71 



sallow (white willow) is derived. Welsh : helyg, willow. (See 

 S. viminalis.) 



S. viminalis — Osier willow ; cooper's willow. Gaelic and 

 Irish : fineajuhain (from fai^ vine ; and muin^ a neck), a long 

 twig — a name also applied to the vine.^ Vimen in Latin means 

 also a pliant twig, a switch osier. One of the seven hills of 

 Rome (Viminalis Collis) was so named from a willow copse 

 that stood there ; and Jupiter, who was worshipped among these 

 willows, was called " Viminius ; " and his priests, and those of 

 Mars, were called Salii for the same reason. The worship was 

 frequently of a sensual character, and thus the willow has be- 

 come associated with lust, filthiness. Priapus was sarcastically- 

 called '' Salacissimus Jupiter," hence salax, lustful, salacious ; 

 and in Gaelic, salach (from sal) ; German, sal, polluted, defiled. 

 The osier is also called biinsag, bun, a stump, a stock. 

 Maothan, from 7?iaoth, smooth, tender. Gall sheileach, the 

 foreign willow. 



S. caprea, and S. aquatica — Common sallow. Gaelic and 

 Irish : siiileag, probably the same as Irish, saileog (Anglo-Saxon, 

 salig, sallow), Stiil — the old Irish name — (in Turkish sii means 

 water) in Irish and GaeHc, the eye, look, aspect, and sometimes 

 tackle (Armstrong). The various species of willow were exten- 

 sively used for tackle of every sort. Ropes, bridles, &c., were 

 made from twisted willows. *' In the Hebrides, where there is 

 so great a scarcity of the tree kind, there is not a twig, even 

 of the meanest willow, but what is turned by the inhabitants 

 to some useful purpose." — Walker's * Hebrides.' And in Ire- 

 land to this day " gads," or willow ropes, are made. Geal- 

 sheileach (Armstrong), the white willow or sallow tree. Irish : 

 crann sailigh fhrancaigh, the French willow. 



S. babylonica — The Babylonian willow. Gaelic: seileach an 

 f srutha {sriith, a brook, stream, or rivulet), the willow of the 

 brook. 



" Agus gabhaidh sibh dhuibh fein air a' cheud la meas chraobh aliiinn, 

 agus seileach an /' srutha. " — Lev. xxiii. 40. 



And take unto yourselves on the first day fruit of lovely trees, and vidllovvs 

 of the brook. 



MvRICACEiE. 



Myrica gale — Bog myrtle, sweet myrtle, sweet gale. Gaelic : 

 rideag, Irish : rideog, rileog (changing sound of d to I being 



^ ^* Finemhain fa m' chomhair" (in Genesis) — a vine opposite to me. 



