218 CHAPTERS ON BRITISH BOTANY. iJul]/, 



TraguSj p. 318^ sub voce Rumex, relates that two species are 

 noted by Theophrastus^ viz. Rumex sylvestris ?, R. acetosa. Sib- 

 thorp observed many of our native species in Greece. 



Lappa, airapivr]. This comprehensive and very popular early 

 name comprehended such plants as produced prickly fruit, like 

 the Burdock, happa Bardana, Goose-grass, Galium Aparine, 

 Cynoglossum and Asperugo. It is used by Gaza, the early trans- 

 lator of Theophrastus, as the equivalent of Aparine, which is em- 

 ployed by the Greeks in an equally comprehensive sense. See 

 Aparine. 



Lathyrus, acjiaKT]. Two British species of this genus are 

 attributed to Theophrastus, both by Sprengel, 98, and Billerbeck, 

 186 and 187, viz. L. Aphaca and L. tuherosus, Hist. PI. viii. 3, 

 10. Besides these, supposed to have been described by Theo- 

 phrastus, Sibthorp found in Greece L. hirsutus, L. latifolius, 

 L. Nissolia, L. pratensis, and L. sylvestris. 



Lavatera, fjba\a')(r]. On this plant Stackhouse observes, 

 '' Lavatera forsan arborea'' (Hist. i. 4). It is enumerated with 

 the esculents. In Theo. vii. 7, it or some other Mallow is said 

 to be excellent food. See Bil. 79 ; Stack. 47. 



Lemna. One of the Duckweeds, L. trisulca, is generally un- 

 derstood to be the Lemna of Theophrastus, Hist. PI. iv. 11 : 

 TovTO TfKeiov ro Ka&' vSaro'i, " it entirely swims on the water .^' 

 Sprengel, 402, does not place it in his ^ Flora Theophrastica,^ 

 but attributes its first notice to a much later period. Billerbeck 

 quotes the book and chapter cited above from Stackhouse, 46. 



Leontodon, a(f)aK7] erepa {another Ajjhaca). A Chicory-like 

 plant, uneatable, being so bitter (Hist. PI. vii. 11). Germinates 

 7rp(0T0i<; veroi<i (early rains), (vii. 8), and flowers throughout the 

 summer. Rather slender marks for the identification of the 

 plant. See Bil. 205 ; Sprengel, 100. The latter learned author 

 writes, "florens vere prim,o," Stackhouse says, " Germinal vere 

 primo, . . . floret per totam cEstalein {Stack. IS). This is indeed 

 true of our Leontondon Taraxacum,, but it may also be affirmed 

 of many other plants which flower early in spring, and remain 

 in flower all the summer. 



Leucojum. This name, which means " white Violet,^^ was 

 applied in early times to many difiierent species, genera, and 

 even orders of plants. Sprengel (p. 87) applies it to L. verniim, 

 and remarks that " from its bulbous root and early flower it can 



