THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 147 



Thf frinj^a'd lower lip of certain species have suggested 

 the generic name Poyonia meaning "i)earded," while Calopo- 

 (jou, thf iiaiiK- of an allied genus means heautiful heard. 

 The name [J)iiO(l(>ni)ii which is sometimes applied to the lat- 

 ter genus means merely "meadow gift." The slender spikes 

 of small white flowers, spirally arranged, to he met with 

 in fields and thickets throughout the summer and autumn 

 have secured for the plants the name of Spiranthes which 

 signifies "flt)wers in spirals." It is from two Greek words 

 meaning "a coil or curl" and "flower." Wood translates 

 this as "a wreath." This genus is sometimes known as 

 Cyrostacliys which has essentially the same meaning heing 

 fairly translated as twisted spike. 



Onh- two of our North American orchid genera com- 

 memorate the names of hotanists, and even one of these has 

 recently heen discarded. Listcra, however, still recalls a 

 certain Martin Lister, an English hotanist of the sixteenth 

 centurv. L'^ntil recentlv. John Goodyer was rememhered hy 

 Goodyera applied to the rattlesnake ])lantains hut this is now 

 superseded hv Epipactis a Greek wortl with no significance 

 in tlic Orchidaceae since it is i)ro[)erly the ancient names of 

 the hellehorine, one of the Ranuncul.aceae. The orchids once 

 placed in Epipactis are now in the genus Scrapias. Thus 

 does the juggler with names trifle with well established terms. 



When it comes to tiie common names it may be observed 

 that there is a vast difference between words so nearly alike 

 as orchis and orchid. As a matter of fact, any of the more 

 than five thousand species of the Orchidaceae may he calletl 

 and orchid, hut only th(ise belonging to the genera Orchis 

 •and FlabcHuria are regarded as orchises. Orchis spcctahilis 

 is found in wet places in a spring and therefore comes honest- 

 Iv bv its name of "spring orchis." It is probably owing to 

 its specific name that it is known as "showy orchis" while 



