OF BRITISH PLANTS. 25 



BLINKS or BLINKING-CHICKWEED, the " alsine flosculis 

 conniventibus" of Merret's Pinax, so called from its half- 

 closed little white flowers peering from the axils of the 

 upper leaves, as if afraid of the light, Montia fontana, L. 



ELITE, L. blitum, Gr. fiXtrov, insipid, the name of some 

 potherb which Evelyn in his Acetaria takes to be the Good 

 Henry, and remarks of it that " Tis insipid enough," 



Chenopodium Bonus Henricus, L. 

 in more modern works usually referred to Blitum, L. 



BLOOD-BOOT, from the red colour of its root and its con- 

 sequent adoption, upon the doctrine of signatures, for the 

 cure of the bloody flux. " Tormentilla in dysenteria quod 

 rubra est." Linn, in Bibl. Botan. p. 117. 



Tormentilla officinalis, L. 



BLOOD-STRANGE, from blood, and a verb only found in 

 composition, strengen, draw tight, and metaphorically, as 

 in G. harn-strange, stop, Myosurus minimus, L. 



BLOOD-WORT, or BLOODY-DOCK, from its red veins and 

 stems, Rumex sanguineus, L. 



BLOODY WARRIOR, from its crimson-tinged petals, the 

 dark-blossomed wallflower, 



Cheiranthus Cheiri, L. 



BLOODY-MAN'S FINGER, from its lurid purple spadix, 



Arum maculatum, L. 



BLOW-BALL, the head of the dandelion in seed, from 

 children trying their luck by blowing the pappus from its 

 receptacle, Leontodon Taraxacum, L. 



BLUE-BELL, from the bell-shape of its flower, 



Scilla nutans, Sm. 

 in Scotland Campanula rotundifolia, L. 



BLUE-BLAW, a name that would at first sight seem to be 

 merely " blue blow or blossom," but the latter word is in 

 old works invariably spelt blaw, and is rather the G. blau, 

 blue, Prov. blave, of which the Fr. names of the flower, 

 blaveole, blavelle, blavet, or blaverolle are the diminutives. 



