ABSTRACT
Europeans and Americans have had mixed feelings about these twining plants. Some obviously consider them sent by the devil himself, as in the names “devil’s hair,” “devil’s thread,” and “old man’s beard.” Presumably, that is because they climb over other plants, but it might be because of their irritant chemicals. Others are enchanted with the elongated, plumose stigmas, and colorful flowers. That view is indicated in names like “traveler’s joy” and “Virgin’s bower.” Many have found the plants medicinal, dating from the 16th century herbalists including Leonard Fuchs (1542), William Turner in 1568, and John Gerarde ([1597] 1975).
