250 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



(Hedge Mustard) is the Greek name. Mustard is 

 compounded of two Latin words, — mustum,new wine, 

 which is said to be used in preparing it, and ardens, 

 burning ; it is, " burning must." 



Let us pass on now to the Hypericaceaj. This 

 order derives its name from the Greek word huper- 

 eikos, the Greek name for St. John's Wort. It is 

 compounded of two Greek words, — hupo, under, and 

 ereike, heath, heather. The word therefore means 

 under heath, under heather. The common name, 

 St. John's Wort, was, according to Dr. Prior, given 

 to the plant, " because it was gathered on the eve 

 of St. John the Baptist's Day (June 24), to be hung 

 up at windows as a preservative against thunder 

 and evil spirits." The word " wort " is the old 

 Saxon " wyrt," a herb, a plant. The plants belong- 

 ing to the order HypericaceEe, which are found in 

 the warren, are Hypericum androscemum and Hype- 

 ricum hirsutum. The former, the common name of 

 which is Common Tutsan, is named Androssemum. 

 from the Greek word androsaimon, which is com- 

 pounded of cmdros, man's, and haima, blood. It is 

 so called because of its blood-red juice, or because 

 of the blood-stain left on the fingers after rubbing 

 the flower, or because of an unguent made from it. 

 Gerarde says : — " The leves, flowers, and seeds 

 stamped, and put into a glass with olive oile, and 

 set in the sunne for certaine weekes, doth make an 

 oile the colour of blood, which is a most, pretious 

 remedy for deep wounds, and those that are thorow 

 the body." The common name Tutsan is a corrup- 

 tion of the French Toute Saine, All-wholesome, 

 All-heal, a name given to the plant on account of 

 its healing properties. Hypericum hirsutum is the 

 hairy St. John's Wort, and is so called because of 

 the downy nature of its leaves. 



Whilst every one has heard of, seen, and admired 

 the Geranium, how few there are who know 

 that the order Geraniacese has anything to do with 

 that well-known bird, the Crane. The geranium, 

 from which flower the order is called, derives its 

 name from the Greek word geraniou, crane's-bill, 

 which is formed from the word geranos, a crane. 

 The seed-vessel is said to bear a resemblance to the 

 beak of the crane, and hence the name of the plant. 



We pass on now to that very large order llosa- 

 cese, which derives its name from the Latin rosa, 

 a rose. I shall only, deal with two or three plants 

 of this order. One, the Briar, we shall speak of 

 afterwards in connection with the " Legends of 

 Names." Let us take now (Jiattcgus oxyacantha 

 (Hawthorn or May), cmtagus derives its name 

 from the '.Greek word kratos, strength, because of 

 the hardness of the wood ; oxyacantha is the Greek 

 oxuukantha, meaning sharp thorn, being com- 

 pounded of oxus, sharp, akantha, a 'thorn. The 

 common name Hawthorn is generally supposed to 

 be derived from the red fruit which is called 

 " Haws," but the word " Haw," derived from the 



Anglo-Saxon, means hedge. It is connected with 

 the German hagedom. It is, as Dr. Prior well 

 observes, " an interesting word as being a testi- 

 mony to the use of hedges, and the appropriation 

 of plots of land from a very early period in the 

 history of the Germanic races." The reason that 

 the fruit is called " haws " is easy of explanation. 

 From the fence or hedge the name would in course 

 of time be applied to the shrub of which the hedge 

 is composed, and then to the fruit itself of the shrub. 

 The etymology of the name May is evident, being 

 given on account of its time of flowering. 



The order Grossulariaceae is not unrepresented 

 in the Warren, Ribes grossularia having been 

 found there. This order is that of the Goose- 

 berries. The name is evidently connected with the 

 French groseille. " The name rides," says Dr. 

 Hooker, "is an Arabic word wrongly applied to this 

 genus. The common name, gooseberry, is probably 

 a corruption of crossberry, grossberry, or gorseberry, 

 from gorse, furze." If this be the true derivation, 

 it must be so named from the prickly nature of the 

 shrub, or from the hairs on the fruit. Another 

 explanation of the term " crossberry " is, that it 

 refers to the triple spine, which often presents the 

 shape of a cross. 



The order Orchidacese receives its name from 

 the Orchis, which is named from the shape of its 

 roots, orchis being the Greek word for that parti- 

 cular shape. The names Bee Orchis, Spider 

 Orchis, &c, speak for themselves, and require no 

 explanation. 



In connection with the Iridacese we have some 

 French history. The Fleur-de-lis is not, as is 

 often supposed, a lily, but an iris, the common 

 name of which is Flower de Luce, or Fleur de 

 Louis. "It was assumed," says Dr. Prior, "by 

 Louis VII. of France as his device. The flower 

 that he chose seems to have been a white one, for 

 Chaucer says — 



" His nekke was white as is the flour de lis ; " 



and there is a legend that a shield charged with 

 these flowers was brought to Clovis from Heaven 

 while engaged in a battle against the Saracens. It 

 had already been used by the other French kings, 

 and by the Emperors of Constantinople, but it is a 

 question what it was intended in the first place to 

 represent. Some say a flower, some a halbert-head, 

 some a toad. Fleur de Louis has been changed to 

 Fleur de Luce, Fleur de Lys, and Fleur-de-lis." 



Wemustuowbid adieu to the "History of Names " 

 and come to the second division, the " Legends of 

 Names," which will occupy but a very short time, 

 as there are but few plants in the Warren, the 

 names of which are connected with the Heathen 

 Mythology. 



Papavcr somniferum (sleep-bearing poppy) at once 

 suggests to us the God of Sleep, Morpheus, who 



