| E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898. |
| | | Flowers and Trees with Christian Traditions. | | |
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The Aspen leaf is said to tremble because the cross was made of Aspenwood. | 1 |
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| Ah! tremble, tremble, Aspen-tree, |
| We need not ask thee why thou shakest, |
| For if, as holy legend saith, |
| On thee the Saviour bled to death, |
| No wonder, Aspen, that thou quakest; |
| And, till in judgment all assemble, |
| Thy leaves accursed shall wail and tremble. | |
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The dwarf elder is called in Wales “the plant of the Blood of Man.” | 2 |
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The wallflower is known in Palestine as the “Blood-drops of Christ.” | 3 |
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The following are also said to owe their stained blossoms to the blood which trickled from the cross:— | 4 |
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The red anemone; the arum; the purple orchis; the crimson-spotted leaves of the roodselken (a French tradition); the spotted persicaria, snake-weed. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.) | 5 |
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