74 



will account for the name trombhUd being given by O'Reilly as 

 "vervain mallow;" MacKenzie, "ladies' mantle;" and Armstrong, 

 "vervain." Verbena — Latin: verbena, sacred bough. 



Borlase, in his "Antiquities of Cornwall," speaking of the 

 Druids, says : " They were excessively fond of the vervain ; they 

 used it in casting lots and foretelling events. It was gathered at 

 the rising of the Dog-star." 



Labiate. 

 (From Latin, labium, a lip, plants with lipped corolla?). Gaelic : 

 lusan lipeach, or bileach. 



Mentha — (From Greek WivOa., mintha. A nymph of that 

 name who was changed into mint by Proserpine in a fit of 

 jealousy, from whom the Gaelic name mionnt has been derived.) 

 Welsh: myntys, 



M. sylvestris — Horse mint Gaelic : mionnt eich, horse mint : 

 mionnt fhiadhain, wild mint ; and if growing in woods, mionnt 

 choille, wood mint. 



M. arvensis — Corn-mint. Gaelic : mionnt an arbhair, corn 

 mint. 



M. acquatica — Water-mint. Gaelic : cairteal. Irish : carta/, 

 cartloin, probably meaning the water-purifier, from the verb- 

 cartam, to cleanse, and loin, a rivulet, or Ion, a marsh or swampy 

 ground. Misimean dearg (Armstrong), the rough red mint. The 

 whole plant has a reddish appearance when young. 



M. viridis — Garden-mint, spear mint. Gaelic : fnionnt gha- 

 raidh, the same meaning ; and meanntas, another form of the 

 same name, but not commonly used. 



" Oir a ta sibh a toirt an deachaimh as a' mhionnt." — Stuart. 

 For ye take tithe of mint. 



M. pulegrum — Pennyroyal. Gaelic : peighinn rioghail, the 

 same meaning. 



" Am bearnan bride 's a' pheighinn rioghail." — MacIntyre. 

 The dandelion and the pennyroyal. 



Manx: hit gey 'dish. Welsh: coluddlys, herb good for the bowels. 

 Dail y gzvaed, blood leaf. 



Calamintha — Gaelic : calameilt (from Greek, ko.\6s, beautiful ; 

 and fj,lv8a, mintha, mint), beautiful mint. 



