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me this curious name for the Wood Anemone, 
Anemone nemorosa. 
Smocks. Greater Convolvulus or Hedge Bind- 
weed, Calystegia sepium. 
SMOKING CANE. The dried porous stalks of 
the Traveller’s Joy or ‘Old Man’s Beard,” 
Clematis Vitalba, which boys use for smoking. 
The dried rootlets of the elm serve the same 
purpose. 
Smut. A _ pernicious black fungus which 
attacks the ears and stalks of corn, mostly wheat, 
after a cold spring. Very common (F. T. 
Eiworthy). Dr. Watson gives me as the scientific 
name of Smut, Ustilago carbo, which is an aggre- 
gate name for the several species (U. Tritici, 
U. Hordei, U. Avene, &c.) infesting corn. 
Snac. (1) The fruit of the Black-thorn, 
Prunus spinosa; a corruption of Anglo-Saxon 
Slag. Rev. Wm. Barnes (Dorset) defines it as 
“the fruit of a species of Black-thorn, smaller 
than Sloes.”? See SLOEs. 
(2) The stump of a tree when cut off above 
the ground or hedge. The word does not apply 
to the root, but only to the part above ground (F. 
T. Elworthy). Commonly applied to any tree 
stump or other obstacle preventing progress of 
a boat. 
SNAG-BLOOTH cr BLowTH. The blossom of the 
Biack-thorn, Prunus spinosa. 
Snaces. A number of school-children at 
Paulton give me this as a local name for the 
Bladder Campion, Silene latifolia. 
SNAKE (or SNAKE’S) BERRIES. <A name applied 
to the bright red berries of a number of plants 
which are poisonous (or supposed to be so), 
particularly to those of the Wild Arum, Iris, 
Woody Nightshade, Bryony, &c. See ADDER’S 
Foop and SNAKE’s Foop. 
SNAKE FERN. (1) The Common Hart’s- 
tongue, Phyllitis Scolopendrium (Somerset). 
(2) The Bracken, Pieris aquilina (Sherborne 
and Deverill, Wilts). 
SNAKE (or SNAKE’S) FLOWER. A name applied 
in various parts of the district to a large number 
of different flowers, amongst them being the 
following :— 
(1) Greater Stitchwort, Stellaria Holostea. 
I have heard children in the neighbourhood of 
Yeovil say that if you pick these flowers a snake 
will run (!) after you, and Dr. Downes tells me 
the same idea prevails about Ilminster, and in 
fact as far away as Cornwall. 
(2) Several correspondents in Dorset apply 
the name to the Lesser Stitchwort, Stellaria 
graminea. 
