The Folk-Lore of Plants. 337 
under a certain “sign.” Hven yet, in rural districts, 
respect is paid to the phases of the moon, when planting 
and sowing crops. Root crops, which have their edible 
portions beneath the soil, should be ‘“‘put in during the 
wane of the moon or ‘in the sinking sign, in contradis- 
tinction to ‘the rising signs’ which were those of the 
rising orb.” “ Plant corn when the little moon, i.e. the new 
moon, points down, the ears will then grow low on the 
stocks and be heavy.” “ All Fridays are good days for 
planting things that hang down, like beans or grapes, ice. 
stringy things, for Friday is hangman’s day.” ! 
The study of the popular names of plants is most fruitful 
and interesting. ‘The fascination of plant names has its 
origin in two instincts, love of nature and curiosity about 
language. Plant names are often of the highest antiquity, 
and more or less common to the whole stream of related 
nations. Could we penetrate to the original suggestive 
idea that called forth the name, it would bring valuable 
information about the first openings of the human mind 
towards nature.’’* Though several have been noticed in 
other connections, a few of our popular American plant 
names may be mentioned, as illustrations of how much 
there may be in a name. Many flowers have, at some 
time, been dedicated to heathen divinity or Christian saint, 
and still bear their names. The Virgin Mary has been 
especially honoured, and various plants, from more or less 
fanciful resemblances, furnish her with an extensive ward- 
robe. For example, two flowers, the cypripedium and 
Impatiens fulva supply the slippers, the fuchsia blossoms are 
her ear-drops, while the campanula is her looking-glass. 
The Puritan element is evident in several names of flowers, 
Aquilegia canadensis being sometimes called “ meeting- 
houses,” and Houstonia cerulea, “ quaker-ladies.” <A dis- 
tinctively American name is that of ‘‘ White man’s foot” 
1N. C. Noke in the Jour. Am. Folk-Lore, June, 1892. 
* Karle’s English Plant Names. 
