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Britain of that order of Monocotyledons. The name is derived from acorus, Gr. a.KOpoc, the classical name for the plant. It was the Calamus aromalicus of the See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval druggists and perhaps of the ancients, though the latter has been referred by some to the Citron grass, Andropogon Nardus. The spice " Calamus " or " Sweet-See also:

CANE

cane " of the Scriptures, one of the ingredients of the See also:

HOLY

holy See also:

ANOINTING

anointing oil of the See also:

Jews, was perhaps one of the fragrant See also:

SPECIES

species of Andropogon. The plant is a herbaceous perennial with a See also:

long, branched See also:

root-stock creeping through the mud, about t See also:

INCH (O. Eng. ynce from Lat. uncia, a twelfthpart; cf. " ounce," and see As)

inch thick, with See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short See also:

JOINTS

joints and large brownish See also:

LEAF (O. Eng. leaf, cf. Dutch loof, Ger. Laub, Swed. lof, &c.; possibly to be referred to the root seen in Gr. Ma-eta, to peel, strip)

leaf-scars. At the ends of the branches are tufts of See also:

FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat, See also:

SWORD (0. Eng. sweord; ultimately from an Indo-European root meaning to wound)

sword-like, sweet-scented leaves 3 or 4 ft. long and about an inch wide, closely arranged in two rows as in the true Flag (See also:

IRIS

Iris); the tall, flowering stems (stapes), which very much resemble the leaves, See also:

bear an apparently lateral, See also:

blunt, tapering spike of densely packed, very small See also:

FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers. A long leaf (spathe) See also:

BORNE, KARL LUDWIG (1786–1837)

borne immediately below the spike forms an apparent continuation of the scape, though really a lateral outgrowth from it, the spike of flowers being terminal. The plant has a wide See also:

DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution, growing in wet situations in the Himalayas, See also:

North See also:

AMERICA

America, See also:

SIBERIA

Siberia and various parts of See also:

EUROPE

Europe, including See also:

England, and has been naturalized in See also:

Scotland and See also:

Ireland. Though regarded as a native in most counties of England at the See also:

PRESENT

present See also:

day, where it is now found thoroughly See also:

WILD, JONATHAN (c. 1682-1725)

wild on sides of ditches, ponds and See also:

rivers, and very abundantly in some districts, it is probably not indigenous. It seems to have been spread in western and central Europe from about the end of the 16th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century by means of botanic gardens. The botanist Clusius (See also:

Charles de 1'Escluse or Lecluse, 1526-1609) first cultivated it at See also:

Vienna from a root received from See also:

ASIA

Asia See also:

Minor in 1574, and distributed it to other botanists in central and western Europe, and it was probably introduced into England about 1596 by the herbalist See also:

Gerard. It is very readily propagated by means of its branching root-stock.

It has an agreeable odour, and has been used medicinally. The starchy See also:

MATTER

matter contained in its rhizome is associated with a fragrant oil, and it is used as See also:

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

hair-See also:

POWDER (through O. Fr. puldre, modern poudre, from Lat. pulvis, pulveris, dust)

powder. See also:

Sir J. E. See also:

Smith (Eng. See also:

FLORA

Flora, ii. 158, 2nd ed., 1828) mentions it as a popular remedy in See also:

Norfolk for See also:

AGUE (from Lat. acuta, sharp; sc. febris, fever)

ague. In See also:

India it is used as an insectifuge, and is administered in infantile See also:

DIARRHOEA (from Gr. &Q, through, pfw, flow)

diarrhoea. It is an ingredient in pot-pourri, is employed for flavouring See also:

BEER

beer and is chewed to clear the See also:

VOICE (Fr. voix, from Lat. vox)

voice; and its volatile oil is employed by makers of See also:

SNUFF (from " to snuff, " i.e. to inhale, to draw in through the nose; cf. Dutch snuf, scent, Ger. Schnupfen, a cold, catarrh, and Eng. " snuffle, " " sniff, " &c.)

snuff and aromatic See also:

VINEGAR

vinegar. The rhizome of Acorus Calamus is sometimes adulterated with that of Iris Pseudacorus, which, however, is distinguishable by its lack of odour, a stringent See also:

TASTE (from Lat. taxare, to touch sharply; tangere, to touch)

taste and dark See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour.

End of Article: ACORUS CALAMUS

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