I860.] BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUERIES. 287 



Young Trefoyl, to distinguish them from the ' Searaar Capiiil,' or Horse 

 Trefo}^, as I suppose. 



This plant is worn by the people in their hats upon the seventeenth day 

 of March yearly (which is called St. Patrick's Day), it being a current 

 tradition that by this three-leaved grass he emblematically set forth to 

 them the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. However that be, when they wet 

 their 'Seamar-oge,' they often commit excess in liquor, which is not a right 

 keeping of a day to the Lord, error generally leading to debauchery. 



H.B. 

 Hemlock, or Humlocke. 



So called by WOliam BuUein, Doctor of Physic, who wrote in 1563 ; 

 also Cicnta, and by the Greeks Koneion, that is to say, a Tirmmt, or 

 killer of men. He alludes to the poisoning of Socrates with this plant, 

 by Ms cruel murderers of Athens, and concludes by saying, " And thus I 

 end of this venomous herbe, which here in England women used to bucke 

 their cloths with, and weavers do make quilles upon their stalkes, which 

 bee called kexes." 



This plant, according to Cotgrave, was called Herh-Bennet. 



The particular use of this plant by women and weavers, as mentioned 

 above, I should like to see explained. H. B. 



Herb-Trinity. Heartsease. Bausey. 



Bullein, in his ' Book of Simples,' says : — " This herb is called Herb 

 Trhiitatis, but I read in an old monkish-written herball, wherein the 

 author writeth that this herb did signifie the Holy Trinity, and, therefore, 

 was called the herbe of the Trinity, and thus he made his allegory. This 

 flower is but one in which, said he, are three sondiy colours, and yet but 

 one sweet savour. So God is three distinct persons in one undivided 

 Trinity, imited together in one eternal glory and divine majesty. The 

 old pagan writers did call it Jupiter's herbe, because of the beauty of 

 its colours." S. B. 



What is Psyllium? 



BuUein says Psyllinm is called Plea-wort, " bicause the seede is like to 

 flees, blacke and hard, which flees in the North Countrey bee called 

 loppes. If tliis herbe is cast greene in any house, no flees will remayne 

 there. The juyce with honey di'opped into the eare, will kyll wormes, or 

 any flee cropen therein, and thus mutch aft'yrme Dioscorides and Pliny of 

 this herbe." H. B. 



POTAMOGETON GRAMINEUS. 



I beg to inform the readers of the ' Phytologist' that a Pondweed 

 under tlris name was gathered by me in 1858, but I disclaim the merit of 

 being the first to find it in this neighbourhood. It was found by Miss 

 Cookson, of Grasmere. It gi'ows here very abimdantly. I very iimo- 

 cently sent it to Mr. Hunt as P. graminens, because I had Mr. C. C. 

 Babington's authority for it. But Mr. Babington has since entertained 

 doubts about it. He wished for ripe fruit, which I sent him. When I 



