THE AM I RICAN BOTANIST 65 



Tlie l\-iilsU'in()iis are so well known to plant stndents that 

 the i^eiieric name serves as the common name for most si)ecies. 

 The name, however, is decidedlx' appropriate f<<v tlie ,s^roup 

 which i> practicalh- the only one in the family to have five 

 stamens, Lliough there are many indications in the flowers of 

 other genera that an additional stamen ha> Ijeen lost. The 

 fifth stamen in the gronp nnder discussion is in most cases 

 covered with hairs from which circumstance the name of 

 ■ hearil-tongue" arises. Pcntstciiioii /lirsiitus is called "hairy 

 beard-tongue", which seems somewhat redundant until we 

 learn that the adjective refers to the leaves and not to the 

 stamen. Pentstcuioii acuuiinatus is called "St. Joseph's 

 wand" without an}- \ cry obvious application. 



The plants of the genus Pedicularis are commonly known 

 as "louseworts" from a belief that these plants are concerned 

 in the lousiness of cattle. Pedicularis Canadensis is most fre- 

 (luently called "wood betony" though the name belongs by right 

 to species of Betonica. "Head betony" is a variation of the 

 name which might indicate that the lousiness was not always 

 confined to cattle though it probably refers to the heads of 

 flowers. The name of "high heal-all" distinguishes our plant 

 from at least (jne of the accepted "heal-alls", a species of 

 Prunella to wliich it has a parsing resemblance though it is 

 much taller. The name of "beef-steak plant", given by Britton 

 and Brown is a puzzle. "Snafifles" alludes to the shape of the 

 flowers which somewhat resemble part of the snaffle-bit for 

 horses. The word snaffle, itself, is an old word meaning beak 

 or bill. From the shape of the flowers, also, Pedicularis iiroen- 

 landica is known as "red elei)hant". Pedicularis palustris is 

 the "purple pedicularis", "marsh lousewort", and "red rattle", 

 the last named being doubtless due to a confusion of this plant 

 with the species of RhinantJius. The color of the flowers in 



