ASPHODELUS. 



26 



ASTRAGALUS. 



standing singly on a lawn, or near j 

 water. There is a variety with 

 striped leaves, which is common in j 

 gardens ; and which is called Rib- j 

 bon-grass in England, and in Scot- | 

 land, Gardener's-garters. Thisva- | 

 riety is quite liai'dy. The species is ; 

 a native of Italy, and it is often used j 

 instead of bamboo for chairs, canes, 

 kc. ; tlie imperfect canes are in gene- 

 ral use in Rome for lighting fires. 



AscLE^piAS. — Asclepiadece. — 

 Swallow-wort, — North American 

 herbaceous plants, for the greater 

 part hardy in British gardens. The 

 most ornamental species is A. tu- 

 berosa, which has fine scarlet- 

 orange flowers, but is somev/hat ^ 

 difficult to cultivate. It thrives, 

 however, in sandy peat, kept rather 

 dry than otherwise, and seldom dis- 

 turbed by removal ; and it is in- 

 creased by division. A. incarndta 

 is supposed to be a variety of A. 

 tuberhsa, but it has rose-coloured 

 flowers. A. amod'na has purple 

 flowers, and thrives in a mixture of 

 peat and loam. A. curassdvicah.B.s 

 scarlet flowers, and grows best in 

 rich mould ; it is readily increased by 

 cuttings, or by seeds, which it pro- 

 duces in abundance. It is, however, 

 generally considered a stove plant. 



Ash Berberry. — See Maho'nia. 



Aspe'rula. — Rubidcece. — Wood- 

 roof. — Hardy herbaceous plants, of 

 which one species, A. odordta, the 

 common Woodroof, or Woodrufi", de- 

 serves culture for its sweet-scented 

 white flowers, which, in the dried 

 plant, have the scent of hay. It is 

 Avell adapted for growing in pots, 

 but as it increases rapidly by its 

 creeping roots, it is by no means 

 desirable for rockwork. 



Aspho'delus. — Asphodelece. — 

 King's-spear, or King's-rod. — Orna- 

 mental herbaceous plants, mostly 

 quite hardy, of which A, dlbus and 

 A. liiteus are the most ornamental 



species. They are coarse-growing 

 plants, and increase rapidly by 

 suckers in any common soil. 



A'STER. — Comxjositce. — The Mi- 

 chaelmas Daisy. — Hardy herbaceous 

 plants, mostly perennials. There 

 are also a few Cape and New Hol- 

 land shrubs. The herbaceous spe- 

 cies are of great value, from their 

 flowering late in autumn, and from 

 their requiring very little care or 

 labour in their culture. They v/ill 

 grow in any soil or situation, and 

 spread rapidly by throwing up 

 suckers and sending out root-stems. 

 Among the handsomest perennial 

 species are A. cdjAniis, and A. cri- 

 coldes, the common Michaelmas 

 Daisy. The China Aster has been 

 separated by botanists from the 

 genus A'ster ; it was first placed in 

 the genus Callistemma, but it and its 

 varieties, the German Asters, &c., 

 now form the new genus Calleste- 

 phus, under v/hich the culture of the 

 plant is given. A'stei' tenellus is 

 thus the only annual species left in 

 the old geaus, and it is a pretty little 

 hardy plant, which may be sown in 

 the open ground in March or April. 

 Among the greenhouse species of 

 Aster, A. argophyllus, sometimes 

 called the Musk -plant, is remarkable 

 for its white leaves and strong scent; 

 and A . fruticulos^is has pretty blue 

 flowers. These two last species are 

 grown in sandy peat, or a mixture 

 of loam and peat, and are readily 

 propagated. 



AsTi'LBE. — Saxifrdgece. — A very 

 pretty hardy plant, with clusters of 

 pink flowers, and very much the 

 habit of A . Spirece. It is a native of 

 lofty mountains in Eastern Bengal, 

 and was introduced in 1857. 



Astha'galus. — Leguminbsce. — 

 The Milk Vetch. — Vigorous-grow- 

 ing pea-flowered plants, of which 

 several deseiwe culture, on account 

 of their flowers. They grow in any 



