LIATRIS SCARIOSA. BLUE BLAZING STAR. 



119 



Herbal," notes : " The flesh of the Rattle-snake, dried and pow- 

 dered, has been given in consumption," and he candidly adds, 

 "but I never knew it to do any good." If he had lived till our 

 time he would probably make some such remark about " the 

 Rattle-snake's master." 



Professor Wood surmises that it was somewhat in relation to 

 its use in ratde-snake wounds that it received its name Liatris, of 

 which other botanists say "derivation unknown." He remarks 

 in his "Class-Book," "it is from the Greek //, an emphatic prefix, 

 and atros, invulnerable ; because used as a vulnerary," Others, 

 as Darby for instance, say it is derived from the Greek liazo, " I 

 come forth," in allusion to the early appearance of the leaves in 

 spring. But these are but guesses. By Linnaeus, what we now 

 know as Liatris was included in Scrratida. Jussieu, in 1789, re- 

 ferring to Kuhnia, remarks: "Here also are placed those species 

 of Scrratnla having naked receptacles." Schreber following in 

 1 79 1, perceived that this pordon of those with "naked recep- 

 tacles" did not belong to Kuhnia, and it is just possible, with this 

 smooth receptacle in his mind, he derived the name from the 

 Greek Icia, or smooth. This point, however, though it might 

 have suggested the original name, would be of no importance in 

 disdnguishing the genus at this time, for nearly all its immediate 

 allies have naked receptacles, with the single exception of a 

 genus called CarphepJwrus, which has a chaffy receptacle. This 

 genus was once included in Liatris, but has been removed 

 chiefly on account of this chaffy character. The receptacle, as 

 the reader knows, is the broad base on which the litde florets 

 are supported, and which is surrounded by the greenish scales, 

 forming the involucre. The chaffy scales referred to are merely 

 very much abbreviated stem leaves, and which in many cases 

 are wholly wanting, and in such cases we have what is known as 

 the naked receptacle. The presence or absence of these abbre- 

 viated leaves or chaffy scales is much relied on by botanists in 

 disdnguishing genera, — so much so that, as we have seen, a 

 genus distinct from Liatris has been made chiefly from this point 



