Anticlea Occidentalis, Mountainbells

Day 293: Okay, bear with me here. This is not going to be another rant about taxonomy, I promise. That said, when this plant was moved from Stenanthium to Anticlea, my curiosity about the etymology was aroused because it didn't seem to be sourced in Latin. As it turns out, the name was drawn directly from Greek mythology. Anticlea was the mother of Odysseus (the identity of his father is subject to debate). Her name means "without fame," appropriately perhaps, because she seems to have no particular function in the legend beyond being noted as part of Odysseus' genealogy when he meets her spirit in Hades. Ask three people how to pronounce "Anticlea," and you'll likely receive three different answers. I've heard "An-TICK-lee-uh," "ANTIE-klee" (totally ignoring the final "a") and something close to my own pronunciation of "Anty-CLEE-uh." Perhaps the most surprising thing about the taxonomic shift is that it denotes a phylogenetic link with three species of deathcamas, one of which (Glaucous Death Camas) also experienced a reclassification (from Zigadenus to Anticlea). In any event, Mountainbells are lovely and relatively scarce in our forests. They prefer a moist, shady habitat. Their delicate purple bells sway on slender stems to a height of roughly 12 inches, responding to the slightest breath of wind.