44 FAMILIAR WILL FLOWERS. 



and in Wales the gwyarllys, or sometimes the Llys y 



The generic name Lythrum is from the Greek lythron, 

 blood ; a name that, it is supposed, was bestowed on it from 

 the rich crimson of the flowers, but it certainly is not of the 

 tint its name suggests, as there is a strong purplish tinge 

 in the colour. De Haen suggests a medical use of the 

 plant that is much more likely to have earned it its name. 

 Salicaria is derived from the Latin Salix, a willow, and 

 alludes to its willow-like leaves. It was by the older bota- 

 nists classed among the willow-herbs ; one, we see, calls it 

 the Salicaria vulgaris purpurea, and another, in the lengthy 

 fashion of those days, the Salicaria foliis lanceolatis. It 

 was at one time held to be very valuable as an application 

 to the eyes, strengthening them and preserving the sight. 



