ASCLEPIAS 



ASIMINA 



405 



variegata, Linn. Two ft. or less high: Ivs. 3-7 pairs, 

 oval, ovate or oblong, thinnish, green and glabrous 

 above and pale beneath: fls. white and pink, in 1-3 

 umbels. Dry, shady places, central and southern states. 

 B.M. 1182. 



eriocirpa, Benth. Densely woolly all over: Ivs. alter- 

 nate or in ya, long-oblong or lanceolate, short-petioled : 

 fls. dull white, in few or several umbels. Calif. 



cc. Fruiting pedicels erect, and the pods erect. 

 quadrifolia, Linn. About 2 ft., not branched, with Ivs. 

 towards the top of the st. in whorls of 4: Ivs. ovate or 

 lance-ovate, acuminate, thin, nearly or quite glabrous: 

 fls oink to white in 2-4 loose umbels. Dry soil; fre- 

 quent. L.B.C. 13:1258. 



verticillata, Linn. About 2 ft., slender, very leafy: 

 Ivs. in whorls of 3^5, very narrow-linear and 

 revolute: fls. greenish white, in many small 

 umbels. Dry soil; frequent. L.B.C. 11:1067. 



Var. pumila, Gray. A few inches high from a fascicled 

 root: Ivs. filiform, crowded. Plains, \V. 



mexicana, Cav. Height 5 ft. or less: Ivs. in whorls 

 of 3-6, or sometimes opposite or fascicled, linear or 



narrow-lanceolate: fls. 

 greenish white or pur- 

 plish in dense, many- 

 fld. umbels. Ore., W. 

 and S. L. H. B. 



ASCYRUM (Greek, 

 not hard or rough, 

 ancient name of some 

 plant). Hypericacese. 

 Small plants some- 

 times planted in wild 

 gardens and borders. 



Low herbs or sub- 

 shrubs, with bright 

 yellow fls.. 2 small 

 sepals and 2 large 

 ones, 4 petals, and 

 many stamens: fr. a 

 1- celled and 2-4- 

 valved caps. Two 

 species in dry, sandy 

 soils in eastern states 

 (also one or two W. 

 Indian and one Hi- 

 malayan species). Of 

 easiest cult, but 

 should be covered in 

 winterintheN. Prop, 

 by division; also by 

 seeds. 



hypericoides, Linn. 

 (A. Crux- Andrese, 

 Linn.). ST. ANDREW'S 

 CROSS. Fig 400. A ft, 

 or less high, branchy: 

 Ivs. thin, oblong or 

 obovate, narrowed to 

 the base : petals linear- 

 oblong; styles 2, short. 

 G.F. 5:257 (adapted in Fig. 400). Mn. 3:65. 



stans, Michx. ST. PETER'S-WORT. Taller, scarcely 

 branched: st. 2-edged, stout: Ivs. thicker, broad-oblong 

 or oval and clasping: petals obovate; styles 3-4. 



L. H. B. 



ASH: Fraiinus. 



ASIMINA, (from Assiminier, a French-and-Indian 

 name). Annon&cex. PAPAW (the papaw of literature is 

 Carica, which see). Small trees or shrubs, grown chiefly 

 for their handsome large foliage and for their attractive 

 flowers; also sometimes for their edible fruit, 



Low shrubs, and 1 species a small tree: Ivs. alternate, 

 usually deciduous, entire: fls. axillary, solitary or few, 

 nodding, short-stalked; sepals 3, smaller than petals, 



399. Asclepias tuberosa. ( X H) 



400. Ascyrum hypericoides. ( X Yi) 



deciduous; petals 6, the inner ones smaller, usually 

 upright; stamens numerous, crowded, with short 

 filaments; pistils 3-15, separate, 1-celled with many 

 ovules: fr. consisting of 1 or few oval to oblong berries 

 with rather large compressed seeds in 1 or 2 ranks.; 

 Eight species in E. N. Amer. Description of all species 

 is given in Gray, Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 1, pt. 1, pp. 62 and 

 -164. 



Asiminas are ornamental trees or shrubs with hand- 

 some large foliage, of disagreeable odor when bruised, 

 conspicuous white or purplish flowers in early spring 

 and large edible fruits in autumn. Only two species are 

 cultivated, of which the arborescent one is the hardier 

 and the handsomer in foliage, while the more tender 

 A. grandiflora has larger and showier flowers. 



They grow best in rich and moist soil. They trans- 

 plant with difficulty. Propagation is by seeds sown in 

 autumn, or stratified and sown in spring, or by layers in 

 autumn; also by root-cuttings. In the North, the seeds 

 should be sown in pots or pans. 



triloba, Dunal (Annbnatriloba, Linn.). Fig. 401. Small 

 tree, 10-40 ft. : Ivs. cuneate, obovate-oblong, acute, J^-l 

 ft. long, glabrous: fls. with the Ivs. from branches of the 

 previous year, green when expanding, changing to pur- 

 plish red, with yellow in the middle, 2 in. broad: fr. 



401. Asimina triloba. ( X M) 



