Also crow-toes; Sc. and north. dial. craw-tae(s, -tees. A popular name of various plants: an early name of the wild hyacinth (Scilla nutans); also applied to Orchis mascula, Lotus corniculatus, and the various species of Buttercup. (Cf. CROWFOOT.)
1562. Turner, Herbal, II. 18 a. Hiacinthus is … common in Englande … and it is called Crowtowes, crowfote, and crowtese.
1637. Milton, Lycidas, 143. The tufted crow-toe, and pale jessamine.
1657. W. Coles, Adam in Eden, cclxxviii. 45.
1783. Ainsworth, Lat. Dict. (Morrell), I. Crow toes, Hyacinthi flores.
1812. J. Wilson, Agric. Renfrewshire, 136 (Jam.). Some of the prevailing weeds in meadows and grass lands are, crow-foot, or crow-toe, (ranunculus acris) [etc.].
1864. Capern, Devon Provincialism, Crow-toe, Crowfoot … the … Buttercup.
1873. Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, VII. 37. A coarse dry herbage, composed of Carices, Crow-toes, &c.
2. = CROWFOOT 6.
1816. Scott, Antiq., iii. Three ancient calthrops, or craw-taes, which had been lately dug up in the bog near Bannockburn.
