Re: Lychnis--Why Lamp Flowers?

At 03:26 PM 8/30/2002, p.k.peirce@att.net wrote:
Here is a word root question about the name of a Mediterranean plant. (Really I suppose it is a question of Mediterranean historical economic botany, but I hope not too far off topic.)

For a writing project, I have been researching the source of the name Lychnis. The source is the Greek word for lamp, "lychnos." That is settled.
Hi Pam -

Another interesting, esoteric thread! ;-)

www.xrefer.com sez:
lychnis n. -- a herbaceous plant of the genus Lychnis, of the pink family, e.g. ragged robin. [L f. Gk lukhnis a red flower f. lukhnos lamp] - (The Oxford English Reference Dictionary, © Oxford University Press 1996)

www.dictionary.com sez:
New Latin Lychnis, genus name, from Latin lychnis, a red flower, from Greek lukhnis;; akin to lukhnos, lamp. See leuk- in Indo-European Roots. - The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition; © Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000.

So perhaps it's not as clear-cut as you thought? Or maybe one of the Greek words comes from the other!! (wouldn't be surprising!)

But some reverences on plant names say the word was used because the flowers (probably of L. chalcedonica) were so bright,
I find this a bit doubtful, but perhaps . . .
while others claim that it is because the hairy leaves of some member of the genus were used as lamp wicks. One source even claims that it was the leaf hairs that were used for lamp wicks.
I find this highly probable in L. coronaria, but possibly using the stems that support the flowers, which are also hairy and the correct shape for a wick.

I don't know what Linnaeus was thinking when he chose the name, but if leaves of the plant weren't used as lamp wicks, that reason can't be right. So the key question is whether the ancient Greeks really used the leaves for lamp wicks. My research has not turned up the answer. Anyone have any information or know an ancient history expert who would know?
I recall encountering the 'lamp wick' reference bit for this plant years ago when I was researching "Dusty Millers". I was surprised to find Lychnis coronaria listed in old references under this common name as it seemed to different from the "Dusty Millers" of today (Senecio maritima) and yesterday (Centaurea gymnocarpa, Senecio vira-vira, Centaurea ragusina, Chrysanthemum ptarmiciflorum, Artemisia stelleriana) which have divided leaves - Lychnis coronaria has entire leaves. This was until I found my oldest reference for this common name which was Primula auricula!!! The Lychnis DOES bear a strong resemblance to the leaves of this Primula (which is quite white-farinose in some of its forms). Apparently later this common name was transferred to the divided gray leafed plants mentioned above, each having its 'heyday' as the official "Dusty Miller" in gardens.

BTW - all of the plant mentioned above will perform well in mediterranean climates!

Seán O.

h o r t u l u s a p t u s - 'a garden suited to its purpose'
Seán A. O'Hara fax (707) 667-1173 sean@support.net
710 Jean Street, Oakland, CA 94610-1459, U.S.A.

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