b 



motherless wort. A curious name, perhaps suggested by the root 

 being suspended from its small egg-shaped leaf, and not affixed to 

 the ground. Gran-lachan — gran, seed, grain, and lack, a duck. 

 The roundish leaves, and the fact that ducks are voraciously fond 

 of feeding on them, have suggested this and the following names : 

 — Rbs-lacha, the ducks' rose or flower. Irish: abhran dono i 

 (O'Reilly) - abhran is the plural of abhra, an eyelid, and donog, 

 a kind of fish, a young ' ling. The fish's eyelids ; more likely a 

 corruption of aran tunnaig, duck's bread or meat. It was used 

 by our Celtic ancestors as a cure for headaches and inflammations. 



Arace^e. 

 Arum, formerly aron, etymology doubtful. The roots of many 

 of the species are used both for food and medicine. 



A. maculatum — Wake-robin, lords and ladies. Gaelic : duas 

 chaoin, the soft ear (caoin, soft, smooth, gentle, &c, and duas, 

 ear). The ear-shaped spathe would suggest the name Cuthaidh, 

 a bulb — hence cutharlan, any bulbous-rooted plant. Cuthaidh 

 means also wild, savage. Gachar and gaoidn cuthigh are given in 

 O'Reilly's Dictionary as names for the Arum from cai, a cuckoo. 

 Old English : cuckoo's pint. Welsh : fiidyn y gbg, cuckoo's pint. 



OrontiacejE. 

 Acorus calamus — Sweet-flag. Gaelic: cuilc-mhilis, sweet-rush; 



" Cuilc mhilis agus canal." 

 Calamus and cinnamon. 



cuilc, a reed, a cane, and mills, sweet. Greek: /caAa/ios, applied to 

 reeds, bulrush canes, e.g., "cuilc na LUg," the reeds of Lego. 

 " Cobhan cuilc," an ark of bulrushes. Cuilc-chrann, cane. Before 

 the days of carpets, this plant is said to have supplied the 

 "rushes'' with which it was customary to strew the floors of houses, 

 churches, and monasteries, 



Typhace^e. 



Typha, from Greek tik^os, a marsh in which all the species 

 naturally grow. 



T. latifolia — Great reed-mace or cat's-tail. Gaelic and Irish: 

 bodan dubh, from bod, a tail, and dvbh, large, or dark. Cuigeal' 



