312 Blodgett : Vegetative Reproduction 



toria stirpium insignes * * * Basileae, 1542. When examining 

 this and several other volumes in December, 1897, a description, 

 and excellent illustration were found of the European Erythronium, 

 named Viola Dens-canis. The Viola part of the name is probably 

 due to coincidence in time and place of flowering : Dens-ca7iis re- 

 fers either to the shape of the bulbs, or to the dentations at the 

 base of the petals. In another part of the same volume a number 

 of violets are figured bearing the generic name Viola as now. 



During the examination of old botanical works in the search 

 for the above reference the following names were found, applied to 

 what has been known since Linnaeus as Erythronium Dens-canis. 



Pliny : (Historia Mundi ; Froben, ed. Basillae I 5 54), lib. 26, ch. 

 x., p. 472, speaks of "another Satyrion (called Erythriacori), seeds 

 like vitex but larger, smooth ; root hard, cortex red, enclosing 

 white within ; sweet juice ; occurring in mountains." 



Dioscorides (Pedacii ; Saracenius, ed. 1598), lib. 3, ch. 144, 



p. 252. 



" Satyrion Erythronium or erythraicum has seeds resembling 



linum, but larger, firm, shining or dull. * * * The cortex of 



the root rather delicate, and red ; the internal portion white, juice 



sweet, pleasant to the mouth." 



Dodoen's Erundeboeck, Antwerp, 1554, gives an illustration 

 of Satyrion erythronium, which is probably meant to be one of the 

 Alliums as some of the herbalists consider that Allium ursimtm is 

 referred to by Dioscorides' Satyrion erythronium. 



Camerarius' Kreuterbuch, Frankfort, A. M., 1586, page 389. 

 In this herbal Hermodactylus and Pseudohcrmodactylus, are figured 

 side by side and represent Iris and Erythronium respectively. The 

 two names are often given by the old botanists as synonyms of 

 Deus-canis, or dog's-tooth, as they most frequently called it. 



" Pseudohermodactylus is a beautiful plant, it brings two, or rarely 

 three leaves much like the lily. It is spotted with many brown 

 spots. Its flower grows upon a yellowish-brown stem, light pur- 

 ple with brown stamens (fasemen) and a white pistil (stiftlin), in the 

 center. The little leaves [petals] unfold when the sun shines 

 warm upon it, but when, however, they have fallen away, a three- 

 angled knob develops full of yellow seeds. The root is longish, 

 thicker below than above, which are often clustered together. * * 



