22 FAMILIAR WILf) FLOWERS. 



the rubbish-heap, and there to spring up anew in a 

 position where it would probably not be disturbed again. 

 It flowers during June and July, and, when well out in 

 blossom, is a very attractive plant, the pure blue stellate 

 blossoms telling with great effect in the midst of the 

 rather dull-looking foliage. 



The borage is the Borago officinalis, the only species 

 of the genus that is found in Britain. According to 

 some authorities the generic name is derived from the 

 two Latin words cor, the heart, and ago, I bring, and 

 thence corrupted into borago, there being an old belief in 

 its power of imparting courage to those who had sufficient 

 faith in its efficacy to administer it to themselves. The 

 old adage, " I, borage, give courage," is an indication 

 of this faith in its virtue. As this derivation has not, 

 however, proved altogether satisfactory, another has been 

 started in a new direction it may be considered an 

 old friend in a new guise. It is suggested that 

 borrcicli, a Celtic word meaning a man of courage may 

 be the true solution. In many of the older works on 

 plants the word has the " r " doubled, and this at once 

 suggests that possibly the derivation may be of quite 

 different character ; and as we find that this plant, whose 

 true home is in the countries fringing the Mediterranean, 

 bears very similar names in those countries to that borne 

 by it in our own, except that with them the "r" is 

 always doubled, we begin to feel that possibly our name 

 is but a corruption of these, and that any attempt to 

 build up a theory on a mutilated word is likely to end in 

 a failure. The plant is, in Spain, the borraja ; in Italy, 

 borraggine ; in France, the b our r ache ; in Germany, the 

 borretsch. On turning now to those languages for some 



