25 



product of the seeds of Amygdalus communis is familiar to us 

 under the name of almonds, and its oil — oil of almonds. 



Spiraea ulmaria — Meadow-sweet, queen of the meadow. Gaelic : 

 trios (or cneas) Chu-chitlainn* The plant called "My lady's belt" 

 (Mackenzie). "A flower mentioned by Macdonald in his poem 

 'Allt an t-sithair,' v/ith the English of which I am not acquainted"" 

 (Armstrong). 



It is not mentioned in the poem referred to, but in " Oran an 

 t-Sam/iraid/i'' — The Summer Song. 



"'S cubhraidh faileadh do mhuineil 



A chrios-Chu-Chulainn nan cam ! 

 Na d' chruinn bhabaidean riabhach, 



Loineach, fhad luirgneach, sgiamhach. 

 Na d' thuim ghiobagach, dreach mhin, 



Bharr-bhuidhe, chasurlaich, aird ; 

 Timcheall thulmanan dlambair 



Ma'm bi 'm biadh-eoinean a' fas." — Macdonald. 



Sweetly scented thy wreath, 

 Meadow-sweet of the cairns ! 

 In round brindled clusters, 

 And softly fringed tresses, 

 Beautiful, tall, and graceful, 

 Creamy flowered, ringleted, high ; 

 Around sheltered hillocks 

 Where the wood-sorrel grows. 



Airgiod luachra, silver rush. Welsh : llysiu'r forwyn, the maiden's 

 flower. In Argyleshire lus nan gillean bga. The young men's- 

 plant. 



S. filipendula — Dropwort. Irish: greaban. Meddlys, sweet 

 wort (O'Reilly). 



Linnaeus informs us that, "in a scarcity of corn, the tubers have- 

 been eaten by men instead of food." Welsh : crogedyf—crogi, to- 

 suspend. The tuberous roots are suspended on filaments, hence 

 the names filipendula and dropwort. 



Geum rivale — Water avens. Gaelic : machall uisge; in Irish r 

 macha, a head, and all, all — i.e., allhead — the flower being large- 



1 Cu chullin's belt. Ciichullin was the most famous champion of the Ulster 

 Militia in the old Milesian times. He lived at the dawn of the Christian era. 

 He was so called from Cu, a hound, and Vllin, the name of the province- 

 Many stories are still extant regarding him. 



