NAMES AND SUPERSTITIONS
Giving names the first amusement--Curious and
odd names--A spiteful naturalist--The melancholy
Bartzia--Common names--British orchids--Dancing girls
and columbines--Susans--Biblical names--Almond, apple,
locust--Spikenard--Tares--Effects of darnel--Daffodil--Acanthus
leaf--Ghost-disturbing branches--Elder or bour tree--Its powers
and medicinal advantage--Danewort--Mandrake--How to pull it
up--The insane root--Its properties--Plants which make bones
pink--The betel nut--Henna--Egyptian and Persian uses--Castor
oil--Leeks, onions, and garlic--Ancient use of them.
Man has always taken a certain pleasure in giving names to both
plants and animals. It was, of course, a necessity to do this, but it
is probable that people enjoyed the process as they do now.
At the present moment there must be at least 200,000 plants named
and described by botanists. So that the number of ecstatic moments
enjoyed by humanity has been undoubtedly increased.
The Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Arabs named a great many
plants, but for the most part those names are quite lost. Most of the
knowledge of the Egyptians and Babylonians remained a close secret
confined to their priestly colleges or universities, and has entirely
perished.
For centuries those fragments of the knowledge of Greece and Egypt
which were preserved seem to have been translated and taught in
Latin. Long after the Roman Empire had passed away, all knowledge,
including that of medicine, of botany, and of law, was imparted in
Latin, which indeed was supposed to be learnt by every educated
person almost until the present century.
Even now descriptions of new plants have to be given in Latin, and
the name must have a classical appearance. Of course, nowadays, it
would be much more convenient and much more generally useful if every
person learnt English, German, French, and Japanese, but in this case
of naming plants, the Holy Roman Empire still exercises its sway over
the whole world.
Very often the names given to plants are of the most extraordinary
character. The Latin is curious and the Greek remarkable, yet
sometimes they are both pleasant to the ear and have a pretty and
poetical meaning.
_Poggeophyton_, on the other hand, for example, means the plant
discovered by Dr. Pogge, a German botanical explorer. _Wormskioldia_,
_Zahlbrucknera_, _Krascheninikowia_, _Acanthosicyos_, _Chickrassia_,
_Orychophragmus_, _Warczewiczia_, _Lychnophoriopsis_, _Krombholtzia_,
_Pseudorhachicallis_, _Sczegleewia_, _Zschokkia_, are all names that
sound harsh and look odd to us. Yet most of them are just called
after those who discovered them, or their friends. In many of the
smaller microscopic plants the names are really much longer than the
plants themselves. Thus _Pseudocerataulus Kinkeri_ is a diatom which
cannot possibly be seen without the use of a microscope.
Names are and were given in the most extraordinary way. Not merely
great botanists, but Themistocles, Aristides, Aristobulus, Virgil,
and even Gyas and Clianthes, have plants named after them.
Yet that is not inexcusable, if people had not sufficient inventive
power to do better. There was a naturalist who quarrelled with the
great French scientist Buffon. Therefore he baptized as _Buffonia_
a group of ugly, unimportant little plants which had an unpleasant
smell. In other cases people have named plants after their
sweethearts or friends.
A British plant called Bartzia has a rather melancholy, desolate
appearance. It was named when the author had just received the news
of the death of his friend Dr. Bartsch.
One of the most usual complaints which one hears from those who are
beginning to study flowers is that the Latin names are so difficult
and hard to remember. But they are not really more difficult than
the common popular names, and especially those of foreign plants.
Cheirostemon, for instance, which means stamens like a hand, is
much easier to speak and to remember than _Macpalxochitlquahuitl_,
which is its soft, meandering, Spanish-American name. Asperula
(little rough one) is quite as good as Squinancywort, which means
a herb good for quinsy (it is moreover of no good in quinsy).
Perhaps, however, Woodruff (which is really "wood rowel," from the
resemblance of the leaves to an old-fashioned spur), or Waldmeister
(master of the woods), are as good names as Asperula. Then Erigeron,
which means "soon growing old," is an excellent description of the
faded appearance of this little weed, for which the popular name is
Fleabane (it has no effect upon these creatures whatsoever).
How popular names came to be associated with particular flowers is
generally quite unknown. A fair number are called from the diseases
which they are supposed to cure. Lungwort, however, was so called
because the lichen Pulmonaria has a resemblance to lungs. Then in
course of time people began to suppose it was a cure for diseases of
the lungs, which it is not.
The British Orchids are called Bee, Spider, Fly, and Hanging-man
Orchids, because of a fancied resemblance to their namesakes.
Dancing-girls (_Mantisia_) was so called from a certain resemblance
of the flower to a columbine. The true Columbine (_Aquilegia_) was
so called because of a resemblance which some one saw to a circle of
little doves with wings seated on a circular well.
The greatest objection to popular names, however, lies in their being
so indefinite. Entirely different plants are known by the same name,
and also in different parts of the country totally different names
are given to the same plant. All such difficulties disappear if one
takes the trouble to learn the Latin names.
These also are often quite pretty. Luzula, Veronica (with its
pretty legend), Mimulus (the little monkey), Circæa (Enchanter's
Nightshade), Senecio (_the old man_, from its woolly head of fruits),
Nymphea, Naias, Carlina (_the old witch_), and so on, are quite as
pretty and as nice as Mugwort, Devil-in-a-bush, Hairy Rock Cress, and
the rest. One curious result of the use of popular names is seen in
the Biblical names of plants. The Rose of Sharon seems most probably
to have been _Narcissus Tarzetta_, and not a rose at all. As regards
the lilies of the Field, Mr. Ridley has the following remarks. The
Hebrew word _Shushan_ was a generic name given to a mixture of
flowers, exactly as we now talk of ferns, herbs, or grass. The Sermon
on the Mount was preached near the plain of Gennesaret, and there
flourish the Anemone (_Anemone coronaria_), _Ranunculus asiaticus_,
and _Adonis aestivalis_ and _flammea_, which are exactly of the same
colour and follow each other in close succession. This word _Shushan_
is the original of the Christian name Susannah or Susan. The Arabic
name for _Anemone coronaria_ is Susan.
The Almond of the Bible is the common almond which is wild in Syria
and Palestine. "Aaron's rod that budded was a branch of an almond
tree; the bowls of the Golden Candlestick were designed from the
almond blossom. Even at the present time English workmen call the
glass drops for ornamenting candlesticks almonds." The Apple of the
Bible was more probably an Apricot. The husks of the prodigal son
were probably the Locust-beans, sometimes called St. John's bread,
but it is quite probable that the "locusts" eaten by St. John were
the insects. At any rate, locusts are regularly eaten in the East.
The Locust Tree (_Ceratonia siliqua_), or Algaroba or Carob, has
large, dark-purple pods; there is a pulpy material between the seeds
which forms a valuable cattle food. The seeds are said to have been
the original "carat" weight of jewellers.
The Spikenard (_Nardostachys jatamansi_) belongs to the natural order
_Valerianaceæ_. It is a wild plant of Bhutan found near Rangasnati,
in India, and in ancient times it was transported on camels by the
regular caravan route to Syria, Greece, and Rome. It was then worth
about £3. 10s. per lb. The essence is obtained from the roots,
but one hundred pounds of roots will furnish only half a pound of
essence. Now it has but little value.[153]
[153] Heuzé, _Les Plantes Industrielles_.
The Tares sown amongst the wheat were probably the seed of the
Darnel. When growing, this grass is very like wheat, and it would be
quite possible to mistake one for the other until the flowers and
fruit are formed. Darnel is one of the very few poisonous grasses.
It is said that the poison is produced by a fungus which is found in
the grain. When darnel seed is ground up with wheat the bread becomes
dangerous, for the poison produces severe headache, vertigo, and
giddiness. Other authorities say that it causes in man and rabbits
eruptions, fits of trembling, and confusion of sight. It seems not to
affect horned cattle, swine, and ducks.
As regards those plants which were specially beloved and venerated
by the Greeks, there is not very much to say. Moly seems to
have been _Allium moly_, one of the onion or garlic family. It
is not very remarkable in any way. Amaranth was apparently the
garden Love-lies-bleeding, called in France Queue-de-Renard and
Discipline-de-Religieuse. The Asphodel which covered the Elysian
fields seems to be _Asphodelus ramosus_.[154] This grows in
quantities in Apulia, and is said to afford good nourishment for
sheep.
[154] Figured in Kerner's _Natural History of Plants_.
The Myrtle, with which the Athenian magistrates and victors in the
Olympic games were crowned, is not really a European plant, though
it has a wide range from Asia Minor to Afghanistan. It was sacred to
Venus, and had some importance as a medicinal plant and for perfumes.
It was even used in cookery and for making myrtle wine, which last is
said to be still prepared in some parts of Tuscany.
"Narcissus, son of the river Cephisus and of Liriope, daughter of
the Ocean, was a young man of great beauty who scorned all the
Nymphs of the country, and made to die of languor Echo, because he
would not respond to her passion. But one day returning from the
chase weary and fatigued, he stopped at the side of a fountain to
refresh himself. There having seen his own face in the water, he
was so smitten with it and so greatly loved himself that he died of
grief. The Gods, touched by his death, changed him into a Daffodil,
according to the fable."
Such is the account in M. l'Abbé Ladvocat's _Dictionnaire
Historique-Portatif_, Paris, 1760. Daffodil means appearing early
in the year. The number of races, varieties, and forms of Daffodil,
Jonquil, etc., has become innumerable; yet it is doubtful if any
are quite so graceful and absolutely charming as the _Narcissus
poeticus_, supposed to be the original of the above legend.
The Acanthus leaf which was so much used in sculpture seems to have
been that of _Acanthus spinosus_. It can still be traced in modern
carving, though, of course, it is very much altered and in a rather
degenerate form.
It is often very difficult to say why certain plants have received
so much attention and veneration in ancient times. In some cases it
is clearly because they are poisonous, and therefore become dreadful
and awe-inspiring. Why, however, should a twig of Rowan (_Pyrus
Aucuparia_) be so often placed above the door of a Highland cottage?
In some way it was supposed to keep off evil spirits, but there is no
special reason why it should have been chosen.
The "Bour Tree" or Elder (_Sambucus_) has been the centre of a
whole series of extraordinary and remarkable superstitions. Of the
Ellhorn (Low Saxon), or _Sambucus nigra_, Arnkiel gives the following
account: "Our forefathers also held the Ellhorn holy, wherefore
whosoever need to hew it down must first make his request, 'Lady
Ellhorn, give me some of thy wood, and I will give thee some of mine
when it grows in the forest'--the which, with bended knees, bare
head, and folded arms, was ordinarily done."
The flowers are an eye-wash and cosmetic, or they may be taken as tea
or used as a fomentation. The berries are used for "elderberry wine."
A certain cure for rheumatism is to carry about a small piece of
elder cut after the fashion of a rude cross.
Evelyn speaking of it says: "If the medicinal properties of the
leaves, bark, berries, etc., were thoroughly known, I cannot tell
what our countrymen could ail for which he might not fetch a remedy
from every hedge, either for sickness or wound."
The other species (_Sambucus ebulus_, or Danewort) has had its name
explained as follows by Sir J. E. Smith: "Our ancestors evinced
a just hatred of their brutal enemies the Danes in supposing the
nauseous, fetid, and noxious plant before us to have sprung from
their blood."
Of all these, however, the Mandrake (_Mandragora_) is connected with
the most extraordinary and remarkable superstitions. The plant is
distinctly poisonous, and has peculiar divided roots which sometimes
have a very rough resemblance to the human body. It was supposed to
be alive, and to utter the most piercing shrieks when it was pulled
out of the ground. In those accounts, which are based on that given
by Josephus, it is the _person_ who pulls out the root, and not the
plant, that shrieks, subsequently rolls on the ground, and finally
dies in torments. Therefore, if you wish to pull up a mandrake, the
correct course to pursue is as follows: Tie a dog to the plant by its
tail, and then whip the dog. It will pull up the mandrake, and then
die in frightful agony!
This is the "insane root" of Macbeth, but its various uses, real or
pretended, are too numerous to explain in detail.
Thus it was used for the following purposes: as a poison, an emetic,
a narcotic like chloroform, in love-philtres and love-charms, as well
as to dispel demons, who cannot bear its smell or its presence.
There are many of these relics of medieval times which are difficult
to explain or to find a reason for.
Why, for instance, should old women always carry a sprig of
Southernwood to the kirk in their Bibles? The leaves are, however,
said to be disagreeable to insects. The Lavender stalks usually
placed in linen both keep away insects and have a pleasant old-world
scent.
A great many of the properties possessed by plants are of the most
extraordinary and unsuspected nature. The roots of the Madder (_Rubia
tinctorum_), for instance, when they are eaten by swine or other
animals, change the colour of their bones, which become pink. This
curious property has actually been made useful, for physiologists
have employed madder in the study of the growth and development of
bone.
In India and other eastern countries one is often shocked and
surprised to find an apparently quite healthy native expectorating
blood in a most lavish manner.
But the native is only chewing Betel nuts, which have the power of
turning the saliva red. The fruit is that of _Areca Catechu_, a fine
palm which is cultivated, for this purpose only, in many parts of
India and the East. The nuts are cut in pieces and rolled up with a
little lime in leaves of the Betel pepper. It is said to turn the
teeth red and sometimes to produce intoxication; at any rate, people
become slaves to this disgusting habit, and they do not seem to be at
all injured by indulgence in it.
Another extraordinary plant is Henna (_Lawsonia inermis_). The
Egyptian mummies are found to have the soles of the feet, as well as
the palms and finger-and toe-nails, dyed a reddish-orange colour by
the use of henna. But the practice is continued to-day in most parts
of the East, and no odalisque's toilet would be considered complete
without the use of henna. It is even said that men dye their beards
with it.
The white horse used in processions by the Shah of Persia has its
legs, tail, and body dyed with henna.
The powdered leaves are used: they are made into a paste with hot
water, and then spread upon the place. It is grown in Syria, Egypt,
Algeria, China, Morocco, Nubia, Guinea, and the East Indies.
In China women dye their eyebrows with an extract of the petals of
_Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis_.
One of the first plants to be utilized by man was the Castor-oil
(_Ricinus communis_). It was used by the Indians from time
immemorial; it is mentioned by Herodotus (under the name Kiki); seeds
have been found in mummy-cases, showing the careful preparations
which were made for the dead when starting on their travels in the
other world!
It is one of the very commonest plants in the tropics and in
sub-tropical or warm, temperate countries. It is rather handsome,
and has large reddish-green leaves and handsome spikes of flowers.
It is said to be sometimes twelve feet high, but is usually only
six or seven feet. The seeds are mottled or marbled, and have a
distinct resemblance to a beetle when seen from above. It has been
suggested that this protects them from birds, or enables the latter
to recognize the seed, which is strongly medicinal. That, however,
is at least doubtful, and certainly pigeons are exceedingly fond of
the seeds and eat them in quantity. The oil is used for lighting, in
making soap, and also in painting.
Another characteristic Egyptian plant was the Leek, which with the
onion and garlic seems to have been one of the very first to be
brought into cultivation. Herodotus says that on the Great Pyramid
there was an inscription saying that 1600 talents had been paid for
onions, radishes, and garlic used by the workmen during its erection.
The Jewish priests were forbidden to eat garlic, which (with
cucumber) formed the dishes most regretted by the Israelites during
their wanderings in the wilderness. The Shallot comes from Ascalon,
where it will be remembered Richard the First defeated Saladin
the Sultan, and where also Sir Sidney Smith defeated the Emperor
Napoleon and made him miss his destiny. It was not brought to this
country till 1548. Probably, therefore, Tennyson's Lady of Shalott
lived somewhere else. Onions and leeks are of course popular in this
country, and especially in Wales, where the latter has been the badge
of the Welsh since they gained a victory over the Saxons in the sixth
century. They wore it as a badge on that occasion by an order of St.
David.
But in warmer countries onions and garlic are much more important,
where they have flavoured almost every dish since the days of
Nestor's banquet to Machaon in Asia, and of the Emperor Nero in
Italy, until our own days.
But the subject is so inexhaustible, depending as it does upon man's
powers of invention and his tendency to weird superstitions, that we
must close this chapter and also the book.
And we will end by asking the reader to think sometimes of all these
many and various ways in which plants help and interest man.
It is not merely because our life depends upon them. Everything that
we eat has been produced by plant life and plant work.
Tea, coffee, cocoa, and wine are pleasant because plants have
produced some essence which is found useful and agreeable by
mankind. Even water would be tasteless and unwholesome were it not
for the minute diatoms and other microscopic vegetables in it.
But those who take an interest in flowers and leaves _for
themselves_, find that they need never spend a dull hour in the
country. There is so much to see and to find out, even in the
commonest weed or the tiniest floweret.
But it is necessary to sympathize with them, to try to look at
things from their point of view, and not merely from an artistic or
collector's standpoint.
The romance of plant life then becomes a fascinating and engrossing
pursuit. But however long one studies it, the knowledge that the
wisest naturalist can ever attain to must remain a negligible
quantity compared with what he does not know.
Suppose a mouse happened to stray into the office of the editor of
the _Times_, he might boast to his fellow-mice of his knowledge of
the "higher journalism," but his opinions would not really be of very
great value on the subject.
However hard we study, and however much we observe and reflect upon
the working of this great world of Nature, we really cannot expect to
know more relatively than that little mouse.
In fact, the more we think, the more humble men of heart we become,
and the greater also should be our reverence for the Creator of this
wonderful universe.
INDEX
Acacia, 108, 110, 111, 140, 179, 286
Acanthus, 369
Aconite, 231
Acorn, 256
Adansonia, 48
Adaptations (desert), 134
Afterglow, 132
Age of trees, 48
Agriculture (primitive), 149
Akocanthera, 229
Alder, 71
Alfred, 150
Algæ, 200, 202
" and Brittle Stars, 340
Alluvial flats, 210
Almond, 367
Alpine flowers, 103
" garden, 106
Ancient forests, 53
Angraecum, 79
Animals and poisons, 237
Animals and fruits, 241
Ants, 284-6
" and Centaury, 288
Antiaris, 230
Ant rice, 284
Aphanizomenon, 201
Aphis, 293
Apple, 248
Apple-blossom weevil, 294
Apple-sucker, 295
Arctic plants, 102, 104, 360
Arctic times, 104
Aristolochia, 78
Arrow poisons, 227, 229
Araucaria, 56
Arum, 78
Asclepiads, 78
Ash, 66
Asphodel, 368
Asses, 179
Associations, 26
Autumn crocus, 94
Aztecs, 126
Baboons, 247
Babylonian botanists, 37
Bacteria, 21, 85, 86, 95, 282, 328, 358
Balm of Gilead, 114
Banana, 248, 249
Barberry, 78, 183
Barley, 90, 272
Bartsia, 365
Bats, 246
Bean, 277
Bears, 247
Becquerel rays, 21
Bees, 74, 77
Bees and poppy, 303
Beetroot, 278, 280
Berries and winter, 245
Betel nut, 371
Bhang, 306
Bible plants, 366
Big Bad Lands, 133
Big trees, 58, 67
Birch, 60
Birch bark, 51
Birds, 85, 281
" and fruits, 245, 246, 256, 257
" and insects, 297
Bird's nest orchid, 329
Bishopsweed, 91
Bladderwort, 345
Blooming of weeds, 100
Bluebeard salvia, 74
Boers, 223
Boulger, 59
Box, 60
Bracken, 288
Bramble, 93, 183, 184, 248, 314
Brazil, 309
Breadfruit, 249
Breaking of meres, 201
Bridges of creepers, 319
Brigalow scrub, 112
Brier, 184
Britain (prehistoric), 144
British agriculture, 16
Britons, 150
Bromelia, 342
Broom, 256
Broomrape, 335
Brown, Dr. Horace, 18
Buds, 294
Buffonia, 365
Bulbs, 138
Burning bush, 115
Bushmen, 226
Buttercups, 233, 296
Butterflies, 192
Butterwort, 348
Cabbage, 23, 277
Cacti, 134, 179
Calabar bean, 232
Caledonian forest, 66
Calthrops, 185
Camargue, 161
Canadian forests, 62
Cannibals, 327
Canoes, 51
Cañons, 176
Carbon atom, 22
Carbonic acid gas, 16, 21
Carboniferous period, 55, 56
Carline thistle, 184
Cassier, 118
Castor oil, 245, 372
Catapult fruits, 263
Catchfly, 347
Cattle, 52
Cattle poisoning, 238
Caustic creeper, 235
Cedar, 59
Charlock, 275
Cherry, 97
Chickweed, 100, 346
Chicory, 125
Chinese botanists, 37
Chocolate, 125
Cinnamon, 35
Clematis, 265
Climate (effect of), 108
Climbing plants, 313
Clover, 86
Cloves, 30
Club-mosses, 55
Coal period, 55-70
Coca, 125
Cocoa, 125
Cocoanut, 259
Cockchafer, 292
Cockspur thorn, 183
Codlin moth, 295
Coffee, 123
Coffee disease, 124
Colocynth, 137
Colonizing of lavas, 171
" of shale, 173
Colorado desert, 139
Colour of birds, 81
" butterflies, 81
" flowers, 72-4
" fruits, 240
Coltsfoot, 18, 86
Congo, 309
Cooke, Dr., 201
Coralroot orchid, 329
Cotton, 265
" grass, 355
" tree, 59
Country life, 155
Cow tree, 312
Cretaceous period, 70
Crocus, 19
Crows and acorns, 256
Cucumber, 86
Cultivated plants, 269, 273
Curare, 228
Currents and seeds, 255, 259
Cypress, 59
Daffodil, 368
Dahlia, 265
Daisy, 218
Dandelion, 19, 93, 264
Danewort, 370
Darling pea, 237
Darnel, 234, 367
Date palm, 141, 251
Datura, 232
Deer, 178
Deodar, 60
Depopulation of country, 154, 155
Depth of water (plants), 205
Desert, 132
Desmids, 206
Desmoncus, 316
Destruction of plants, 61-5
Diatoms, 206
Dioscorides, 37
Dischidia, 342
Distribution of seeds, 254
Dixon, Dr., 25
Doctors, 28
Dodder, 338
Dorynicum, 263
Dragon tree, 49
Dropwort, 234
Drosera, 349
Drosophyllum, 347
Dundonald, Earl of, 151
Dwarf plants, 102
Egyptian botany, 37
Elder, 369
Electrical phenomena, 197-9
Elephant grass, 178
Esparto grass, 136
Eucalyptus, 47
Euphorbia, 110
Evening flowers, 74
Exploded pollen, 71
Fairy rings, 86
Fermentation, 242
Ferns, 172
Fig, 79, 251
Fig wasp, 79
Fires, 50, 148
Fish, 165, 206
Fish poison, 227
Flag, 203
Flies, 74, 80
Floating islands, 204
Floral clock, 76
Florida hyacinth, 209
Flowers, 68
Fly catcher, 348
Fly mushroom, 31
Fog, 203
Forestry, 43, 55
Forests, 63, 64, 220, 358, 361
Foxglove, 19, 79
Frankincense, 113
Fruits, 240
Fuegians, 51
Fungi, 80, 330
" and caterpillar, 341
" and eel-worms, 289
Galbanum, 114
Garlic, 373
Giant sawfly, 44
Ginkgo, 57
Girdleroots, 325
Goats, 52, 109, 179, 181, 184
Gooseberry, 182, 247
Goosegrass, 259
Gorse, 100, 181, 182
Gory dew, 202
Grass, 177, 185, 215, 218
Grasslands, 213, 330, 332
Grazing animals, 111, 177
Green of plants, 72
Greenfly, 293
Guanaco, 222
Gums, 111
Gutta-percha, 311
Hairs of plants, 136, 346
Hair (remedies), 30, 235
Hatasu, 113
Hawthorn, 182, 183
Hedgehog, 135
Heer, 55
Height of trees, 47
Hellebore, 231
Hemp, 305
Henna, 371
Henry, Dr., 52, 53
Holly, 186, 189, 190
Honey-dew, 293
Hop, 316
Hornwort, 208
Hot springs, 200
Humming-birds, 75
Hyacinth, 278
Hybridizing, 249, 273
Hydrophobia cures, 29
Hygroscopic grasses, 266
Ibn Sena, 37
Ice and seeds, 257
Ice plant, 136
Ice sheet, 147
Imbauba, 287
Incense, 113
Indiarubber, 307, 311
Indigo, 35
Insects, 69, 73, 168
Ipecacuanha, 34
Iris, 203
Ironwood, 58
Ivy, 79, 323
Jarrah, 60
Johnson, Dr., 151
Kangaroo, 75
Karoo, 138
Kite, 265
Kola, 127
Laburnum, 235
Lake dwellings, 52
Landes, 45
Land-forming plants, 161, 162
Larch, 181
Latex, 307
Lathrea, 336
Lava, 171
Lavender, 371
Lawns, 218
Leaf-cutting ants, 286
Leaf-miners, 297
Leaf-mould plants, 329
Leaves and light, 20
Lecanora, 167
Lecidea, 167
Leek, 372
Lewis, 54
Lianes, 314, 318
Lichens, 133, 166-71, 261
Life of flowers, 76
Lilienfeldt, 89
Lily order, 234
Lions and fruits, 258
Liverworts and animalcula, 341
Locoweed, 235
Locust tree, 367
Logwood, 35
Loranthus, 334
Madder, 371
Maidenhair tree, 57
Mallee scrub, 112
Mammoth trees, 47
Man, 247, 281, 300
" and flowers, 81
" and forests, 67
Manchineel, 228
Mandrake, 370
Mangroves, 156
Manna, 115, 261
Marshes, 211
Meadows, 213
Medicines, 27, 28
Mimulus, 70
Mistletoe, 245, 332
Mites, 299
Moats, 298
Mohammed, 119
Moly, 368
Monkey-puzzles, 56
Monotropa, 329
Moors, 353
Mosquitoes, 159
Mosses, 170, 353
Movement in plants, 14
Mud and seeds, 258
Mud rivers, 357
Mustard, 30
Myrrh, 114
Myrtle, 116, 368
Names of plants, 363
Narcissus, 368
Nepenthes, 344
Nettle, 71, 191
Nicotine, 130
Nile desert, 139
Nipa, 260
Nitrates, 84
Nomadic agriculture, 57
Number of plants, 38
Oak, 24
Oak forest, 53
Oat, 270
Obi, 232
Oil shales, 207
Olive, 48, 116, 251
Onions, 373
Opening of flowers, 76
Opium, 301
Opopanax, 114
Orange, 116, 243
Orchards, 252
Orchids, 78, 81, 330
Oxalis, 196
Painters and poets (botanists), 39
Palms, 69, 180
Pampas, 221
Paper (wood), 61, 62
Papyrus, 211
Parasitic insects, 294
" plants, 338
Pear, 188
" midge, 296
Peat, 170, 353
Peat-mosses, 353, 361
Pepper, 36
Perfumes, 73, 115, 119, 241
Petals, 98
Pfeffer, 88
Phragmites, 209
Phylloxera, 291
Pine forests, 40, 71, 148
Pine seeds, 41
Pineapple, 251, 277
Pink snow, 72
Pistacio, 69
Pitcher plant, 344
Plantain, 219
Plantations, 154
Plover, 298
Poisons, 226
Polar regions, 197
Pollen, 70
Polluted rivers, 208
Pomades, 119
Pondweeds, 205
Poppy, 263, 302
Potato, 279
Prairie, 220
Pressure inside plants, 25
Prickly pear, 243
Primula, 193
Protoplasm, 195
Quinine, 33
Rabbits, 50, 178, 182, 239
Radium rays, 21
Rafflesia, 337
Railway plants, 174
Rain of blood, 252
Rainwater (absorbed), 298
Raspberry, 92
Rattan, 47
Rat's-tail plantain, 93
Reeds, 163, 204, 209
Resin, 44, 45
Restharrow, 189
Retama, 137
Rhubarb, 36
Rimbach, 92
Roadside plants, 214
Robin-run-the-hedge, 313
Rock plants, 166, 169, 175
Rooks, 292
Roots, 86, 88, 89, 90, 137, 157, 180
Rose, 127, 182, 314
Rowan, 369
Rubber, 301, 310
Rushes, 203
Rye, 46, 272
Safflower, 34
Sago palm, 58
Saltwort, 161
Salvia, 78
Sandbox tree, 266
Sap, 23, 24
Sarracenia, 342
Satchell, 64
Savages and plants, 27
Scale insect, 288
Scenery and plants, 166
Schimper, 99
Scotch fir, 54, 71, 86, 360
Screes, 172
Scrub, 107
Scythian lamb, 32
Scythians, 224
Sea-grass, 162
Sea meadows, 162
Seaweeds, 163, 164, 171, 172
Season of flowers, 77
Sedges, 260
Selaginella, 56
Selection (principle of), 248, 277
Semaphore plant, 196
Senecio, 174
Sensitive plant, 14, 194
Sequoia, 47, 58
Shale, 173
Sheep-killing grasses, 267
Shelley, 79
Sherwood Forest, 53
Silvia Caledonica, 53
Silver fir, 58
Silurian times, 70
Smell (of flowers), 80
Smith, Dr., 54
Snow, 103
Soil, 82, 84
Solanaceæ, 234
Soldanella, 103
Solomon's seal, 94
Southernwood, 371
Speedwell, 319
Sphagnum, 357
Spice trade, 34
Spikenard, 367
Spines, 179, 186, 188, 190
Sprengel, 69
Spring, 98, 101
Squiers, 198
Squirrel, 178, 257
Stapelia, 80
Starch, 18
Starwort, 319
Steppes, 223
Sticky fruits, 255, 258
Sticky hairs, 347
Stimulus (effect of a), 14
Stomata, 23
Stones, 166
Storms, 46, 164
Strength of roots, 96
" seeds, 244
" trees, 46
Strophanthus, 229
Strychnos, 228
Subsoil, 147
Succulents, 134
Sugar (fruits), 241
Sugar-cane, 279
Sunbirds, 75
Sundew, 349
Sunlight, 19, 20
Sunshine, 17
Tanghinia, 231
Tartars, 224
Taru Desert, 110
Tea, 120
Teak, 60
Telegraph plant, 196
Temperature (flowers), 73, 103
Tendrils, 320, 321
Tennyson, 153
Theophrastus, 37, 69, 161, 184
Thistles, 91
Thorns, 179, 190
Timber, 58, 66
Tobacco, 127
Toothwort, 335
Tragacanth, 185
Trap, 146
Traveller's tree, 24
Tumble weeds, 262
Turnip, 277
Twining stems, 317
United States (forests), 62
Underground life, 94
Upas tree, 230
Utricularia, 345
Vaucheria, 163
Vegetable demons, 177
Venus' fly-trap, 351
Vestal virgins, 51
Vetch, 19
Victoria regia, 205
Vine, 248, 272, 291, 323
Virginian creeper, 323
Wait-a-bit thorn, 180
Wall plants, 166
Warning colours, 238
Water-carried pollen, 162, 200
" circulation of, 16, 25, 84, 95
" level, 217
" lily, 204
Weeds, 215, 274
Wheat, 271
Whin, 100, 181
White flowers, 74
Wild garlic, 92
Wild tamarind, 235
Willows, 165, 208
Wind (effect), 71
" and seeds, 255, 260, 264
Winged fruits, 266
Wood, 58, 59, 62, 146
Wood pigeon, 246
Woodsorrel, 19
Work of sunshine, 18
Worms, 85, 359
Xanthium, 259
X-rays, 21
Yam, 180
Yeast fungus, 243
Yew, 66, 67, 239
Yucca, 79
Zostera, 162
PLYMOUTH
WILLIAM BRENDON AND SON, LTD., PRINTERS
Transcriber's note:
Minor spelling inconsistencies, mainly hyphenated words, have been
harmonized. Obvious typos have been corrected. Exponents are
introduced with the caret character, e.g. 210^15.
End of Project Gutenberg's The Romance of Plant Life, by G. F. Scott Elliot