132 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



properly spelled Fctalostemon, in allusion to the united petals 

 and stamens in this genus. Amorpha means deformed or 

 withfjut shape as the flowers appear to be because of the ab- 

 sence of four petals. Desniant/nis comes from words meaning 

 I)un(lle and flower in allusion to the numerous stamens. 

 Coronilla means a little crown either because the flowers were 

 used in garlands or because they are arranged in crown-like 

 circles. Hcdysarmn comes from edos "sweet", and aroma 

 "smell" and Ryiichosia is from a word meaning beak and re- 

 fers to the shape of the keel formed by the two lower petals 

 of the flower. Stropliostyles is formed from words meaning 

 turning and style or column, and alludes to the form of the 

 pistil. 



The most interesting plant names are naturally those 

 which are suggested by some peculiarity of the plant, thus 

 Acscliynouicnc is variously translated as "being ashamed" or 

 "to be modest" because the leaves of the species in this genus 

 close when touched. The species of Mimosa have the same 

 habit and the name is derived from mimos "a buffoon" be- 

 cause, as Wood suggests "the leaves seem sporting with the 

 hand that touches them". Lupinus is from lupus a wolf 

 "because the plants were thought to devour the soil". In re- 

 ality the lupines not only thrive in poor soil but actually 

 enrich it, a fact which is now widely appreciated. The in- 

 flated dry pods in which the seeds rattle has suggestetl the 

 generic name for Crotalaria from krotalon a rattle. The 

 rattlesnake genus Crotalus has the same origin. Genista is 

 said to be the Celtic gen a busli. The name might originally 

 iiave been applied to am- small 1)ush l)ut genista is so much 

 the bush in certain regions as to ha\e usurped the title. A 

 line of English kings, the Plantagents, is reputed to have been 

 named for this planta genista. 



