CHAPTER XXI 



THE CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS 



BEFORE we can classify plants we must give each a name. 

 For many plants this was done in the native tongue long 

 before much real knowledge of any kind was obtained 

 about them, and naturally the name given had reference 

 to some character or association which they possessed. 

 Plants were first seriously studied for the medicinal 

 properties, real or supposed, imputed to them. Some 

 had the power of healing diseases, or, at least, of alleviat- 

 ing their distress ; others had magical properties, and 

 were used in religious ceremonial or witchcraft, according 

 as the power attributed to them was good or bad. Herb- 

 alists were the first doctors, and the earliest Floras were 

 Herbals. 



Thus the bindweed, arrowhead, cat's-tail grass, dog's- 

 tail grass, cock's-foot, cotton-grass, old man's-beard 

 (Clematis), hart's-tongue, ox-tongue, touch-me-not, bed- 

 straw, bird's-foot trefoil, coral-root, stork's-bill, goafs- 

 beard, monk's-hood, silver-weed, and toothwort are all 

 names derived from some obvious character of the plant. 

 Herb-Robert, St. Dabeoc's-heath, and herb-Christopher 

 were sacred to saints. St. John's-wort was sacred to the 

 Apostle, and possessed mystical and magical virtues. In 

 other cases the connection was more fanciful lady's- 

 fingers (lady in flower-names generally refers to the 

 Virgin Mary, very often in her mythic role of Venus), 

 lady's- tresses, lady 's-smock, shepherd 's-needle, shepherd's- 

 purse, Jacob 's-ladder, milk-thistle, and Dutchman's-pipe. 

 Some very beautiful names have survived : daisy ( = day's- 

 eye), heartsease, meadowsweet, forget-me-not, honey- 

 suckle, poor man's weather-glass, and deadly nightshade. 

 Many had medicinal properties : lungwort, stitchwort, 



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