THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 93 



"palmillo" or little palm though it has only a superficial 

 resemblance to the palms. 



Although the specific name of Veratrum viride signifies 

 green it is comonly called "American white hellebore." The 

 real "white hellebore" is a European plant but it may be said 

 that neither species has anything in common with the tru<- 

 hellebore except the name. The latter is a member of the 

 Ranunculaceae. Our plant is also called "green hellebore," 

 "false hellebore" and "swamp hellebore" in reference to its 

 poisonous properties and it is possible that "devil's bite" and 

 "poor Annie" may belong to the same category. "Indian 

 poke" and "poke-root" given to our plant are both applied to 

 another poisonous species, Phytolacca dccandra, which is not 

 closely related to it. "Earth gall" may be still another refer- 

 ence to its harmful nature but "itch-weed" and "tickle-weed" 

 are posers since in medical practice the drug is administered 

 internally for its effect on the heart. Among the vernacular 

 names for this plant in the books, we find "puppet root." 

 This very nicely illustrates the carelessness of writers in cata- 

 loguing such names. In former days, the root of the Old 

 World mandrake {Mandragora) was carved into the rude 

 resemblance of a man {puppet) and used as a talisman to 

 ward off disease. Ignorance or carelessness has first pased 

 the name on to the hellebore and finally associated it with our 

 plant. 



Veratrum is not 'the only genus in the Liliaceae that is 

 rei)uted to possess poisonous properties. Aniianthium mus- 

 caetoxictim as its specific name suggests, is called "fly- poi- 

 son," "crow poison" and "hellebore." Stenanthium gra- 

 niincmn is the "Death camass" and "hog potato," the latter 

 name indicating nndcsirc'ibl? properties. Several plants of the 

 bunch-flower grnip arc known as "false asphodels," notably 



