188 M. De Candolle on the Species and Varieties 



in Germany, Reps Riiben, or Winter Reps, and according 

 to the Flora Britannica*, Rapef, Navew, or Coleseed, in En- 

 gland. This plant differs fi-om the Navet, properly so called, 

 by its slender root, which is scarcely thicker than the stalk ; 

 it is sown after harvest, in summer, or at the beginning of 

 autumn, and the seeds are collected in the following spring ; 

 sometimes it is sown in spring, to be gathered in autumn ; the 

 cultivators throw it lightly on the ground, and raise the earth 

 afterwards into ridges to clear it of weeds, and place the plants 

 at proper distances ; it appears to be less productive than the 

 true Colsa, but more so than the summer Navette, of which I 

 shall speak hereafter ; these differences are principally owing 

 to the proportional size of their seeds. The continual con- 

 fusion, however, arising in botany and agriculture, between 

 the Colsa, Navette, Navette of Dauphiny, the summer Navette, 

 and whiter Navette, naturally leaves great doubts in the mind, 

 as to their respective results. I must own that I felt for a 

 long time much uncertainty in deciding whether the Colsa and 

 the true Navette were two species, or only two varieties of the 

 same species, their differences being of so doubtful a nature ; 

 but the unanimous agreement of cultivators on this point, and 

 my own observation on the constancy of their distinctive cha- 

 racters, however slight, have determined me to adopt the first 

 opinion. We must observe, lastly, that the plant indicated 

 by Duchesne and Lamarck |, appears to be our Navette, the 

 English Coleseed. 



Second Race. Brassica Napus esculenta. 

 Navet. French Turnip. 



The Navet, properly so called, differs from the Navette in 

 the same manner as the Rave from the Ravette ; that is, by 

 its fleshy root being thicker than the stalk, and forming a 

 nearly oval tuber; we must neither confound it with the 

 Brassica Rapa oblonga^ from which it differs by its smooth 

 and glaucous leaves, nor with the Chou-navet, differing also 

 from this by its spreading seed-pod and bare leaves, nor with 

 the Chou-rave, in which the swell in the root is above instead 

 of being below the origin of the stem. The true Navet || even 



* Smith Flora Brtannica, vol. ii. p. 719. English Botany, plate 2146. 

 Martyn Flora Eustica, vol. iii. plate 103. 



■f- The application of the English term Navew to this plant seems inac- 

 curate; for the Navew is ^^ro^erXy the C It ou-imvet, see page 183. — Sec. 



X Lamarck Enci/clopcdie Boianique, vol. i. page 742. 



II In the early period of the existence of the Horticultural Society (see 

 Transactions, vol. i. page 86), Mr. Dickson bi ought this excellent esculent 

 into the notice of the English gardeners ; it is still, however, but seldom 

 cuhivatcd.— jS'«. 



surpasses 



