p. padus — Bird cherry. Gaelic : craobh fhiodhag, from Jiodh, 

 wood, timber ; fiodhach^ a shrubbery. 



P. avium — Wild cherry. Gaelic : geanais, the gean. French : 

 guigne, from a German root. 



Amydalus communis — Almond, Gaelic : a?no?i, aw ghreugach, 

 Greek nut. 



A. persica — Peach. Gaelic : peitseag, from the English. 



Spiraea ulmaria — Meadow - sweet, queen of the meadow. 

 Gaelic : crios (or cneas) Chtt-chulainn.'^ The plant called *' My 

 lady's belt" (M'Kenzie). "A flower mentioned by McDonald 

 in his poem ' Alt an t-siucair^ with the English of which I am 

 not acquainted " (Armstrong). 



It is not mentioned in the poem referred to, but in " Oran an't 

 Samhraidh " — The Summer Song. 



" S'ciiraidh faileadh do mhuineil 



A chrios-Chu-Chulainn nan earn ! 

 Na d' chruinn bhahaidean riabhach, 



Loineacli, fhad luirgneach, sgiamhacli. 

 Na d' thuim ghiobagach, dreach mhin, 



Bharr-bhiiidhe, chasurlaich, aird ; 

 Timcheall thulmanan diamhair 

 Ma'm bi 'm biadh-ionain a fas. " — M'Donald. 



Sweetly scented thy wreath, 

 Meadoiv-siveet of the cairns ! 

 In round brindled clusters, 

 And softly fringed tresses, 

 Beautiful, tall, and graceful, 

 Creamy flowered, ringleted, high ; 

 Around sheltered hillocks 

 Where the wood-sorrel grows. 



Welsh : llysiiiW forwyn^ the maiden's flower. 



S. filipendula — Dropwort. Gaelic and Irish : greaban — prob- 

 ably from greadh, to prepare food. 



" A gread na cuilm." — OssiAK. 

 Preparing the feast. 



Linnaeus informs us that, " in a scarcity of corn the tubers have 

 been eaten by men instead of food." Or from greachy a nut. 

 Welsh : crogedyf, — crogi, to suspend. The tuberous roots are sus- 

 pended on filaments; hence the n^ixne?, JiHpendu/a and dropwort. 



^ Cu chullin's belt. Cuchullin was the most famous champion of the 

 Ulster militia in the old Milesian times. He lived at the dawn of the 

 Christian era. He was so called from Cu, a hound, and 67//;/, the name of 

 the province. Many stories are still extant regarding him. 



