November 1, 2007 (Vol. 27, No. 19)
URL:
http://www.ig-ascleps.org/asclepius.htm
Rating:
Strong Points: CD-ROMs
Weak Points: Not very focused
Summary:
A site that asks, on its opening page, the not-so-musical question, “Do you have a hard time finding good quality sites about Asclepiads?”, is happy to provide the answer too – “Well, look no further.” Asclepiads are, of course, members of the plant family Asclepiadaceae, a large group of plant species with over 200 genera and almost 3400 species. Known as the Milkweed family, the Asclepiads are ornamental succulents of which a few have medicinal uses. These include Asclepias fruticosa (pain relief), Hoodia gordonii (appetite suppression), and Xysmalobium undulatum (diarrhea and colic). At the Asclepius site, visitors will discover it is the product of an interest group formed in 1999 in Germany and is available in both German and English. Links to seed suppliers, nurseries, a discussion group, and a 3 CD set of over 3600 images of these plants are all available at the site.
