''Asphodelus ramosus'', the branched asphodel, is a

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

herbaceous plant Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

in the order

Asparagales Asparagales (asparagoid lilies) is an order of plants in modern classification systems such as the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group (APG) and the Angiosperm Phylogeny Web. The order takes its name from the type family Asparagaceae and is placed in t ...

. Similar in appearance to ''

Asphodelus albus ''Asphodelus albus'', common name white asphodel, is a herbaceous perennial plant belonging to the genus ''Asphodelus''. Description White asphodel grows to a height of . The plain stem is supported by fleshy, thickened roots ( rhizomes). The l ...

'' and particularly '' Asphodelus cerasiferus'' and '' Asphodelus aestivus'', it may be distinguished by its highly branched stem and smaller fruits.Altervista Flora Italiana, ''Asphodelus ramosus''
includes photos plus European distribution map There has been a lot of confusion over the nomenclature and taxonomy of the species, owing to its similarity to '' Asphodelus aestivus''. ''Asphodelus ramosus'' is native to the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...

region of southern

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. It can also be found in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

. It is particularly common in coastal areas of the Mediterranean with intensive grazing and occasional fire. In some areas it shows an affinity for acidic soils, mainly

schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock showing pronounced schistosity. This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a low-power hand lens, oriented in such a way that the rock is easily split into thin flakes ...

. It can form abundant colonies, usually flowering in February to May. It has been thought to be Homer's asphodel of the underworld, but so has the closely related ''

Asphodeline lutea ''Asphodeline lutea'' (king's spear, yellow asphodel) is a perennial plant native to southeastern Europe, northern Africa, the Caucasus and the Levant. It is grown as a landscaping plant. It has been associated with the Asphodel of the underw ...

''. The branched asphodel is known to contain

colchicine Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout and Behçet's disease. In gout, it is less preferred to NSAIDs or steroids. Other uses for colchicine include the management of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine is taken b ...

, a chemical used in the treatment of gout.

Physical characteristics

''Asphodelus ramosus'' is a

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 ...

, 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 auct.=ramosus'' (p. 77) (Hebrew) Its very numerous

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are white with six

tepal A tepal is one of the outer parts of a flower (collectively the perianth). The term is used when these parts cannot easily be classified as either sepals or petals. This may be because the parts of the perianth are undifferentiated (i.e. of very ...

s bearing a central brown streak. The fruits are small round capsules.

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-vo ...

, 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, ...

'' (Book II, § 199). Formerly, the entire plant was used in treating venomous snake bites (its efficacy yet to be proven scientifically). File:Asphodelus ramosus (2).jpg

References

Asphodeloideae Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of Western Asia Flora of Malta {{Asphodelaceae-stub