THE HOUSE-LEEK— continued. 
plant has borne, and probably also — it being thus always at hand — of a more 
extended exploitation of what little curative powers it possesses than most plants 
received. 
The Greek aei^cooi', aeizoon, of Theophrastus became by literal translation the 
Sempervivum of Pliny, the Vitalis of Apuleius, the Old English Singreen and its many 
corruptions, such as Sengreert^ Silgreen, and Sungreeti — just as Sindaw became Sundew 
— and Turner’s emended Aygreen. 
The abundant mucilaginous juice of its leaves, cool and acidulated with malic 
acid, was found to yield a soothing lotion, or, if boiled in milk, a pleasant drink for 
the feverish, or, with honey or cream, a healing unguent. It is, says Parkinson, 
“ good for all inward heats as well as outward ... a Possit made with the juice of Houseleeke is singular good in all hot agues, 
for it cooleth and temperateth the blood and spirits, and quencheth the thirst ... it cooleth and restrayneth also all other, 
hot inflammations, Saint Anthonies fire, and all other hot eruptions in the flesh, scaldings also and burnings, the shingles, 
fretting ulcers, cankers, tetters, ringwormes and the like, and easeth much the paine of the goute, proceeding ot a hot cause : 
the juice also taketh away warts and comes in the hands or feete being often bathed therewith, and the skinne of the leaves 
being layd on them afterwards : it easeth also the headach, and distempered heate of the braine in frensyes or through want 
of sleepe, being applied to the temples and forehead : the leaves bruised and layd upon the crowne or seame of the head stayeth 
bleeding at the nose very quickly. The distilled water of the herbe is profitable for all the purposes aforesaid : the leaves 
being gently rubbed on any place stung with Nettles or Bees, or bitten with any venemous creature doth presently take away 
the paine.” 
Apuleius also makes use of the name Jovis barba, which has become the French 
Joubarbe ; but its original significance is not clear. The crowded rosettes in a 
cushion of House-leek may, perhaps, have recalled the conventional treatment of 
the close curls in the beard of the Jupiter of Classical sculpture, or a poetical 
imagination may have seen fit to bestow this name upon the handsome flowering 
shoots of the plant. 
These shoots rise erect to a foot or more in height, bearing a few scattered 
leaves and terminating in a corymbose cyme with unilateral, or, as they are termed, 
“ scorpioid ” branches. The dull red-purple flowers are nearly an inch across and 
have their parts in whorls of twelve or more. Their petals are — like the foliage- 
leaves — fringed with hairs, and the stamens of the inner whorl are sometimes 
aborted, or may even bear ovules within their anthers in lieu of pollen. Though 
slightly protandrous, the flowers may pollinate themselves. Honey is secreted by- 
minute laciniate scales at the base of the carpels. 
