THK Ai\l KR I CA \' BOTA N 1ST 19 



or cheerfulness and is applied to a genus of plants lor their 

 medicinal virtues. It is said that Odontites is an ancient plant- 

 name derived from a Greek word meaning t(X)th and reputed 

 to be good for the toothache. The plant which now bears the 

 name, however, fails to live up to this reputation. Among 

 medicinal plants, also, is probably to be included Pedicularia 

 derived from a word meaning louse. Gray says the name has 

 no obvious application but Wood states that the plant was 

 formerly used against lice. An old belief is that this plant 

 bred lice in sheep that happened to feed upon it. The reader 

 will therefore choose the derivation that most strongly appeals 

 to his fancy. 



In several instances the flowers have suggested the names of 

 the genera. In Chclone, for instance, the name is derived from 

 a word meaning turtle and is given in allusion to the flow'ers, 

 like a turtle's head. The open corolla of Mimulns suggested 

 the grinning mouth of an ape, mimo, hence the diminutive 

 name. The peculiar corolla of the snapdragon genus has given 

 it the name of Antirrhimim from w^rds meaning like and 

 snout. In a similar way, RJiinauthus means snout and flower, 

 the name referring to the beaked upper lip of a species once 

 included in the genus. Dasystona means hairy mouth and 

 alludes to the hairs in the throat of the corolla Pentstenion 

 is the name of a genus of plants with five stamens in a group 

 where four in the fashion. The fifth stamen, however, does 

 not bear pollen and the plants may therefore be considered in 

 good standing in the family. , 



According to Wood, the foxglove genus, Digitalis, is from 

 digitahiduni, a thimble. Another derivation says it is from a 

 word from fingers or "belonging to the fingers" as the com- 

 mon name suggests. Scliisantlms is from two Greek words 

 meaning cut and flower and was applied to this genus in 



