Queen of Moccasin-Flo^wers 59 



Venus, in classical literature, was also known as 

 * ' Our I^ady , " the " Divine Mother ' ' of the Romans, 

 so that the common name has never in reality changed 

 since 161 6, when it was first applied to these shoe- 

 shaped flowers of Europe, in honor of Mary, * * Our 

 lyady," the " Divine Mother" of all nations. 



The Algonquin Indians, in their forests of Northeast- 

 ern North America, saw this same shoe-shape resem- 

 blance in these flowers, and called them Mawcahsun or 

 Makkasin- Flowers, since they reminded them of little 

 Indian Moccasins. Thus arose the common name In- 

 dian Moccasin-Flowers for all our native species of 

 Cypripedium. Lady's Slipper is distinctly of Euro- 

 pean origin, while Moccasin-Flower is most appropri- 

 ately American, since this name was given by the first 

 inhabitants of our shores, as it were, in mythological 

 days. May the name of the Indian's Moccasin-Flower 

 pass down through the coming centuries in honor of 

 a race that will disappear long before these flowers, 

 which they christened so appropriately. 



I have never thus far found the Dwarf Fragrant 

 Moccasin-Flower, an upland flower, which Higginson 

 describes as growing on the ' * Rattlesnake Ledge ' ' on 

 ** Tatessit Hill,"' in the neighborhood of Boston. 

 The larger yellow species, Cypripedium hirsutum, 

 grows in the Hoosac Valley high on the steep sides of 

 the Domelet, while the smaller species seeks the deep- 

 est parts of the Swamp of Oracles and Aurora's Bog. 



' Thomas Wentworth Higginson, The Procession of the 

 Flowers, p. 17. 



