ASP'ERULA odorata.
Sweet Woodruff or Woodroof.
T E T R A N D R I A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Cor. of one funnel-fhaped petal, fupe-
rior. Seeds 2, globofe.
Spec. Char. Leaves eight in a whorl, lanceolate.
Tufts of flowers on ftalks. Fruit briftly.
Syn . Afperula odorata. Linn. Sp. PL i 5°* Sm' F !’
Brit. 172. Hudf.6 6 . W ith 185. H u ll 3 7 - Relh- 6«~
Sibth. 5 7 . Abbot. 3a. Curt. Lond.fafc. 4 ■ *5 -
Dick/. H. Sicc.fafc. 8. 7.
Afperula. Rail Syn. 224.
A l m o s t every dry mountainous wood abounds with the
Woodruff, nor is it unfrequent in the more level counties on
a calcareous foil. It flowers in May. '
Roots perennial, creeping among dead leaves and t e more
light and friable vegetable mould, and throwing up numerous,
upright, Ample, annual, fmooth, angular, leafy Items, about a
fpan high. Leaves 8 in a whorl, occafionally 7 or 9, brig t-
green, rough at the margin only. Panicles forked, denfe terminal,
on longifh ftalks, generally 3 together. Flowers white,
occafionally fragrant, particularly at night. Corolla ftior er
than in fome other fpecies, but fufficiently tubular to mark the
genus. Fruit rough with afcendmgbnftles.
W e prefume the Englifh name Woodruff alludes to the
whorled pofition of the leaves, like an old-faftuoned ruff; and
that Woodroof is a corruption of it.
The frefti herb has no fmell; but as foon as it begins to dry
it exhales a pleafant and lafting fragrance like that of new hay
verging towards the flavour of bitter almonds, to the great fur-
p r iflo f thofe who gather it and keep it about them unawares.
The only Britilh fpecies of this genus, befides that here de-
fcribed, may be found in our ift vol., t. 33.