8 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



ventures. Lyonia is for John Lyon an early explorer of the 

 southern Alleghanies. Loisleuria is for J. L. A. Loiseleur- 

 Delongchamps another French botanist. For this genus, Brit- 

 ton uses the name Chamaecistiis which means "low cistus" 

 and is thus connected with the name of the rock-rose family. 

 Archibald Menzies, a member of Vancouver's expedition to 

 the West Coast of America, brought home the first specimens 

 of the genus which has since been called for him, Mensiesia. 



Several mythological characters also figure in the names 

 of the heathworts. The group of plants best represented by 

 the little marsh rosemary was named Andromeda by Linnaeus 

 for that Andromeda fabled to have been chained to a rock near 

 the sea to be devoured by sea-monster. Cassiope another 

 genus is for Cassiopeia the mother of .Andromeda. Phyllo- 

 doce is named for a sea-nymph mentioned by Virgil. The 

 genus now called Chamaedaphnc was long known as Cassan- 

 dra in honor of the daughter of Priam, king of Troy, and 

 Leucothoe was named for the daughter of Orchamus who, 

 according to Ovid, was once king of Babylonia. 



If names mean anything, it is likely that the plants in the 

 genus Chimaphila might be called the true wintergreens for 

 the name is formed of words meaning "winter" and "to love." 

 Their claims might be disputed, however, by Chiogencs which 

 means "offspring of the snow." Although the plant is ever- 

 green, the snow in its name is said to refer to the snow-white 

 berries — a statement which we take the liberty of doubting! 

 Moncscs is Greek 'for "single" and "delight" in allusion to the 

 single though conspicuous and pretty flower. 



Clcthra is the Greek for "alder" from some fancied re- 

 semblance of our plant to the European alder which is now 

 difficult to perceive. An ef|ually obscure resemblance of the 

 leaves of certain species to the pear tree accounts for the gen- 



