OF BRITISH PLANTS. 197 



the blessing of God on the crops. Gerarde says (p. 450) 

 that " the maidens which use in the countries to walke 

 the procession, make themselves garlands and nosegaies 

 of it." It was for the same reason called Cross-, Gang-, 

 and Procession-flower. Polygala vulgaris, L. 



ROSE, L. rosa, a word adopted into most of the modern 

 languages of Europe, Gr. poSov, which evidently means 

 "red," and is nearly related to Go. rauds, G. roth, W. 

 rhudd, Rus. rdeyu, and Skr. rohide, red. The L. rosa 

 appears to be a foreign word introduced to replace a more 

 ancient name for this shrub, rubus, which, like the Gr. 

 poSov, is expressive of a red colour, as we see from its 

 derivatives, rubeus, ruber, rubidus, rubicundus, rubere, 

 erubescere, rubigo, rubia, but which is employed by Latin 

 writers merely in the sense of a bramble bush. Rosa 

 would seem to be connected with poBov through a form in 

 t, rota, whence rutilus, reddish, and L. rota, Wei. rhod, 

 Gael, roth, a wheel, so named, we may presume, from' the 

 resemblance of its outline to a rose. The one cultivated in 

 ancient times must have been a crimson species, to judge 

 from the myth of its springing from the blood of Adonis ; 

 Homer's poSoSa/mAo? 'Ha?; the comparison of it with 

 Tyrian purple in Columella's line : 



Jam rosa mitescit Sarrano clarior ostro ; 

 and the distinct statement of Isidore (c. ix.) that it was 

 called so, " quod rutilante colore rubet." Rosa, L. 



BRIER-, or DOG-, R. canina, L. 



BDRNET-, from the resemblance of its leaf to that 

 of the burnet, R. spinosissima, L. 



CANKER-, from its supposed injurious effect on 

 wheat-crops, the red or field poppy, Papaver Rhceas, L. 



CHRISTMAS-, from its rose-like flowers, and its 

 blossoming in the winter, Helleborus niger, L. 



CORN-, the field poppy, Papaver Rhoeas, L. 



GUELDER-, from its balls of white flowers which 



