314 
A DICTIONARY OF 
Loose-strife, or Golden or Yellow Loosetrife. Lysimachia vul- 
garis, L. — Ger. Turn. (Names) spells it Lousstryfe, and Lyte has 
Liousestryfe. Prior, p. 137. An adaptation of the Lat. name Lysi- 
machia, which, ‘ as Dioscorides and Plinie doe write, tooke his nanie 
of a speciall vertue that it hath in appeasing the strife and unruli- 
nesse which falleth out among oxen at the plough, if it be put about 
their yokes : hut it rather retaineth and keepeth the name Lysimachia 
of King Lysimachus, the son of Agathocles, the first finder out of the 
nature and vertues of this herhe, as Plinie saith.’ Ger. 388. 
Loose-strife, Purple, or Red. Ly thrum Salicaria, L. — Turn. 
Names. Prior, p. 138. 
Loozie Arnit. See Lousy Arnit. 
Lop, or Lop-grass. See Lob-grass. 
Lopper Gowan. See Gowan, Lapper. 
Lords and Ladies. A very general name for Arum maculatum, L., 
given in reference to the dark and light spadices, the dark being the 
lords, the light the ladies. Prior (p. 138) considers the name of recent 
introduction. As a book-name it is certainly recent, for it does not 
appear in any old herbal ; but its extremely wide distribution shows 
that it has long been in use as a popular name. Bucks. ; Camb. ; W. 
Ches. ; S. and E. Cornw. ; Cornw. E. D. S. Gloss. C. 8 ; Derb. ; Dev. 
(Teignmouth) ; N. Ess. ; Glou. ; Hants. ; Herts. ; Lane, (if bright- 
coloured ; dull-coloured ones are called Quakers) ; Leic. (Belgrave) ; 
Line.; Nth. Gloss. ; Norf.; Oxf.; Rutl. ; Som.; Staff.; Stiff. 
Moor ; Suss. ; Wilts. (Devizes) ; N. and E. Yks. E. D. S. Gloss. B. 19. 
Hal, Wr. Holloway’s comment is too good to be omitted : ‘ So called, 
I presume, from the stately appearance the blossom has by being 
partially inclosed and protected by the sheath; so that the flower 
appears as though it were in a kind of state chair or carriage’ (1). 
Lords’ and Ladies’ Fingers. Arum maculatum, L. — Warw. 
Lorer, or Lorry. See Laurel (1). Prior, p. 138. 
Lot-tree. Pyrus Aria, L. — Treas. Bot. We have not met with 
this name elsewhere. 
Lough. ‘ Coarse grass on the moors. Linc.^ Hal. 
Loury. See Laurel (2). 
Louse-berry, or Louse-berry Tree. Euonymus europams, L. — With, 
ed. ii. Prior, p. 138. ‘ The berries . . . powdered and sprinkled 
upon the hair destroy lice.’ With. ed. ii. 
Louse-bur. Xanthium Strumarium, L. — Lyte. 
Lousewort. (1) Pedicularis palustris, Y . — ‘In Latine Pedicularis, 
that is to say, Louse herbe : in high Douch Leuszkraut, bycause the 
cattell that pasture where plentie of this grasse groweth become full 
of lice.’ Lyte, p. 516. Probably the explanation is that pastures 
where this plant abounds are generally extremely poor, and poor food 
produces lice in cattle. 
(2) Delphinium Staphisagria, L. — Prior, p. 138. Holme’s Acad, of 
Armory, ii. 104. Although rarely applied to this plant in English, 
