156 Aster History; PuLiny 
Minerva discovered, which she found a remedy for swine, for all 
such as should taste of it.’’ * 
How much of the practice of this ritual passed on with the 
name to Inguinaria, or Aster, we can only surmise. Probably 
there had come to the Romans some dim rumors of a plant 
that the Greeks had called argemon, and had invested with tumor- 
healing magic. Thereupon certain Romans believed they had 
found this argemon in their own tumor-healing Inguinaria or Aster. 
To summarize: Aster seems by some Greek writers to have 
been called Argemon because used for argema or the white ulcer 
of the eye. Aster was also in repute as a general remedy for ul- 
cers, tumors, and inflammations whether of the eye or elsewhere. 
Reputation for these properties seems to have passed on to te 
plant known to Cratevas and Dioscorides as Argemone, anys peoun, 
Adonis acstivalis 1..+ and to the three plants known to Pliny 
as Argemonia, and now as ranapovva, Anemone coronaria L., Adonts 
aestivalts L., and Papaver Rhocas L.t This reputation for like prop- 
erties with Aster was perhaps in part original to the plants called 
Argemonia but also in part strengthened by the early confusion of 
the similar names Argemone (= Argemonia) and Argemon (= 
Aster). 
Others among Pliny’s authorities had evidently lost the identity 
of Minerva’s plant Argemon and thinking its name (meaning 
“white § thing’) might be derived from the root, had applied it te 
the Lappa canaria of Pliny, an uncertain plant with a large white | 
root variously identified as Athamanta Libanotis L.., Caucalis lati- ; 
folia || L. and Arctium tomentosum { Schk. : 
Others later confused Argemone and Argemonia with Agn- 
** Haec est herba argemon, quam Minerva reperit, suibus remedium, qui de illa 
gustaverint,’” Pliny, bk. 24, c. 19, sec. 117. ; 
t Fide Sibthorp’s examination of the text and figure in codex C of Dioscorides at 
Vienna. This plant is now confused with the poppy or tavapowva in Greece ; Sibtho 
found it called aypiorarapovva in Zante. 
i P ‘ . ver 
} Billerbeck makes them « Anemone pratensis, Adonis aestivalis, and Papa 
e ould 
* 
* 
somniferum 
§ Apyéz, white, "Apyevvér in Aeolic and Doric. : ek 
|| Because Dioscorides (2, 163), described his Caucalis (the modern Gre 
kaveadida) as having white flowers, candida umbella odorata. h 
{| Because of the white root and supposed inclusion with Arctium Lappa under t : 
Roman name Lappa. See Dioscorides’ chapter on Arctium, apxtiov, (4, 106,3 Pliny * 
chapter on Arctium is a direct translation of this. 
