PLANT MYTHOLOGY 
crops up among old plant superstitions. Because 
of its structure of enveloping sheaths, the Egyp- 
tians rightly considered it a splendid symbol of 
the universe. In Christian days, St. Thomas 
patronized it. Its cousin, the Leek, bears the 
blossom which Welshmen still hail as their na- 
tional flower. It is worn by all loyal patriots 
on March first, St. David’s Day. 
The Thistle, Scotland’s national flower, was 
once sacred to Thor. In those days it was re- 
garded as a safeguard against lightning, from 
which it got its colour. Ireland’s Shamrock be- 
longs to the Trefoil family, and is sometimes 
called Dutch Clover, though the Wood-Sorrel 
is claimed by some to be the true Shamrock. St. 
Patrick once used it as a natural symbol of the 
trinity, through which it became nationalized. 
Superstitions of the four-leafed Clover have 
lingered in the imaginations of men almost more 
than those of any other plant. To be efficacious 
in bringing good luck, the little talisman must 
be found unawares. If slipped into the shoe 
of a lover, it will insure his safe return. The 
finding of a five-leaved Clover brings bad luck. 
Superstition plays its part in the evolution 
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