The Scottish Naturalist. 359 



Petasites vulgaris — Butter-bur, pestilence-wort. Gaelic and 

 Irish : f^allaii /nor, the big branch, possibly referring to its large 

 leaf. Greek : yttA.aj/09, mast. Danish : ga/an, a stripling. 

 Pobal, more correctly ////^(7/. Welsh : pahel^ a tent, a covering. 



" Sliidhich iad am //////////."— Oss I AN. 

 They pitched their tents. 



The Greek name, Trerao-o?, a broad covering, in allusion to its 

 large leaves, which are larger than that of any other British 

 plant, and form an excellent shelter for small animals. 



Tussilago farfara — Colt's foot. Gaelic : cluas liath, grey ear. 

 Gonn Hath, greyish green. Duilliiir spuing, the tinder- leaf. 



" Cho tioram ri spuing.'^ 

 As dry as tinder. 



The leaf, dipped in saltpetre, and then dried, made excellent 

 tinder or touchwood. Gaelic and Irish : fathaii or atJiaii, mean- 

 ing fire. It was used for lighting fire. The leaves were smoked 

 before the introduction of tobacco, and still form the principal 

 ingredient in the British herb tobacco. GaUau-greaniichair 

 {gal/an, see " Petasites ; " gj-eaun, hair standing on end, a beard), 

 probably referring to its pappus. Irish : cassachdaighe (O'Reilly), 

 a remedy for a cough {casachd, a cough ; aighe or ice, a remedy). 

 " The leaves smoked, or a syrup or decoction of them and the 

 flowers, stand recommended in coughs and other disorders of 

 the breast and lungs " (Lightfoot). Welsh : cam y cbol {earn, 

 hoof, and ebol, foal or colt), colt's-foot. 



Senecio vulgaris — Groundsel. Gaelic : am bualan, from buai, 

 a remedy. Lus pharliaih^ grey Peter's weed, a name suggested 

 by its aged appearance, even in the spring-time. Latin : senecio. 

 Welsh : ben-felan, sly woman. Sail, bhuinn {sail, a heel ; buinn, 

 an ulcer.) "The Highlanders use it externally in cataplasms as 

 a cooler, and to bring on suppurations " (Lightfoot). Grunnasg 

 (from grunnd, ground ; German : grund). Welsh : grunsel. 



" Muran brioghar ^" zw grunnasg \\o\\m\\ox ^ — M'Intyre. 

 The sappy carrot and the plentiful groundsel. 



Irish : crann lus, the plough-weed. Buafanan na li easgaran 



1 In Breadalbane, Glenlyon, and other places, the plant is called Lhs 

 Fharlisle — 



*'Z?>J- Pharlisle cuiridh e ghoimh es a chraimh. " 

 The groundsel will extinguish acute pain in the bone — 

 it being frequently applied as a cure for rheumatic pains. 



