FLOWERING PLANTS. LoS 
Called in the patois Ciwe, the same as in Normandy; but its. 
more general French name is C7gwé. The Hemlock is one of the 
most powerful of our vegetable poisons, and in the words of an old 
herbalist, ‘ whosoever taketh it into his body dieth remedilesse.’ 
One of the ingredients of the witches’ cauldron, in Macbeth, was 
‘root of hemlock digged 1’ the dark.’ 
Smyrnium Olusatrum, L. Alexanders. 
Denizen. First record: Gosselin, 1815. 
Rather common in al! parts of the island. Some botanists have 
considered this species truly native in the Channel Islands, but, as it 
is not deemed indigenous in Normandy, I have classed it as a 
Denizen. 
The patois name is A/tsandre, clearly the same as Alexanders, 
whatever that may mean. In French it is called AM/aceron, and in 
Normandy it used to be grown under the name of Povvre. Pliny 
speaks of the plant as O/us atrum, or black potherb, perhaps from 
the black fruits. When raw, it has somewhat the flavour of celery, 
and was, in olden times, blanched in the same way, by being 
earthed up in growing. 
Bifora testiculata, Spr. 
Casual. First found: Miss Agnew, 1900. 
One or two specimens were detected, with other curious Casuals,. 
in the summer of 1900, by Miss B. Agnew in an old, neglected 
garden at Hauteville. This is a very peculiar Umbellifer, unknown 
in Normandy, and not found nearer these islands than the Bay of 
Biscay. 
ARALIACEAE. 
Hiedera Helix, L. Loy. 
Native. First record: Gosselin, 1815. 
Very common everywhere. The oldest plant in the island is to 
be found at Ivy Castle. This venerable specimen, which is still 
vigorous, and covers a large portion of the ruined Castle, I measured 
carefully in July 1890, and found the cylindrical trunk, at one foot 
above the ground, clear of branches, two feet four inches in circum- 
ference. Evidently it is of very great age, and has in later times. 
given the name to the ancient ruin, which is properly called Le 
Chateau des Marais, or the Castle of the Marshes. 
Called in the patois Verve or Aierre, a slight variation of the 
French name Zzerre: in the northern parts of Normandy known as 
Gllairu. It is generally believed that Ivy is extremely injurious to: 
the trees it entwines: thus Prospero says of his brother (Zem/es¢, 
i, 2) :— 
‘He was 
The ivy which had hid my princely trunk 
And suck’d my verdure out on’t.’ 
