68 Acorus calamus. 
bunches of brown fibres resembling coarse hair, are always found 
when the plant has grown in its natural wet situations. The root is 
internally of a white spongy texture, and loses nearly one half of 
its diameter in exsiccation. Its odour is strong, aromatic, subtle and 
pungent, particularly when dried; and its taste very peculiar, being 
somewhat saccharine, and agreeably aromatic when first chewed, 
but upon mastication becoming bitter, acrid and nauseous. The leaves 
are long, sword-shaped, sheathing, especially at the base; and at their 
origin from the root are of a red colour mixed with green and white. 
The flowers are tesselately arranged on a spadix, coming out 
laterally from the middle of a foliaceous scape, which extends a 
considerable distance beyond it, so as to have the appearance of a 
leaf; and indeed it is generally said by botanists, that the spadix 
proceeds from a leaf. This spadix is solitary, from one and a half to 
two inches and a half long, something less than half an inch in dia- 
meter, cylindrical and attenuated at its base and apex. It is croud- 
ed spirally with numerous small greenish-yellow flowers, consisting 
of six small concave membranous truncated petals, without any calix, 
and stamens varying in number, from six to five and four, which 
have thick filaments and double anthers. The germen is gibbous and 
without any style, being crowned by a pointed stigma. The capsule 
is somewhat oblong, and contains a great number of small thin seeds 
in its numerous cells. Its favourite situations are the borders of ri- 
vulets, creeks, and small running streams, where it is generally 
emerged half its height in the water. In these situations it is found in 
company with different species of Iris, and Typha, (cat’s-tail or bull- 
