14 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



extensively, most people who have it are unable to give its 

 name. I have heard it erroneously called snow on the moun- 

 tain. So far as I know, the plant is not listed in the wildflower 

 books except in some of the Botanies, presumably for the rea- 

 son that it has not escaped from cultivation sufficiently to be 

 called a wild flower. 



[Other readers note that the plant is apt to become a 

 nuisance if allowed to spread into beds of perennials, as its 

 underground suckers are difficult to eradicate. As to one of 

 the common names for the plant, one might as reasonably 

 make it goat weed as goutweed, for while the generic name 

 signifies goat-foot, the specific indicates that it is connected 

 with the gout. In Europe the plant is known as ash-plant 

 and Herb Gerard. One wonders whether this Gerard was the 

 bishop who took the plant under his protection. — Ed.] 



WILDFLOWER DISTRIBUTION IN THE WEST 



By Mrs. Blanche H. Soth. 



SUCH articles as H. Tullsen's "The Haunts of a Naturalist" 

 in the November Botanist are of the greatest value to me. 

 The lists of si)ecies conveyed a definite idea of just how that 

 patch of nature l(K)kcd. While it may be that one discovers 

 no new or startling facts by such chronicling, no one needs to 

 journey to foreign lands to do original work in botany. If 

 anyone thinks that the work has all been done, let him try 

 l<i (jbtain some definite information about the plants of \u> 

 own locality. What is needed now is just such study of small 

 areas as this article records by resident botanists who can 

 re\isit definite marked areas year after year. If a hundred 

 such records of adjoining counties could be made, what a 

 wealth of information would be available. 



