Acorus is a genus of monocot flowering plants. This genus was once placed within the family Araceae (arums), but more recent phylogenies place it in its own family, Acoraceae, and order, Acorales. See genus (mathematics) for the use of the term in mathematics. ... Orders Base Monocots: Acorus Alismatales Asparagales Dioscoreales Liliales Pandanales Family Petrosaviaceae Commelinids: Arecales Commelinales Poales Zingiberales Family Dasypogonaceae Monocotyledons or monocots are a group of flowering plants usually ranked as a class and once called the Monocotyledoneae. ... Classes Magnoliopsida - Dicots Liliopsida - Monocots The flowering plants (also angiosperms or Magnoliophyta) are one of the major groups of modern plants, comprising those that produce seeds in specialized reproductive organs called flowers, where the ovulary or carpel is enclosed. ... Genera See text The arums comprise the Family Araceae (including the numerous aroids subfamily): monocotyledonous flowering plants in which flowers are borne on a type of inflorescence called a spadix. ... In biology, Phylogenetics (Greek: phylon = race and genetic = birth) is the taxonomical classification of organisms based on how closely they are related in terms of evolutionary differences. ...

The name 'acorus' is derived from the Greek word 'acoron', name used by Dioscorides, which in turn was derived from 'coreon", meaning 'pupil', because the herb was used against inflammation of the eye. Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. ... A herb (pronounced urb in American English and hurb in British English) is a plant grown for culinary or medicinal value. ... Inflammation is the first response of the immune system to infection or irritation and may be referred to as the innate cascade. ... An eye is an organ that detects light. ...

These plants occur in North America or Asia. They were introduced in the 16th century in most countries of Europe.

These grasslike evergreen plants are hemicryptophytes, (i.e. perennial plants of which the overwintering buds are at the soil surface) or geophytes (i.e. the overwintering buds are found underground, usually attached to a bulb, corm, tuber, etc.). Their natural habitat is at the waterside or close to marshes, often found with reedbeds.

Sweet Flag - leaves

The inconspicuous flowers are arranged on a lateral spadix (a thickened, fleshy axis). Contrary to the arums, there is no spathe (large bract, enclosing the spadix). The spadix is 4 to 10 cm long and is enclosed by the foliage. The bract can be ten times longer than the spadix. The leaves are linear with entire margin. Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) - leaves Template:PD-USGov-NPS [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) - leaves Template:PD-USGov-NPS [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Wildflowers A flower is the reproductive organ of those plants classified as angiosperms (flowering plants; Division Magnoliophyta). ... A white spadix partially surrounded by a green-, rose-, and cream-colored spathe In botany, a spadix (pl. ... In botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. ...

The leaves and the rhizomes give a sweet scent when dried. Fine-cut leaves used to be strewn across the floor. In the Middle Ages it was used against the pest.

Species

The genus includes only two species: In biology, a species is a kind of organism. ...

• Acorus calamus (Calamus or Sweet Flag)
  • Acorus calamus var. americanus : occurrung in subarctic America to North and East USA
  • Acoris calamus var. angustatus : occurring in Asia.
  • Acoris calamus var. calamus : occurring in Himalaya, Siberia to Korea.
• Acorus gramineus (Japanese Sweet Flag or Grassy-leaved Sweet Flag); occurring in the Himalayas to Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines.

Sweet Flag (drawing)

Binomial name Acorus calamus Linnaeus, Calamus or Sweet flag (Acorus calamus) is a plant from the Acoraceae family. ... Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus). ... Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus). ...

Reference

Govaerts, R. & Frodin, D.G. (2002). World Checklist and Bibliography of Araceae (and Acoraceae). 1-560. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

External links

Section Miscellaneous information

• Sweet Flag (http://www.killerplants.com/weird-plants/20020516.asp) how various species arrived in America @ killerplants.com

Section Eclectic herbal information

• Acorus calamus (Sweet Flag) (http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/kings/acorus.html) King's American Dispensatory @ Henriette's Herbal
• Sedge, Sweet (http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/s/sedges39.html) Mrs. Grieve's "A Modern Herbal" @ Botanical.com