80 POPULAR NAMES 



FLAX, DWARF- or PURGING- or FAIRY-, 



L. catharticum, L. 



,, TOAD-, Linaria vulgaris, L. 



FLAX-SEED, from the resemblance of its seed-pods to 

 flax bolls, Radiola Millegrana, L. 



FLAX-WEED, from its leaves resembling those of flax, 



Linaria vulgaris, L. 

 FLEA-BANE, from its supposed power of destroying fleas, 



Inula Pulicaria, L. 



BLUE-, Erigeron acre, L. 



FLEA-WORT, from its keeping off fleas, 



Inula Conyza, DC. 

 FLEUR DE LIB, see FLOWER DE LUCE. 

 FLIX- or FLUX- WEED, from its use in dysentery, a 

 disease that was formerly called flix, 



Sisymbrium Sophia, L. 



FLOAT- or more properly FLOTE-GRASS, not so much 

 from its floating on the surface of the water, as from its 

 abounding in floted, or irrigated meadows, 



Poa fluitans, Scop, 

 and also in some works 



Alopecurus geniculatus, and Catabrosa aqnatica, L. 

 FLORIMER, or FLORAMOR, Fr. fleur d' amour, from a mis- 

 understanding of its Latin name, Amaranthus, as though a 

 compound of amor, love, and anthus, flower, 



A. tricolor, L. 



FLOWER DE LUCE, Fr. fleur de Louis, from its having 

 been assumed as his device by Louis VII. of France : " Ce 

 fut Louis VII. dit le Jeune, A.D. 1137, qui chargea 1'ecu 

 de France de fleurs de lis sans nombre," Montf. The 

 flower that he chose seems to have been a white one ; for 

 Chaucer says : 



His nekke was white as is the flour de lis : 

 and there is a legend that a shield charged with these 

 flowers was brought to Clovis from heaven while engaged 



