HARD WICKE'S S CIENCE- G OS SIP. 



149 



authorities consider, and very properly so, that most 

 of these so-called species are but mere forms of the 

 common O. vulgattim. The genus itself is easily 

 defined as having the sessile capsules arranged in two 

 rows so as to form a narrow close spike. But the 

 identity of several species is not so clear. The 

 Scillonian form is a case in point. Mr. Baker and 

 most other writers expressly state that the flowering 

 period of the typical O. Litsitaiiiaim is during winter. 

 M. J. A. Henriques, director of the botanical 

 gardens at Coimbra, Portugal, kindly sent me 

 some living specimens in fruit, gathered in that 

 district during the early part of summer, three or four 

 years since. The Cornish plants fruit about the 

 same time. This fact, when it is considered how 

 extremely alike in general appearance Lusitanicum 

 and Ambiguum are, seems to point to the conclusion 

 that those found in Scilly are the true British repre- 

 sentatives of the typical Lusitanicum, and the 

 Guernsey one the real varieties. Both these are quite 

 consistent as regards their fruiting season, however 

 closely they may be allied in other respects ; Scilly 

 and Guernsey being so much alike in their compara- 

 tive mildness, that the reason of these two plants 

 fruiting at various periods cannot be ascribed to 

 climatical effect. The geographical range of what is 

 usually considered as O. Lusitafiiaim is very large ; it 

 may be found on the sandy coasts of Europe and 

 Africa, and was first discovered to be a British 

 plant so late as 1854. Mr. F. W. Burbidge has 

 written me stating that the author of the " Cybele 

 Hibernica," considers a specimen lately found in the 

 west of Ireland as precisely hke those growing at 

 Scilly. It is extremely possible that this most inter- 

 esting object will be found at various other British 

 habitats if carefully searched after. 



PLANT NOTES. 



A PALATABLE wine is still made by some of 

 -^^- our Cheshire dairy-maids from the flowering 

 tops of the borage, which is called courage-cup. I 

 am reminded that the word borage, now applied to 

 this species, is merely a corruption of the word 

 corage or courage (from cor and ago). Pliny says, 

 " If the leaves and flowers of borage be put into wine, 

 and that wine drunken, it driveth away all heavy 

 sadness and dull melancholy," Burton, in " Anatomy 

 of Melancholy " writes : 



Borage and hellebore fill two scenes ; 



Sovereign plants to purge the veins 



Of melancholy, and cheer the heart 



Of those black fumes which make it smart. 



We hear a proverb in the North of England : 



An elder stake, and a hazel-heather. 

 Will make a hedge, to last for ever ; 



which means that the elder, being a rapid growing 

 shrub, soon fills up the hedge, if planted with more 



slowly growing shrubs. But old ladies tell us, or 

 rather give us quite another version of the reason 

 why we so often find it near farm-houses ; they say 

 it is one of the plants which ward off the evil-eye, 

 and demons, and no witch can cross the field where 

 the elder, mountain-ash, or laurel grows. Jamieson 

 states, " This shrub was supposed to possess great 

 virtue, in warding off the force of charms, and 

 witchcraft. Hence it was a custom to plant it round 

 country houses, and barn-yards." 



Again, why is the elder called Bourtree ? Skinner, 

 I believe, makes the name Boretre, because the 

 young shoots are hollow : however, we incline to the 

 explanation given in the statistical account of 

 Stirlingshire, where it states, "It is no stranger in 

 many parts of the parish. The branches cause an 

 agreeable shade, hence the propriety of the name 

 bowertree (bourtree)." 



Can any of our readers tell us what species Drayton 

 refers to under the name of Clote, in the following 

 lines : 



This is the clote, bearing a yellow flower ; 

 And this black-horehound, both are very good 

 For sheep, or shepherd, bitten by a wood [mad] 

 Dog's envenomed tooth. 



It is said to refer .only to the cross-wort {Galiit 

 cntciatum), others incline rather to the weasel's- 

 snout {Galcobdolon luteitin). 



The blue-bottle {Ccntaiirca cyanus) is turned into 

 blewart, in the northern counties {J^zsCx^blce-wort ; 

 Dutch, koni bloemster). 



When the blewart bears a pearl. 

 And the daisy turns a pea. 

 And the bonny lucken gowan 

 Has folded up her e'e ; 

 Then the laverock frae the blue lift. 

 Drops down, and thinks nae shame 

 To woo his bonny lassie. 

 When the kye comes hame. 



Bilberry, our Manchester whimberry, is from the 

 Danish bdllbar, really bilberry ; Swedish blabcer ; 

 Scot, blaeberry, but the English form is without 

 doubt taken from the Dan. bollbosr, the first syllable 

 of which is pronounced BIL. Some time since I was 

 out for a day's botanising with an American pro- 

 fessor, he declared our plant was called blueberiy all 

 throughout the States. The syllable blue is attached 

 to many of our well-known plants, often in a very 

 confusing manner. One or two examples may be 

 cited ; for instance, there cannot be a doubt that our 

 English bluebell is the Hyacinthiis non-scrip/iis, 

 whilst the Scotch is Camfa7i2tla rotiindifolia. A little 

 confusion has been created by the lines taken from 

 the " Lady of the Lake " : 



E'en the slight Hairhell raised its head. 

 Elastic from her airy tread, 



here the ancient Scottish bluebell is given a new 

 name. It must be a very airy or fairy tread indeed if 

 it did not snap the stalk of the hyacinthus, whilst 

 the campanula can submit and recover from any 

 amount of the " airy footfall." 



One of our common toadstools is named Blewit, 



