104 



ASCLEPIAS 



ASPARAGUS 



phytolaccoides, Pursh (A. nlvea, Sims). Plant gla- 

 brous and green, 3-4 ft., erect : Ivs. thin, oval to lance- 

 oval, acuminate and short-petioled : fls. greenish, in 

 large, loose umbels. Moist ground ; frequent. B.M.1181. 



149. Milkweed flower, showing pollination. 



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, Cent, and S. states. B.M. 1182. 



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

 nate or in 3's, long-oblong or lanceolate, short-petioled : 

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



CO. 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. pink 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 3-6, 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 in. high, from a fascicled 

 root : Ivs. filiform, crowded. Plains, W. 



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 purplish in 

 dense, many-fld. umbels. Ore. W. and S. L. H. B. 



ASCYRUM (Greek, not hard or rough ) . Hypericdcece. 

 Low herbs or subshrubs, with bright yellow fls., 2 small 

 sepals and 2 large ones, 4 petals, and many stamens. 

 Dry, sandy soils in E. states (also one or two West In- 

 dian and one Himalayan species), sometimes grown in 

 borders. Of easiest culture, but should be covered in 

 winter in the N. Prop, by division ; also, by seeds. 



hypericoides, Linn. (A. Crux- Andrew, Linn.). ST. 

 ANDREW'S CROSS. A ft. or less high, branchy : Ivs. ob- 

 long or obovate, narrowed to the base : styles 2. G.F. 

 5:257. Mn.3:65. 



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

 branched : Ivs. broad-oblong or oval and clasping : 

 styles 3-4. L R R 



ASH. See Fraxinus. 



ASlMINA (from Assiminier, a French -and -Indian 

 name). Anonacece. PAPAW (the papaw of literature is 

 Carica, which see ) . Small trees or shrubs : Ivs. alternate, 

 entire, usually deciduous : fls. purple or whitish, campan- 

 ulate, solitary or few, axillary; sepals3; petals 6, the inner 

 ones smaller ; stamens numerous : fr. consisting of one 

 or a few large berries. Eight species in E. N.Amer. Or- 

 namental trees or shrubs, with large fls, in early spring, 



and handsome foliage. Only 2 species are cultivated, of 

 which the arborescent one is the hardier and the hand- 

 somer in foliage, while the more tender A. grandiflora 

 has larger and showier fls. They grow best in rich and 

 moist soil. They transplant with difficulty. Prop, 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. Description 

 of all species is given in Gray, Syn. PI. N. Amer. l,"pt. 1, 

 pp. 62 and 464. 



trfloba, Dun. (Anbna iriloba, Linn.). Pig. 150. Small 

 tree, 10-40 ft. : Ivs. cuneate, obovate-oblong, acute, %-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. 

 oblong, 2-6 in. long, dark brown. S. states, north to N. 

 York, west to Mich, and Kansas. S.S. 1:15, 16. Gn. 

 33, p. 321. G.F. 8: 495. A.G. 44:713.- This is the only 

 arborescent species of the genus. It is well worth a 

 place in the garden, for its large foliage is very hand- 

 some and the fls., appearing in the early spring, are at- 

 tractive. The large fr. is edible, and may be still im- 

 proved by cultivation and careful selection of the best 

 varieties. Many people do not relish the highly aromatic 

 flavor; and the large seeds are a disadvantage. The tree 

 has proved hardy in Mass, and Ontario. One or two 

 named forms have been offered. 



grandiflora, Dun. Shrub, 2-6 ft. : Ivs. cuneate, obovate 

 or oblong, obtuse, 2-4 in. long, rufous -pubescent when 

 young, at length glabrous and chartaceous : fls. large, 

 appearing with the Ivs. ; outer petals cream-colored, over 

 2 in. long, much larger than the inner ones : the large f r. 

 is said to be very delicious. S. Georgia, Fla. 



ALFRED REHDER. 



ASPARAGUS, ESCULENT (Asparagus officinalis, 

 Linn.). Liliacece. A perennial herb, cult, for the succu- 

 lent young shoots which arise from the roots in spring. 

 The plant is native to Eu. and Asia, and has been cult, 

 for 2,000 years and more. It was known to the Greeks 

 and Romans. The so-called Ivs. of asparagus are really 

 leaf-like branches. The Ivs. are the scales, which are 

 well shown on the shoot at the left in Fig. 151. From 



150. Asimina triloba(X^). 



the axils of these scales branches may arise, a a. At 

 b b are shown clusters of branchlets, or "leaves," issuing 

 from the axils of scales or Ivs. 



Asparagus, being a rather rugged plant, will live, and 

 in a measure thrive, on almost any kind of soil, even 

 under neglect. One frequently finds apparently thrifty 

 plants in neglected fence rows, or strong stalks pushing 

 up through stone heaps or other rubbish piled several 

 feet in thickness upon an abandoned asparagus bed. 

 The stalks that are wanted for the table and for a dis- 



