152 HEXANDRIA— MONOGYNIA. Asparagus. 



Anthericum ossifragum. Linn. Sp. PI. 446. Fl. Lapp.cd. 2. 105. 



Willcl V.2. 147. /'/. Dan. t.42. 

 Asphodelus Lancastrise. Ger. Em. 95./. 

 A. luteus palustris. Dod. Pempt. 208. f. 

 A. minimus luteus acorifolius palustris. Lob. It: 92./. 

 Pseudoasphodelus palustris anglicus. Bauh. Pin. 29. 

 Ps. palustris. Bauh. Tlieatr. 651./. 

 Phalangium anglicum palustre, iridis folio. Raii Syn.37o. 



In black turfy bogs. 



Perennial. Juli/, Jugust. 



Root tuberous and creeping. Herb smooth, rather firm and rigid. 

 Stem ascending, roundish, leafy, 6 or 8 inches high, not quite 

 straight. Leaves partly in radical tufts, 2-ranked, sword-shaped, 

 ribbed, obliquely pointed, half the height of the stem ; partly 

 on the stem, much smaller, scattered, sheathing, diminishing 

 almost to bracteas. Cluster li or 2 inches long, rather close 

 and dense. Flower-stalks alternate, simple, angular, each having 

 a lanceolate bractea, about its own length, at the bottom, and a 

 smaller one more than half way up, by the situation of which 

 last Mr. Ker has clearly distinguished this from the only known 

 species besides, his N. americanum, Curt. Mag. t. 1505, Pursh 

 227 , the Jloivers of which are paler, the wooUiness of its stamens 

 much shorter, and the anthers yellow not red. The cluster more- 

 over is generally interrupted, or divided, below the middle. The 

 flowers in our British species are bright yellow, spreading widely, 

 with scarlet anthers; the back or keel of each petal green. Cap' 

 sule tawny, half covered by the converging petals. Seeds brown, 

 with a white, chaffy tunic. 



Much has formerly been written about the power of this herb to 

 soften the bones of cattle feeding upon it, and it has been sup- 

 posed to cause the rot in sheep. Linnaeus in his Ft. Lapp, com- 

 bats both these opinions. 



195. ASPARAGUS. Asparagus. 



Linn. Gen. \68. Juss.4l. Br. Prodr.28\. Fl.Br.369. Tourn. 

 t. 154. Lam. t. 249. Gcertn. t. 16. 



Nat. Ord. Sarmentacecc. Linn. 11. Asparagi. Juss. 12. As- 

 phodele(je. Br. Prodr. 274'. N. 196 the same. 



Cal. none. Cor. inferior, in 6 deep, equal, oblong segments, 

 cohering at their lower part, permanent. Filam. awl- 

 shaped, smooth, attached to the lower part of each seg- 

 ment, and much shorter than the corolla. Anth. oblong, 

 peltate, erect. Germ, globular. Style short, with 3 fur- 

 rows. Stigma in 3 spreading lobes, deciduous. Berry 

 subtended by the withered corolla, globular, of 3 cells, 

 1 or 2 of which are often abortive. Seeds 1 or 2 in each 



