Lasthenia, Scaevola, Tittering Taxonomists...

Thanks for possible leads on the relationship between a plant and a
cross-dressing ancient Greek. 

Jim: I guess dear Prof S is where Mr Chiltern pinched his info (as so
many of us do...) but I don't recall that Prof S goes any further. I
don't have the book in the house. Is my memory right? I guess so or
you'd have said! 

Bill: I don't know Bob Ornduff or how to get in touch with him. If you
feel like irritating him sometime...

Ok, Moira, you asked for it. Sitting comfortably? Then here goes. 

The genus Scaevola is named after a person. (That's how the person
spelt his name and hence why that's the only correct spelling for the
plant, despite the other versions you'll often come across.) The
person was an Ancient Roman, one Caius Scaevola. What does he have to
do with plants? It's a long story which I'll try to make short.

In said Ancient Rome one Lars Porsena started a virtual civil war, to
avenge his family's honour. (Think Mafia. Think Godfather.)
Eventually, after much bashing and crashing, he was repulsed. (The
bashing and crashing included the episode of Horatius on the bridge,
'famously' - or infamously - versified by Thomas Babbington Macaulay,
in his Lays of Ancient Rome, which, once upon a very distant time,
folks of my great age used to have to learn in school.) After that
repulsing, our hero, Caius Scaevola, went out to do some spying,
'behind the enemy lines,' to see what old Lars P. was up to. Of
course, he got caught. About to be tortured into revealing what he
knew about his OWN side's plans, he had the canny notion of beating
the torturers to it - he thrust his own right hand into the flames of
the fire, to show that he wouldn't speak even if he WAS tortured.
Equally of course, Lars P. was so impressed, he let him off. (Well,
these were Ancient Romans, darn it, and that's the way they did things
back then. Upright, clean-living, trusting guys, every blood-thirsty
murdering one of'em.)

By now you'll be saying, All very interesting but what the heck has it
got to do with plants? Hang on. We're coming to it. This is where our
weird taxonomists come in.

Ok. After Caius S. had thrust his right mitt into the flames, he was
left with what? Correct. Only a LEFT hand.

And (are you all sitting on the edges of your seats? here comes the
punch line, to a chorus of hysterical taxonomical giggles) scaevolas
have LEFT HANDED FLOWERS!

And don't DARE ask what a left handed flower is.

Wishing you hadn't asked?!

Cheers
Tim
Tim Longville
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