ASPHODEL

any of several flowering plants belonging to the lily family (Liliaceae). It is a variously applied and thus much-misunderstood common name. The asphodel of the poets is often a narcissus; that of the ancients is either of two genera, Asphodeline or Asphodelus, containing numerous species in the Mediterranean region. They are hardy herbaceous perennials with narrow leaves and an elongated stem bearing a handsome spike of white, pink, or yellow flowers. Asphodelus albus and A. fistulosus have white-to-pink flowers and grow from 45 to 60 cm (1 1/2 to 2 feet) high. Bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), also of the family Liliaceae, is a small herb growing in boggy places in Great Britain with rigid, narrow leaves and a stem bearing a raceme of small golden-yellow flowers.