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knot-grass
[f. knot n.1 + grass: from the knotted stem.]
1. The plant Polygonum aviculare, a common weed in waste ground, with numerous intricately-branched creeping stems, and small pale pink flowers; an infusion of it was formerly supposed to stunt the growth. Called by early herbalists † male knot-grass. Also extended to other species of Polygonum, as seaside knot-grass, P. maritimum; Virginian knot-grass, P. virginianum, etc.[a1500Gl. Sloane 5 (Sax. Leechd. III. 319/1) Knotting grass.] 1538Turner Libellus, Poligonon,..knotgyrs. 1544T. Phaer Regim. Lyfe (1553) C vij, It is good for the paciente to..drinke the iuice of knotgrasse. 1590Shakes. Mids. N. iii. ii. 329 You dwarfe You minimus, of hindring knot-grasse made. 1597Gerarde Herbal ii. clxi. §1. 451 The common male knot grasse creepeth along vpon the ground, with long slender weake branches, full of knots or ioints, whereof it tooke his name. a1706Evelyn Kal. Hort. Jan. (1729) 189 Knot-grass, the very worst of Garden-weeds. 1860O. W. Holmes Prof. Breakf.-t. x. (Paterson) 212 The wiry, jointed stems of that iron creeping-plant which we call ‘knot-grass’.
2. Applied to various other plants with knotty stems, etc.
a. Various grasses, as the Fiorin Grass or Marsh Bent (Agrostis stolonifera or alba) with creeping rooting stems, and the varieties with knotty rootstock of the False Oat (Arrhenatherum avenaceum) and a species of Oat-grass (Avena elatior). b. Any species of the genera Illecebrum or Paronychia. † c. female knot-grass, Lyte's name for Mare's-tail (Hippuris vulgaris). d. German knot-grass, name for Knawel (Scleranthus annuus).
1578Lyte Dodoens i. lxvii. 97 Of Knotgrasse... There be two kindes..The second kinde whiche they call female Knot grasse, hath..stemmes..much like to the stalkes and ioyntes of Hippuris, or Horse tayle, but not so rough... Amongst the kindes of Knot grasse, we may well recken that herbe, whiche doth so wrap and enterlace itself, and is so ful of ioynts, that the base Almaignes cal it knawel, that is to say, knot weede. 1634Milton Comus 542 The chewing flocks Had ta'n their supper on the savoury Herb Of Knot-grass dew-besprent. 1744–50W. Ellis Mod. Husbandm. IV. i. 53 (E.D.S.) Avena elatior, knot or couch grass. 1760J. Lee Introd. Bot. App. 316 Knot Grass, Mountain, Illecebrum. 1787tr. Linnæus' Fam. Plants I. 304 Scleranthus..German Knot-grass. 1806J. Galpine Brit. Bot. §109 Illecebrum. Knot-grass. i. Verticillatum, whorled. 1808Batchelor Agric. Bedfordsh. 324 The creeping bent-grass (Agrostis stolonifera)..the same, I believe, as that called knot-grass in this county.
3. attrib. knot-grass moth, Acronycta rumicis.
a1658Cleveland Cl. Vindic. (1677) 104 He is much of the size of those Knot-grass Professors. 1819G. Samouelle Entomol. Compend. 250 Knot-grass moth. 1859Newman Brit. Moths 255 The Knot-Grass.—The antennæ are simple in both sexes... It feeds on the common knot-grass. |