THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 5/ 



the skin to relieve certain diseases. Our plant may have been 

 thus used thougli there is no record of it. "Sugar-plum" is 

 a fanciful name but "ivory-plum" is more descriptive and, 

 like the same term applied to the aromatic vvintergreen, may 

 have been derixed from "ivy-plum" since "ivy" is a common 

 term to designate evergreen plants of low stature. 



Among creeping plants one should not omit to mention 

 the most famous of New England blossoms, the "May- 

 flower" or "trailing arbutus" (Bpigaea repcns). Though 

 not a flower of May in many parts of its range it seems fairly 

 entitled to be considered one of the Mayflowers. The name 

 trailing arbutus distinguishes it from the uprig'ht shrubby Ar- 

 butus uncdo of the old World. "Ground laurel" associates 

 the plant with tlie true laurel to which, however, it is not 

 closely related through several other members of its family 

 are by courtesy called "laurel", "Winter pink" is a poetic 

 name and "shad-flower", "mountain pink" and "crocus", are 

 clearly misnomers, or names transferred from* plants better 

 entitled to bear them. Shad-flower, however, may have as 

 much significance when applied here, as it does when associ- 

 ated with species of Ainelanchier. "Rough leaf" is a des- 

 criptive named and "ivy" is another instance of low evergreen 

 being called "ivy." "Gravel-plant" has no reference to the 

 soil but alludes tc; the medicinal virtues of the plant. 



There are a number of laurels among the heathworts, 

 but none of them properly so designated if a relationship 

 with the classical laurel is intended. The true laurel is Laiir- 

 us nobilis of EuTope, a relative of our sassafras and spice- 

 wood, which ma\- be found in wooden tubs at the entrances 

 f hotels, restaurants, and public institutions in America. 

 Foremost among our own "laurels" is that magnificent shrub 

 that annually glorifies the elevated regions from New Bruns- 

 wick to Louisiana with a cloud of pink and white in spring. 



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