Naiadace.í:. 



Potamogeton.— Greek : Trora/xo's, a river, and jútov, near. 



P. natans — Broad-leaved pondweed. Gaelic : di/i/iasg na 

 //'aib/ifie, the river leaf. Most of the species grow immersed in 

 ponds and rivers, but flower above its surface. Liobhag, from 

 liobh, smooth, polish, from the smooth pellucid texture of the 

 leaves, their surface being destitute of dowri or hair of any kind. 

 Irish : liachroda, — /iach, a spoon, rod, a. water-weed, sea- weed ; 

 iiach-Brighide, Bridget's spoon. Probably these names were also 

 given to the other species of pondweeds (such as P. polygonifolius) 

 as well as to P. natans. 



Zostera marina — The sweet sea -grass. Gaelic and Irish: 

 bilearach (in Argyle, bileanach), from bilcag, a blade of grass. 

 The sea-grass was much used for thatching purposes, and it was 

 supposed to last longer than straw. 



Alismace^. 



Alisma, — Greek : àXia-fxa, an aquatic plant ; said to be from 

 a Celtic root, a/is, water. If ever this was a Celtic vocable it 

 has ceased to have this signification : in Welsh a//s means the 

 lowest point, hell. 



A. Plantago — Water-plantain. Gaelic and Irish : cor-chopaig 

 {cor or cor a, a weir, a dam, and copag, a dock, or any large leaf of 

 a plant). It grows in watery places. Welsh : Uyren, a duct, a 

 brink or shore. 



Triglochin palustre — Arrow-grass. Gaelic : barr a' nihilltich,^ 

 " l!un na cipe is barr a' inhilltich." — jNI'Intyre. 



bàiT, top, and milltich (Irish), "good grass," and milucach, a 

 thorn or bodkin — hence the English name arrow-grass. Generic 

 name from rpeis, three, and yAwxi's, a point, in allusion to the three 

 angles of the capsule. Sheep and cattle are fond of this hardy 

 species, which afibrd an early bite on the sides of the Highland 

 mountains. Milltich is commonly used in the sense of "grassy;" 

 viaghanan milltcach, verdant or grassy meadows. 



Lemnace/e. 

 Lemna minor — Duckweed. Gaelic : ^ mac gun athair, son 

 without a father. Irish: his gan athair gan tnhathair, fatherless 

 motherless wort. A curious name, perhaps suggested by the 



^ Alac-gun-athair may have originally been meacan air, — Dteacan, a plant, 

 air, gen. of àr, slow (hence the name of the river "Arar" in France, 

 meaning the slow-flowing river, — '■^ Arar dubitans qui suos cursos agat " — 

 Senfxa), the plant that grows in slow or sluggish water. 

 L 



