ASARUM, or ASARABACCA, in botany, a genus of plants without any leaves, and belonging to the Dodecandria Monogynia class of Linnzus. its fruit is a coriaceous capsule, divided into six cells, and containing a great many oval seeds. There are three species. The common asarabacca is a native of many parts of Europe, in woods and shady pla‘..es, flowering in April and May. With us it is found only in Lancashire. The rout finely powdered excites vomit ing, ; coarsely powdered it purges. The powder of the leaves is the basis of most cephalic snuffs, which occasion a consi deroble discharge of mucus from the nos trils w!t!,o,o, much sneezing.
ASEL:sTUS, in mineralogy, a species of the Talc tinnily, known to the an cients, ss ho made a kind of cloth from one of the varieties, which was famous for its incombustibility. It is found in primitive mountains, especially in serpen which it traverses in veins. It is di vided by Werner into four sub-species, viz. 1. The elastic asbest, or rock-cork, which is of a yellowish grey, of viirions intensity : occurs sometimes massive, sometimes in plates, and with impres sions. At first sight it appears to be fine grained. uneven. Opaque very seldom ; translucent on the edges ; somewhat elastically flexible; cracks when handled.
Specific gravity .09 to .068. 2. The ami. anthus, of a greenish white, passing into a greenish grey, sometimes blood red. Massive, also in plates and small veins, and in capillary crystals. Internally its lustre is glistening, passing to shining: fracture parallelly fibrous, and sometimes a little curved. It is found in primitive rocks in Sweden, Bohemia, Silecia, Hungary, Siberia, France, Spain, and Scotland. From its flexibility, and its resisting the effects of fire, it is said to have been by the ancients woven into a kind of cloth, in which they wrapped the bodies of persons of distinction before they were placed on the funeral pile, that the ashes might be collected free from admixture. It was also used for incom bustible wicks ; but is now considered only as an object of curiosity. To these may be added, 3. The common asbestos ; and 4. The rock-wood : which differ too little from the former sub-species to de mand particular notice. According to Cheneviz, the amianthus consists of Silica . 59.0 Magnesia . 25.0 Lime . . 9.25 Alumina . 3.0 Iron . . . 2.25 98.5 Loss . . 1.5 100.-