Chap. 51.] THE COLOCASIA. 347 



CHAP. 50. (15.) PLANTS WHICH GROW SPONTANEOUSLY: THE 

 USE MADE OF THEM. EY VARIOUS NATIONS, THEIE NATURE, AND 

 REMARKABLE FACTS CONNECTED WITH THEM. THE STRAW- 

 BERRY, THE TAMNUS, AND THE BUTCHER'S BROOM. THE BATIS, 

 TWO VARIETIES OF IT. THE MEADOW PARSNIP. THE HOP. 



We now come to the plants which grow spontaneously, and 

 which are employed as an aliment by most nations, the people 

 of Egypt in particular, where they abound in such vast quan- 

 tities, that, extremely prolific as that country is in corn, it is 

 perhaps the only one that could subsist without it : so abundant 

 are its resources in the various kinds of food to be obtained 

 from plants. 



In Italy, however, we are acquainted with but very few of 

 them ; those few being the strawberry, 7 the tamnus, 8 the 

 butcher's broom, 9 the sea 10 batis, and the garden batis, 11 known 

 by some persons as Gallic asparagus ; in addition to which we 

 may mention the meadow parsnip 12 and the hop, 13 which may 

 be rather termed amusements for the botanist than articles of 

 food. 



CHAP. 51. THE COLOCASIA. 



But the plant of this nature that is the most famous in 

 Egypt is the colocasia, 14 known as the " cyamos " 15 to some. 

 It is gathered in the river Nilus, and the stalk of it, boiled, 



7 See B. xv. c. 28. 



9 See B. xxiii. c. 17. According to some authorities, it is supposed to 

 be the Delphinium staphis agria of Linnaeus ; but Fee and Desfontaines 

 identify it with the Tamus communis of Linnaeus, Our Lady's seal. 



9 The Ruscus aculeatus of Linnaeus. See B. xxiii. c. 83. 



10 In B. xxii. c. 33, this plant is called "halimon." Some authors 

 identify it with the Atriplex halymus, and others, again, with the Crithmum 

 maritimum of Linnaeus. See also B. xxvi. c. 50. 



11 Identified by some commentators with the Portulaca sativa or Portu- 

 laca oleracea of Linnaeus. 



12 " Pastinaca pratensis." Fee and Desfontaines are undecided whether 

 this is the Daucus carota of Linnaeus, the common carrot, or the Pastinaca 

 sativa, the cultivated parsnip. 



13 "Lupus salictarius," the "willow wolf," literally ; the Humulus 

 lupulus of Linnceus. It probahly took its Latin name from the tenacity 

 with which it clung to willows and osiers. 



14 The Arum colocasia of Linnaeus. 



15 The "bean." Not, however, the Egyptian bean, which is the Nym- 

 phaea nelurabo of Linnaeus, the Nelumbum gpeciosum of Willdenow. 



