428 WORMWOOD. 



lanceolate, entire seg^^^, and are clothed with short silky 

 down. The flowers are collected into leafy erect panicles ; the 

 leaves or bractese three-lobed, the uppermost entire and linear- 

 lanceolate ; each flower pedicellate, hemispherical, drooping, of 

 a brownish yellow colour, subtended by a linear-subulate 

 bractea. The involucre consists of several imbricated scales, 

 of which the exterior are very small and subulate, the inner 

 ovate and scarious. The florets of the disk are numerous, her- 

 maphrodite, tubular, five-cleft at the margin, with five short 

 stamens and two large recurved styles tipped with bifid stigmas; 

 those of the ray few, short, ovate, subulate, and including 

 only an exserted bifid style. The fruit consists of small naked 

 obovate achenia, seated on a convex villous receptacle. Plate 

 48, fig. 3, (a) receptacle magnified, with two scales and one 

 floret remaining ; (6) floret of the disk ; (c) floret of the ray ; 

 (d) achenium. 



This plant is not uncommon in waste places *, and near vil- 

 lages, especially in a dry chalky or gravelly soil, flowering in 

 August. 



The specific name Absinthium is derived from a^Giov, and 

 that from a, without, il^Po? delight, probably in allusion to its 

 very bitter taste. Wormwood seems to be an alteration of Worm- 

 wort, referring to its property of expelling worms. 



General Uses. — According to the Swedish experiments, Wormwood 

 is eaten by cows, horses and sheep, but is disliked by goats, and refused by 

 swine. It is said to impart a bitter taste to the flesh and milk of animals 

 that feed upon it. Its scent is reported to drive away fleas and other in- 

 sects. The plant is cultivated f in large quantities for the seed, which is 

 sold to the rectifiers of British gin ; and it is sometimes used by the dis- 

 tillers of great-still whiskey in Scotland, instead of hops. The liquor sold 

 by publicans under the name of purl, is said to be ale flavoured with the 

 tops of wormwood. The herb infused in beer preserves it from acescency 

 and is supposed to render it more intoxicating ; it is also used to prevent 

 acescency in wines. 



Qualities. — The odour of Common Wormwood is strong, aromatic, 

 but to many persons very disagreeable ; the taste is intensely bitter, per- 

 sistent, slightly pungent and nauseous. The flowers are less bitter and 

 nauseous than the leaves ; the root is warm, aromatic, and much less bitter 



* " Tristia deformes pariunt absinthia campi. "—Ovid. 

 f The wild plant is preferable for medical uses. It should be gathered 

 just before flowering, and dried quickly in the shade. 



