33 



* ASAGR^A officinalis. 



Spike-flowered Asagrcea. 



HEXANDRIA TRIGYNIA. 

 Nat. Ord. MELANTHACEiE. 



ASAGRJEA. FZores polygami, racemosl, nudi. Periunthium, Q-'^Axixixim, 

 foliolis linearibus aveniis subaequalibus, basi excavatis nectarifluis, staminibus 

 cequalibus. Stamina altern^ brevlora ; antheris cordatis, quasi unilocularlbus, 

 post dehiscentiam clypeolatls. Ovaria 3, simplicisslma, in stigma obscurum at- 

 tenuata. FoUiculi tres, acuminati, chartacei ; seminibus acinaciformibus, cor- 



rugatis, alatis. Herbae bulbosce, foliis gramineis, floribus parvis, pallidis, 



dense racemosis. 



AsAGRiEA officinalis. 



Veratrum officinale. Schlecht. in Linricea, vi. 45. 



Helonias officinalis. Don. in Edinb. new phil. journ. Oct. 1832. p. 234. 

 Lindl. fi. med. 586. 



Herba bulbosa, foliis gramineis, subcarinatis, viridibus, margine aspe- 

 riusculis, scapi 4-5-pedalis longitudine. Scapus teres. Racemus semipe- 

 dalis, densissima, stricta, spicceformis. Flores albi, basi bracted rotundatd 

 suffulti. Anthers lutecB, basi cordatce, bivalves, uniloculares, demilm cly- 

 peatim peltatce (loculis binis apice confluentibus). 



This half-hardy bulbous plant was received by the Horti- 

 cultural Society from Mr. Hartweg, who found it in Mexico, 

 in the neighbourhood of Vera Cruz, where it was called 

 Sabadilla. It is no doubt the plant found by Deppe and 

 Schiede on the eastern side of the Mexican Andes, near 

 Barranca de Tioselo, by the Hacienda de la Laguna, in rocky 

 places, and is probably that from which the Sabadilla seeds 

 of commerce are, at least in part, procured. 



It is however neither a Veratrum as Schlechtendahl sup- 



* In compliment to Dr. Asa Gray, the author of a treatise upon North 

 American Melanthacea;, and, in conjunction with Dr. Torrey, of the Flora of 

 North America, now publishing. 



