… Plant Names Tell Their Stories: Pulmonaria spp. (lungwort) Pulmonaria  spp. (lungworts) are spring-flowering plants named for the spotted leaves of the type species,  P. officinalis . Pulmonaria  spp. (lungworts) are spring-flowering plants named for the spotted leaves of the type species,  P. officinalis . The genus  Pulmonaria  means “lung” as the spotted leaves resemble diseased lungs.  P .  officinalis  was touted as medicine for lung ailments,  officinalis  meaning “sold in stores” and denoting a plant with culinary or medicinal use. The common name is lungwort; “wort” is an old English suffix that means “plant.” Image Pulmonaria  sp. with spotted foliage, growing in a shaded area at the Morris Arboretum. The red and yellow flower is Spigelia marilandica. Photo by Katherine Wagner-Reiss. Image 1834 anatomic drawing of pulmonary consumption (tuberculosis). Lungwort has spotted leaves reminiscent of the diseased lung seen on top. (CC BY 4.0)                     The Doctrine of Signatures is a pseudoscience held forth in various forms since …