AKUN 



€tyz fea^ury at ^otaug. 



98 



gularity the plantations present a curious 

 appearance, to those, particularly,who have 

 not seen tropical vegetation. In Nepal 

 and on the slopes of the great Himalayan 

 range of mountains, they are used in many 

 instances by the inhabitants in the way of 

 thatch to cover their dwellings, for which 

 purpose it is valuable, resisting, as it does, 

 the effects of weather a long time, owing 

 to the large amount of silica contained in 

 the joints and on the cuticle of the 

 stems. 



Another important species is A. Srtwm- 

 hnn;ikii, a native of Guiana, where the 

 straight canes attain a height of sixteen 

 feet and upwards, with a diameter of one 

 to one and a half foot at their base. It is 

 this plant, which chiefly furnishes the 

 tubes to the native Indians, from which 

 they blow their poisoned arrows, which 

 after being clipped in the deadly woorali 

 poison, act with such fatal effect on the 

 victims they are aimed at. [D. M.] 



ARTJNDO. A genus of grasses typical 

 of the tribe Arundinece. This genus, as 

 now defined by Steudel and other authors, 

 excludes the British species, which were 

 formerly included in it : they will be found 

 in the genera Psamma and Phragmites. 

 A. Bonax is one of the most important 

 kinds, and may be seen occasionally cul- 

 tivated in British gardens, for the orna- 

 mental effect it produces when growing in 

 groups. The stems attain a height of 

 eight to ten feet in this country ; but in 

 Spain and other parts of the south of 

 Europe they grow much taller. The leaves 

 are broad, of a fine glaucous green colour, 

 and in one variety they are beautifully 

 striped in different colours, similar to 

 those of the common ribbon-grass of 

 gardens (Ph.ala.ris arundinacea variegata). 

 The reeds are sometimes used in making 

 bagpipes and some other musical instru- 

 ments. Mrs. Callcott, in the Scripture Her- 

 bal, considers it probable that A. Bonax is 

 one of the plants alluded to in Scripture as 

 the Reed, especially when the original word 

 is ' kaneh: The canes being long, straight, 

 and light, make admirable fishing-rods, and 

 excellent arrows : the latter quality being 

 of great importance to the warlike Jews, 

 after they began to practise archery with 

 effect. The heroes of Homer made their 

 arrows of this reed (Iliad xi.), and the 

 tent of Achilles was thatched with its 

 leaves. [D. M.] 



ARVORE DE PAINA. A Brazilian name 

 of Chorisia speciosa. 



ASA DULCIS. A drug held in high re- 

 pute among the ancients, supposed to be 

 the produce of Thapsia garganica. 



ASAFCETIDA. A drug formed of the 

 concreted milky juice of Narthex, and of 

 various species of Ferula. 



ASAGRJEA. A Mexican genus of plants 

 belonging to the colchicum family, Melan- 

 thaceee. The single species of this genus, 

 A. officinalis, furnishes the Cebadilla seeds 

 from which the alkaline poison veratrine 



is prepared. The plant is bulbous, with 

 long linear grass-like leaves, and a long 

 bractless cluster of flowers : which have a 

 six-parted perianth ; six stamens, three 

 shorter than the remainder ; anthers heart- 

 shaped, becoming shield-shaped, and burst- 

 ing vertically; and fruit consisting of three 

 lance-shaped pointed follicles, of thin 

 papery consistence, and containing a num- 

 ber of winged seeds. The seeds, called 

 Cebadilla seeds, were formerly used to de- 

 stroy vermin, but are now employed in the 

 preparation of veratria, an alkaline sub- 

 stance, of a powerfully irritant poisonous 

 nature, occasionally made use of in neu- 

 ralgia and rheumatic affections. It has 

 been given internally, but from its doubt- 

 ful action and dangerous nature, it is now 

 rarely if ever employed. • [M. T. M .] 



ASARABACCA. The common name for 

 Asarum. 



ASARTJM. A genus of the order Aris- 

 tnlochiacece, known by its bell-shaped 

 three-cleft perianth, twelve stamens in- 

 serted at the base of the style, and with 

 the connective of the anthers prolonged 

 into an awl-shaped process. The fruit is a 

 six-celled capsule, surmounted by the per- 

 sistent limb of the calyx. The species of 

 this genus are dispersed over Europe, and 

 the temperate parts of Asia, and North 

 America. 



A. europceum is the Asarabacca of herba- 

 lists ; it is said to be found wild in West- 

 moreland and other places in the north of 

 England. It is a low growing plant, with 

 a creeping rootstock, from which proceed 

 a number of roots, and also two rounded 

 kidney-shaped stalked leaves; between 

 them is placed the dull brownish flower. 

 The roots and leaves are acrid and some- 

 what aromatic, they contain a volatile oil, 

 a bitter matter, and a substance like cam- 

 phor. Asarabacca was formerly used as a 

 purgative and emetic, and also to promote 

 sneezing, but it is now rarely used, having 

 been supplanted by safer and more certain 

 remedies. A . canadense is sometimes met 

 with in gardens ; it greatly resembles the 

 European plant, but has larger leaves pro- 

 vided with a short spine. [M. T. M.] 



ASARINEiE. A synonym of Aristolo- 

 chiacece. 



ASCARINA, a genus of CJiloranthaceo?, 

 founded by Forster on a single species 

 from the Society Islands. It is a tree with 

 opposite, petiolate, and serrate leaves. 

 The flowers are dioecious and unibracteate, 

 on lax spikes. The male flower consists of 

 a single stamen with a short filament, and 

 a large oblong quadrisulcate anther. The 

 ovary is globular-truncate, one-celled, and 

 one-seeded. The stigma is sessile, de- 

 pressed, and obsoletely three-lobed. [W. C] 



ASCENDING. Directed upwards ; as the 

 stem, which is the ascending axis. Rising 

 upwards with a curve, from the horizontal 

 to a vertical position, as many stems. 

 Simply rising upwards. 



