Old herbalists called this plant Seal of the Blessed Virgin, and in England it was known as Lady's seal. These names were associated with it because curious seal-like marks are left on the rhizome when a stem is shed. The marks were said to resemble the seals or signets used during the Middle Ages, when letters and documents of importance were sealed with hot wax. Pressing a seal or signet into the wax verified a document's authenticity when it was delivered with the seal unbroken.