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271
The Folk-lore of Plants
·
T. F. Thiselton-Dyer
220
St.
James
is
associated
with
several
plants--the
St.
James'
wort
(Senecio
Jacoboea),
either
from
its
having
been
much
used
for
the
diseases
of
horses,
of
which
the
saint
was
the
patron,
or
owing
to
its
blossoming
on
his
festival.
The
same
name
was
applied
to
the
shepherd's
purse
and
the
rag-weed.
Incidentally,
too,
in
our
chapter
on
the
calendar
we
have
alluded
to
many
flowers
associated
with
the
saints,
and
spoken
of
the
customs
observed
in
their
honour.
Similarly
the
later
saints
had
particular
flowers
dedicated
to
their
memory;
and,
indeed,
a
complete
catalogue
of
flowers
has
been
compiled--one
for
each
day
in
the
year--the
flower
in
many
cases
having
been
selected
because
it
flowered
on
the
festival
of
that
saint.
Thus
the
common
bean
was
dedicated
to
St.
Ignatius,
and
the
blue
hyacinth
to
St.
Dorothy,
while
to
St.
Hilary
the
barren
strawberry
has
been
assigned.
St.
Anne
is
associated
with
the
camomile,
and
St.
Margaret
with
the
Virginian
dragon's
head.
Then
there
is
St.
Anthony's
turnips
and
St.
Barbara's
cress--the
"Saints'
Floral
Directory,"
in
"Hone's
Every-Day
Book,"
giving
a
fuller
and
more
extensive
list.
But
the
illustrations
we
have
already
given
are
sufficient
to
show
how
fully
the
names
of
the
saints
have
been
perpetuated
by
so
many
of
our
well-known
plants
not
only
being
dedicated
to,
but
named
after
them,
a
fact
which
is
perhaps
more
abundantly
the
case
on
the
Continent.
Then,
as
it
has
been
remarked,
flowers
have
virtually
become
the
timepieces
of
our
religious
calendar,
reminding
us
of
the
various
festivals,
as
in
succession
they
return,
in
addition
to
immortalising
the
history
and
events
which
such
festivals
commemorate.
In
many
cases,
too,
it
should
be
remembered,
the
choice
of
flowers
for
dedication
to
certain
saints
originated
either
in
their
medical
virtues
or
in
some
old
tradition
which
was
supposed
to
have
specially
singled
them
out
for
this
honour.
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