Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/222

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leavM wild Afparagus. 3- The fea Afparagus, with thicker leaves. 4. The fliarp-leav'd Afparagus, called by many au- thors, Corruda. 5. The prickly Afparagus, with four or five (pines at every infertion. 6. The prickly Afparagus, with larger thorns. 7. The African prickly Afparagus. S. The great fpreading prickly Afparagus of Ceylon. 9. The Spandh Afparagus, with very large prickles. Toum. Inft.

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Asparagus was alfo ufed by the antient Greeks, to exprefs not only the young (hoots of the plant of that name, but any other young fprouts of an eatable plant. The fprouts of the feveral kinds of cabbage were particularly exprefled by this word, or fometlmes by the compound term Cramhafparagus. There was an opinion among the old phyficians, that the young moots of the cabbage were good in diftemperatures of the eyes ; but that, when eaten to excefs, they would exulce- rate the kidneys and bladder. Athenaeus has given their opi- nions on this fubject at large, from the oldeft writers, in his chapter of the cabbage ; and Pliny, according to a too fre- quent cuftom with him, has translated thefe accounts ; but has attributed all the virtues and danger to the common AJ'pa- ragus. He alfo fays, that it is a provocative to venery. This account is taken from the Greek writers faying the fame of the Ormtnum or Horminum, which he fuppofes to have been the fame with Afparagus, becaufe the young (hoots of Afpa- ragus were called Qrmcna by the Greeks. They did not however attribute this word only to the (hoots of the Afpara- gus, but all other young (hoots of efculent plants were alfo called Orrncna.

Asparagus is a medicinal plant, which furniflies one of thofe, called, the five opening roots.

Afparagus, popularly called Sparrow-grafs, is a known diure- tic ; its top, or head, taken in the way of food, readily dif- covers itfclf in the fmell of the urine a : But its root is ftill more ftrangcly endued with that quality, as containing more of the fait from which if is derived. Hence it becomes, among us, an ingredient m all compofitions, intended to cleanfe the vifcera, and guard againft jaundices, dropfies, &c. It is alfo

. of fome ufe as a pectoral ; and makes a chief ingredient in the fyrup of marfhmallows, againft the (lone b . Tho' foreign phyficians fpeak more fparingly of the ufe and virtues of this medicine c . — [ a V. Boyle, Phil. Work. Abr. T. 3. p. 570, b £>uinc. Difpenf. P. 2. §. 5. n. 342. c Junck. Confp. Therap. tab. 5. p. 162. and Burggr. Lex. Med- in voc] For the propagation, cultivation, 6rV.\ : of this plant, fee the article Sperage.

ASPASIA, among antient phyficians, a conftrictive medicine for the pudenda muliebna. It confifted only of wool, moift- cned with an infufion of unripe galls. V, Cajlel. Lex. Med. in voc,

ASPASTICUM, Atnran*©' oix©-, in ecclefiaftical writers, a place, or apartment, adjoining to the antient churches, wherein the bifhop and prefbyters fat to receive the falutations of the perfons who came to vifit them, defire their blefiing, or confult them on bufinefs. Bhg. Orig. Ecelcf. 1. 8. c. 7. §. 8. Magr'u Vocab. Ecclef. p. 25. Suic. Thef. T. 1.

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This is alfo called Afpaticum, Diaconicum, Receptortum, Meta- tor'mm or Mcfat or ium, and Salutatorium ; in Englifh, Greet- ing-Houfe.

ASPER, (Cycl.) in ichthyology, a fmall fifh caught in the Rhone, fo called from the roughnefs of its fcales. Its head is large, in proportion to its body, and of a pointed (hape. It has no teeth, but its jaws are (harp to the touch. It is of a dark red colour, with large black fpots. It is good to eat, being efteemed apperitive. V. Lemery, des drog. in voc,

Asper is alfo a Turkifh coin, three of which make a medine. Pocod's Egypt, p. 175. See Medine.

ASPERGILLUM, in antiquity, a long brufh made of horfc- hair, fixed to a handle, wherewith the luftral water was fprinkled on the people in luftrations and purifications. HcrJI, Britan. Rom. 1. 2. c. 1.

This is alfo denominated Afpergile, and Afperforium. Pitifc. Lex. Ant. T. 1. p. 191.

The antients, in lieu of a brufh, made ufe of branches of lau- rel and olive.

Aspergillum is alfo ufed in ecclefiaflical writers, to denote the inftrument in Romifh churches, wherewith holy water is fprinkled. Magr'i. Vocab. Ecclef. p. 25. The Afpcrgillum is ufually made of metal, fometimes of gold itfelf, with hairs at the end. Antiently, in lieu hereof, they ufed a fox's tail. The Greeks ufe branches of ocymum ; the Latins, on Holy Thurfday, hyffop.

ASPERGELLUS, in botany, the name given by Micheli to that genus of modes called, by Dillenius and others, Byffus. Linnaeus preferves the name of Byjfus to thefe plants, but he removes them out of the clafs of modes, and places them un- der the general feries of fungus's, defining them to be fungus's compofed of diftinct capillary fibres, without knots.

ASPERIFOLIOUS, or Asperifoliate Plants, according to Mr. Ray, make a diftincl genus ; the characters of which are, the having the leaves alternately placed on the (talks, and pro- ducing, after every (lower, four feeds. They all poflefs the

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fame general virtues, and are fub-aftringent, and ufeful both internally and externally, as agglutinins. ASPERJULA, a medicinal plant, reputed warm, and drying, recommended as an hepatic, and detergent. This is alfo called Afpergula odorata, and Rubeola montand odorata ; in Englifli, Woodruffe.

The antients directed it externally in cataplafms, to aflliage and difcufs tumours, and applied it to the feet to promote delivery. But the moderns own no fuch qualities in it ; nor do they much ufe it internally. See Asperula. ASPERUGO, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower confifts of one leaf, and is of a rotated form, and divided into feveral feg- ments at the edge. The cup is fhaped like a fort of bafm, and from it arifes a piftill, which is fixed like a nail to the lower part of the flower, and is furrounded by four Embryo's, which afterwards become as many feeds, refembling a viper's head in fhape, and remaining in the cup, which becomes much enlarged.

The fpecies of this genus are only two.

1. The common Afperugo, which has been called by fome, the procumbent buglofs j by others, a fort of echinum, and by many, a hound's-tongue, and ibppofed to be the topiaria of Pliny. 2. The tender (talk'd Afperugo, with white flowers. Town. Inft. p. 135. y/jt'AsFERUGO, in theLinnxan fyftem ofbotany, is characterized thus : The cup is an creel: perianthium, confiding of one leaf, divided into five fegments at the edge, and having two little jaggs between the feveral fegments. This remains when the flower is fallen. The flower is compofed of only one petal, in form of a cylindric tube, very (hort, and terminated by five flight fegments j the opening of the flower is covered by five fmall convex prominent fcales, converging towards each other. The (lamina are five filaments, very (hort, and placed in the opening, or mouth of the flower. The antherse are of an oblong form, and covered. The piftil has four flatted germina ; the ftyle is (lender and (hort ; the ftigma is obtufe. The cup ferves in the place of a fruit j it is large, erect, com- prefied, and (hut together in the manner of two parallel planes, and (hews, on its extreme edge, five prominent feg- ments. The feeds are four in number, and oblong, and, when view'd together, they appear flatted. The effential character of this genus is the figure of the cup. Linna'i, Genera Plantarum. p. 61. ASPERULA, Woodruffe, in the Linmean fyflem of botany, this makes a diftinct genus of plants, the characters of which are, that the calyx is a very fmall perianthium, fituated upon the germen, and divided into four fegments. The flower is compofed of one petal, which is a cylindric tube of fome length, divided into four fegments at the end, the fegments long, obtufe, and bent backward. The (lamina are four fila- ments placed at the top of the tube. The anthers are fimplc. The germen of the piftil is double, rouridifh, and placed below the receptacle. The ftyle is dender, and bifid at the end. The ftigmata are headed. The fruit is compofed of two dry globofe bodies, growing together. The feeds are fingle, roundifh, and large. Linn at Genera Plantarum, p. 25. The leaves and roots of this plant dried, are efteemed ape- rient and diuretic ; .they are recommended in the obftructions of the liver, and are thence fuppofed a great medicine in the jaundice. ASPHALTA, in natural hiftory, the name of a genus of foflils, the characters of which are thefe : They are folid, dry, opake, inflammable fubftances, found in detach'd maffes, of no re- gular ftructure, nor vifible grain, breaking with equal eafc in any direction, very light, not very hard, fufible, and readily inflammable, burning fome time with a greenifh white flame, and leaving a refiduum of white afhes.

Of this genus there are only three known fpecies. 1. A (hining black kind, called the Bitumen Judaicum, or Jews pitch. This is of a deep black, of a lefs offenfive fmell than the other kinds, and is found in large lumps in many parts of Egypt. 2. A hard (linking black fpecies : This is a much more coarfe and foul kind, and is very common on the fhores of the dead fea, and in all the country thereabouts ; but is not peculiar to that part of the world, being found alfo in France, Italy, and many other places : This yields an oil, which is an excellent cement, and is fuppofed to have been that ufed in building the walls of the antient Babylon. The third is a brownifh black (linking kind. This is the coarfeft of all, and is common in Germany, and in fome parts of England, par- ticularly in Shropfhire, where it is called the pitch-ftone. Hill's Hift. of Foflils, p. 414. See Asphaltos, Cycl. ASPHALTIS Water. See Dead Sea.

ASPHODELUS, Afphodel, in botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : The flower is of the Hlliaceous kind, but confifts of only one petal, divided into fix fegments. The piftil arifes from the center of the flower, and finally becomes a fruit of a fomewhat roundifh, yet three- cornered form, and of a flefhy texture. This, when ripe, opens at the point, and (hews that it is compofed of three cells, each of which contains a number of triangular feeds. The fpecies of Afphodel, enumerated by Mr. Tournefort, are thefe ;

I. The