A white-flowered form of Dodecatheon meadia grew in my Maryland garden for years and then disappeared last year. The underground parts of this plant reminded me of those of Eremurus on a miniscule scale. I don't think Dodecatheon grow naturally in this immediate area, but many years ago I was taken to a site about forty miles from here where the Dodecatheon and a number of other plants make their closest appearance. Among others we saw Delphinium tricorne and the eastern Thuja - the latter on limestone outcrops only as I recall. The friend who showed me this site was a good field botanist, but had never impressed me much on botanical names. But he caught me that day. When we spotted the Dodecatheon, I blurted out Dodecatheon meadia - and pronounced meadia as a four syllable word. My friend looked at me and asked why I was pronouncing it that way. I fessed up and admitted that I really didn't know what meadia meant, but if it was Latin it would be four syllables. My friend then pointed out that it was named for someone named Mead (as I learned later, Meadia was a genus authored by Catesby in honor of one Dr. Richard Mead - the name was later adopted by Linnaeus as a specific epithet). It's been three syllables ever since! Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7, where Zephyranthes grandiflora should open tomorrow. My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/ Webmaster Potomac Valley Chapter, NARGS Editor PVC Bulletin http://www.pvcnargs.org/ Webmaster Potomac Lily Society http://www.potomaclilysociety.org/