Five

Folklore Names of
Herbs, Flowers,
and Trees

When old formulas began to be recorded, many early herbalists, magicians, and occultists wanted to keep the most powerful of the old magicks secret. So they used folklore names and symbolisms, and even added fanciful ingredients to the formulae.

The list of such names is quite long and varied, but here are a few examples: “bloody fingers” refers to foxglove. “Tongue of the dog” is simply hound’s tongue, a common herb. “Blood” is the sap from an elder tree, and “eyes” refer to one of a group of plants resembling the eye, such as the aster, daisy, chamomile, or even eyebright. Crow’s foot, dog’s tooth, horse-tongue, and mouse-ear are all magickal, folklore, and dialectical names for herbs and plants.

Then, many plants were given folk names that revealed their uses in healing, magick, or the superstitions surrounding them. This is especially common in the British Isles where one plant can be known by as many as two dozen distinct names. Since almost all of the old herbal books came from Europe, you will find them cropping up again and again.

Finally, there are whole books of plants with appellations such as “Our Ladies Fingers” or “Old Man’s Oatmeal.” These are plants originally dedicated to the Pagan goddesses and gods of the common folk.

Folklore Name	Common Name
Adam and Eve	Lungwort
Adder’s Mouth	Stitch Wort
Adder’s Tongue	Dogstooth Violet
Albanum	Frankincense
Ass’ Ear	Comfrey
Bear’s Ear	Auricula
Bear’s Foot	Stinking Hellebore
Beehive	Snail Plant
Beggar’s Tick	Cuckhold
Bird’s Eye	False Hellebore
Bird’s Tongue	European Ash
Black Boy Resin	Xanthorrhoea Arbores

Folklore Name	Common Name
Bloody Fingers	Foxglove
Bull’s Eyes Marsh	Marigold
Bull’s Foot	Coltsfoot
Calf’s Snout	Toadflax
Candlemas Maiden	Snowdrop
Candlewick Plant	Mullein
Catgut	Hoary Pea
Cat’s Eye	Star Scabious
Cat’s Foot	Canada Snake Root
Cat’s Foot/Paw	Ground Ivy
Cat’s Milk	Wartwort
Chicken Toe	Crawley Root
Cock’s Comb	Yellow Rattle
Cow’s Tail	Canada Fleabane
Crow Foot	Cranesbill
Crown for a King	Wormwood
Devil’s Milk	Wartwort
Dew of the Sea	Rosemary
Dog’s Tongue	Hound’s Tongue
Donkey’s Eyes	Cowage Plant
Dove’s Foot	Cranesbill
Dragon’s Claw	Crowley Root
Dragon’s Eye	Nephalium Loganum
Dragonwort	Bistort
Duck’s Foot	American Mandrake
Dwale	Deadly Nightshade
Earth Smoke	Fumitory

Folklore Name	Common Name
Elfwort	Elecampane
Enchanter’s Plant	Vervain
Eye of the Star	Horehound
Fairy Fingers/Gloves	Foxglove
Five Finger Grass	Cinquefoil
Flesh and Blood	Tormentil
Foal’s Foot	Coltsfoot
Fox Tail	Club Moss
Frog’s Foot	Bulbous Buttercup
Garden Heliotrope	Valerian
Goat’s Beard	Vegetable Oyster
Goat’s Foot	Ash Weed
Golden Star	Avens
Hare’s Foot	Clover
Hedgehogs	Medicago Intertexta
Honey Lotus	Melilot
Horse Tail	Scouring Rush
Horse Tongue	Hart’s Tongue
Hound’s Tongue	Vanilla Leaf
Jew’s Ear	Fungus on Elder
Joy of the Mountains	Marjoram
Khus Khus	Vetavert
Lamb’s Tongue	Ribwort Plantain
Little Dragon	Tarragon
Lizard’s Tail	Breast Weed
Lizard’s Tongue	Sauroglossum
Love-In-Idleness	Pansy

Folklore Name	Common Name
Love Parsley	Lovage
Loveroot	Orris Root
Low John	Galangal
Maiden’s Ruin/Lad’s Love	Southernwood
Master of the Woods	Woodruff
Masterwort	Angelica
May Lily	Lily of the Valley
Mistress of the Night	Shepherd’s Purse
Moonlight on the Grove	Jasmine
Mother’s Heart	Tuberose
Mouse Ear	Mouse Blood Wort
Mouse Tail	Common Stonecrop
Mugwort	French Lily
Negro’s Head	Vegetable Ivory
Old Man’s Beard	Fringe Tree
Ox Tongue	Bugloss
Password	Primrose
Queen of the Meadow	Meadowsweet
Rabbit’s Foot	Field Clover
Ram’s Head	American Valerian
Rat’s Tail	Cat Tail
Ruddes	Marigold
Seven Year’s Love	Yarrow
Shepherd’s Heart	Shepherd’s Purse
Sleep Wort	Lettuce
Snake Head	Balmony
Snake Milk	Blooming Spurge

Folklore Name	Common Name
Snake’s Tongue	Adder’s Tongue Fern
Sorcerer’s Violet	Periwinkle
Squirrel Ear	White Plantain
Stag Horn	Club Moss
Starflower	Borage
Star of the Earth	Avens
Starweed	Chickweed
Starwort	Aster
Stinking Goose Foot	Chenopodium
Swine Snout	Dandelion
Thousand Seal	Yarrow
Thunder Plant	Houseleek
Toad	Toadflax
Unicorn Horn	True Unicorn Root
Wax Dolls	Fumitory
Witch Aspirin	White Willow Bark
Witch Bells	Foxglove
Witch Brier	Brier Hips
Witch Grass	Dog Grass
Witch Herb	Mugwort
Witch Wood	Rowan
Wolf’s Claw	Lycopodium
Wolf’s Foot	Bugle Weed

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