350 



CULINARY PLANTS. 



Chap. IX 



Switzerland 92 by a peculiar and now extinct variety producing 

 very small beans. 93 



Potato (Solarium tuberosum). — There is little doubt about the 

 parentage of this plant ; for the cultivated varieties differ extremely 

 little in general appearance from the wild species, which can be 

 recognised in its native land at the first glance. 94 The varieties 

 cultivated in Britain are numerous; thus Lawson 95 gives a de- 

 scription of 175 kinds. I planted eighteen kinds in adjoining 

 rows ; their stems and leaves differed but little, and in several 

 cases there was as great a difference between the individuals of 

 the same variety as between the different varieties. The flower 

 varied in size, and in colour between white and purple, but in no 

 other respect, except that in one kind the sepals were somewhat 

 elongated. One strange variety has been described which always 

 produces two sorts of flowers, the first double and sterile, the 

 second single aud fertile. 96 The fruit or berries also differ, but 

 only in a slight degree. 97 The varieties are liable in very different 

 degree to the attack of the Colorado potato-beetle. 98 



The tubers, on the other hand, present a wonderful amount of 

 diversity. This fact accords with the principle that the valuable 

 and selected parts of all cultivated productions present the greatest 

 amount of modification. They differ much in size and shape, being- 

 globular, oval, flattened, kidney-like, or cylindrical. One variety 

 from Peru is described " as being quite straight, and at least six 

 inches in length, though no thicker than a man's finger. The eyes 

 or buds differ in form, position, and colour. The manner in which 

 the tubers are arranged on the so-called roots or rhizomes is 

 different ; thus, in the gurken-Jcartoffeln they form a pyramid with 

 the apex downw r ards, and in another variety they bury themselves 

 deep in the ground. The roots themselves run either near tlje 

 surface or deep in the ground. The tubers also differ in smoothness 



92 Heer, ' Die Pflan^on der Pfahl- 

 auten,' 1866, s. 22. 



93 Mr. Bentham informs me that in 

 Poitou and the adjoining parts of 

 France, varieties of Phascolus vulgaris 

 are extremely numerous, and so dif- 

 ferent that they were described by Savi 

 as distinct species. Mr. Bentham 

 believes that all are descended from 

 au unknown eastern species. Al- 

 though the varieties differ so greatly 

 in stature and in their seeds, " there 

 is a remarkable sameness in the ne- 

 glected characters of foliage and 

 riowers, and especially in the brac- 

 teoles, an insignificant character in 

 the eyes even of botanists." 



84 Darwin, 'Journal of Researches,' 



1845, p. 285. Sabine, in 'Transact 

 Hort. Soc.,' vol. v. p. 249. 



95 'Synopsis of the Vegetable 

 Products of Scotland,' quoted in 

 Wilson's 'British Fai-ming,' p. 317. 



96 Sir G. Mackenzie, in ' Gardener's 

 Chronicle,' 1845, p. 790. 



97 Putsche und Vertuch, ' Versuch 

 einer Monographie der Kartoffeln,' 

 1819, s. 9, 15. See also Dr. Anderson's 

 ' Recreations in Agriculture,' vol. iv. 

 p. 325. 



98 Walsh, 'The American Entomo- 

 logist,' 1869, p. 160. Also S. Tenney, 

 ' The American Naturalist,' May, 1871, 

 p. 171. 



99 ' Gardener's Chronicle,' 1862, p. 

 1052. 



