104 



HAios (fj or e long), hence seil, e and i to give a lengthened sound, 

 as in Greek. Seileastar, therefore, means the plant of light — 

 Fleur de luce. Other forms of the word occur. Siol instead of 

 seil, as siolstrach ; siol or sil, to distil, to drop — an alteration 

 probably suggested by the medicinal use made of the roots of 

 the plant, which were dried, and made into powder or snuff, 

 to produce salivation by its action on the mucous membrane. 

 Feileastrom, feleastrom, feleastar. Here / is the affected or 

 digammated form. When eleastar (another form of the word) 

 lost the 's,' then, for sound's sake, it took the digammated form 

 (f)eleastar. Strom (the last syllable) is a diminutive termination. 

 Seilistear, diminutive form seilistrin, and corrupted into seilistrom." 

 — Bourke. Welsh: gellhesg. According to Ebel, seilisdear is 

 from Latin salicastrum. 



I. fcetidissima — Stinking gladwin. Manx : cliogagack, sword 

 grass or flag. Welsh : llys'r hychgryg, quinsy wort. 



Crocus — Greek : KpoKos. Much employed among the ancients 

 for seasonings, essences, and for dyeing purposes. 



' , , . , } — Saffron crocus, meadow saffron. 



Colchicum autumnale J 



Gaelic and Irish : crb, crbdh, crock — crbdh chorcar. 1 



" 'Se labhair Fionn nan chrb-shnuadk." — Conn Mac Dearg. 

 Thus spake Fingal the saffron-hued. 



" Spiocnard agus crbch." — Dan Sholaimh. 

 Spikenard and saffron. 



Saffron was much cultivated anciently for various purposes, but 

 above all for dyeing. "The first habit worn by persons of 

 distinction in the Hebrides was the kin crbich, or saffron shirt, so 

 called from its being dyed with saffron." — Walker. The Romans 

 had their crocota, and the Greeks 6 k/>ok<otos, a saffron coloured 

 court-dress. Welsh : saffrwm, saffron, from the Arabic name, 

 z'afar&n, which indicates that the name of the plant is of Asiatic 

 origin. 



Amaryllidace^e. 



Narcissus pseudo-narcissus ) „ ^ ,., „ ,. 



. .„ \ — Daffodil. Gaelic : lus dchrom- 



jonquilla J 



} For corcur, see Lecanora tartarea. 



