Bot. [mod. L. for alysson (Pliny), a. Gr. ἄλυσσον name of a plant, perh. neut. of adj. ἄλυσσος ‘curing (canine) madness,’ f. ἀ priv. + λύσσα madness.]
1. Bot. A genus of Cruciferous plants, a yellow-flowered species of which (A. saxatile) popularly known as Gold-dust, is a favorite spring flower in English gardens. The early herbalists used the name very vaguely.
1551. Turner, Herbal (1568), 21. Alysson is an herbe lyke vnto horehounde.
1578. Lyte, Dodoens, 107. Alysson … groweth upon rough mountaynes.
1731. Bailey, Alysson, comfrey.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v., The species of alysson enumerated by Mr. Tournefort … The alysson is a medicinal plant.
1876. B. Taylor, Echo Club, 30. Such cakes of myrrh or fine alyssum seed.
2. pop. Sweet Alyssum (or A·lison), (Königa maritima), A small cruciferous plant with white flowers.
1822. Hortus Angl., II. 150. A. maritimum, Sweet Alyssum.
c. 1840. Campbell, Dead Eagle, 91. Fields white With alasum, or blue with bugloss.
1866. J. Syme, in Treas. Bot., 536. The Sweet Alyssum of gardens is found in some places of Britain, but only imperfectly naturalized where escaped from gardens.
1873. Longf., Rhyme St. Christ., 40. A modest flower-bed thickly sown With sweet alyssum and columbine.
