49 



Cuscuta epilinum— Flax dodder. Irish : damhainin lin, the 

 flax kites. It is parasitical on flax, to the crops of which it is 

 sometimes very destructive. Cunach or (Gaelic) cojiac/i, that 

 which covers, as a shirt, a disease. A general name applicable 

 to all the species. Welsh : /Puidag, the flax choker. 



SOLANACE^. 



Solanum dulcamara — Bitter-sweet ; woody nightshade. Gaelic 

 and Irish : seaii>/iag vihilis, bitter-sweet (Highland Society's Dic- 

 tionary). Ftiath gorm, the blue demon [fiiaih, hate, aversion, a 

 demon). Miotag b/uudhe. Irish: miat/wg bind/ie,Ú\Q ytWow m^^ex, 

 pincher, or biter. Slat ghorm [slat, a wand, a switch ; gonn, blue). 



S. tuberosum — Potato. Gaelic : bi/n-tata, adaptation of the 

 Spanish batata. Sir John M'Gregor has ingeniously rendered 

 the word btin-taghta, a choice root ! 



Atropa belladona — Deadly nightshade ; dwale banewort. 

 Gaelic and Irish : /iis ?ia h'oid/iche, the nightweed, on account of 

 its large black berries and its somniferous qualities. Buchanan 

 relates the destruction of the army of Sweno, the Dane, when he 

 invaded Scotland, by the berries of this plant, which were mixed 

 with the drink with which, by their truce, they were to supply 

 the Danes, which so intoxicated them that the Scots killed the 

 greater part of the Danish army while they were asleep. Welsh : 

 y gysiadiir, the putter to sleep. 



Hyoscyamus niger — Henbane. Gaelic and Irish: gafann 

 {gabhaiiìì), the dangerous one. Dethcogha, deodha, deo, breath, 

 that which is destructive to life. Caoc/i-naii-cearc, that which 

 blinds the hens. Its seeds are exceedingly obnoxious to poultry, 

 hence the English name henbane. The whole plant is a dan- 

 gerous narcotic. Welsh : slewyg yr iàr, preventing or curing 

 faintness. 



SCROPHULARIACE^. 



Verbascum thapsus — Mullein ; hag's taper ; cow's lungwort. 

 Gaelic and Irish : aiineal Mkiiire, or cuhigeal Mhuireiixoxa cuing, 

 asthma, or shortness of breath. In pulmonary diseases of cattle 

 it is found to be of great use, hence the name, cow's lungwort, or 

 ciiinge, narrowness, straightness, from its high, tapering stem ; 

 Mhiiire, Mary's). 



Veronica beccabunga — Erooklime. Gaelic : lochal, from loch, 

 a lake, a pool, the pool-weed or lake-weed, being a water-plant. 

 Lothal (Jo, water). Irish : biolar vihidn, the contemptible cress ; 

 7)iùiì, urine. Welsh : UycJilys y divfr, squatter in the water. 



