OF BRITISH PLANTS. 61 



CYCLAMEN, an adopted Latin name, Gr. 



C. europaeum, L. 



CYDERACH, the culrage. See CIDERAGE and CUDWEED. 



CYPHEL, an unexplained name, possibly the Gr. Kvcj>e\\a, 

 a mass of clouds, from its growth on cloud-capped Alpine 

 heights, Cherleria sedoides, L. 



CYPRESS, L. cupressus, Gr. KVTrapio-aos, 



C. sempervirens, L. 



CYPRESS-ROOT, or SWEET CYPRESS, from L. cyperus, a 

 plant the aromatic roots of which are known as English 

 galingale, Cyperus longus, L. 



DAFFADOWNDILLY, DAFFODILLY, AFFODILLY, and DAFFO- 

 DIL, L. asphodelus, from which was formed Affodilly, the 

 name of it in all the older writers, but subsequently con- 

 fused with that of another flower, the so-called sapharoun- 

 or saffron lily. 



" The thyrde lylye gyt there ys, 



That ys called felde lylye, y wys, 



Hys levys be lyke to sapharoun, 



Men know yt therby many one." 



MS. Sloane, No. 1571. 



With the taste for alliteration that is shown in popular 

 names, the Sapharoun-lity ; upon blending with affodilly, 

 became, by a sort of mutual compromise, daffadown-dilly , 

 whence we get our daffodilly and daffodil. This explana- 

 tion of it is merely conjectural, and wants the test of his- 

 torical evidence, but appears to be the best. The dic- 

 tionaries derive it from "fleurs d'affodille;" but there is 

 no such name to be found in any work, French or English, 

 and it is highly improbable that a plant should be called, 

 the "flowers" of the plant. Neither does this explain the 

 -down- of Daffadowndilly. Narcissus Pseudonarcissus, L. 



DAISY, A.S. dceges-eage^ eye of day, O.B. Daieseygke, 

 from its opening and closing its flower with the daylight, 



