1893-94-] The Rose, Thistle, and Shamrock. 89 



successful as St Patrick was, as during the three or four suc- 

 ceeding centuries Ireland became the centre of Christian teach- 

 ing all over Western Europe. By Irish missionaries, Scotland, 

 Northumberland, and great portions of Germany and Switzer- 

 land, were Christianised. By far the greatest monastery in all 

 Switzerland, that of St Gall, was founded by an Irish Christian 

 missionary. 



But to return to botany, what was St Patrick's trefoil ? 

 and what is the plant now recognised by the Irish as their 

 shamrock ? There are three claimants — the wood - sorrel 

 (Oxalis acctosella) ; the white clover (Trifolium repens) ; and 

 the slender yellow trefoil {Trifolium filiforme). The wood- 

 sorrel is called shamrock in many English books ; but it 

 is not a conspicuous plant till it flowers, and it does not 

 flower till a good while after the 1 7th March, or " St Patrick's 

 Day." In Irish and Gaelic dictionaries, shamrock is always 

 translated " clover." I ought perhaps to mention that the 

 word shamrock does not mean " three leaves " in Gaelic, as 

 some books state ; nor, as other books state, is shamrock the 

 Arabic for three leaves. Even if it were, why should the 

 Irish have borrowed an Arabic name for a common plant ? 

 Shamrock simply means " clover." As to which kind of 

 clover is really the true shamrock, a census was lately taken 

 by writing to numerous persons in each county in Ireland. 

 About two-thirds of the counties voted for Trifolium filiforme, 

 and one-third for Trifolium repens. Our secretary, Mr Moffat, 

 however, informs me that Trifolium repens was lately sent him 

 from Cork as shamrock. 



On the whole, I would vote with the majority of Irishmen 

 for Trifolium filiforme, with which should be combined the two 

 other yellow-flowering trefoils, Trifolium procumbens and T. 

 minus. The only other competitor I know is water -cress 

 (Nasturtium officinale), which is called shamrock in Hollin- 

 shed's 'Chronicle,' 1556, — but this seems absurd. 



In the Museum of Science and Art there is a beautiful 

 stone carving of the rose, thistle, and shamrock, by an Italian 

 artist. Unfortunately it is combined with the lily of Florence, 

 not with the leek of Wales. 



If the thistle and the rose are comparatively modern, and 

 the shamrock not very ancient, we find a different state of 



