anchusa

[In Ital. ancusa; Sp. & Lat. anchusa. From Gr. ἄγχουσα ( angchousa ) = alkanet; ἄγχω (angchō) = to pre tight, to strangle; so called from a ridiculous notion entertained by Dioscorides that one might kill a viper if he irritated its throat by spitting into its mouth after having chewed the leaves of alkanet.] A genus of plants belonging to the order Boraginaceæ (Borage-worts). species are generally inserted in the British flora, but both are doubtfully native. They are the A. officinal is, the Common, and the A. sempervirens, the Evergreen Alkanet. Lycopsis arvensis is sometimes called Anchusa arvensis. The real alkanet, once termed Anchusa tinc toria, now figures as Alkanna tinct or i a. [ALKANNA, ALKANET.] A beautiful species, sometimes cultivated in flower-borders, is Anchusa paniculata or Italic a.