16 



FAMILIAR WILD FLOWERS. 



its force rather from the fact that the wood-sorrel was 

 blossoming 1 between Easter and Whitsuntide, when the 

 psalms of rejoicing were sung. The plant occurs not 

 uncommonly in old ecclesiastical decorations; there is a 

 very good glass quarry, based on its drooping leaves 

 and buds, in King's College, Cambridge ; and Fra Angelico 

 and other early painters introduced it. " The triple leaf 

 of this plant and white flower stained purple probably 

 gave it strange typical interest among the Christian 

 painters/'* Considerable diversity of opinion exists as 

 to what plant may be deemed the true sharm-ock of Erin. 

 Into the various arguments for and against the clover, 

 the present plant, and others, we have not here space to 

 g-o, but the balance would appear to be in favour of the 

 present plant. It is in full flower on the 17th of March 

 (St. Patrick's Day), and in a book written about 1603 

 we find the passage, " They willingly eat the herb sham- 

 rock, being of a sharp taste." 



*Euskin. 



