk, the
(The name was given by an old man in Killin from a specimen from Ben Lawers in 1870). Luidh Jjheann (Logan) Growing on high stony The hill or ben plant.large-flowered mountain plant.
hills
to
the height of nearly 3000 feet in the Highlands;
little
shrub-like plants,
with leaves somewhat like the oak leaf, and
about eight large white petals on the flower.
The badge
of Macneil and Lamont.
Potentilla anserina(written also
Silverweed, whitebrislean),
tansy.
Gaelic
:
brisgeanbrittle.is
briosglan,
from briosg or
brisg,
Brisgeansucculent
mills,
sweet bread.
"
The
brisgean, or wild skirret,
ain
root
not unfrequently used by the poorer people
some
parts of theskirret (see
Highlands for bread
"
(Armstrong).
The
Slum slsarum)fo
is
not native.
Curran
earraich.
" Mil
thalamh, curran earraich.'carrots.
Under ground honey spring" ExceptionalSheriffluxuries.
The
spring carrot
is
the root of the silver weed."
Nicolson.is
TheP.
plant here alluded to
Potentilla anserina.
Ban-
bhrisgean,
the flower.
Welsh
:
tinllwydd.
reptans
Cinquefoil.a branch,
Gaelic
:
nieangach,
branchedits
or
twiggedleaf,
meang,
becausebhileach,
of
its
runners,
long
and
flower-stalks.
Cuig
five-leaved.
Irish: cilig
mlieur Mulre, Mary's
five fingers.
Welsh: llysieuyn pump, same
meaning.P.
tormentilla
Common
potentil,
or
tormentil.
Gaelic
leanarlach (Shaw).
Leamhnach, tormenting.
Barr braonan-nan-
27ton,
the dogs'
briar
bud.
Braonan, the bud of a-earth
briar (Armstrong).
Braonan fraoich (fraoch, heather). Braonan bachlaig, the
nut
Cairt lairIsles,
(Bunhtm flexuosum) (Macdonald), from braon, a drop. This is the name" among fishermen in the Western
meaning the "ground bark."" Mln-fheur chaorachSoft sheep grass
It
is
generally used for
tanning the nets when they cannot get the oak bark.is barra-bhraonan." Macintyre. and the flower of the tormentil.
Irish
:
neamhnaid, neamhain.palustre
Welsh
:
tresgl
y
moch.:
Comarumuisge, the
Marsh
cinquef oil.
Gaelic
citig
bhileach
water five-leaved plant.
swampxMg,
nut.
meaning the bog or Threlkeld gives another name, " Ciligsheag," fromleana,
Cnb
five.
The
leaves are generally arranged in fives,
hence the
English and French names.
Fragaria vesca Wood strawberry. Gaelic subh (or thalmhuinn, the earth's sap, the earth's delight (from subh or:
sicth)siigh,
sap, juice; also delight, pleasure, joy, mirth); thalmhuinn, of the
earth.
" Theirig subh-thalmhuinn nam bruach."
Macdonald.
TheSttbhanlaire,
wild strawberries of the bank are done.
the ground sap; tlachd shiibh, pleasant
fruit.
Thlachd
sheist (O'Reilly).
" Subhan laire 's faile ghroiseidean." Macintyre. Wild strawberries and the odour of gooseberries..Silthag, a
strawberry or raspberry." Gur deirge na'n t-siithag an ruthadh thad'
ghruaidh."
Thy cheeks
are ruddier than the strawberry.
Irish: catog, the strawberry bush.
Cath, seeds (the seedy
fruit).
Welsh: mefussen.
the fruit in
Rubus (from rub, red some species.
in
Celtic), in reference to the colour of
Rubus chamsemoruswrittenbeauty).oighreag,
Cloudberry.feireag.is
Gaelic:Irish:
oireag,
variously(eireachd,
foighreag,
eireag
Scotch"Breacle
:
Averin.crnin dearg ceann."
feireagan
Macintyre.
Checkered with cloudberries with round red heads.
Moon a man
meene (Threl).vine.
woman's bush or
Muin na mna-mhln, the gentle Muin was the ancient Gaelic name for
28the vine.
"The cloudberry
is
the
most grateful
fruit
gathered
by the Scotch Highlanders"
(Neill).
The badge
of Clan Macfarlane.(O'Reilly,
Criiban na saona, "the dwarf mountain bramble."
Armstrong, and others).cloudberry, butcertain clue toits
Probably
this is
another
peculiarit
what plant
and untranslatable was formerly applied.
name for the name furnishes nothe
R. saxatilis
Stone
bramble.
Gaelic: caora bad miann,
berry of the desirable cluster.ofred.
Ruiteaga, redness, a slight tinge(Threl).berry.
Soo
(O'Reilly).
na man meen The gentlewomen'sHighlands and
Subh na mban-mtnThis brambleis
pretty
commonis
in the
in Ireland,
ascending the Gram-
pians aud other mountains to the height of 2700 feet.
The
fruit
more
scarlet
(fruticosus),
and rounder than that of the common blackberry and it grows generally in stony places.Gaelic:
R. idaeustree,
Raspberry.
preas subk chraobh (craobh, aMacintyre.
a sprout, a bud), the bush with sappy sprouts." Faile nan siibh-craobhis
nan rosan."
The odour
of rasps and roses.
Welsh: mafon
maf, what
is
clustering.
Gaelic: preas shuidheag,
the sappy bush.R. fruticosusplural, dris.
Siighag, the fruit (from siigh, juice, sap).
Common
bramble.
Irish
and Gaelic:
dreas,
Welsh: dyrys
the
root rys, entangle, with prefix
dy, force, irritation.
In Gaelic and Welsh the words dris and
drysien are applied to the bramble"
and
briar indiscriminately.
An
dreas
a' fas
gu h-urar."
Ossian.growing.
The bramble
(or briar) freshly
"AmIf
fear theid san
droighionn domh
Theid mi 'san dris da."
Proverb.
one pass through thorns for me, I'll pass through brambles (or briars)
for him.
Grian mhuine, the thorn (bush)muine
muine,
that basks in the sun.sting.
Dris(Irish:
a
thorn,
prickle,
Smear phreas:
smeur), the bush that smears; smearag, that which smears (the fruit). Welsh miar, the bramble. Manx drine smeyr. (Miar:
or
meur
in Gaelic
smearing.
means a finger.) Smearachd, fingering, greasing, (Compare Dutch smeeren ; German, schmieren, to
29
smear or daub.
Sanskrit: smar, to smear.
Dris-smear, another
combination of the preceding names.
where brambles grow.stumbling-block,It
Eachrann (O'Reilly), The word means an impediment, abelief in
whena
walking.
was and
is
commonto
the
Highlands that each
blackberry contains a poisonous worm.
Another populareating
belief
kept up probably unripe that thelowe'en.
prevent children
fairies defiled
them
at
them when Michaelmas and Hal-
This plantB..
is
the badge of a branch of the Clan Maclean.;
csesius
Blue bramble
dewberry bush.
Gaelic preas nan:
gorm
dhearc, the blueberry bush.
" Barr gach
tolmain to bhrat
gorm
dhearc."
Macdonald.
Every knoll under a mantle of blueberries (dewberries).
TheRosaGreek:
blue bramble
is
the badge of the Clan Macnab. Gaelic:
caninayy-v>v.
Dog-rose.:
rbs:
nan
con,
dogcil.
rose.
Latin
cam's.
Sanskrit
ciinas.
Irish:
Welsh:
ciros (ci,
a dog), dog:
rose.
Gaelic
coin droigkionn, dogs'
thorn.its
Earradhreas or fearra-
dhris, earrad, armour; suggested by"
being armed with prickles.
Mar mhucaigna.Like hips on the
fearra-dhris,"briar.
Mackbllar.:
Preas nam-mucag, the hip-bush from muc (Welsh mock), a pig, from the fancied resemblance of the seeds to pigs, being bristly. Welsh merddrain. sgeach mhadra, the dogs' haw or bush. Irish::
Manx
:
drine booag
(booag, the"
fruit),
Gaelic
:
rbs,
rose ; culti-
vated rose, rbs garaidh.B'e sid an sealladh eibhinn!
Do
bhruachan gle-dkearg rbs."!
That was a joyful sight Thy banks so rosy red.It.
rubiginosa:
Sweet-briarhaw
(briar, Gaelic: a
bodkin orIrish:
pin).
Gaelic
dris
chubhraidh,
the fragrantor bush.
bramble.
sgeach-
chiimhra, the fragrant
Cuirdris, the twisting briar.
cuir, gen. sing, of car, to twist or
wind.
Welsh rhoslwyn per.:
O'Reilly gives forrdris as sweet briar and jessamine.briaris
The
sweet
the "Eglantine" of the poets.
Agrimonia eupatoria
Agrimony.
Gaelic
:
mur-draidhean
:
3 mur, sorrow,ionn (seegrief, affliction;
Prunus
spinosa).
draidhean, another form of droighDraidh, or druidh, also means aits
magacian, whichcure
may
refer to
supposed magicalin
effects
on
troubles as well as diseases.
A
noted plantIrish:
olden times for
marbh droighionn Geur bhileach marbh dhruidh, a necromancer, or magician. on account of its bhileach, leaved geur, sharp, sour, rigidtheof
various
complaints.
;
;
leaves
being sharply
serrated,
or
because of
its
bitter
taste.field.
Mirean, or Meirean nam magh, the merry one of the
Welsh
:
y
dorllwyd.
Trydon, what pervades.
Sanguisorbafor burnsaile,
Burnet. A' bhileach losgainn. The leaves good Manx: lus yn and inflammations (losgadh, burning).
the
fire
weed.
Alchemilla vulgaris
Common;
lady's
mantle.
Gaelic
:
copanIrish
an
driilchd, the
dew cup falluing Mhuire, Mary's mantle.Gaelic:
dearna Mhuire, Mary's palm.
cruba,
leotnhainn, lion's
paw
;
cbta
preasach nighean an righ, the princesses' plaited gar:
ment.
Irish
leathach bhuidhe, also leagadh bhuidhe (O'Reilly).this
A
decoctionit
from
plant
was supposed to restore beautyits
after
faded.
The dew gathered fromLady's Mantle.
cup-like leaves
had the
same
effect.
A. alpina
Alpine
Gaelic
:
trusgan, mantle.
The form and
the satiny under-side of
the leaves of this
and the
other species gave rise to the names trusgan, falluing, cbta, and the
English name, lady's mantle. " Tha trusgan faoilidh air
cruit
an aonaich."
Macintyre.district
The mantle-grass on
the ridge of the mountain.
The
hills
about Coire-cheathaich and Ben Doran (the
described
by the poet) are covered withtrusgan, mantle,
this beautiful
plant.
The word
may be used in this instance in its poetic sense. Minan Mhuire (Threl) (Meangan Mhuire), Mary's twig, or Miann Mhuire, Mary's desire. Mespilus germanica Medlar. Gaelic: crann meidil (Macdonald) said to be a corruption of Mespilus, formerly called the medictree.
Medle stands
for the old
French
mesle, a meddlar.
Crataegus oxyacanthaWhitethorn, hawthorn. Gaelic: sgitheach geal, drioghionn geal (see Prunus spinosa), geal, white preas nan sgeachag; sgeach, a haw. Welsh draenen wen, white thorn.;:
Manx
:
dritie skaig.
Irish
:
sciog.
"
:
" Mlos bog nan
iibhlan brenc-mheallach,
Gu
peurach plumbach sgeachagach,sios le
A' luisreadh
dearcagaibh,
Cir-m