CHAPTER XXI 
THE CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS 
BEFORE we can classify plants we must give each a name. 
For many plants this was done in the native tongue long 
before much real knowledge of any kind was obtained 
about them, and naturally the name given had reference 
to some character or association which they possessed. 
Plants were first seriously studied for the medicinal 
properties, real or supposed, imputed to them. Some 
had the power of healing diseases, or, at least, of alleviat- 
ing their distress; others had magical properties, and 
were used in religious ceremonial or witchcraft, according 
as the power attributed to them was good or bad. Herb- 
alists were the first doctors, and the earliest Floras were 
Herbals. 
Thus the bindweed, arrowhead, cat’s-tail grass, dog’s- 
tail grass, cock’s-foot, cotton-grass, old man’s-beard 
(Clematis), hart’s-tongue, ox-tongue, touch-me-not, bed- 
straw, bird’s-foot trefoil, coral-root, stork’s-bill, goat’s- 
beard, monk’s-hood, silver-weed, and toothwort are all 
names derived from some obvious character of the plant. 
Herb-Robert, St. Dabeoc’s-heath, and herb-Christopher 
were sacred to saints. St. John’s-wort was sacred to the 
Apostle, and possessed mystical and magical virtues. In 
other cases the connection was more fanciful—lady’s- 
fingers (lady in flower-names generally refers to the 
Virgin Mary, very often in her mythic role of Venus), 
lady’s-tresses, lady’s-smock, shepherd’s-needle, shepherd’s- 
purse, Jacob’s-ladder, milk-thistle, and Dutchman’s-pipe. 
Some very beautiful names have survived : daisy (= day’s- 
eye), heartsease, meadowsweet, forget-me-not, honey- 
suckle, poor man’s weather-glass, and deadly nightshade. 
Many had medicinal properties: lungwort, stitchwort, 
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