CHAPTER XIII.
PLANT NAMES.
The origin and history of plant names is a subject of some magnitude,
and is one that has long engaged the attention of philologists. Of the
many works published on plant names, that of the "English Dialect
Society"[1] is by far the most complete, and forms a valuable addition to
this class of literature.
Some idea of the wide area covered by the nomenclature of plants, as
seen in the gradual evolution and descent of vernacular names, may be
gathered even from a cursory survey of those most widely known in our
own and other countries. Apart, too, from their etymological
associations, it is interesting to trace the variety of sources from whence
plant names have sprung, a few illustrations of which are given in the
present chapter.
At the outset, it is noteworthy that our English plant names can boast
of a very extensive parentage, being, "derived from many languages--
Latin, Greek, ancient British, Anglo-Saxon, Norman, Low German,
Swedish, Danish, Arabic, Persian."[2] It is not surprising, therefore, that
in many cases much confusion has arisen in unraveling their meaning,
which in the course of years would naturally become more or less
modified by a succession of influences such as the intercommunication
and change of ideas between one country and another. On the other
hand, numerous plant names clearly display their origin, the lapse of
years having left these unaffected, a circumstance which is especially
true in the case of Greek and Latin names. Names of French origin are
frequently equally distinct, a familiar instance being dandelion, from the
French dent-de-lion, "lion's tooth," although the reason for its being so
called is by no means evident. At the same time, it is noticeable that in
nearly every European language the plant bears a similar name; whereas
Professor De Gubernatis connects the name with the sun (Helios), and
adds that a lion was the animal symbol of the sun, and that all plants
named after him are essentially plants of the sun.[3] One of the popular
names of the St. John's wort is tutsan, a corruption of the French toute
saine, so called from its healing properties, and the mignonette is another
familiar instance. The flower-de-luce, one of the names probably of the
iris, is derived from fleur de Louis, from its having been assumed as his
device by Louis VII. of France. It has undergone various changes, having
been in all probability contracted into fleur-de-luce, and finally into
fleur-de-lys or fleur-de-lis. An immense deal of discussion has been
devoted to the history of this name, and a great many curious theories