AEGOPODIUM PODAGRARIA VARIEGATA 



By L. B. Cushman 



IN the issue of The American Botanist for November, 1919, 

 you have an item headed "Name of Plant Wanted." In 

 your description of it you say it is an umbellifer, a favorite 

 border plant in old gardens, leaves ample, ternately divided, 

 blotched and bordered with white, appears to be the commonest 

 umbellifer grown for decorative purposes. Your plant is 

 evidently Aegopodimn podagraria variegata. For common 

 names, it has bishop's weed and goutweed. Some writers 

 attribute the latter name to the supposition that it might have 

 formerly been used as a cure for gout. Others say the generic 

 name comes from two Greek words, one meaning goat and 

 the other a little foot. The capsule or seed-pod pictured in 

 Gray surely looks much like the cloven foot of a goat. The 

 name bishop's weed came from the fact that the capsule, with 

 its persistent recurved calyx lobes has much the appearance of 

 a bishop's miter or cap. 



To me, goutweed is too homely a name to saddle on to 

 such a pretty plant. I prefer bishop's weed though I usually 

 call it by its generic name. One variety of this plant has 

 leaves that are entirely green. I regard the one with varigated 

 leaves as handsomer. Plant the two kinds near each other 

 and they will cross. 



The Aegopodiuui is an exotic from Europe. It is a hardy 

 perennial and spreads rapidly by its creeping roots. Few 

 decorative plants will do as well in the shade. Its chief beauty 

 lies in its leaves which attain a hejght of ten or twelve inchep 

 The seed stalks get higher, but they should be clipped off as 

 the flowers are inconspicuous and the stalks detract from the 

 looks of the plant. Though this plant is grown somewhai 



