156 



CRUCIFERjE. III. NASTURTIUM. 



butic. It acts as a gentle stimulant and diuretic ; for these purposes 

 the expressed juice, which contains the peculiar taste and pungency 

 of the herb, may be taken in doses of an ounce or two, and con- 

 tinued for a considerable time (Dune. ed. disp. 474.). The juice 

 was formerly used with that of Scurvy-grass and Seville-oranges 

 to form a popular remedy under the name of spring juices. The 

 water-cress has been cultivated in the neighbourhood of London, 

 to a considerable extent since 1808, as a salad. A running 

 stream of clear water is essential to its cultivation ; in the bed of 

 this stream the plants are inserted in rows, in the direction of the 

 current, and all that is necessary is to take up and re-plant occa- 

 sionally, and to keep the plants free of mud and weeds, or any 

 accumulation of extraneous matter. They will not grow so freely 

 in a muddy bottom as amongst sand and gravel, neither will their 

 flavour be so good. Some cultivate them in water beds, but 

 they never prosper so well nor is their flavour so good as when 

 cultivated in natural streams. The Spring or Autumn is the best 

 time for transplanting the water-cress. Some market gardeners, 

 who can command a small stream of water, grow the water-cress 

 in beds sunk about two feet in a retentive soil, with a very gentle 

 slope from one end to the other. Along the bottom of this bed, 

 which may be of any convenient length and breadth, chalk or 

 gravel is deposited, and the plants are inserted, about six inches 

 apart every way. Then according to the slope and length of the 

 bed, dams are made six inches high across it, at intervals ; so 

 that when these dams are full, the water may rise not less than 

 three inches on all the plants included in each. The water being 

 turned on will circulate from dam to dam, and the plants, if not 

 allowed to run to flower, will afford abundance of young tops in 

 all but the winter months. A stream of water not larger than 

 what will fill a pipe of an inch bore, will suffice to irrigate in this 

 way the eighth of an acre. As some of the plants are apt to rot 

 off in the winter, the plantation should be laid dry two or three 

 times a year, and all weeds and decayed parts removed, and va- 

 cancies filled up. Water-cress grown in this way is, however, 

 far inferior to that grown in natural streams. 



Officinal or Common Water-cress. Fl. Jun. July. Britain. 

 PI. 1 to 2 feet. 



SECT. II. BKACHY'LOBOS (fipa-xys, brachys, short, \oj3ot, lobos, 

 apod; pods short). D. C. syst. 2. p. 190. prod. 1. p. 137. 

 Petals yellow. Siliques somewhat cylindrical orelliptical. Glands 

 of the receptacle small. 



2 N. SYLVE'STRE (R. Br. in hort. kew, ed. 2. vol. 4. p. 110.) 

 leaves pinnate ; leaflets lanceolate, serrated, or cut. If. . H. 

 Native of moist pastures and along the sides of rivers and ri- 

 vulets throughout Europe, North of Asia, Persia and Tauria, 

 China, New Holland, and also in North America by the river 

 Delaware, where it has probably been introduced ; plentiful in 

 Britain in gravelly wet meadows about the margins of rivers and 

 ditches. Sisymbrium sylvestre, Lin. spec. 916. Smith, engl. 

 bot. t. 2324. Curt. fl. lond. fasc. 3. t. 41. Sisymbrium 

 vulgare, Pers. ench. 2. p. 196. Root creeping extensively. 

 Petals golden, longer than the calyx. 



Wild Nasturtium or Water Rocket. Britain. Fl. June, Sept. 

 PI. 1 foot. 



3 N. PALU'STRE (D. C. syst. 2. p. 191.) leaves pinnatifH, 

 auricles stem-clasping, ciliated, with the lobes confluent, toothed, 

 smooth ; root fusiform ; petals equal in length with the calyx ; pods 

 blunt at both ends, rather turgid. O- H. Native throughout 

 Europe, Persia, China, Java, and North America, about the banks 

 of rivers, ponds, and ditches, and in damp but not very watery 

 meadows ; frequent in Britain. Sisymbrium palustre, Leys. fl. 

 hal. no. 679. Schkuhr. handb. 2. t. 187. Sisymbrium terrestre, 

 With. brit. 582. Curt. fl. lond. 5. t. 49. Smith, engl. bot. 1747. 

 Stok. mat. med. 3. p. 447. Sisymbrium amphibium a, Huds. 



298. /3. Lin. fl. suec. ed. 2. p. 232. Sisymbrium Islandicum, Oed. 

 fl. dan. t. 490. Myagrum palustre, Lam. diet. 1. p. 572. 

 Flowers small, yellow. 



Far. ft, pus'Mum, (D. C. syst. 2. p. 192.) Q. H. Native of 

 South of France. Myagrum pusillum, Lam. diet. 1. p. 572. Vill. 

 dauph. 3. p. 341. t. 39. Plant small. Leaves divided into more 

 linear lobes than the species. 



Far. y, barbareaefblmm (D. C. syst. 1. c.), Q. H. Brachy- 

 lobos barbaresefolius, Desv. journ. bot. 1814. vol. 3. p. 170. 

 Sisymbrium barbareaefolium, Del. fl. aeg. ill. p. 19. Native of 

 Egypt about Rosetta. Plant larger in all its parts than the spe- 

 cies, and the leaves are more profoundly pinnatifid. 



Far. S? tanacetijolium (D. C. syst. 1. c.). 0. H. Sisym- 

 brium tanacetifblium, Walt. fl. carol, ex Bosc. Plant dwarfer ; 

 leaves profoundly cut ; lobes pinnatifid ; siliques longer than 

 those of the species. 



Far. e? brevipes (D.C. syst. 1. c.) differing from the species 

 in the pedicels being very short, fructiferous ones hardly a line 

 long and with the stigma nearly sessile. Q. H. Native of 

 Porto-Ricco. Perhaps a distinct species. 



Far. , Blumei ; auricles wanting. Native of Java. 



Marsh Nasturtium or Small jagged Water Radish, Fl. June, 

 Sept. Britain. PI. 1 foot. 



4 N. PORTORICE'NSE (Spreng. syst. 2. p. 882.) leaves inter- 

 ruptedly pinnate, smooth ; segments oblong, obtuse, repand- 

 crenate ; petals smaller than the calyx ; siliques rather cylin- 

 drically-linear, crowned by the almost sessile stigma. %. F. 

 Native of Porto Ricco and St. Domingo. 



Portorico Nasturtium. PI. 1 foot. 



5 N. A'NCEPS (D. C. prod. 1. p. 137.) leaves pinnatifid, very 

 smooth ; auricles stem-clasping ; stems creeping ; petals larger 

 than the calyx ; pods pointed at both ends, two-edged. T . H. 

 Native on the banks of rivers above the water, among sand, 

 about Upsal. Sisymbrium anceps, Wahl. fl. ups. p. 223. Si- 

 symbrium ampliibium terrestre, Ehrh. beitr. 5. p. 22. Lin. spec, 

 ed. 2. p. 917. Fl. dan. 984. Flowers yellow. 



Two-edged-podded. Nasturtium or Water Radish. Fl. June, 

 July. Clt. 1823. PI. 1 foot. 



6 N. MICRA'NTHUM (D. C. prod. 1. p. 137.) pubescent ; leaves 

 pinnate ; leaflets opposite, deeply jagged, with the terminal 

 leaflet roundish-ovate ; petals larger than the calyx ; pods erect, 

 linear-oblong, smooth. Q. I/.? Native of the East Indies. 

 Sisymbrium micranthum. Roth. nov. pi. spec. 324. Like N. 

 palustre. Flowers small, yellow. 



Small-flowered Nasturtium or Water Radish. Fl. June, Aug. 

 PI. 1 foot. 



7 N. MADAGASCARIE'NSE (D. C. syst. 2. p. 192.) leaves pin- 

 nate ; leaflets stalked, pinnatifid ; lobes ovate, toothed, terminal 

 one largest. . ? S. Native of the eastern coast of Madagas- 

 car. Flowers small, not sufficiently known. 



Madagascar Nasturtium or Water Radish. PI. 1 foot. 



8 N. MEXICA MUM (Moc. Sesse, and Cerv. fl. mex. icon. ined. 

 and D. C. syst. 2. p. 1 93.) leaves pinnatifid, smooth ; lobes 

 oblong, sinuately-toothed, blunt ; petals equal in length with the 

 calyx ; pods declinate, somewhat twisted, three times longer than 

 the calyx. ? If. ? H. Native of Mexico on the margins of 

 rivulets. Perhaps sufficiently distinct from N. palustre. 



Mexican Nasturtium or Water Radish. PI. 1 foot. 



9 N. BONARIE'NSE (D. C. syst. 2. p. 193.) leaves pinnate- 

 parted ; lobes distant, linear, somewhat toothed, smooth ; pods 

 nearly erect, terete-compressed, twice or thrice longer than the 

 pedicels. Q. H. Native of Buenos- Ayres. Sisymbrium Bo- 

 nariense, Poir. diet. 7. p. 205. Flowers yellow. Root per- 

 pendicular. 



Buenos-Ayrean Nasturtium or Water Radish. PI. -| foot. 



10 N. CERATOPHY'LLUM (D. C. syst. 2. p. 193.) leaves linear, 



