82 



root being suspended from its small egg-shaped leaf, and not 

 affixed to the ground. Gran-lachmi, — gra7i, seed, grain, ' and 

 lach^ a duck. The roundish leaves, and the fact that ducks are 

 voraciously fond of feeding on them, have suggested this and the 

 following names : Ros lachai?i, the ducks' rose or flower. Irish : 

 abhran ^^;^^^ (O'Reilly), — abhran is the plural of abhra^ an eyelid, 

 and do7tog^ a kind of fish, a young ling. The fish's eyelids ; 

 more likely a corruption of aran timiiaig^ duck's bread or meat. 



It was used by our Celtic ancestors as a cure for headaches 

 and inflammations. 



Arace^. 



Arum, formerly aroti, probably from the ancient Celtic root 

 ar, land, earth ; hence Latin, aro, to plough, and Gaelic, aran^ 

 bread, sustenance. The roots of many of the species are used 

 both for food and medicine. 



A. maculatum — Wake-robin, lords and ladies. Gaelic : cluas 

 chaoifi, the soft ear {caoin^ soft, smooth, gentle, &c., and duas^ 

 ear). The ear-shaped spathe would probably suggest the name. 

 Cuthaidhy from cuth, a head, a bulb — hence cutharlan^ any bulb- 

 ous-rooted plant. Cuthaidh means also wild, savage. Gachar 

 and gaoicifi cuthigh are given in O'Reilly's Dictionary as names 

 for the Arum, from cai^ a cuckoo. Old English : cuckoo's pint. 



ORONTIACEiE. 



Acorus calamus — Sweet-flag. Gaelic : cuilc-mhilis, sweet-rush ; 



" Cuilc mhilis agus canal." 



Calamus and cinnamon. 



cuilc^ a reed, a cane. Greek : KaXafio^f applied to reeds, bul- 

 rush canes, e.g., cuile na Leig, the reeds of Lego. Cobhan 

 ciiilc, an ark of bulrushes. Cuik-chrann, cane ; fnilis (Greek : 

 IJiiXiaa-a, a bee), sweet. Before the days of carpets, this plant is 

 said to have supplied the " rushes " with which it was customary 

 to strew the floors of houses, churches, and monasteries. 



Typhace^. 



Typha, from Greek, tv</>09, a marsh in which all the species 

 naturally grow. 



T. latifolia — Great reed-mace or cat's-tail. Gaelic and Irish : 

 bodan dub/i, from bod^ a tail, and dub/i, large, or dark. Oiigeal 

 fiam ban-stth, the fairy-woman's spindle. It is often, but incorrectly, 

 called bog bluiine or bulrush (see Scirpus laaistris). The downy 

 seeds were used for stuffing pillows, and the leaves for making 



