146 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



Strangely enough the true mountain mint, to judge from 

 the significance of its generic name, Origamiui, seems never 

 to be called by that title. The best known species, O. vulgar c 

 is known as "wild marjoram" rmd "pot marjoram," both 

 terms derived from uiajorana l^y which name a European 

 species has been called for more than a thousand years. "Or- 

 gany" and "organs" are easily seen to be contractions of Ori- 

 ganum while "winter sweet" refers to its odor. 



There are a number of "false pennyroyals" among the 

 Labiates. One of these is Isautluts bnuiiiafiis and another is 

 Trichosterna dic/iotoiiniiii. The latter is more commonly call- 

 ed "blue curls". An allied species, T. lanccolatum shares the 

 name of "false pennyroyal" and is also known as "flea weed", 

 l)Oth names carried over from the true pennyroyal. This 

 latter species is also "vinegar-weed", "camphor-weed" and 

 "turpentine," names which, we infer, have reference to the 

 odor, but this is only a conjecture. 



First among medicinal labiates should come the garden 

 sage {Salvia offcinalis) if names count for anything, for from 

 the generic name is derived the common name "sage" and to 

 it are related such words as solid, safe, solemn, and salvation. 

 Salvia lyrata is the "cancer-weed" though utterly belying any 

 reputation for curative properties. Another species. Salvia 

 sclarea, is called "clary", "clear-eye" and "see-bright" because 

 its mucilaginous seeds were used to clear the eyes of foreign 

 matters as we now use the seeds of flax. Salvia verheiiacea 

 is also "wild clary" and "eye-seed." The "wood sages" are 

 species of Teiicriiiiu. (^ur commonest species, Teucriiim 

 Canadense, is commonly known as "germander". This name 

 the autliorities would lune us belie\e, is derived from the 

 specific name of the European germander, Tuccriiiiii cluuuac- 

 drys. It may seem incredible that the common tongue could 



