9 2 



herbalists as "Ficus Indicus," the "fig of India," evidently one of 

 the spurge family, and was much used in Western Europe. It is 

 to this plant the name applies. "A plaister made of it with oil 

 and wax is singular good against all aches and pains of the joints, 

 . . . scabbs of the head, baldness, and it will cause the beard to 

 grow, if the chin be anointed therewith." — (Joseph Blagrave, 

 student in Physic and Astrology, 1674.) 



Moms — Greek : yuopos, moros. Latin : morus, a mulberry. 

 Loudon, in his " Encyclopaedia of Plants," says it is from the 

 Celtic mor, dark-coloured, the fruit being of a darkish red colour. 

 Old Ger. and Danish : mur-ber. Mbr-beam. 



M. nigra — Common mulberry. Gaelic and Irish : crann-maol- 

 dhearc, tree of the mild aspect ; or, if dearc here be a berry, the 

 mild-berry tree. Maol (Latin : mollis) has many significations. 

 Bald, applied to monks without hair, as Maol Cholum, St. Columba; 

 Maol Iosa, Maol Brighid, St. Bridget, etc. A promontory, cape, 

 or knoll, as Maol Chinnfire, Mull of Cantyre. Malvern, maol, 

 and bearna, a gap. To soften, by making it less bitter, as " dean 

 maol €," make it mild. Hence mulberry, mild-berry (Canon 

 Bourke). That is right as far as "■maol" is concerned, yet it 

 seems only an adaptation of "mul," the prefix. In the Bible, this 

 tree is also called the sycamine tree, from the Greek : sycaminos 

 (Luke xvii. 6). Gaelic : sicamin. 



Amentifeiue and Cupuliferje. 



Catkin-bearers — Gaelic : caitean, the blossom of ossiers. 

 " 'Nis treigidh coileach a ghucag 

 'S caitean brucach nan craobh." — Macdonald. 

 Now the cock will forsake the buds 

 And the spotted catkins of the trees. 



ftuercus — Akin to KtpxaXkoi, hard, rough ; and KapKapos, oak, 

 „or anything made of it. 



ft. robur — The oak. Gaelic and Irish : dair, genitive darach, 

 sometimes written darag, dur, dru. Sanskrit : daru. Greek : 

 Sopv, Spvs, an oak. Manx : darragh. Welsh : derwen. 

 " Samhach' is mor a bha 'n triath, 

 Mar dharaig 's i liath air Ltibar, 

 A chaill a dlu-dheug o shean 

 Le dealan glan nan speur, 

 Tha 'h-aomadh thar sruth o shliabh, 



A coinneach mar chiabh a fuaim." — Ossian. 



