One way you can tell for how many centuries a plant name has been part of the common vernacular is to realize just how often that name has been used, and the widely disparate types of plants that a ...

DORSET was still Lord Chamberlain when the death of Shadwell placed the laurel again at his disposal. Had he listened to Dryden, "William Congreve would have received it. Of all the throng of young ...

OR THE ENGLISH LAUREL, FROM CHAUCER TO TENNYSON. THE ATLANTIC MONTHLY. A MAGAZINE OF LITERATURE, ART, AND POLITICS. Enjoy a year of unlimited access to The Atlantic—including every story on our site ...