The Scottish Naturalist. yi 



call it Labioho, evidently from the same root, which is found also 

 in the Sanskrit Aba/a. 



The family relationship of different countries in the matter of 

 plant-names is even more fully illustrated by the case of 



The Sallow (willow), Anglo-Saxon Sealg, named from growing 

 near the sea or water; Icelandic, stlja ; Swedish, salg; Danish, 

 selje ; Old German, saloha ; Latin, salix ; Gaelic, saileach ; Irish, 

 sail ; Welsh, helig ; Greek, lielike.; Sanskrit, salila. 



Gaelic names continue in the Cowan (Gaelic, guga?i), the yellow 

 or golden flower; Shamrock (Irish, seamrog) ; Michen (Gaelic, 

 moiken) the Perthshire name for the Common Spignel {Meum 

 Athamanticum) ; Spignel is a contraction for spikenaie, from the 

 shape of its capillary leaves; Yew-tree (wibhar) ; Briar ; Scalies, 

 or skellochs, Scotch for Wild Mustard {sinapis arvensis) is from 

 the Irish sgeallagac/i, wild mustard. 



Canna down, a Scotch name for the Cotton-grass, from Gaelic 

 cannach, and the Scotch down, as it was formerly used in Forfar- 

 shire for stuffing bed-pillows. 



(2). Names originally given in other countries and adopted here 

 on the introduction or recognition of the plant. Out of many 

 examples, we thus owe to the 

 Jews — Cumin and Ebony. 

 Persians — Jasmin and Lilac (literally blue). 

 Chinese — Tea. 



Malays — Mango and the Upas. 

 Arabs — Coffee (which originally meant wine), Cotton, Myrrh, and 



the Rose. 

 Greeks — Polyanthus (literally many-flowered), sycamore (literally 



fig-mulberry), and the Lotus. 

 American Indians — Potato. The French and the Germans have 

 rejected the native name and called it earth-apple, pomme- 

 de-ter?-e and erd-apfel, while the Italians call it bia?ico 

 tartufo, or white truffle, from the likeness between a 

 potato and a truffle. 

 West Indies — Maize and Mahogany, through the Portuguese, 

 ' Lphecacuanha, which means literally " the smaller roadside 

 sick-making plant." 

 Mexican — Cacao and Tomato, literally the Love-apple, of which 

 meaning Dickens made clever use in the famous trial of 

 Bardell v. Pickwick, when "chops and tomato-sauce" 

 conclusively pointed to love-passages. 

 Dutch — Hop, introduced from Holland in the 16th century. 



(To be continued.) 



