ASP 



ASP 



morning, when they are covered with 

 clew. Poor people collect the cotton from 

 the pods, and fill their beds with it. 



ASCOBOLUS, a genus of the Crypto- 

 gamia Fungi. Fungus semi-spherical, con- 

 taining oblong vesicles, somewhat im- 

 mersed in its disk, which eject the seeds 

 with an elastic force. 



ASCOPHORA, a genus of the Crypto- 

 gamia Fungi. Fungus erect, on a seta- 

 ceous stalk ; head globular-oblong ; in- 

 flated, opake, elastic, bearing the seeds 

 externally. There are seven species, and 

 two divisions. A. clustered on a com- 

 mon receptacle. B. detached. 



ASCYRUM, in botany, a genus of plants 

 with a rosaceous flower, and an oblong 

 capsular fruit, formed of two valves, and 

 containing a number of small, roundish 

 seeds. It belongs to the Polyadelphia 

 Polyandria class of Linnaeus, and is so 

 nearly allied to the Hypericum, that 

 Tournefort makes it the same genus ; 

 from which, however, it is distinguished 

 by having only four petals, whereas the 

 hypericum has five. 



ASH, in botany. See FHAXIXCS. 



ASILUS, in natural history, a genus of 

 insects of the order Diptera. Essential 

 character : mouth with a straight, horny, 

 bivalve snout. The most common Euro- 

 pean species of asilus is the A. caraboni- 

 formis, a moderately large insect, nearly 

 equalling a hornet in length, but of a 

 much more slender and sharpened form : 

 the head and thorax are of a ferruginous 

 colour: the eyes black: the upper half 

 of the abdomen velvet black ; the lower 

 half bright orange colour ; the whole 

 having a bright silky or downy surface : 

 the wings are a dull yellow brown, and 

 marked on their inner edge by several 

 dusky triangular dashes or spots! Though 

 of a somewhat formidable aspect, this 

 insect is incapable of piercing with any 

 degree of severity. It preys on the smaller 

 kind of insects, and proceeds from a 

 smooth, white, subterraneous larva, of 

 lengthened shape, and destitute of legs : 

 the pupa resembles that of the tipula. 

 There are seventy species. 



ASPALATHUS, aspalath, in botany, a 

 genus of the Diadelphia Decandria class 

 of plants, the calyx ef which consists of a 

 single-leafed perianthium, divided into 

 fire segments : the corolla is papiliona- 

 ceous ; the fruit is a roundish, turgid, 

 unilocular, bivalve pod ; the seed is sin- 

 gle, and frequently kidney-shaped. Ac- 

 cording to Martyn there are 37 species ; 

 but Gmelin has enumerated nearly double 

 that number. The plants of this genus, 

 with few exceptions, are. natives of tb<? 



Cape of Good Hope. They are shrubby, 

 or at lesst under-shrubs. The leaves are 

 simple : the flowers mostly yellow. They 

 may be propagated here by seeds brought 

 from the Cape. 



ASPARAGIN, a name given to a lately 

 discovered juice of asparagus, which was 

 discovered *by expression and evapora- 

 tion. Various crystals gradually make 

 their appearance, and among others 

 crystals of asparagin, easily separated 

 from the rest on account of their colour 

 and figure. The crystals are white and 

 transparent, and have the figure of rhom- 

 boidal prisms : it is hard and brittle, and 

 its taste is cool and slightly nauseous, so 

 as to occasion a secretion of saliva. It dis- 

 solves in hot water, but not in alcohol. 

 The aqueous solution does not affect ve- 

 getable blues. Neither infusion of galls, 

 acetate of lead, oxalate of ammonia, muri- 

 ate of barytes, nor the hydro-sulphurat, 

 occasion any change in it. When triturat- 

 ed with pot-ash, no ammonia is disengag- 

 ed. When heated it smells, and emits pe. 

 netrating vapours, affecting the eyes and 

 nose like the smoke of wood. Nitric acid 

 dissolves it with the evolution of nitrous 

 gas. These properties distinguish it from 

 all other vegetable substances. 



ASPARAGUS, in botany. Class, Hex- 

 andria Monogynia. Gen. char. cal. none ; 

 cor. petals, six, cohering by the claws, 

 oblong, erected into a tube, three alter- 

 nately interior, permanent ; stam. fila- 

 ments six, filiform, inserted into the pe. 

 tals, erect, shorter than the corolla ; an- 

 thers roundish ; pist. germ, turbinate, 

 three-cornered ; style very short ; stig- 

 ma a prominent point ; perberry globu- 

 lar, umbilicated with a point, three-cell- 

 ed ; seeds two, round, angular on the in- 

 side, smooth. 



ASPAUAG us, in gardening, comprehends 

 one of the most valuable esculent vegeta- 

 bles of the kitchen-garden ; it has erect, 

 herbaceous stalks, three or four feet in 

 height, and very fine bristly leaves : it is 

 a perennial fibrous-rooted vegetable, the 

 roots being of many years duration, but 

 the tops or stalks annual. The plants be- 

 ing raised from seed, after having ac- 

 quired a period of three or four years 

 growth, produce proper sized asparagus, 

 of which the same roots furnish an annual 

 supply for many years, continuing to rise 

 in perfection for six or eight weeks in the 

 summer season ; the shoots afterwards run 

 up to stalks and flowers, and perfect seeds 

 in autumn. But, besides the crop raised in 

 the summer season, it may also be obtain- 

 ed in perfection during the winter, and 

 early in the spring, by tlie aid of hot-beds. 



