HOW FLOWERS WERE NAMED 



A GREAT number of flowers have been named from their appear- 

 ance, and many, too, from their properties. The daisy is (as 

 Chaucer has it) "the eye of day" — i. e., the sun; the sun-flower is 

 named from its rays of sunshine, yellow. There is also the moon- 

 daisy; and from their fancied resemblance to a star we have such 

 names as star-wort and star of Bethlehem. The geranium is the 

 crane's-bill, the Greek word for a crane being geranos; and there are 

 the crow-foot, snowdrop, auricula (or "little ear"), monkshood, fox- 

 glove (more correctly, folks' glove — the allusion being to the fairy- 

 folk), the larkspur, the mimulus or monkey-flower; and, from their 

 likeness to bell or cup, such names as harebell (not hair-bell), blue- 

 bell, and buttercup. Some of these are named from the shape of the 

 seed-case, as also are shepherd's purse and shepherd's needle. 



From the form of the leaf we have bugloss {bous glossa in Greek, 

 ox-tongue in English), dandelion (French, dent-de-lion, lion's tooth), 

 hawk-bit, and colt's foot. The pimpernel, a corrupt form of "bi- 

 pinel" (Latin, bis and penna), is the double-winged flower; periwin- 

 kle (Lat., vincire, to bind) is named for the same reason as the 

 woodbine; the columbine bears some resemblance to the dove (col- 

 umba). There are also the orchid and fumitory, the latter (fume de 

 terre) said to be named from its abundance and perhaps its curly 

 appearance. 



From their properties, mostly medicinal, are named fever fev/ 

 {i. e., febrifuge), comprey (Lat., con-feruere) , narcissus (narcotic), 

 eye-bright (an eye-wash — "purging the visual nerve," according to 

 Milton), wolf's-bane, flea-bane, hen-bane, nasturtium (nose twister), 

 borage (from the Arabic, "father of sweat," a sudorific), honeysuckle, 

 and lavender (used to scent linen fresh from the laundry). 



Color gives their distinctive name to some, such as burnet (a 

 brown flower), gowan or "gowlan" (a Norse word, the yellow flower), 

 lilac (Arabic, blue),, cowslip, dusty miller, and silver-weed. 



A few are named from places or habitat, as candituft (Candia), 

 London pride, Canterbury bell, anemone (from growing in places 

 exposed to the wind), and wallflower (from growing on ruined 

 walls). Cinquefoil, trefoil, milfoil (or yarrow), are named from the 

 number of their leaves. A few have poetical names — forget-me-not, 

 pansy (think of me), and speedwell. 



Religion, or devotion to the Virgin Mary, has suggested marigold, 

 rosemary (an adaptation), ladysmock( lady's bedstraw, and lady's 

 fingers. 



Lobelia, fuchsia, and camellia are named from botanists of the 

 sixteenth century. — /. L. R., in the Scotsman. 



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