"[Plin. Nat. 22.17.] - THE SCORPIO, TWO KINDS OF IT: ONE REMEDY.
The scorpio has received its appellation from the animal of that name, in consequence of the resemblance of its seeds to a scorpion’s tail. The leaves of it are few in number, and it is efficacious for the sting of the animal from which it derives its name. There is also another plant known by the same name, and possessed of similar properties; it is destitute of leaves, has a stem like that of asparagus, and a sharp point at the top, to which it owes its appellation.”
(The Natural History. Pliny the Elder. John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S. H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A. London. Taylor and Francis, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street. 1855.)