THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 89 



cates a careless bibliographer. The relationship of Maianthe- 

 miim to the group commonly known as "Solomon's seals" is 

 obvious enough to gain for it the name of "two-leaved Solo- 

 mon's seal" and this is probably its best known vernacular 

 name. It was formerly included in the genus Smilacina 

 which contain other plants named for Solomon and his seal. 

 Upon the authority of its scientific name, this is the true 

 May-flower but it appears to be rarely, if ever, so designated. 

 The true "Solomon's seals" belong to the genus Poly- 

 gonatum. They derive their most familiar common names 

 from the seal-like impressions on the root-stock left by the 

 decay of the aerial stems. The name was first given to the 

 European Polygonatum niultiflorum at a time when a belief 

 in the supernatural agency of many plant markings was 

 strong. Our two species are often known as "sealworts." 

 The Old World species is sometimes known as "David's harp" 

 in allusion to an ancient musical instrument with a curved 

 frame strung wdth bells. The "false Solomon's seals" have 

 the same seal-like markings on their rootstocks, but they are 

 less distinct, and since the flowers have separate perianth 

 segments wdiile those in Polygonatum are united, the "false 

 Solomon's seals" are placed in the genus Smilacina. The 

 commonest species {S. racemosa) is almost universally called 

 "wild spikenard." It is not, however, very closely related 

 to the plant reputed to be the real spikenard. "Golden seal" 

 is doubtless due to some ignorant plant collector in whose ears 

 all plant names ending in seal were one and the same thing. 

 The name of "zig-xag Solomon's seal" refers to the arrange- 

 ment of the leaves on the stem. The bright red berries have 

 probably given the plant its common name of "Job's tears" 

 though one of the grasses {Coix lacryma-johi) seems to have 

 the preference in this lachrymal contest if we may judge by 



