THE PLANT WORLD -221 



The Latin prefix Pes signifies foot in all instances, a few of which I 

 will cite : The plant known as gander's-foot is known in Latin as Pes 

 anserinus ; in French, Pied d'oyson, commonly known also as swinebane, 

 since it kills pigs if they eat the plant. Herb rue or crow-foot plan- 

 tain was known in Latin as Pes cornicis. A certain moss-like plant was 

 called wolf's-claw, since it grew tenaciously, taking grips with its 

 "claws." The origin of the ancient Greek on Latin was unknown to 

 Dodoens, who translated the popular name into tlie Greek, Lycopodion ; 

 in Latin, Pes Lupt ; in English, wolf's-claw, and in French, Pied de 

 Loup. 



The English plant known as ladies' mantell, great saincel, and Pad 

 de lion, from the size of the round leaves, was called by Dioscorides Pe,s 

 Leonis ; in English, lion's-foot, and in French, Pied de Lion. There 

 was also a species of crowfoot of the ancients called cock's-foot, hen's- 

 foot and leopard's-foot, or golden grow-foot, known in Latin as Pe« 

 Leopardi. 



The English hare's-foot {Trifolium humile) of old, was also known in 

 Latin as Pes Leporis. The calf's-foot or Cockoiv-puit, blooming in 

 March and April, was in Latin Arum and Pes Viridi. The Egyptians 

 called it Colocajia, signifying calf's-foot. In England, it was also known 

 as wake-robin and calf's-foot, and in French, Pied de veau. 



The species of Aquilegia do not seem to afford an instance where 

 the prefix Pes occurs before the generic or common names suggestive of 

 eagle's-foot or dove's-foot. Therefore, Columbine, the common name for 

 species of Aquilegia, does not refer to other than simplj^ dove, culver or 

 pigeon. The name Pes columhiae belongs especially to the dove's-foot 

 geranium, and never was known to apjDly, as far as I can discover, to the 

 true columbine. The origin of Jg^^'fegm, pertaining to an eagle's-talons, 

 is not as yet clear to me. Under Columbine I observe that Dodoens 

 describes AquilegiasiS resembling a lark's-claw instead of an eagle's talons. 

 " The stalks be rounde and plaine, or smoothe, of two or three foote long 

 upon which grow floures compact of two kinds, of little leaves, whereof 

 one sorte are small and narrow, and the other growing with them are 

 hollow, M'ith a long crooked tayle like larke's-claw (a name for our 

 common larke's-spurs and bending somewhat toward the proportions of 

 the necke of a culver or dove). The floures are sometimes single, and 

 sometimes double, and sometimes of a colour blew, sometimes white, 

 sometimes skie colour, sometimes red, and sometimes speckled, and in- 

 termingled with blew and white," growing in high woods and rocky 

 places, and sometimes cultivated in German gardens. " The vertues of 

 these floures," according to Doctor Ruellins, had "no uses in medicine." 

 Yet Dodoens and other writers, says Lyte, " do affirme that columbine 

 (Aquilegia) is good against the jaundise, and inflammation of the winde- 



