124 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



no record of the fact except the name. Many books apply the 

 name "Indian hippo" to this plant but the term is absolutely 

 unintelligible to the writer. 



Once as famous in medicine as the species of Gciini, the 

 common agrimony {Agrimonia ciipatoria) has few if anv 

 names to suggest the connection, though "feverfew" is prob- 

 ably of this nature. The makers of vernacular names have 

 been more impressed by the hooked fruits as "stickweed," 

 "stickseed," "beggar ticks" and "cocklebur" attest. All these 

 names, it may be observed, are applied to many other plants 

 with hooked seeds or fruits and are scarcely distinctive. The 

 plant usually goes by the name of "agrimony" or "rough agri- 

 mony." 



The two species of Alc/icinilla credited to America arc 

 both adventive from Europe and have no American vernacular 

 names, though plentifully supplied with trivial names from 

 European sources. Of those for A. pratcnsis, the majority are 

 given in allusion to the shape of the leaves, as "duck's foot," 

 "bear's foot," and "pedelion" (that is, "lion's foot"). Prc^b- 

 ably the commonest of English names, "ladies' mantle," has 

 only a fanciful application, while "great sanicle" alludes to 

 its reputed medicinal qualities. The true sanicle which this 

 species in a measure resembles derives its name from the Latin 

 sanare meaning to heal. One of our species of Sauguisorba is 

 known as "great burnet," apparently deriving its name from 

 the same word as brunette is derived ! Sauguisorba iiiiuor 

 is the "salad burnet" from the use of its leaves in salads. The 

 plant also goes by the name of "pimpernelle," "bloodwort" and 

 "toper's plant" from the virtue attributed to it of being "a 

 friend to the heart and liver." Since it was usually administer- 

 ed in "the cooling tankard," it was very likely a favorite with 

 the toper, serving possibly the excuse that quinine does in 

 other parts of the world. 



