The Scottish Naturalist. 273 



Triticum, according to Varro, was so named from the grain 

 being originally ground down. Latin : tritus, occurring only in 

 the ablative (tero). Greek : rc</xt>, to rub, bruise, grind. 



T. sestivum (and other varieties) — Wheat. Gaelic and Irish : 

 cruithneachd — cruineachd. This name seems to be associated 

 with the Cruithne, a tribe or tribes who, according to tradition, 

 came from Lochlan to Erin, and from thence to Alban, where 

 they founded a kingdom which lasted down till the seventh 

 century. Another old name for wheat — breothan, may simi- 

 larly be connected with another ancient tribe, " Clanna Breogan. 

 They occupied the territory where Ptolemy in the second cen- 

 tury places an offshoot of British Brigantes." — Skene. Were 

 these tribes so called in consequence of cultivating and using 

 wheat ? or was it so called from those tribal names ? are ques- 

 tions that are difficult to answer. It seems at least probable 

 that they were among the first cultivators of wheat in Britain 

 and Ireland. Breothan, that which is bruised ; the same in 

 meaning as triticum. Other forms occur, as brachtan, 1 being 

 bruised or ground by hand in the " muileann bradh" the quern ; 

 sometimes spelled breachtan. Mann, wheat, food. Jnormann, 

 — -fior, genuine, and mann, a name given to a variety called 

 French wheat. Tuireann, perhaps from tuire, good, excellent. 

 The flour of wheat is universally allowed to make the best bread 

 in the world. Komhan, Roman or French wheat; " branks." 



T. repens — Couch, twitch. Scotch : dog-grass, quickens, &c. 

 Gaelic : feur d-phuint (M'Kenzie), the grass with points or 

 articulations. Every joint of the root, however small, having the 

 principle of life in it, and throwing out shoots when left in the 

 ground, causing great annoyance to farmers. (From the root 

 punc or pung ; Latin, pundum, a point.) Goin- fheur, dogs- 

 grass ; or goin, a wound, hurt, twitch. According to Rev. Mr 

 Stewart, Nether Lochaber, this name is also given to Cynosurus. 

 Fiothran, the detestable. It is one of the worst weeds in 

 arable lands on account of the propagating power of the roots. 

 Bruim fheur, flatulent grass. Probably only a term of con- 

 tempt. 



T. junceum — Sea-wheat grass. Gaelic : glas fheur, the pale 



1 Latin : brace or brance. Gallic, of a particularly white kind of corn. 

 According to Hardouin, bleblanc Dauphine, Triticum Hibernian, Linn., var. 

 Grants a/bis. Lat., sandala. 



" Gallia? quoque suum genus farris dedere : quod illie brance vocant apud 

 nos sandalum nitidissimi grani."— PLINY, 18, 7. 



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