INTRODUCTION. 
XIX 
the ominous name is not applied. Many of these interesting 
superstitions in connection with plant-names will be found noticed in 
the following pages. 
Many names, such as Fat-hen, Hunger-weed, Clay-weed, Sand- 
wort, point to good or bad qualities, and the agricultural capabilities 
of the soil. There are such a number, of the nature of Hungerweed, 
Pick-purse, Pickpocket, Poverty-weed, and similar names, which 
relate either to the extremely poor kind of soil in Avhich they grow, 
or to tlie fact that they are plants which greatly injure the farmer 
by impoverishing the soil, that a long list might be cited of what 
may be said to form a distinct class of “ poverty plants.” 
There are other classes which might, doubtless, be mentioned, 
but the foregoing sketch will be sufficient to show the principal 
points of interest which attach to the study of plant-names. One 
more point in connection with them remains to be noticed, namely, 
the very great number of peoples’ names which appear to be derived 
from those of trees and flowers. How this has arisen it is difficult 
to say, but the following list of family names which we have from 
time to time made a note of, as we have met with them, shows that 
they are very numerous; and the list is by no means exhaustive. 
That they are all actually derived from plant-names is perhaps too 
much to say, for many doubtless have more than one meaning ; they 
are at any rate similar to plant-names, or to the names given to 
various parts of plants. 
Of parts of trees or plants we have : — 
Berry, Branch, Budd, Bush, Comes, Flower, Frith, Green- 
leaves, Plant, Pollard, Kice, Eoots, Seeds, Stock, Thorn, Tree, 
Twigg, Wood. 
Of trees and shrubs : — 
Ash, Aykbowm, Birch, Broome, Brummel, Coling, Crabtree, 
Eychboom, Furze, Gale, Gorst, Gribble, Hawthorne, Haw tree. 
Hay, Heckthorne, Hollins, Holme, Maple, May, Oakes, Pose, 
Kosenbaum, Eowntree, Sycamore, Wickens. 
Of fruits : — 
Ackers, Avelin, Cherry, Crab, Coine, Fraser, Hague, Haigh, 
Merry. 
h 2 
