142 



AST 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



AST 



lanceolate-linear, sessile, smooth, the lowest subserrate, 

 those of the branchlets lanceolate ; branches virgate ; ca- 

 lices imbricate ; stem smoothish, four feet high ; ray slight- 

 ly flesh-coloured ; disk elevated, pale yellow. It flowers 

 in October, and is a native of North America. 



60 Aster Pendulous ; Pendulous Starwort. Leaves ellip- 

 tic-lanceolate, serrate, smooth, those of the branchlets ra- 

 ther remote ; branches very much divaricated, pendulous ; 

 stem pubescent ; ray of the flower white ; disk yellow, 

 changing to ferruginous. It flowers in October. Native 

 of North America. 



61. Aster Diffusus ; Diffuse Starwort. ' Leaves elliptic- 

 lanceolate, serrate, smooth, proportioned ; branches spread- 

 ing ; calices imbricate ; stem pubescent ; ray white. Na- 

 tive of North America ; flowering in September. 



62. Aster Divergens ; Spreading Downy -stalked Starwort. 

 Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, serrate, smooth, those on the 

 stem linear, lanceolate, elongated ; branches spreading ; 

 calices imbricate ; stem pubescent ; ray white, shorter than 

 the calix ; disk reddish. Native of North America. 



63. Aster Corymbosus ; Corymbed Starwort. Leaves 

 cordate, smooth, acuminate, all finely serrate ; petioles 

 simple ; branches fastigiate ; stem smooth. It flowers in 

 September, and is a native of North America. 



64. Aster Spectabilis ; Showy Starwort. Leaves lanceo- 

 late, somewhat scabrous, the lower serrate ; branches corym- 

 bed ; calicine leaflets lax, nearly wedge-shaped, sharpish, 

 squarrose ; stem two feet high ; ray blue. It flowers in 

 August and September, and is a native of North America. 



65. Aster Radula ; Rough Starwort. Leaves lanceolate, 

 serrate, acuminate, wrinkled, very scabrous ; calices imbri- 

 cate ; leaflets lanceolate, obtuse. It flowers in September, 

 and is a native of Nova Scotia. 



Astragalus ; a genus of the class Diadelphia, order Decan- 

 dria. GENERIC CHARACTER. Calix: perianth-one-leafed, 

 tubular, five-toothed, acute ; lower toothlets gradually less. 

 Corolla: papilionaceous; banner longer than the other petals, 

 reflex on the sides, emarignate, obtuse straight ; wings ob- 

 long, shorter than the banner ; keel length of the wings, emar- 

 ginate. Stamina : filamenta diadelphous, simple, and nine- 

 cleft, almost straight ; antherae roundish. Pistil : germen 

 nearly columnar ; style subulate, ascending ; stigma obtuse. 

 Pericarp : legume two-celled, the cells bent to one side, with 

 a longitudinal bifid septum parallel to the valves. Seeds : 

 kidney-shaped. ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. Legume : two 

 celled, gibbous. Every species of this genus may be raised 

 from seeds : these should be sown in April on an open bor- 

 der of light earth ; the annual sorts where they are to remain ; 

 the perennials to be transplanted to the places for which 

 they are destined. They are in general hardy, and require no 

 other care but to draw the plants out where they come up 

 too thick, leaving them a foot and half or two feet asunder, 

 and to keep them clean from weeds. The species are, 

 * Stems leafy, erect; not prostrate. 



1. Astragalus Alopecuroides ; Fox-tail Milk Fetch. Cau- 

 lescent ; spikes cylindric, subsessile ; calices and legumes 

 woolly. The flowers, which are yellow, are produced in 

 June or July, and ripen the seeds in September. Native 

 of the Alps, and Siberia. 



2. Astragalus Christianus. Caulescent, erect ; flowers 

 glomerate, subsessile, from all the leafy axillas. The flow- 

 ers are large, and of a bright yellow colour ; they appear 

 in July, and in very favourable seasons are succeeded by 

 seeds in England, and will only succeed when planted in a 

 warm border. It is a native of the Levant. 



3. Astragalus Capitatus. Caulescent : heads globular ; 



peduncles very long ; leaflets emarginate. From the axil 

 come out long peduncles supporting a head of purple flowers, 

 which appear in July, but are rarely succeeded by pods in 

 England. Discovered in the Levant by Tournefort. This 

 species must be raised on a moderate hot-bed in the spring, 

 and when the plants are fit to remove, they should be each 

 put into a small pot filled with light earth, and plunged again 

 into the hot-bed, shading them from the sun till they have 

 taken root ; after which they should have free air admitted 

 to them daily, in proportion to the warmth of the season, and 

 should be frequently and gently watered. In May they should 

 be removed to a sheltered situation, where they may remain 

 till October, when they should be placed under a common 

 frame. In the spring they may be turned out of the pots, 

 and planted in a warm border, where they will flower, and 

 sometimes produce seeds. If the winter prove very severe, 

 a little old tan should be laid over the roots. 



4. Astragalus Pilosus ; Pale-Jlowered Milk Fetch. Caules- 

 cent, erect, hairy: flowers in spikes; legumes subulate, 

 hairy ; root woody, perennial. It flowers from June till 

 August ; the corolla is of a light yellow colour. Native 

 of the Valais, Siberia, Thuringia, and Austria. 



5. Astragalus Sulcatus; Furrowed Milk Fetch. Caules- 

 cent, erect, smooth, striated, stiff: leaflets linear-lanceolate, 

 acute ; legumes three-sided ; root perennial, woody ; co- 

 rollas pale violet; seeds many, brown, shining, round, 

 kidney-shaped. It flowers in the open air in June and 

 July, and ripens seed in August. A native of Siberia. 



6. Astragalus Galegifonriis ; Goat's Rue-leaved Milk Fetch. 

 Caulescent, stiff, smooth ; flowers in racemes, pendulous, 

 small, yellow; legumes three-sided, mucronate at both ends ; 

 root perennial. It flowers in June or July, ripens seeds in 

 autumn, and is a native of Siberia. To cultivate this plant, 

 you must place it in an open situation and dry soil. 



7. Astragalus Chinensis. Caulescent, stiff, smooth ; flow- 

 ers in racemes, pendulous ; legumes ovate, inflated, mucro- 

 nate at both ends. The colour of the calix is greenish yel- 

 low ; of the banner pale yellow, streaked with green at the 

 base : of the wings and keel, white with yellow tips ; the 

 flower itself finally becomes white. It is a native of China, 

 as its name imports. For the propagation and culture of 

 this species, see the third species of this genus. 



8. Astragalus Onobrychis ; Purple-spiked Milk Fetch. 

 Caulescent, procumbent, diffused : spikes peduncled ; ban- 

 ner twice as long as the wings ; leaflets linear ; corollas 

 red : it flowers in June and July. Native of Austria. 



9. Astragalus Uliginosus ; Violet- coloured Milk Fetch. 

 Caulescent, almost upright : flowers in spikes ; legumes 

 almost upright, naked, tumid, round-flatted ; point reflex. 

 It flowers from June till August. Native of Siberia. 



10. Astragalus Carolinianus ; Carolina Milk Fetch. Cau- 

 lescent, upright, even : peduncles in spikes ; flowers green- 

 ish yellow ; legumes ovate-cylindric, acuminated by the 

 style ; root perennial. It flowers in July and August ; but 

 unless the season be warm, seldom ripens seed in England. 

 Native of Carolina. For the culture and propagation of 

 this plant, see the third species of this genus. 



11. Astragalus Asper ; Rough MM Fetch. Caulescent, 

 stiff, even, roughish ; flowers pale, in spikes, on elongated 

 peduncles ; legumes oblong. Native of Astracan. 



** Steins leafy, diffuse. 



12. Astragalus Canadensis ; Woolly Milk Fetch. Caules- 

 cent, diffuse ; legumes subcylindric, mucronate ; leaflets 

 almost naked; corollas all yellow; antherae saffron-colour. 

 Native of Virginia and Canada. For the propagation and 

 culture of this species, see the third species of this genus. _, 



