HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



185 



Pakasitism on Elowerixg Plants.— a capital 

 article on this subject appears in the July number 

 of the Popular Science Review, from the pen of 

 Dr. Trimen, illustrated by several well-executed 

 lithographs. 



The Origin of the Garden Artichoke. — 

 Since my former notice on this subject my atten- 

 tion has been drawn to an interesting article in the 

 Gardeneis Magazine for January last, which 

 goes very far to prove that the Cynara scohjmus, 

 as also the Cardoon, are both modifications of one 

 and the same plant, — Cynara carduncultis, which 

 is indigenous both in Southern Europe and 

 Northern Africa. It sliould be borne in mind, 

 however, that the C. cardunculus, like the C. horrida, 

 is one of i\\Q Thistle tribe ; and it appears from a 

 notice in the Gardener's Magazine of last 

 month, under the head of " Edible Thistles of 

 Syria," that several thistles are found there edible, 

 as well as the Cynara horrida, one of them being 

 "much prized ;" and Messrs. Burton and Drake 

 declare " it is in fact a wild artichoke, and far 

 superior in flavour to the cultivated species." It 

 is not improbable, therefore, that if brought under 

 cultivation it might produce plants scarcely if at 

 all differing from the garden plant, the origin of 

 which would in that case still remain doubtful, 

 especially as many of the Thistle tribe (as in the 

 Cynara cardunculus and the G. horrida) have 

 characters strongly resembling each other. (See 

 "Wood's "Tourist's Plora," under the heads Carduus 

 and Cirsium and their hybrids.) — T. B. W, 



The Artichoke. — It is stated in the History of 

 Cultivated Vegetables by Phillips, that the French 

 artichoke, Cynara scolymiis, grows wild in the fields 

 of Italy, where it often attains the height of a man. 

 Both Greeks and Romans appear to have procured 

 this plant from the west of Africa, about Carthage, 

 as also from Sicily. Pliny mentions this plant to 

 have been esteemed, and to have obtained a higher 

 price than any other garden herb. He was ashamed 

 to rank this vegetable amongst the choice plants of 

 the garden, being in fact no other than a thistle. 

 He states that the thistles about Carthage and 

 Corduba cost the Romans annually six thousand 

 sesterces, and concludes by censuring his country- 

 men in serving up such things at table as the very 

 asses and other beasts refuse, for fear of pricking 

 their lips. It is also stated that the commoners of 

 Rome were prohibited, by an arbitrary law, from 

 eating artichokes. A commentator of Dioscorides, 

 Hermolatus Barbarus, who died in llOi, relates 

 that this vegetable was first seen in the Venice 

 gardens in 1473, at which time it was very scarce. 

 A few years previous to that time it was, however, 

 an object of cultivation in other parts of Italy. It 

 was brought to this country during the reign of 

 Henry the Eighth, about 15iS. In the Privy-purse 



expenses of this king we find several entries regard- 

 ing artichokes. " Tues. Paied to a servant of maister 

 Tresorer in rewarde for bringing Archecokks to 

 the kings grene to York place, iiijs. iiid." A treatise 

 written in the I'cign of Mary, on " the best settynge 

 and keepynge of artichokes," is still preserved in the 

 Harleian library, of which it forms the OiSth number. 

 — //. G. G., Park-place, Highijate. 



British Marine Alg^e.— We are happy to draw 

 attention to a work now issuing in sixpenny. parts, 

 whicii we feel confident meets a want. It is on the 

 British Marine Algse, and gives a full and popular 

 account of the sea-weeds of this country, with hints 

 for their collection and preservation. Each part is 

 profusely and artistically illustrated, and when we 

 say the author is Mr. AV. H. Grattann, we have 

 said enough to recommend it. Mr. Grattann is, 

 undoubtedly, one of the best of our British 

 algologists. 



" White Apple." — James Pearson, in p. 117 of 

 Science-Gossip, desires information concerning 

 the "White Apple" of Audubon. From the field- 

 notes of my father. Dr. C. A. White, made while 

 he was director of the State Geological Survey of 

 Iowa, I learn that it is Psoralea esculenta (Pursh.), 

 and of course belongs to the family Leguminosa). 

 It has a starchy, tuberous root, about the size of a 

 hen's tg%, covered with a leathery coat. It grows 

 quite plentifully on the prairies'of all the region 

 drained by the Big Sioux. The leaves are palmately 

 quinque-foliate, and the plant has somewhat the 

 appearance of Lupine. It was called " Pomme 

 Blanche" and "Pomrne de Prairie" by the early 

 French voyageurs, and " Tipsiuah " by the Sioux 

 Indians.— C. E. White, loioa. 



GEOLOGY. 



Precious Stones in California.— Professor 

 B. Silliraau has recently called attention to the pro- 

 bable occurrence of small diamonds in the sands 

 left in the sluices of hydraulic washings in Cali- 

 fornia. A microscopic examination of a sample of 

 these sands, from Clicrokee, in Butte county, re- 

 vealed the existence of numerous crystals of 

 hyacinth or zircon, associated with crystals of topaz, 

 fragments of quartz, black grains of chromite and 

 titanic iron ore, and a few small masses of a highly- 

 refracting substance, which, from its physical and 

 chemical characters, is believed to be true diamond. 

 The occurrence of diamonds in California has long 

 been known, although not under these circum- 

 stances. 



The Glacial Phenomena of the Hebrides. — 

 Mr. J. F. Campbell, F.G.S., at the last meeting 

 of the Geological Society gave his observations 

 of indications of glacial action in various islands of 



