DCHP-3

tansy ((1))

DCHP-2 (Mar 2014)

Spelling variants:
deadman's daisy, wild tansy, fern tansy

1n. & adj. — Newfoundland, Flora

the leaf of the yarrow plant, Achillea millefolium.

Type: 2. Preservation — The tendency to use common plant names for similar varieties has created some confusion surrounding the Newfoundland sense of tansy. At present, this term typically refers to Tanacetum vulgare in North America, the common tansy, but the meaning preserved from England (EDD, s.v. "tansy" sb.1 (4)) and traditionally used in Newfoundland refers to the yarrow plant, Achillea millefolium. The confusion is likely a result of their similar appearances (see the first 1987 quotation) and has a number of antecedents (e.g. the North American "robin" is not the same as the English "robin"). To differentiate the two types, tansy 'yarrow' has taken on other variants or nicknames such as "fern tansy", "wild tansy", and "deadman's daisy". Though it has historically been valued as a medicinal plant for home remedies (see, e.g. the 1916 quotation) and cooking (see, e.g., the 1972 quotation), its use has declined over the course of the 20th century (see the 1994 quotation).
See also DNE, s.v. "tansy" (1).

Quotations

1916
Tansy. Makes an effective tea for colds.
1941
The following morning he was, however, amazed to see many of his erstwhile patients wending their way seawards, each with one eye treated on his prescription, but the other (for safety's sake) doctored after the long-accepted methods of the talent of the village -- tansy poultices and sugar being the acknowledged favourites.
1972
MURRAY 257 They grew herbs like tansy, mints, and chives, used in medicines and cooking.
1987
Fern Tansy - Achillea millefolium L. [Yarrow]. Origin unknown. In England this species is called Tansy because the finely divided leaves resemble those of the true Tansy (1). The 'fern' is presumably an attempt to distinguish this from the true Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.).
1987
Tansy and Wild Tansy - Achillea millefolium L. [Yarrow]. This usage is found in Cheshire, England, and reflects the similarity of the leaves of this species to Tansy (1 & 2).
1994
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, also popularly known as "deadman's daisy," "deadman's posy," or "fern tansy") - once fairly popular as a medicinal plant - has long been recommended for diarrhoea and unsettled stomachs. Its reputation, however, has been uneven, as reflected perhaps in the paucity of information in the Newfoundland record, even though it grows commonly on the island. [...] Since the plant, apart from the flowers, looks like tansy (q.v.), it is quite possible that some of the many Newfoundland references to tansy actually referred to yarrow.

References

  • EDD
  • DNE