HOLLY, Ilex species, the holy tree because used for decorating 

 churches at Christmas. 



HORNBEAM, horn + beam, the latter an Anglo-Saxon word 

 for tree. So called because the wood is as hard as horn. Both of 

 our hornbeams, Carpinus and Ostrya, are called ironwood, a 

 name given to certain trees in many parts of the world. 



JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, Helianthus tuherosus, was cultivated 

 by the Indians before the coming of the white man. It reached 

 Europe early in the seventeenth century and for some reason 

 was given the name Girasole artichoke. The Italian girasole, 

 sunflower, has been corrupted to Jerusalem. 



jiMSON WEED, Datura Stramonium, an Asiatic weed that 

 became naturalized near Jamestown, Virginia, and was called 

 Jamestown weed, — but James easily became Jim. 



LABRADOR TEA, species of Ledum used for making tea in 

 British Columbia and Labrador during the Revolutionary war, 

 as was NEW jersey tea, Ceanothus americanus , further south. 



LOBELIA was named for Matthew Lobel or de I'Obel, a Flem- 

 ish physician to James the First. He travelled through Europe 

 in search of plants and wrote two books describing them. 



LOOSESTRIFE, Greek lysio, release from and mache, strife. 

 Pliny says that oxen made to eat it are rendered more willing 

 to pull together. 



LOUSE WORT, Pedicularis species, supposed to make sheep 

 that feed on it lousy. 



LUPINE, the Latin lupus, wolf, indicated the plant was sup- 

 posed to rob the soil of nourishment. (Apparently the Romans 

 had no idea of the value of leguminous plants to the soil.) 



MAYFLOWER, the trailing arbutus, Epigaea repens. In Whit- 

 tier's legend it was the first flower to greet the Pilgrims at 

 Plymouth and was named by them for their ship. 



MALLOW, Greek ma/a^o.y, soft, either because it could be used 

 to soften water or for the soft downy leaves. 



MUSTARD, Latin mustum, the fresh juice of grapes. Mustard 

 was formerly prepared by mixing it with must. 



NASTURTIUM, Latin nasus, nose, + torquere, torture or twist. 

 So the nasturtium is the nose twister because of its pungent 

 taste and odor. The name properly belongs to the water cress 

 and related plants of the mustard family. The garden nastur- 

 tium is a South American plant of the genus Tropaeolum. 



