1 20 Journal of Agricultural Research vol. xx, no. 2 



TERMINOLOGY 

 SCIENTIFIC NAME 



While it is believed that the plants grown from material in the Phar- 

 macognosy Laboratory (PI. 18, A), show characteristics typical of 

 the plant described by Linnaeus as Brassica chinensis, and while they 

 apparently agree rather well, so far as the general morphology of the plant 

 is concerned, with Pak-choi (PI. 15, C), there are certain differences, 

 especially in the seeds, from Pak-choi as well as Pe-tsai. The seeds of 

 Pak-choi and Pe-tsai were generally found to be smaller, more spherical, 

 and usually of a brown color. As a rule, they show even less marked 

 reticulations than the brown seeds of the authors' material. The most 

 striking differences observed in the plants is the lack of broad petioles 

 (see also Vilmorin's description of one form) and the failure to form 

 heads in the rosette stage, so strongly developed in Pak-choi and especially 

 in Pe-tsai (Pi. 15, A). These differences, however, while distinct, are not 

 so marked that they might not be considered to fall within the latitude of 

 species character. It would, therefore, seem that the laboratory material 

 might be classified as a variety of the type species Brassica chinensis L. 

 were it not for the following reasons. The description which Linnaeus 

 gives is very brief, in fact so brief that much of the confusion in the use 

 of this specific name by different authors is probably due to this limited 

 species description. Bailey points this out, giving still another instance 

 where the name Brassica chinensis has been used, evidently not correctly 



(3, P- 54-3) ' 



It is impossible to determine whether this particular plant [Pak-choi cabbage] is 

 the one that Linnaeus meant to distinguish by his Brassica chinensis, but it best answers 

 the description in his Amoenitates (Vol. IV). In Linnaeus's herbarium is a Brassica 

 marked " chinensis " in his own handwriting, but it shows purple fls. and has lyrate- 

 lobed lvs. , whereas Linnaeus described his plant as having yellow fls. and cynoglossum- 

 like lvs., probably not the original. 



Linnaeus's description, nevertheless, indicates the close relation to 

 Brassica campestris, and Lund and Kiaerskou showed this close relation by 

 classifying both Pak-choi and Pe-tsai as Brassica campestris var. annua 



sativa chinensis. 



Bailey (2, p. 188) takes a different stand : 



In common with all members of the genus Brassica, or cabbage and mustard tribe, 

 these Chinese plants are much confused respecting their botanical characters. Recent 

 writers have referred all the Chinese cabbages to Brassica campestris, the rutabaga; 

 but one who studies the plants carefully, both from herbarium and living specimens, 

 can not long hold this opinion. The genus Brassica divides itself naturally into two 

 groups — the cabbages and rape, characterized by thick leaves, very glaucous-blue 

 herbage and long flowers which are creamy white, and the mustards, with thinner 

 and green or lightly glaucous herbage and small, bright yellow flowers. The Chinese 

 cabbages belong to this latter group rather than to the former. Their flowers are those 

 of the mustards, and I have no hesitation in removing the plants from Brassica cam- 

 pestris. 



