NAMES OF PLANTS. 99 



Ac'oRUS, Dioscorides. G., a, without, and core, the pupil of 



the eye ; the diseases of which it was supposed to 



cure. 

 CaVamus, Dioscorides. G. and L., a reed. 

 Act.e'a, Pliny. G., acte. A name originally assigned to 



the Elder, which the leaves of this plant resemble. 

 Actinocar'pus, E. Brown. G., actin, ray; and carpoSf 



fruit, from its radiated fruit. 

 Damaso^nium, Pliny. Pliny says that the Alisma was 



known to some persons as the Damasonion. It has 



also been applied to other plants : thus Gerard tells 



us that the names Alisma and Damasonium have 



both been used for Saponaria officinalis. The meaning 



is uncertain. 

 Adian'tum, Theophrastus. G., adiantos, dry ; because water 



will not adhere to the fronds, so says Pliny ; applied 



to Maiden-hair Ferns. 

 CapiVlus Veneris, Apuleius. L., capilliis, hair, Veneris, 



of Venus. The Maiden-hair Fern. 

 Ado'nis, Matthiolus. After Adonis, wdio, according to 



heathen mythology, was the favourite of the goddess 



Venus. He was fond of hunting, and received a 



mortal bite from a wdld boar which he had wounded ; 



he was then changed into a flower. 

 Adox'a, Linneus. G., a, without, and cloxa, glory ; from its 



humble appearance. 

 Moschatellina, Cordus. Late L., musciis, musk; on 



account of its smell. 

 iEGOPOD'iuM, or ^Egopo'dium, Linneus. From G., aig, goat, 



and pod, foot ; its leaves being cleft something lite a 



goat's foot. 

 Podagra via, Lobel. G., podagra, gout in the feet; because 



it was formerly supposed to cure gout. Goutweed, 



Herb-Gerard, or Goatweed, 



