150 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



vulgaris is the "common winter cress," "yellow cress," "bitter 

 cress/' "rocket cress," "winter rocket," "wound rocket," 

 "Herb Barbarea" and "poor man's cabbage." Even in north- 

 ern winters this plant remains green which accounts for 

 the name of "winter cress." "Yellow cress" alludes to the 

 numerous bright yellow blossoms. 



The rockets are nearly as abundant as the cresses. The 

 "purple rocket" is lodantJuis piniuitifidiis which is also known 

 as "false rocket" but there seems no need of the distinguish- 

 ing objective when so many others are" false. The true rocket, 

 or at least the first one, Bnica sativa, has become sparingly 

 naturalized with us. It is commonly known as the "garden 

 rocket." The "American sea rocket" is Cakile edentida, 

 while the "wall rocket," "sand rocket," "cress-weed," and 

 "flix-weed" is Diplotaxis muralis.. "Flix-weed" seems to have 

 been originally "flax-weed." Brysirmiui aspcrum is the 

 "prairie rocket," "orange mustard," "yellow phlox" and "wes- 

 tern wallflower." Although called "phlox" and resembling 

 the plants of that genus superficially, the flowers are quite 

 different having four separate petals while in the phloxes 

 there are five united. 



BrysiiJiiiiii officinale is the "scrambling rocket" but its 

 more familiar name is "hedge mustard," with such syn- 

 onyms as "hedge weed," bank-weed" and "California cress." 

 The last named is another illustration of the origin of common 

 names. The plant was originally from the Old World, but 

 its being found in California is enough to cause it to be named 

 for that state. Brysimum chciranthoides is the "treacle mus- 

 tard" or "worm-seed mustard." The second name refers to 

 the use of the plant, or to the reputed virtues of the plant, 

 as an anthelmintic. The first has a curious history. When 

 "treacle" is mentioned a sort of molasses or sugary solution 



