Asphodelus (Asphodel)
Family: Liliaceae
English: Asphodels
This plant has been known since ancient times. It bears large, white, terminal pinkish flowers on slender stalks. According to Homer the dead resting in meadows used theses plants as food. Hippocrates and Dioscurides considered the Asphodel a very important medicinal plant.
In the netherworld Hades received the desinewed figures of the dead in "the meadow of asphodels". The ancient Greek poets compared the bare, winter stalks of asphodels to the swarms of souls wandering along the banks of the Acheron river. Theophrastus and Hesiod claimed that the roots of this plant are edible when dried and boiled in water, albeit their taste was quite disagreeable. The roots of this plant, dried and pulverized, are used in bread making in some countries of Africa. The Asphodel grows in uncultivated land, in coastal areas and in highlands. Its leaves are lance-shaped originating almost from the roots.
The following species occur in Greece: A. aestivus, A. fistulosus.
The roots contain amylum, colloids, and pigments. Roots were used in the past to treat ailments of the intestines. The plant is also said to have antimicrobial properties.
Popular Greek names:
"Asphodelos", "Aspherdougas", "Akaroni", "Arvikas", "Spourtoula".
