Asphodel

(Asphodel us), a genus of plants, order Liliaces, consisting of perennials, with fasciculated fleshy roots, flowers arranged in racemes, six stamens inserted at the base of the perianth, a se ile almost spherical ovary with two cells, each containing two ovules; fruit a capsule with three cells, in each of which there are, as a rule, two seeds. They are fine garden plants, native of Southern Europe. The king’s spear, A. lute us, has vellow flowers blo oming in June. Asphodel us ramdésus, which attains a height of 5 feet, is cultivated in Algeria and elsewhere, its tubercles yielding a very pure alcohol, and the residue, together with the stalks and leaves, are used in making pasteboard and paper. The asphodel was a favorite plant among the ancients, who were in the habit of planting it round their tombs.