40 PLANT NAMES 



more superstitious of mankind there is a constant 

 dread of unseen powers around them, often imagined 

 to be jealous and mahgnant. It is therefore con- 

 sidered wise to speak respectfully of them, and in 

 various lands we find instances of this. The 

 Greeks, for example, thought it better to call the 

 Furies Eumenides, or the well-meaning. And so 

 Cape Tormentoso, or Stormy Cape, became the 

 Cape of Good Hope. The Irish call the fairies " the 

 good people," even though, or rather because, they 

 suspect them of mischievous intentions. And so the 

 name Euonymus was given to the left or ill-omened 

 hand, and it is thought to have been applied to the 

 tree because its berries are poisonous. On the other 

 hand, it is quite possible that it may have been a 

 title of genuine admiration. Gazania is believed to 

 be from gaza, a word of Persian origin, used by 

 the Greeks to express richness. Ononis, the Rest 

 Harrow, means delighting donkeys. Quercus, the 

 Oak, is said to be derived from the Celtic quer, fine, 

 and cuez, a tree. Marguerite, the Ox-eye Daisy, is 

 from the Greek word for a pearl. Verbena, Ver- 

 vain, is a Latin word used to signify a sacred bough, 

 which they applied to Laurel, Myrtle, or Olive, such 

 as were used in religious processions. Helichrysum 

 means sun of gold, a name full of poetry. Hemero- 

 callis is the beauty of the day. And, lastly, an 

 unassuming, drab-coloured, fragrant favourite of 

 our gardens is Mignonette, or little darhng. It was 

 probably some Frenchwoman who called the httle 

 flower that, and the name caught on, and who, 



