170 SYLVA FLORIFERA. 



the double moss brier. It is hardly possible 

 to scatter this shrub too thickly in the plant- 

 ation, and when we pass hedges of this 

 odorous thorny plant, after a spring shower, 

 we feel not only delighted but refreshed by 

 the fragrance. 



The name of Eglantine, by which the sweet- 

 leaved brier is known, is taken from the French 

 eglantier. That we so often find French names 

 given to our native plants is not singular, as 

 after the Conquest, French became the written 

 language of this country for many centuries. 

 The Greeks called all the wild roses or briers 

 KwopoSovj because the root was thought to cure 

 the bite of a mad dog ; and the Latins, for the 

 same reason, named them Canina, and from 

 them we call one of our hedge briers the 

 Dog-rose. 



It is the dog-rose, rosa canina, that decorates 

 our hedgerows with its tall arching branches 

 and lively odorous flowers in the months of 

 June and July. From the petals of this blush- 

 coloured wild rose, a perfumed water may be 

 distilled, which is thought to be more fragrant 

 than that from garden roses. The leaves of 

 this brier, when dried and infused in boiling 

 water, are often used as a substitute for tea, and 

 have a grateful smell and sub-astringent taste. 



The fruit of this brier also forms one of the 

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