THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 3 



cuius that means little frog. The derivation of Thalictrmti 

 has also been challenged. Gray says Thalictruin is "a Greek 

 name for an unknown plant," but Bailey's "Cyclopedia of 

 American Horticulture" says it is from thallo, "to grow," 

 while Wood's "to be green" is not far from the same idea. 

 Prof. Nelson notes that the word thallus is probably derived 

 from the same word as Thalictrum. Aconitum, according to 

 Pliny, is from an akonais meaning "on sharp rocks." This is 

 scarcely more illuminating than our original derivation. Prof. 

 Nelson suggests that Hepatica means liver-colored and refers 

 to the color of the underside of the leaves. In this he has all 

 the Manual-makers against him, some even pointing out that 

 the lobed leaves resemble the lobing of the liver; but the dic- 

 tionaries all agree that hepatica means exactly what Prof. 

 Nelson says it does ! 



We may now proceed to the common names for other 

 species of Ranunculaceae. Our single species of Hydrastis 

 has at least fourteen common names, nearly all of which refer 

 to the color of the root. Those most worthy of noting are 

 yellow-root, turmeric-root, orange root, yellow Indian paint, 

 Indian dye, Indian turmeric, golden seal, yellow seal, and 

 yellow puccoon. It will be remembered that turmeric is the 

 yellow powder, derived from Curcmna longa, which is used 

 in curry powders and we thus account not only for two of the 

 names in the list but for Indian curcuma as well. We are at 

 a loss, however, to account for the use of the word seal in 

 some of the combinations. Puccoon is an Indian name given 

 to a number of plants with striking colors. The bloodroot 

 is known as red puccoon and some of the Lithospcrmums are 

 known as yellow puccoons. Eye balm, eye-root, yellow-eye, 

 and ice-root, the latter manifestly a corruption of eye-root, 

 are due to the fact that the Indians were reputed to use a 

 decoction of this plant for diseases of the eye. Ground rasp- 

 berry is a most descriptive term for the deep red, but inedible 

 berry which the plant bears. 



