SKA I.W INDl'.R 189 



ciiictaria), two Momoptera, Eiiptcryx Iciiclla, .Iplialara ar/ci)/isl«\ two 

 Heteropicra, Sc/urus bicolor, P/iJgio<^iia//itis alhipcintis, ami llic llics 

 Cccidoiiiyia fo/ionnii. S/>t/o!^ra/>/ia artcntisia-, Lcncopis ainiiilipcs, are 

 found oil it. 



The name Artiiiiiiia, Hippocrates, is ilerived, so Pliny sa\ s. from 

 the ijodtless Artemis, goddess of Chastity. Absiiitliiiiui. 1 )iosc()riilcs, is 

 the Latin name for wormwood, taken trom the (".nek apsiii/fn'on. 



The name.s Absinth. Madei-wort, Min^wort, Mn^worl. ( )K1 Woman, 

 W'armot, Wormwood, are all applied to this plant. 



In reference to Absinth, Benevenuto, 1612, sa\s: "Absinth aiul 

 poyson be my sustenance." 



When seen in dreams it was regarded as a good omen. On St. 

 Luke's day a maiden was told to " Take marigold flowers, a sprig of 

 marjoram, thyme, and a little wormwood; dry them before a fire, rub 

 them to powder, then sift it through a fine piece of lawn; simmer these 

 with a small quantity of virgin honey, in white vinegar, over a slow- 

 fire: with this anoint your stomach, breasts, and lips, lying down, and 

 repeat these words thrice : — 



' St. Luke, St. Luke, be kind to me, 

 In dream let me my true love see.' 



This saiil, hasten to sleep, anil in the soft slimiiK-rs of night's re[)ose, 

 the very man whom you shall marry shall appear before you. " It was 

 called St. John's Girdle in Germany, and in Sicily St. John's Beard. 



In the Middle Ages it was often used as a remedy. It is said 

 to be tonic, antispasmodic, and antiseptic applied e.xternally. It has 

 also been used in fevers, gout, scurvy, dropsy. It is said to be of use 

 as a stomachic. The seeds are used in rectifying spirits. It used 

 to be hung up to prevent infection, and with Rue was jjut in the 

 dock by the pri.soner's side to prevent Jail fever. It flavours absinth 

 and is used in beer abroad. 



Essential Specific Characters: — 



162. Arteviisia Absinthiitm, L. — Stem erect, bushy, leaves lanceo- 

 late, silky, segments blunt, bi])innatifi(l, tlowerheads drooping, dull 

 yellow, in hemispherical heads. 



Sea Lavender iLimonium vulgarc, Mill.) 



The Tem])erate (.\orthern) Zone throughout Euro]X', N. Africa, 

 and X. America marks the limit of the range of Sea Lavender to-day, 

 no earlier records of its occurrence being known. In Great Britain it 

 is absent from the coasts of East Norfolk, Monmouth, Pembroke. 



