OF BRITISH PLANTS. 13 



AVENS, in Pr. Pm. avence, in Topsell and Askham avance, 

 M.Lat. avantia or avencia, in Ort. San. ananda, a word of 

 obscure origin, and quite unintelligible, spelt also auartia, 

 anantia, arancia, and amancia, 



COMMON-, or YELLOW-, Geum urbanum, L. 

 MOUNTAIN-, Dry as octopetala, L. 



WATER-, or NODDING-, Geum rivale, L. 



AVEROYNE, of the Stockholm Med. M.S., but long 

 disused, Fr. aurone, from Lat. abrotanum (Scheler), the 

 southernwood, Artemisia Abrotanum, L. 



AWL-WORT, from its subulate leaves, 



Subularia aquatica, L. 



AYE-GREEN, ever-green, a translation of Lat. semper- 

 vivum. Aye is the A.S. ceg, ever, properly an egg, which, 

 having no beginning or end, was symbolical of eternity, 

 Go. aiv, L. a in cevum, cBtas, and ceternus, Gr. act. The 

 plant so called from its conspicuous tufts of evergreen 

 leaves, the houseleek, is Sempervivum tectorum, L. 



BACHELOR'S BUTTONS, a name given to several flowers 

 "from their similitude to the jagged cloathe buttons, 

 antiently worne in this kingdom," according to Johnson's 

 Gerarde, p. 472, but ascribed by other writers to " a habit 

 of country fellows to carry them in their pockets to divine 

 their success with their sweethearts ; " 

 usually understood to be a double variety of Eanunculus, 

 according to others, of Lychnis sylvestris, L. 



in some counties, Scabiosa succisa, L. . 



BALDMONEY, or BAWD-MONEY, the mew, a corruption 

 of L. valde bona, very good. The Grete Herball, ch. 

 ccccxxxiii, speaking of Sistra, says, " Sistra is dyll, some 

 call it Mew, but that is not so. Howbeit they be very like 

 in properties and vertue, and be put eche for other, but 

 Sistra is of more vertue than Mew, and the leaves be lyke 



