lyo 



The Scottish Naturalist. 



Caryophyllace^. 



Saponaria officinalis — Soapwort, bruisewort. Gaelic : gairgean- 

 cregach. Irish : gairbhin creugach, the bitter one of the rocks ; 

 garbhion, bitterness, and creiigach, rocky. The whole plant is bit- 

 ter, and was formerly used to cure cutaneous diseases. Lus an 

 siabuiiin^ the soapwort. Welsh : sebonllys, the same meaning 

 {sebon, soap, Latin sapo), so called probably because the bruised 

 leaves produce lather like soap. Soap was a Celtic invention. 



" Prodest et sapo. Gallorum hoc inventum, 

 Rutilandis capillis, ex sevo et cinere." — Pliny. 



Soap is good, — that invention of the Gauls, — for 

 Reddening the hair, out of grease and ash. 



Lychnis flos-cuculi — Ragged Robin. Gaelic : piiir na cubhaig, 

 the cuckoo flower ; curachd na aibhaig, the cuckoo's hood. Irish : 

 caorag kana, the swamp spark. Lus siode, silk-weed, from its 

 silky petals. 



L. diurna — Red campion. Gaelic : cirean coileach^ cockscomb ; 

 in some places corcan coille, red woodland flower. 



L. githago — Corn-cockle. Gaelic : brogiia cubhaig, the cuckoo's 

 shoe. Lnibh laoibheach, — laoi, day, and beachd, to observe — i.e., 

 the plant observed for a day. Irish : cogall^ from coch (Welsh), 

 red ; hence cockle. French : coqiiille. Welsh : gith, cockle or its 

 seed, a corruption from githago^ or vice versa. 



Spergula arvensis — Spurrey. Gaelic : cluin lin, — clnin, fraud, 

 and lin, flax — i.e., fraudulous flax. Carran, twisted or knotted. 

 Scotch : yarr. Irish : cabrois, — cab, a head ; rois, polished. 



** Gun deanntag, gun charran." — M 'Donald. 

 Without nettle or spurrey. 



Arenaria alsine — Sandwort. Gaelic : Jlige, perhaps ixoxwfliche, 

 water, growing in watery or sandy places. 



Stellaria media— Chickweed. Gaelic : fliodh, an excrescence 

 (Armstrong), sometimes written Jiuth. Irish : lia, wetting 

 (Gaelic : fluich, wet) ; compare also floch, soft (Latin : flacctis). 

 Welsh : gudydd, the soft or tender plant. 



S. Holostea — The greater stitchwort. Gaelic : iiwsach, sad, 

 dejected. Irish : tiirsarrain, the same meaning ; and Stellaria 



^ Similar ideas occur in other Irish names respecting this plant : Beach- 

 nuadh Columcille, bcachnuadh hcinionn, beachnuadh firionn,— beach, to em- 

 brace; nuadh, new^ beinionn, a little woman ; Jirionn, a little man. 



