THK iilKlllWORl' FAMILY. ,^g 



THE BIRTHWORT FAHILY. 



A risiolocliiacca\ 



Including a number of herbs, or shrubs cither acaulescent or loHh 

 erect, or twining leafy stems. Leai'cs: either tuisa/, or alternate on the 

 ste7ns; usually cordate, reniform or entire. J'loivers : perfect, rather 

 large, terminal or axillary a n.l growing solitary, or in clusters. J'etals: 

 no?ie, 



LARGE=FLOWERED ASARUM. 



jlsarum sJiuttlciobrthi. 



FAMILY COLOUR ODOUR RANGE time OF BLOOM 



Bi>t/iwort. Greenish yellow^ mottled Like ging;i-r. I'ir^inia awi June Iuiy 



with brozvn and purple. North Carolina. 



Flowers: solitary; growiiig toward the ground on a smooth peduncle which 

 sjirings from the fork of the leaves. Calyx : cami)anulate, not contracted in the 

 throat, with tiiree spreading and stimewhat unequal lobes; bluntly pointed at the 

 apex, marked within with deep reddish purple. J\Uxls : none. Stumcfis : twelve, 

 adnate to the ovary. Filaniciits: very short. Styles: six, minutely two-lobed.' 

 Leaves: one or two arising from the base, with long smooth petioles; broadly 

 ovate, or orbicular; bluntly pointed at the apex and deeply cordate at the base, 

 the sinuse narrow; entire; bright green above, lighter below; glabrous; thick ; ever' 

 green. Kootstock: branched. 



To the attention of plant lovers this species of asartim was first forcibly 

 brought by Dr. Small, and in its woody mountainous home, as well as in 

 cultivation, it is perhaps the most valuable of the interesting genus. Al- 

 though its flowers are not showy, they are very quaint, while the vigorous 

 foliage has a cheerful, sprightly look throughout the winter and still appears 

 fresh in early spring. The rootstock is noted for its flavour being similar to 

 that of ginger. The flowers exhale the odour of the earth, in which so 

 often they are nearly buried. 



A. Virginicum, Virginia asarum, or wild ginger, is not so large a plant as 

 the preceding species and bears a smaller flower which is considerably con- 

 tracted in the throat. Often as many as three small, orbicular and cordate 

 leaves arise from the base of one plant, and its blossoms also are quite 

 abundant. From Georgia to Virginia it occurs in woods, and in the autumn 

 the country people go forth to collect its rhizomes for medicinal uses. 

 During the winter the leaves which have lasted over, emit when bruised a 

 delightful fragrance. 



A. Canadense, wild ginger or asarabacca, is perhaps the most generally 

 known and widely distributed species of the genus. The flower's caly.x lobes 

 are lanceolate, pointed and recurved, and the leaves, as well as other parts 



