What would you call it?

  Sometimes a name given to a plant can be quite erroneous.  Perhaps it was given the name years ago merely because of appearance or maybe because of perceived use of the plant.  You can understand the former. Appearance does indeed give one the idea of a name or perhaps the name gives the idea of the appearance of the plant.  Either way, it is understandable.  Take for instance the "Rattlesnake Weed".  The roots of this plant actually do resemble the rattle of the aforesaid snake. (With the exception of the root being stark white! I have never come across a rattlesnake with a white rattle.  That would just be a tad ridiculous!) Still, you can see why the plant was given the nickname.  By the way, the actual name of this weed is Florida Betony.  

Rattlesnake Weed better known as Florida Betony.

  Then there is another plant named after the same snake.  While out and about my daughter's field, she and I stumbled upon a plant that neither recognized.  We photographed it and then did a bit of research. After eliminating dozens of similar plants, we made the decision that this was a Rattlesnake Master.  Well, now!  With a strong name such as Rattlesnake Master, there just has to be a tale behind the label!  I researched a bit more and sure enough, although erroneous, there is a bit of a story behind the name.

Rattlesnake Master

  Rattlesnake Master is found in prairies and fields almost nationwide. The pioneers moving westward picked the seed pods for their children. When shaken, the seeds inside made a rattling sound.  This however is not how the plant received its weird name.  The root of that same plant was believed at the time to be an effective antidote against the bite of the rattlesnake. Sad to say, this was not true. Friendly Native Americans had shared their remedy for snakebite with the pioneers and it involved the root of this plant.  Perhaps some essential element was omitted from the remedy or perhaps some mistake was made in translation but the root proved ineffective. Many folks died due to this mistake but the name stuck.  This gives us a weird name for a rather unusual looking plant!