Scottish Plant Names: An A to Z

From Fairy’s Thimbles to Dabberlocks and from Leddy’s Fingers to Stinking Tam, this small book of wondrous plant names is also an exploration of language through the ages.

This book delves into the botany of language, and although the focus is very much on Scots, Gaelic and English, the influences of many other tongues can be seen throughout.

Presented as a dictionary, and covering a variety of flower, fungi and mosses, this book presents the rich history of these plants and how they rooted themselves firmly in the language of the people of Scotland. Illustrated by Hazel France, the illustrations show plants as they appear in the wild, while others are literal takes on some of their weird and wonderful names.

This book is more than a simple dictionary, it is a tangible link between the past and present, through language and the plants of Scotland’s woods, forests, glens, and shores. Whether your interests lie in the worlds of plants, or in words, this book has something for everyone.