''Asphodelus aestivus'', the summer asphodel, is a species of asphodel, a common Western Mediterranean

geophyte A storage organ is a part of a plant specifically modified for storage of energy (generally in the form of carbohydrates) or water. Storage organs often grow underground, where they are better protected from attack by herbivores. Plants that have ...

with a short vertical rhizome and basal leaves. Its flowers are

actinomorphic Floral symmetry describes whether, and how, a flower, in particular its perianth, can be divided into two or more identical or mirror-image parts. Uncommonly, flowers may have no axis of symmetry at all, typically because their parts are spirall ...

, pinkish-white, with six perianth segments, 14–19 mm long and six stamens of the same length, in two whorls. Its distribution is limited to the Western Mediterranean, mainly found in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on the European mainland. There has been a lot of confusion over the nomenclature and taxonomy of the species, owing to its similarity to ''

Asphodelus ramosus ''Asphodelus ramosus'', the branched asphodel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the order Asparagales. Similar in appearance to ''Asphodelus albus'' and particularly '' Asphodelus cerasiferus'' and '' Asphodelus aestivus'', it may be distingui ...

''. It grows in dry grasslands, phrygana and on rocky or sandy ground.

Physical characteristics

The ''Asphodelus aestivus'' is a

, having an underground storage organ which enables the plant to survive adverse conditions, such as excessive heat and drought. Its leaves, growing to a height of –, contain alkaloids that are harmful to sheep and goats in the wet, winter months, but during the summer when their leaves dry out, they lose their toxicity.Avi Shmida, ''MAPA's Dictionary of Plants and Flowers in Israel'', Tel-Aviv 2005, s.v. ''Asphodelus aestivus'' (p. 77) (Hebrew) In the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

it flowers from June to September, although in the

Algarve The Algarve (, , ; from ) is the southernmost NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities ( ''concelhos'' or ''municípios'' in Portuguese). The region has it ...

(SW Portugal) it may flower in May or at the end of April. There, the leaves are already withered by the time the plants flower.

Uses

Some traditional folk usages of the plant have been to make a glue from the plant's root. A remedy against warts is also derived from its root. According to

Dioscorides Pedanius Dioscorides ( grc-gre, Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης, ; 40–90 AD), “the father of pharmacognosy”, was a Greek physician, pharmacologist, botanist, and author of ''De materia medica'' (, On Medical Material) —a 5-vol ...

, a concoction made from its roots (mixed with wine) induces vomiting.Dioscorides, ''

De Materia Medica (Latin name for the Greek work , , both meaning "On Medical Material") is a pharmacopoeia of medicinal plants and the medicines that can be obtained from them. The five-volume work was written between 50 and 70 CE by Pedanius Dioscorides, a ...

'' (Book II, § 199). Formerly, the entire plant was used in treating poisonous snake bites (its efficacy yet to be proven scientifically).

Gallery

File:Asphodelus aestivus--.jpg, The flower of the Asphodelus aestivus File:Asphodel flowers.jpg, Asphodelus aestivus, in bloom File:Asphodel in bloom.jpg, Asphodelus aestivus, in bloom File:Asphodelus aestivus in Israel.jpg, Asphodelus aestivus File:Asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus).jpg, Asphodel growing in Judean mountains

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q8207195 Asphodeloideae Flora of Palestine (region) Flora of Spain Poisonous plants