MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS 291 



Vegetables cultivated for their Foliage 



* Cabbage (Brassica oleracea). Together with its mutants, cauli- 

 flower, kale, and Brussels sprouts, etc., this useful vegetable 

 holds a prominent place in our garden agriculture. Cabbage 

 grows wild in the south of England and Ireland, the Channel 

 Islands, 1 and in Denmark. Its common name is Slavic (Kab), 

 its botanical is Keltic (Bresic), and all facts go to show that its 

 introduction, which is recent, proceeded from northwestern 

 Europe as a center. 



Celery (Apium graveolens). According to Candolle, this plant 

 grows wild in damp places over a wide area, extending from 

 Sweden to Algeria, Egypt, and Abyssinia, and in Asia from the 

 Caucasus to Beluchistan and the mountains of British India. It 

 has been known to cultivation since early times, being mentioned 

 in the " Odyssey." 



Lettuce (Lactuca scariola). This plant, like parsley, grows 

 wild in southern Europe, though it has a wider range, extending 

 from the Canary Islands to Mesopotamia. It was formerly, 

 indeed until recently, raised in the gardens by thick seeding, 

 each plant sending up a few broad and tender leaves. Latterly ? 

 however, this plant is being raised in a headed form like cabbage, 

 with many close-clustered leaves that become well bleached and 

 very tender. 



Asparagus. This genus includes something like one hundred 

 and fifty species, mostly native of southern Africa and southern 

 Europe. When used at all, it is largely for ornamental planting, 

 but the common garden species {Asparagus officinalis) has been 

 cultivated for at least two thousand years for its young and 

 succulent stems. These stems are small in the wild, seldom 



1 Darwin states that in the island of Jersey the cabbage sends up a stalk to 

 the height of sixteen feet. He adds that the woody stems are not infrequently 

 ten to twelve feet in height, and are used for rafters. This makes it easy to 

 see how the Brussels sprouts have developed, and to understand that many of 

 the Cruciferce are developed into trees. The cabbage itself is indeed a heavy 

 shelter of broad leaves growing on a greatly shortened stem. 



