of the Genus Brassica. 185 



inferior or radical leaves being permanendy covered with stiif 

 hairs : in every respect the young plant bears more resem- 

 blance to a species of Raphanus, than to one of the genus 

 Brassica, and as it differs again from Brassica, by its spread- 

 ing caljTC, it ought, perhaps, to be placed under Sinapis, as 

 Poiret and Brotero * have proposed. 



First Race. Brassica Rapa depressa. 

 Navet rond, ou Rave plate. Round Turnip. 



The common field and garden Tuniip. It has a large root 

 expanding under the origm of the stem into a thick round 

 fleshy tuber, flattened at the top and bottom, and distinctly 

 producing, from its lower end, a small slender radicle : this is 

 the race particularly called Turnip ; and in French Raves, 

 Grosses Raves, or Rabioules; it is a vegetable too well known 

 as excellent food for men and cattle, to need any further re- 

 mark on its utility in a memoir essentially destined to the 

 classification of varieties, of which the Turnip offers a consi- 

 derable number. In the first place, it is variable in size ; some 

 are about two inches in diameter, and others six or eight, and 

 even more, which difference, though allowed to be somewhat 

 hereditary, depends in a great measure on the nature of the 

 soil, and manner of cultivation ; the many intermediate de- 

 grees, therefore, in the size of the Turnip, make it impossible 

 to estabhsh a character of variety upon that difference. Se- 

 condly, the flavour of the Turnip offers little less certainty ; it 

 is a mixture of the sweet and acrid, the latter quality residing 

 principally in the fibres, the former in the juice ; the propor- 

 tion of these two principles seems to vary according to the 

 nature of the soil : it is not unusual for Turnips to change 

 their flavour when they are grown in a different bed, and from 

 this circumstance, common both to the Brassica Rapa, and 

 Brassica Napus, most countries boast of particular localities 

 famous for their excellent Turnips. Thirdly, the different 

 shades in the colour of the Turnip seem to desei-ve more at- 

 tention than its size and flavour, and offer some varieties f and 

 sub-varieties to observation. The White Turnip, alba, is the 

 most common of all ; it is entirely white, except near the ori- 

 gin of the stem, where the root being exposed to the light, the 

 skin takes a reddish tint. The Yellow Turnip, ^au^sce/js, is 



* Sinapix Rapa. Brotero Flora Lusitatiica, vol. i. page 586. 



f It woulil occu|)y too much space to give here the names and peculiiir 

 characters of the great numhers of Turnii)5 grown in the gardens and Helds 

 of England and France ; whenever it U attempted, the classification by co- 

 lours proposed by M. UeCandolle will form a good plan of arrangement. 

 —Sfc. 



Vol.61. No. 299. March 1823. A a of 



