VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE. 455 



similar as to medical properties. Like wormwood, it has 

 a grateful odor, but it is uot much used iu medicine from 

 its nauseous taste, 

 worth cultivating; 



For culture, see Hyssop. 



Tansy {Tanacetum vulgare) is a hardy, Composite- 

 flowered perennial, a native of Europe, long cultivated 

 in gardens. It was formerly used to give flavor to pud- 

 dings and omelets. 



Its medicinal properties are tonic and stomachic. It is 

 also a vermifuge. It was formerly of very general use in 

 the preparation of alcoholic bitters. 



Divide the roots, and set out a few slips in autumn or 

 spring. After it is well rooted, be careful you do not get 

 too much of it. There are two varieties — the common 

 and the curled. 



Wormwood {Artemisia Absinthium) is a native of 

 Europe, and is a hardy, Composite-flowered perennial, 

 cultivated much in gardens. Its odor is strong and fra- 

 grant, and its taste aromatic, but intensely bitter. It is 

 cultivated for the tops or extremities of the branches. Its 

 properties are tonic and diuretic, and it is a vermifuge. 



Wormwood likes a calcareous soil, and may be raised 

 either by cuttings, seeds, or dividing the roots. Culti- 

 vated same as hyssop, the roots being eighteen inches 

 apart. A dry, poor soil is necessary to bring out the 

 peculiar virtues of this plant. 



Roman Wormwood (JL. Poutica) is less nauseous than 

 the preceding, and generally preferred. 



