142 POPULAR NAMES 



radiate composite with white ray florets, says Stapel in 

 Theophrast. (p. 833, b.) "quod morbis muliemm uter- 

 inis rnedeantur ;" an idea suggested by their fancied 

 resemblance to the moon, which, from its regulating the 

 monthly periods of the year, was supposed to influence 

 the complaints peculiar to young women, and all affections 

 of the womb. See MAITHES, MARGUERITE, MATHER, 

 MAUDLIN, MAYDWEED, MAYWEED, and MOONWORT. These 

 plants were, in ancient times, and for the same reason, 

 dedicated to the virgin goddess of the night, the #eo? row 

 /caOapfjuarmv, or Diana ; but in Christian times have been 

 transferred to the two saints, who in this particular replace 

 her, St. Mary Magdalene and St. Margaret. 



Anthemis, Achillsea, Pyrethrum, Bellis, Chrysanthemum, 

 Matricaria, &c. 



MAIDEN-HAIR, from its hair-like fine stalks, 



Adiantuin Capillus Veneris, L. 



According to Lobel (Kruydtboek, p. 126), the name of 

 Mayden heere was in his time given to the bog asphodel, 

 " om dat de jonge dochters haer hayr daermede geel 

 maecken;" because young girls make their hair yellow 

 with it. This fashion of dyeing the hair yellow was very 

 prevalent in the middle ages, but the lye of wood ashes 

 was most generally used for the purpose, and as the em- 

 ployment of this plant is not noticed by other writers, nor 

 any such name given to it, he was probably mistaken. See 

 MAID'S HAIR. Narthecium ossifragum, JLam. 



MAIDEN-HAIR-GRASS, G. (in Bauhin's Th. ~Bot.}jungfrauen 

 haar, but by Parkinson (Th. Bot. p. 1166,) spelt Mead Hair- 

 grass ; in either case from its delicate hair-like stalks ; the 

 quaking-grass, Briza media, L. 



MAIDEN-PINK, a mistake for MEAD-PINK, G. wiesen-nelke, 

 a pink that grows in meadows, Dianthus deltoides, L. 



MAID'S HAIR from its soft flocculent habit, like the loose 

 un-snooded hair of maidens, and its yellow colour, to 



