brūn-wyrt

Old-English: brunewurt, brunewvrt, brūnewyrt, brunvyrt, brunwyrt,

Latin (Machine generated): BUGIGLOSA .I BOUIS LINGUA .I., RADIOLUM, SPIMON,.I. TEUERION,, SPLENION, UACCINIUM,

• →wyrt;

• A: plant: native
  Scrophularia auriculata L., water-figwort, Wasser-Braunwurz
• B: plant: native
  Scrophularia nodosa L., common figwort, Knotige Braunwurz
• C: plant: native
  Asplenium ceterach L., rusty spleenwort, Milzfarn
• D: plant: native
  Asplenium scolopendrium L., hart's tongue fern, Hirschzungenfarn
• E: plant: native
  ? Primula veris L., cowslip, Echte Schlüsselblume
• F: plant: native
  ? Prunella vulgaris L., selfheal, Braunelle
• H: plant: native Anchusa arvensis (L.) Bieb. is a native species. (cf. Clapham 1962,656).
  ?? Anchusa L., alkanet, Ochsenzunge
• G: plant: native
  ??? Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis., betony, Echter Ziest

• Comment on (A): Scrophularia auriculata L., water-figwort, Wasser-Braunwurz

  This identification is based on the ModE and G correspondents (cf. Britten/Holland 1886, s.v. brownwort, NED, s.v. brownwort; Pritzel/Jessen 1967,368, s.v. S. aquatica L.). It can be applied to LB and LA.

  Etymology: The name 'brownwort, Braunwurz' refers to the brownish color of the flowers, when Scrophularia species are denoted (cf. Hegi 1906,VI,33.), and to the brown underside of the leaves of A. ceterach.

• Comment on (B): Scrophularia nodosa L., common figwort, Knotige Braunwurz

  For LB 29/12 Cockayne 1962,II,374 suggests S. nodosa. Cf. Britten/Holland (1886,68) who refer to Turner's Herbal: "Turner confines the name (=brownwort) as in actual use to S. aquatica, but says S. nodosa 'may be called in English wood brounwurt.'" This identification can be applied to LB and LA.

• Comment on (C): Asplenium ceterach L., rusty spleenwort, Milzfarn

  This identification has to be preferred for the HA, cf. ch. LVI: "Wiþ miltan sare genim þysse wyrte wyrttruman þe grecas SPLENION 7 romane TEUCRION nemnaþ 7 eac engle brune wyrt hataþ". Similar explanations can be found in glosses.

  This identification is not likely for the LB because in the HA A. ceterach is used against illnesses of the spleen (also cf. Gk άδπλήνον[1]) but the brūnwyrt / brūnewyrt of the LB is never used in this context.

• Comment on (D): Asplenium scolopendrium L., hart's tongue fern, Hirschzungenfarn

  Cf. Hunger (1935,167): Ch. LVIII: SPLENION = Asplenium scolopendrium. Another probable explanation could be an erroneous interpretation of BOUIS LINGUA, based on LINGUA CERVINA 'hart's tongue, Hirschzunge' (cf. Lindheim 1941, note 302), an old name for A. scolopendrium.[2] Also cf. the G names in Marzell (2000,3,704): Ochsenzunge, Rinderzunge, and ModF langue de boeuf, langue de vache. Banham (2002,97a): "The word seems to be especially associated with blood-stains, and brunwyrt is apparently the hart's tongue fern, which has rows of bright rusty-coloured spores underneath its fronds." Cameron (cf. 1993,114) links the RADIOLUM (Dur 287) to a human's ribs or radius bone of the forearm and consequently to the fronds of a fern, especially the boar-fern, cf. s.v. →eofor-fearn.

• Comment on (E): ? Primula veris L., cowslip, Echte Schlüsselblume

  The ambiguous L lemma VACCINIUM (cf. Förster 1917,127) is glossed with coweslyppe (WW 618,24); cowsokulle (WW 644,14) in the 15th century. OE →cū-slyppe, Primula veris L., can be interpreted as 'cow pat, Kuhfladen' because of its leaves tinting slowly brown after bloom, therefore the name 'brownwort, Braunwurz' for P. veris is not impossible.

• Comment on (F): ? Prunella vulgaris L., selfheal, Braunelle

  Suggested by Cockayne (1961,II,374) and also by Pettit (2001,2,XVI,41), and Cameron (1993,114).

• Comment on (G): ??? Stachys officinalis (L.) Trevis., betony, Echter Ziest

  Cameron (1993,114) has a detailed discussion of this OE plant name, concerning this identification he says: "It has also been suggested that it may be betony [...]. This last identification is most unlikely, because brunwyrt and betonica are prescribed together in four Old English recipes." Could this be a misunderstanding on Cameron's part, as other authors (e.g. Storms 1948,59; Pettit 2001,1,219) refer to Scrophularia auriculata, our meaning A, as 'water-betony'?

• Comment on (H): ?? Anchusa L., alkanet, Ochsenzunge

  Based on the gloss Laud 219 Stracke (n. on 219) elaborately but not convincingly tries to identify brūnewyrt as an Anchusa species.

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