The Gaelic names of plants (Scottish, Irish and Manx) / collected and arranged in scientific order, with notes on their etymology, uses, plant superstitions, etc., among the Celts, with copious Gaelic, English, and scientific indices, by John Cameron.

  • Cameron, John, 1835-1881.
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The Gaelic names of plants (Scottish, Irish and Manx) / collected and arranged in scientific order, with notes on their etymology, uses, plant superstitions, etc., among the Celts, with copious Gaelic, English, and scientific indices, by John Cameron. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    ”3 The colour [of her dun] is like the colour of lime : Within it are couches and green rushes ; Within it are silks and blue mantles; Within it are red gold and crystal cups. J. cong'lomeratus—Common rush. Gaelic and Irish: luachair, a general name for all the rushes, meaning splendour, brightness. Manx: leagher. Latin: lux. Sanscrit: louk, light. The pith of this and the next species was commonly used to make rush-lights. The rushes were stripped of their outer green skin, all except one narrow stripe, and then they were drawn through melted grease and laid across a stool to set. “The title Luachrn was given to the chief Druid and magician, considered by the pagan Irish as a deity, who opposed St. Patrick at Tarra in the presence of the king and the nobility, who composed the convention.”—-‘Life of St. Patrick’ Brbg braidhe (O’Reilly)—brog, a shoe; but here it should be br'odh, straw; braidhe, a mountain, the mountain straw or stem. J. effusus—Soft rush. Gaelic: luachair bkog, soft rush. Irish: feath, a bog. It grows best in boggy places. Fead, which seems to be the same name, is given also to the bulrush. Fead, a whistle, a bustle. “’S llonmhor feadan caol, Air an eirich gaoth.”—Macintyre. Doubtless suggested by the whistling of the wind among the rushes and reeds. The common rush and the soft rush were much used in ancient times as bed-stuffs; they served for strewing floors, making rough couches, &c., and for thatching houses. Glas-tugha, green thatch, hr luachair (hr, fresh, green). (See Bryace>e ) J. articulatus—Jointed rush. Gaelic: lochan nan damh. This name is given by Lightfoot in his ‘Flora Scotica,’ but it should have been lachan nan damh. Lachan, a reed, the ox or the hart’s reed. J. squarrosus—Heath-rush, stool-bent. Gaelic: bru-chorcant bruth-chorcan, bru, a deer, and corcan, oats, “deers’ oats” (Macbain).. bru-chorcur (Macalpine)—bru-chorachd. “ Bru-chorachd is clob, 1 Lusan am bi brlgh,’’ &c. —Macintyre in ‘ Ben Doran.” Heath-rush and deer’s hair, Plants nuitritious they are, &c. 1 See Scirpus ccespitosus. It