THE AMERICAN BOTANIST, 



121 



The Mosquito Plant, — Several species of basil (Oci- 

 Tnum) have lately come to the front as efficacious in driv- 

 ing av^ay the mosquito. In v^armer countries the leaves 

 of the basil have long been used as a febrifuge, and it is of 

 interest to find that the plant not onh^ conquers the fever, 

 but also drives away the pest that spreads it. The species 

 in greatest repute are Ocimum gratissimuniy O. sanctum^ 

 O. pilosam and villosum, Mam^ other plants contain- 

 ing essential oils are useful against the mosquito. A wri- 

 ter in Indian Planting' and Gardening" states that he never 

 l^new of a native who used cinnamon or cloves to be ill 

 with malaria or cholera and that in his own case a little 

 tincture of mj^rrh sprinkled about his bed at night always 

 kept mosquitoes away. A list of other oils useful for this 

 purpose was published in Volume II of The American 

 Botanist. 



The Names of Drug Plants. — ^^The scientific wights 

 who tinker with our plant names are fond of telling us 

 that their work is necessary in order that we may have a 

 nomenclature that is understood by all, but the practice 

 of the druggists offers a remarkable contradiction. These 

 g-entlemen are constantly measuring and issuing drugs^ 

 upon the use of which human life often depends, and yet 

 they and the doctors who issue the prescriptions, do not 

 find it necessary to give names, synonyms and double au- 

 thor-citations to indicate the plant indicated. In fact a 

 single word is often enough. Senega does duty for Poly- 

 gala Senega^ Lappa for the burdock (Arctium lappa) ^ 

 Gentiana for the gentian (G. lutea). Calamus for the sweet 

 flag, Sanguinaria for the bloodroot, Geranium for the 

 crane'sbill and so on. It is difficult to see, in the case of 

 the dandelion, for instance, how we have gained by dis- 

 carding the time honored Taraxicum otEcinale tor the 

 nomenclaturist's Taraxicum Taraxicum (L.) Karst. 

 Many similar absurdities will suggest themselves to the 

 thoughtful student. 



