Nigella damascena — Chase-the devil. Gaelic: /us an fhbgraidh T 

 the pursued plant. Irish: /us tnhic Raonai/, MacRonald's wort.. 

 Not indigenous, but common in gardens. 



Pseonia officinalis — Peony. Gaelic : /us a phione. A corruption* 

 of Pceon, the physician who first used it in medicine, and cured' 

 Plato of a wound inflicted by Hercules. Welsh : b/adeu'r brenin, 

 the king's flower. Irish: /us phoine. Meacan easa beanine, 

 female peony ; and meacan easa firine, male peony. Old 

 herbalists used to distinguish between two varieties of the peony, 

 and named them male and female. This was a mere fanciful 

 distinction, and had no reference to the real functions of the 

 stamens and pistils of plants ; but yet there existed a vague idea 

 from time immemorial that fecundation was in some degree- 

 analogous to sexual relationship, as in animals — hence such 

 allusions as "Tarbk coi//e" " Dair na coil/e,'' etc. ("Wood bull," 

 "Fecundation of the wood.") 



BERBERIDACE^E. 



Berberis vulgaris — Barberry. Gaelic: barbrag (a corruption' 

 from Arabic barbdris, the barberry tree. Preas nan geur dhearc, 

 the sour berry- bush. Preas dei/gneach, the prickly bush. Irish: 

 barbrog. 



NYMPH^EACE^E. 



(From vv/ufrfj, nymphe, a water-nymph, referring to their habitats.)- 



Nymphsea alba — White water- lily Gaelic : dui/kag bhaite bhan, 

 the drowned white leaf. Cuirinin (O'Reilly). 

 "Feur lochain is tachair, 

 An cinn an duilleag bhhite." — Macintyre. 

 Water, grass, and algae, 

 Where the water-lily grows. 

 "0 lili, righ nam fliiran." — Macdonald. 

 O lily, king of flowers. 

 Bior rbs, meaning water rose. Rabhagach, giving caution or 

 warning; a beacon. Li/i bhan, white lily. Welsh: Li/ir-dwfr, 

 water-lily. Irish : buU/ite (Shaw). 



Nuphar luteum.— Yellow water-lily. Gaelic: dui/kag bhaite 

 bhuidhe, the yellow drowned leaf. Li/i bhuidhe '» uisge, yellow 



water-lily. Irish: liach /oghar, the bright flag. Cabhan abhainn 



cabhan, a hollow plain; and abhainn, of the river. 



