OF BRITISH PLANTS. 81 



in a battle against the Saracens (H. Pyne, England and 

 France, in 15th cent. p. 23). It had already been used 

 by the other French kings, and by the Emperors of Con- 

 stantinople ; but it is a question what it was intended in 

 the first place to represent. Some say a flower, some a 

 halbert-head, some a toad. See Notes and Queries, 29 Mar. 

 1856. Fleur de Louis has been changed to Fleur de Luce, 

 Fleur de lys, and Fleur de Us. Iris, L. 



FLOWER OF BRISTOW, or -OF CONSTANTINOPLE, the 

 scarlet lychnis, the latter name from its growing wild near 

 the Turkish capital, the former from its colour being 

 * c Bristol red," as in the expression : 



" Her kirtle Bristol red." 

 See Chambers* Book of Days, i. p. 801. 



Lychnis chalcedonica, L. 



FLOWER GENTLE, the floramor, Fr. in Cotgrave la noble 

 fleur, from its resemblance to the plumes worn by people 

 of rank, Amaranthus tricolor, L. 



FLOWERING FERN, from its handsome spikes of fructifi- 

 cation, Osmunda regalis, L. 



FLOWERING RUSH, L. juncus floridus, a plant with a 

 rush-like stem, and growing in the water, with a fine head 

 of flowers, called by Lobel Juncus cyperoides floridus, 

 11 Juncus," saith he, " for that his stalke is like the rush ; 

 cyperoides, because his leaves do resemble Cyperus ; flori- 

 dus, because it hath on the top of every rushie stalke a fine 

 umbel or tuft of small flowers in fashion of the Lilie of 

 Alexandria." Gerarde, p. 27. 



Butomus umbellatus, L. 



FLOWK-, or FLOOK-WORT, from its being supposed to give 

 sheep the disease of the liver, in which parasites resembling 

 the flook- or flounder-ftsh. are found, 



Hydrocotyle vulgaris, L. 



FLUELLIN, Du. fluweelen, downy, velvety, Fr. velvote, and 

 not, as Parkinson states, a Welsh word : 



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