44 
PLANT-LORE OF SHAKESPEARE 
Greek garland plants (o-Te^avto/xariKd avOrj), in which the Car¬ 
nation holds so high a place that it was called by the name 
it still has—Dianthus, or Flower of Jove. 
Its second specific name Caryophyllus—/. e., Nut-leaved—- 
seems at first very inappropriate for a grassy-leaved plant, but 
the name was first given to the Indian Clove tree, and from it 
transferred to the Carnation, on account of its fine clove-like 
scent. Its popularity as an English plant is shown by its many 
names—Pink, Carnation, Gilliflower 1 (an easily-traced and well- 
ascertained corruption from Caryophyllus), Clove, Picotee, 2 and 
Sops-in-Wine, from the flowers being used to flavour wine and 
beer. 3 There is an historical interest also in the flowers. All 
our Carnations, Picotees, and Cloves come originally from the 
single Dianthus caryophyllus; this is not a true British plant, 
but it holds a place in the English flora, being naturalized on 
Rochester and other castles. It is abundant in Normandy, and 
I found it (in 1874) covering the old castle of Falaise in which 
William the Conqueror was born. Since that I have found 
that it grows on the old castles of Dover, Deal, and Cardiff, all 
of them of Norman construction, as was Rochester. Its occur¬ 
rence on these several Norman castles makes it very possible 
1 This is the more modern way of spelling it. In the first folio it is 
“Gillyvor.” “Chaucer writes it Gylofre, but by associating it with the 
Nutmeg and other spices, appears to mean the Clove Tree, which is, in 
fact, the proper signification.”— Flora Domestica. In the “ Digby Mys¬ 
teries” (Mary Magdalene, 1 . 1363) the Virgin Mary is addressed as “the 
Jentyll Jelopher.” 
2 Picotee is from the French word picote, marked with little pricks 
round the edge, like the “picots” on lace, picot being the technical term 
in France for the small twirls which in England are called “ purl ” or 
“ pearl.” 
3 Wine thus flavoured was evidently a very favourite beverage. “Bartho- 
lemeus Peytevyn tenet duas Caracutas terrse in Stony-Aston in Com. 
Somerset de Domino Rege in capite per servitium unius(tf) Sextarii vini 
Gariophilati reddendi Domino Regi per annum ad Natale Domini. Et 
valet dicta terra per ann. xlT 
[a) “A Sextary of July-flower wine, and a Sextary contained about a 
pint and a half, sometimes more,”— Blount’s Antient Tenures , 
