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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  27,  1900, 
held  influence.  Other  trees,  however,  have  been  connected  with  this 
event,  the  Willow,  for  example,  and  it  became  not  only  a  symbol 
of  sadness,  but  a  Satanic  tree,  holding  out  temptations  to  suicide. 
It  is  a  fact  that  the  Willow  tribe  has  often  been  resorted  to  by  the 
despondent,  possibly  because  these  trees  commonly  grow  near  brooks 
and  rivers,  so  offering  a  choice  of  death.  Old  Maundeville  and  one  or 
two  more  assert  the  Elder  was  the  Judas  Tree,  an  extremely  impro¬ 
bable  idea,  but  it  had  an  evil  reputation  certainly ;  it  afforded  a 
shelter  to  witches,  and  was  not  to  be  meddled  with  after  dark.  Still 
the  Elder  was  frequently  planted  in  churchyards  and  cottage  gardens, 
so  that  the  superstitions  differed.  Or  possibly  it  was  this  idea  that 
a  species  exposed  to  Satanic  influence  rightly  managed  might  prove  by 
its  powers  an  agency  for  good.  By  anointing  the  eyes  with  the  juice 
of  the  inner  bark  persons  were  enabled  to  detect  witches  anywhere. 
Also  on  January  6tb,  when  in  some  counties  devils  were  believed  to 
be  about  in  great  force,  by  way  of  safeguard  berries  of  the  Elder 
picked  on  Midsummer  Eve  were  advised  to  be  kept  in  the  pocket. 
Of  course,  some  plants  were  associated  with  Satan  for  various 
reasons.  One  of  our  wild  species  of  Scabious  is  called  the  “  Devil’s 
Bit,”  this  appellation  arising  from  the  premorse  appearance  of  the  root, 
the  legend  being  that  in  his  disgust  at  its  valuable  qualities  Satan  bit 
off  the  end.  The  St.  John’s  Wort,  one  species  or  other,  was  worn  as 
an  amulet,  specially  on  St.  John’s  Eve,  because  it  scared  away  the 
spiritual  performers  of  deeds  of  darkness,  getting  the  popular  name  of 
“  Devil-chaser.”  And,  though  some  writers  declare  that  Honesty,  or 
Lunaria,  was  a  plant  employed  by  witches,  it  is  ranked  amongst  the 
plants  wh'ch  put  bad  spirits  to  flight,  being  valuable,  if  less  so  than 
the  Herb  Bennet  or  Avens,  “  blessed  above  all  other  herbs,  for  the 
devil  flies  from  a  house  when  a  root  of  the  plant  is  there.” 
Again,  we  have  an  instance  in  the  Rue  how  a  plant  might  be 
highly  esteemed,  and  yet  to  some  extent  dreaded  as  one  to  which  evil 
spirits  had  recourse.  Popularly  called  the  “  Herb  of  Grace,”  it  was 
used,  when  made  into  bunches,  for  sprinkling  holy  water.  Also  the 
decoction  was  esteemed  a  very  valuable  remedy  for  weak  eyes.  Milton 
describes  an  angel  in  the  act  of  clearing  Adam’s  vision  by  Euphrasy 
and  Rue.  Still,  the  plant  served  witches  for  various  purposes,  and 
with  the  Vervain,  also  said  to  possess  supernatural  powers,  it  formed 
an  ingredient  in  the  witches’  caldron.  The  Vervain  was  a  species 
held  sacred  to  Thor,  and  people  gathered  it  while  the  dogstar  was 
rising.  Aubrey  and  Drayton  declare  that  the  Vervain,  in  the  hands 
of  right-minded  people,  proved  a  protection  against  evil  spirits  and 
witches.  In  some  parts  of  Germany  a  bride  was,  formerly,  presented 
with  a  wreath  of  the  plant,  which  had  amongst  its  imagined  qualities 
that  of  causing  or  sustaining  affection. 
There  is  to  be  seen  in  some  cottage  gardens  where  old-fashioned 
flowers  are  cherished  one  that  is  sometimes  called  Prick-my-nose,  or 
Love-in-a-mist,  and  besides  these  it  is  the  Devil-in-a-bush ;  the  horned 
capsule  of  the  flower  thrusts  itself  up  amid  a  mass  of  fringe.  We  all 
know  the  Tritomas,  the  flower-head  of  which  has  the  appearance  of  a 
poker  just  taken  from  the  fire,  hence  the  popular  name  of  Red-hot 
Poker,  but  about  the  West  of  England  folks  call  it  the  Devil’s  Poker. 
Then  the  Scandix,  which  is  greeted  by  some  as  the  Venus’s  Comb,  or 
Shepherd’s  Needle,  bears  also  the  name  of  the  Devil’s  Darning-needle, 
all  being  suggested  by  the  beaked  fruit,  needle  or  comb-like.  The 
name  of  “  Satan’s  Hanu  ”  seems  to  have  been  given  to  more  than  one 
species  of  wild  Orchis,  and  Anthyllis  vulneraria  of  our  pastures  is  the 
Devil’s  Claws  as  well  as  Ladv -Fingers.  Rich  in  singular  names,  the 
common  Arum  or  Cuckoo-pint  is  not  only  Lords  and  Ladies,  but 
Devil’s  Men  and  Women  too.  He  claimed  proprietorship  over  the 
Sea  or  Horned  Poppy,  the  Ficus  inlernalis  of  the  Middle  Ages,  which 
Ben  Jonson  joins  with  other  ominous  plants  in  his  “Witches’ 
Song;”— 
Yes,  I  have  brought  to  help  our  vows, 
Horned  Poppy.  Cypress  boughs. 
The  Fig  tree  wild  that  grows  on  tombs, 
And  juice  that  from  the  Larch  tree  comes. 
One  of  our  native  Buttercups  or  Crowfoots  (Ranunculus  arvensis) 
differs  from  the  rest  in  having  curiously  curled  fruits.  Taken 
generally,  these  plants  did  not  bear  a  good  repute;  but  this  species 
was  named  after  Satan,  as  suggesting  by  its  fruits,  his  comb  or  his 
chariot  wheels,  so  they  said.  The  Egla-  tine  or  W'’ild  Sweetbrier  has 
its  Satanic  legend.  When  he  was  excluded  from  heaven  he  attempted  to 
return  there  by  a  ladder  of  its  branches;  but  the  p'antwas  kept  to  the 
dimensions  of  a  shrub,  so  in  spite  he  changed  the  position  of  its 
thorns.  There  seems  no  reason  why  the  charming  Clematis  of  our 
hedges  should  be  the  “Devil’s  Thread,”  yet  it  is  known  to  some 
country  folks  by  this  name.  Nor  can  we  understand  why  the  little 
Toadflax  that  festoons  hedges  and  old  walls  should  be  called  the 
“  Devil’s  Riband.”  Plants  held  sacred  to  Thor  by  Pagans  afterwards 
came  to  be  regarded  as  under  Satan’s  control.  Thus  the  common 
Ox-eye  Daisy,  associated  with  Thor  in  North  Europe,  and  thought  to 
afford  protection  from  storms,  is  about  our  southern  districts  styled 
the  Devil’s  Daisy,  though  considered  to  be  an  anti-febrile  in  spite  of 
that.  From  their  persistent  growth,  and  the  trouble  they  give  to  the 
farmer  or  gardener,  both  the  wild  Convolvulus  and  the  Dodder  were 
deemed  Satanic  plants.  Nor  can  we  wonder  that  most  of  the  Thistles 
got  an  evil  character,  even  if  the  deep-hued  species  gave  security 
against  lightning. 
Some  people  have  been  surprised  to  discover  that  several  very 
beautiful  flowers  have  Satanic  traditions ;  the  explanation  is  that  they 
possess  poisonous  or  deadly  qualities,  which  were  believed  to  be  infused 
by  the  powers  of  darkness.  The  Belladonna,  which  in  favourable  spots 
of  our  Kentish  woods  reaches  the  height  of  5  or  6  feet,  is  by  the 
Bohemians  held  to  be  under  the  special  guardianship  of  Satan,  but  he 
may  occasionallv  be  drawn  from  it  by  inducing  him  to  chase  a  black 
hen.  Even  in  England  the  fruit  is  the  Devil’s  Berry,  and  the  plant 
itself  the  Death  Herb.  Various  Nightshades  were  also  plants 
connected  with  witchcraft ;  the  Foxglove,  too,  and  even  the  little 
blue  Harebell,  though  the  w^hite  Campanula  was  a  sacred  plant.  The 
Thorn  Apple  or  Datura  was  the  Devil’s  Apple,  because  of  the  strange 
effects  produced  upon  the  eaters  of  it.  In  W'arwickshire  the  Ground 
Ivy  has  been  called  the  Devil’s  Candlestick,  but  how  this  plant  helps 
to  light  his  pathway  during  his  nocturnal  wanderings  is  not  explained. 
The  Aconite,  though  bearing  the  name  of  Monkshood,  was  at  an  early 
period  regarded  as  Satanic,  for  it  had  belonged  to  Thor.  Yet  we  read 
that  the  Henbaue  and  Hellebore,  though  poisonous,  were  bringers  of 
good  luck.  Evidently  several  in  the  Umbellifer  tribe  were  associated 
with  Satan,  Anthriscus  sylvestris  being  the  Devil’s  Parsley,  and  the 
Hemlock  or  Coniura  was  avoided. 
To  find  that  the  Spurges  are  the  producers  of  “  Devil’s  Milk  ”  does 
not  surprise  us,  but  it  is  odd  that  in  some  parts  of  England  children 
call  most  Ferns  “  Devil’s  Brushes.”  One  of  the  old  superstitions  was 
that  the  seed  of  the  Bracken,  gathered  at  a  particular  time,  enabled 
persons  to  become  invisible  if  they  desired.  The  Cyclamen  was 
regarded  as  a  r’ant  under  evil  influences,  likely  to  do  injury  to 
anybody  who  happened  merely  to  step  over  it;  so  Gerard  tells  us 
that  he  contrived  a  cover  to  his  specimens  at  Holborn,  as  a  caution  to 
strollers  about  his  garden  there.  There  seems  to  be  a  suspicion  that 
our  favourite  esculent,  the  Love  Apple,  or  Tomato,  had  something 
uncanny  about  it,  hence  perhaps  the  idea  that  with  some  persons  it 
might  cause  a  dangerous  disease.  Then  the  Walnut,  surely  a 
respectable  tree  amongst  its  brethren,  bad  the  repute  of  being  a 
haunt  of  evil  spirits ;  this  may  have  been  because  it  was  said  to  be 
antagonistic  to  the  Oak. — J.  R.  S.  C, 
Zygopetalums. 
The  following  few  species  of  Zygopetalums  are  the  best  known 
among  those  which  were  formerly  known  as  Pescatoreas.  These 
Orchids  are  very  peculiar  plants  to  cultivate,  and  they  are  seldom 
seen  in  good  condition.  They  form  hardly  any  pseudo- bulbs,  the 
leaves  are  evergreen  and  distichous,  and  the  flowers  are  borne 
singly  on  scapes  produced  from  between  the  leaves.  A  warm  and 
moist  atmosphere,  such  as  that  of  an  East  Indian  house,  seems  to  suit 
these  Zygopetalums  best.  They  must  be  kept  moist  the  whole  year 
round,  not  requiring  any  resting  period.  Pots,  baskets,  or  rafts  will 
all  be  suited  for  their  cultivation,  with  peat  and  live  sphagnum  to 
grow  in.  When  grown  well  the  plants  produce  many  flowers,  which, 
being  curious  and  sweetly  scented,  lend  additional  interest  to  any 
Orchid  collection. 
Z.  Backhouseianum  is  a  pretty  species  ;  petals  and  sepals  creamy 
white  tipped  with  purple,  lip  creamy  white  with  a  fine  yellow  ribbed 
callus.  It  was  introduced  from  Ecuador  in  1877  by  Messrs. 
Backhouse  &  Son.  Z.  bellum  has  flowers  3  inches  across,  sepals  and 
petals  pale  purple,  barred  at  the  tips  with  darker  purple,  lip  creamy 
white  with  a  purplish  callus.  It  was  introduced  from  New  Grenada 
in  1878.  Z.  cerinum  (fig.  76)  has  large  flowers,  sepals  and  petals 
greenish  yellow,  waxy  ;  lip  yellow  clawed  with  a  large  crest  inside, 
which  is  usually  a  purple  band  ;  leaves  about  1  foot  long.  This  is 
probably  the  most  easily  grown  species  of  the  section.  It  was 
introduced  from  Chiriqui  in  1851. 
Z.  Dayanum  is  very  much  like  cerinum;  petals  white,  sepal# 
