NUDIFLOR^ 353 



Flax-tail, Holy Pokers, Lance-for-a-lad, Levers, 

 Livers, Lyvers, Reed Mace, March Pestill, Mat-reed 

 or Mat-weed, Pokers, Seggs, Serge, Son's Brow, 

 Sootipillies, Water Torch, Whiteheads. 



In pictures which represent the crucifixion of 

 Christ, and the events leading up to it, a Reed Mace 

 is placed in Our Lord's hands by the early painters 

 in place of a sceptre. 



Referring to this plant the Rev. Hilderic Friend 

 writes: "This plant (Typha latifolia) is remarkable 

 for its dark brown or black velvety spikes, which have 

 in some places gained for themselves the name of 

 Chimney Sweeper's Brush. In Devonshire the boys 

 call them Blackheads. But when they get ripe and 

 the velvet down loses its colour, they are called 

 Whiteheads. Great confusion exists respecting this 

 plant (the Reed Mace) and another which is also 

 found in lakes and marshy places (Scirpus lacustris). 

 Strange to say in Somersetshire the name of Bulrush 

 is applied to the Common Rush {Jiincus), and this 

 is quite intelligible if we understand the name to be 

 the same as Pole-rush or Pool-rush, which is said to 

 be found in old writers. This was given to the plant 

 from its growing in pools like the French Jonc d'eau 

 and Anglo-Saxon Ea risce, only that the Scirpus is 

 to be understood in these cases." 



The Bulrushes which concealed Moses from 



Pharaoh were the Papyrus, Papyrus antiquorum, 



which is common in the Nile. 



Formerly the Reed Mace was used for making 

 VOL. III. 23 



