136 



ASP 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL, 



ASP 



for dyeing wool of a red colour. It is a native of Sweden 

 Germany, Switzerland, France, Carniola, and Siberia. 



7. Asperula Pyrenaica; Pyrenean Woodroof. Leaves four in 

 a whorl, lanceolate-linear; stem erect; flowers generally trilid 

 red; roots perennial. Native of the Pyrenees, and about Basil 



8. Asperula Cynanchica ; Squinancywort, or Small Wood- 

 roof. Leaves four in a whorl, linear, the upper ones opposite; 

 stem erect ; flowers quadrifid ; roots perennial ; stems from 

 four inches to a foot and half in length, prostrate, hard, 

 numerous, branching dichotomously. The corollas are blush- 

 coloured, elegantly marked with red lines ; sometimes they 

 are white. The flowers have a sweet smell. It is found in 

 France, Germany, Switzerland, Carniola, Italy, and the 

 Levant : it abounds in many parts of England, on chalk- 

 downs, as, about Dartford in Kent ; in Epsom downs, Hert- 

 fordshire, Gog-magog hills, Newmarket heath, Swaffham in 

 Norfolk, Armingale wood near Norwich, and on the Sussex 

 downs. It flowers from June till August. This plant had 

 formerly a great reputation for curing the quinsy, for which 

 it was both internally and externally applied : it is now en- 

 tirely obsolete. 



9. Asperula Aristida ; Avon-flowered Woodroof. Leaves 

 linear, rather fleshy ; the lower ones four in a whorl ; stem 

 upright; flowers subtern-awned, pale yellowish, placed paral- 

 lel with the divisions, bluntly awned. Native of the south 

 of Europe. 



10. Asperula Laevigata ; Shining Woodroof. Leaves four in 

 a whorl, elliptic, nerveless, srnoothish; peduncles divaricate, 

 trichotomous ; seeds scabrous ; stems simple, smooth, spread- 

 ing; leaves subpetioled, obtuse, spreading, scarcely ciliate ; 

 flowering branches horizontal, bifid ; two small lanceolate 

 bractes ; flowers usually in threes, peduncled, white. It 

 flowers in June and July ; and is a native of the south of 

 Europe 



11. Asperula Hexaphylia; Six-leaved -Woodroof. Leaves 

 six in whorl, linear ; flowers umbelled, terminal, subsessile ; 

 root perennial ; stems sometimes branching at the base, but 

 generally simple; corollas purple, white within, the segments 

 a little revolute; seeds oblong, compressed; the whole plant 

 is smooth. It grows in the fissures of the rocks nearTende. 



Asphodelus ; a genus of the class Hexandria, order Mono- 

 gynia, GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: none. Corolla: one- 

 petalled, six-parted ; divisions lanceolate, flat, spreading ; 

 nectary six very small valves, converging into a globe, 

 inserted into the base of the corolla. Staminas fllamenta 

 six, subulate, inserted into the valves of the nectary, bowed, 

 alternately shorter ; antherae oblong, incumbent, rising. 

 Pistil : germen roundish, within the nectary ; style subulate, 

 in the same situation with the stamina; stigma truncate. Pe- 

 ricarp: capsule globular, fleshy, three-lobed, three-celled. 

 Seeds: several, triangular, gibbous on one side. Observe: the 

 lilamenta decline in some, and are bowed outwardly in others. 

 ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Corolla : six-parted. Nectary : 

 six valves covering the germen. The Asphodels are pretty 

 ornaments in a garden ; and requiring but little trouble to 

 cultivate, are the more acceptable. The species are, 



1. Asphodelus Luteus ; Yellow Asphodel, or King's Spear. 

 Stem leafy ; leaves three-sided, striated. The roots are com- 

 posed of many thick, yellow fleshy tubers, joined into a head 

 at the top, whence arise strong round single stalks, nearly three 

 feethigh.covering their whole length with long.three-corner- 

 ed boat-shaped leaves, of a sea-green colour ; the upper part of 

 the stalk is adorned halfway with yellowstar-shiiped flowers, 

 which begin to open at bottom, so that on the same spike 

 there is often a succession of flowers during a full month 

 from the time of its beginning to flower, which is in June or 



towards the end of May. It is a native of Sicily, multiplying 

 very fast by roots, which will soon overspread a large border 

 if permitted to remain, or if the side shoots are not taken off. 

 2. Asphodelus Ramosus; Branched Asphodel, or King's 

 Spear. Stem naked ; leaves ensiform, keeled, smooth. The 

 flowers are star-shaped, white, with a purple line running 

 longitudinally along the outside of each segment ; they grow 

 in long spikes, flowering successively, from the bottom up- 

 wards, appearing in the first part of June, and producing 

 seed in autumn. It is a native of the south of Europe : 

 immense tracts of land in Apulia are covered with it, and it 

 affords excellent food for sheep. It does not increase very 

 fast by roots, nor should it be often transplanted, for that 

 will weaken it, so that the flower-stems will not rise so tall, or 

 produce so many flowers, as when left undisturbed for some 

 years; the best way therefore is to propagate it by seeds, 

 which should be sown soon after they are ripe, on a warm 

 border of light fresh earth : in the springthe plants will appear, 

 when you should carefully clear them from weeds, and in dry 

 weather they must be frequently watered : if this be done, at 

 thefollowing Michaelmas, the plants will be strong enough to 

 bear transplanting, at which time you must prepare a bed 

 of fresh earth in the flower nursery, into which you should 

 plant the roots, at about six inches' distance every way, 

 observing to plant them so low as that the top of the roots 

 may be three or four inches under the surface of the bed ; and 

 some old tan or dung should be spread over the ground, to 

 keep out the frost : in this bed they may remain one year, 

 during which time they should be kept clear from weeds; by 

 which time, the roots having acquired strength enough to 

 produce flowers the following year, in autumn, when their 

 leaves are decayed, they should be carefully taken up, and 

 transplanted into the flower-garden, observing to place them 

 in the middle of the borders, amongst other hardy kinds of 

 flowers, where, being properly intermixed, they will create 

 an agreeable variety, and continue a long time in flower. 

 Motherby recommends the braised root to be applied to scro- 

 phulous swellings, which, he says, it will speedily dissolve and 

 disperse. This plant is of an acrid, heating, diuretic quality ; 

 and, taken internally,is said to be particularly useful in remov- 

 ing obstructions of the menstrual discharge : it has likewise 

 gained the credit of being an excellent antispasmodic. 



3. Asphodelus Fistulosus ; Onion-leaved Asphodel. Stem 

 naked ; leaves stiff, subulate, striated, subfistulose. The roots 

 are composed of many fleshy yellow fibres. The leaves spread 

 out from the crown of the root close to the ground, in a large 

 cluster ; they are convex on their under side, but flat above, 

 and hollow. The flower-stalks rise immediately from the 

 root, and grow about two feet high, dividing upwards into 

 three or four branches, which are adorned with white starry 

 lowers, having purple lines on the outside, which appear in 

 July and August, and ripen seed in October, soon after which 

 the plants decay. It grows naturally in the south of France, 

 vnd the island of Crete. It is an annual plant and can be pro- 

 jugated by seeds only, which should be sown in the autumn, 

 when they will be more certain to grow than if sown in the 

 spring: when the plants are up, they will require no other 

 trouble but to keep them clean from weeds, until they have 

 jut out four or five leaves, when they should be carefully 

 removed to the place where they are designed to remain. If 

 the seeds are permitted to scatter, the plants will come up 

 without care, and those which are not removed will IK- the 

 trongest plants, and produce a great number of flowers. 



Atplnniam ; apt-mis of the class Cryptogamia, order l-'ilicfs. 



(TKNKRIC: CHARACTER. Fructifications disposed in rii^ht 



ines along the under disk of the frond. -Whoever desires to 



