84 THE PLANT WORLD. 



Indian-poke or hellebore and they were early confused with this 

 plant bv the ancients and designated, " false hellebore with a round 

 flower" (Hcllcborijic Calccolus). 



Later this group of shoe-shaped flowers was known to Rembert 

 Dodoens — a physician to the German Emperor in 1550 or later, 

 who dedicated these flowers to Marianus — " our lady the Virgin 

 Marv," and they were commonly known as " our lady's slippers " 

 (Cakeohis Mariainis). The generic name, Calccolus, signifies 

 " round like a little shoe." Our lady's slipper is the old European 

 name for these flowers, while moccasin-flower is purely American, 

 originating from Mazvcahsun or Mokkosin-HoT^'crs. the Algonquin 

 Indians having observed the same resemblance to the shoe shape 

 as did the Europeans. 



In 1 740-1 753 the great Linnaeus revised this genus and dedi- 

 cated it to Venus, " Our Lady the Divine Mother of the Romans," 

 whose ancient name was Cypris, and thus wc obtain Cypripedium 

 — Venus' slippers or our lady's slippers, as form.erly. 



One of the early orchids of the bare and leafless woodlands 

 is the showy orchis (OrcJiis spccfabilis), dwelling along the rocky 

 borders of streams, about May 15. until June 20. It is closely 

 related to the early spring orchis of England which Darwin loved 

 so much to study. 



Soon, now, follow a host of Habcnarias. each in its turn making 

 the glooms or meadowland gay with strange spikes of green, 

 white, yellow and purple-fringed and winged flowers. Space does 

 not permit me adequately to describe them all ; a few of the most 

 beautiful types of the group will be enumerated. 



The found-leaved orchis (Habcnaria Hookcriana) is among the 

 first to bloom, coming just as the pink moccasin-flowers and the 

 showy orchis have faded, and choosing much the same haunts, 

 save that they stand out as sentinels along the higher ridges. 

 These plants produce round cool-looking leaves, lying flat or 

 nearly so upon the ground, between which rises a spike of green- 

 ish-yellow flowers, ornamented with fantastic spurs, capes and 

 hoods all twisted and tied to the scape. They very much resemble 

 winged insects, and were likened to a strap by the ancients, the 

 flowers being placed in a " Certaine order like to a kind of Hat- 



