188 



CRUCIFER.E. XXXV. COCHLEARIA. 



called upon the Continent Cran, Cran de Brelagne, Le Grand 

 Raifort, (Fr.) Reeredyck, (Germ.) Ramolaccio, (Ital.) The root 

 of this plant has a pungent smell, and a penetrating acrid taste ; 

 and it also contains a sweet juice, which sometimes exudes upon 

 the surface. Einhoff has discovered that the acrimony of horse- 

 radish is owing to a volatile oil of a pale yellow colour, and 

 which has the consistence of oil of cinnamon. The liquid ob- 

 tained from the root gave traces of sulphur by distillation. The 

 tincture deposits crystals of sulphur, which are of a yellow 

 colour, and when exposed to flame exhale a peculiar sulphuric fla- 

 vour ; this is no doubt the case with all cruciferous plants. Both 

 water and alcohol extract its virtues by infusion. By drying it loses 

 all its acrimony, becoming first sweetish, and afterwards almost 

 insipid ; if kept in a cool place, such as a shed or cellar, covered 

 with sand or dry earth, it retains its pungency for a considerable 

 time. It is an extremely penetrating stimulus. It excites the 

 solids, and promotes the fluid secretions. It has frequently been 

 of service in some kinds of scurvy and other chronic disorders, 

 and is sometimes recommended in dropsies, particularly those 

 which sometimes follow intermittent fevers. It is said also to 

 excite appetite when the stomach is weakened or relaxed. Taken 

 in considerable quantities, it provokes vomiting. Thomas Ber- 

 tholini extols its virtues in the stone from experience : he affirms 

 the juice of horse-radish dissolved a calculus of stony concretion 

 that was taken out of a human body. An infusion of it in cold 

 milk makes one of the safest and best cosmetics. The root 

 scraped into shreds is a well-known accompaniment of English 

 roast beef. 



Two excellent modes of cultivating the horse-radish have 

 lately been described in the Horticultural Society's Trans- 

 actions by Knight and Judd. Both agree in trenching the soil to 

 a considerable depth, and putting the manure at the bottom of 

 the trench ; but Knight plants the sets on the surface, and cal- 

 culates on the root that strikes down to the dung for produce. 

 Judd, on the other hand, makes holes quite to the bottom of his 

 trenched soil, and in each drops a set, filling up the hole with 

 wood-ashes, rotten tan, or sand, calculating for produce on the 

 shoots made from the set at the bottom of the hole up through the 

 sand or ashes to the surface. Either mode will do extremely well. 



The following excellent instruction is given by J. Knight in 

 Hort. Trans% 1. p. 207. 



" Horse-radish thrives best in deep, soft, sandy loam, that is 

 not very dry in summer nor inundated in winter ; the situation 

 must be open. During winter trench the ground three feet deep, 

 and in the following February procure the sets, in the choice of 

 which take the strongest crowns or leading buds, cutting them 

 about two inches long. Mark out the ground, four feet beds, 

 and one foot alleys, then take from the first bed nine inches of the 

 top soil, laying it upon the adjoining bed, after which take out an 

 opening at one end of the bed, in the common way of trenching, 

 15 inches deep from the present surface, then level the bottom, 

 upon which plant a row of sets across the bed at nine inches apart 

 each way, with their crowns upright ; afterwards dig the next 

 trench the same width and depth, turning the earth into the first 

 trench over the row of sets, thus proceeding trench after trench 

 to the end for as many beds as are wanted. The plants must 

 be kept clear of weeds during summer, and as soon as the leaves 

 decay in autumn, let them be carefully raked off with a wooden- 

 toothed rake ; in the following February 1 8 inches of the earth 

 of the unplanted bed must be laid as light as possible and equally 

 over the beds that are planted, then trench and plant the vacant 

 beds as before directed. The following autumn the first planted 

 horse-radish may be taken up by opening a trench at one end of 

 the bed to the bottom of the roots, so that the sticks or roots of 

 horse-radish may be taken up entire and sound, which for size 

 and quality will be such as have not been seen. The following 



February the one year old crop will require additional earth as 

 before directed, which must of course be taken from those beds 

 which are now vacant, which when done, if the ground appears 

 poor or unlikely to produce another vigorous crop, they must 

 have a coat of manure." " Upon every alternate bed, which is not 

 planted, a dwarf annual crop may be grown, such as spinach or 

 radishes." A moist soil increases its bitter and alkaline flavour. 

 Common Horse-radish. Fl. May, June. Britain. PI. 2 feet. 



5 C. MACROCA'RPA (Waldst. et Kit. hung. 2. p. 101. t. 184.) 

 pods ellipsoid ; radical leaves large, oblong, crenated, cauline 

 ones lanceolate-toothed ; teeth cartilaginous ; root fleshy; sepals 

 erect. If.. H. Native of Hungary and Transylvania in humid 

 meadows or marshes. Armoracia macrocarpa, Baumg. fl. transyl. 

 2. p. 240. Cochl. crassifolia, Willd. herb. Flowers and fruit 

 a little larger than those of Cochl. armoracia, and the taste of the 

 root is less acrid. It may be used in the same manner. 



Large-podded Horse-radish. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1806. PI. 2 ft. 



6 C. MICROCA'RPA (D. C. syst. 2. p. 362.) pods globose ; leaves 

 oblong, auriculately-stem-clasping at the base, toothed. I/ . H. 

 Native of Siberia at Krivoluka. C. armoracia ? Pall. herb. 

 C. Altaica, Schlecht. in herb. Willd. from Stev. obs. ined. Habit 

 of Myagrum Austriacum or Lepidium Draba. Stem branched. 

 Pods small. 



Small-podded Horse-radish. PL 1 foot. 



SECT. III. CO'CHLEAR (for derivation see genus ; form of 

 leaves). D. C. syst. 2. p. 362. prod. 1. p. 176. Silicles of 

 various forms, but never emarginate at the top. Style very 

 short or wanting altogether. Spreading plants, with usually 

 kidney-shaped hollow leaves. Flowers white or tinged with purple. 



7 C. GLASTIFO'LIA (Lin. spec. 904.) silicles somewhat globose ; 

 cauline leaves cordately-sagittate, stem -clasping, acuminated, 

 entire. $ . H. Native about Ratisbon, in Dauphiny in fields, 

 in the gardens of Corsica, in Portugal on the banks of Douro. 

 Schkuhr. handb. 2. no. 1804. t. 181. Lob. icon. t. 321. f. 2. 

 Mor. oxon. 2. p. 312. sect. 3. t. 21. f. 3. A smooth, branched, 

 glaucous herb. 



Woad-leaved Scurvy-Grass. Fl. May, July. Clt. 1648. PL 

 1 to 3 feet. 



8 C. OBLONGIFO'LIA (D. C. syst. 2. p. 363.) pods roundish 

 one-half shorter than the pedicels ; cauline leaves oblong, entire, 

 sessile, upper ones with very short auricles. I/. H. Petals 

 twice the length of the calyx. 



Far. a, Draba cochlearioides (Langsdorf, from Fisch. in litt.) 

 Native of the islands of St. Paul, St. Laurence, and Unalaschka. 



Var. ft, Cochlearia A'nglica e Kamtschdtka (Pall, in herb. 

 Willd.) Cochl. Kamtschatica, Schlecht. in herb. Willd. Native 

 of Kamtschatka. A smooth, branching, fleshy herb. Leaves 

 more narrowed towards the base. Flowers smaller. 



Oblong-leaved Scurvy-Grass. Fl. April, May. PL -j foot. 



9 C. A'NGLICA (Lin. spec. 903.) pods ovate, sub-globose, 

 netted with veins, twice as short as the pedicels ; radical leaves 

 stalked, ovate, entire, cauline ones oblong, toothed. Q. H. 

 Native of Britain, Norway, Lapland, &c. on the muddy sea- 

 shore, and about the mouths of large rivers. Oed. fl. dan. t. 

 329. Smith, eng. hot. 552. Cochl. Groenlandica, Gun. norv. 

 no. 196. Cochl. ovalifolia, Stok. bot. mat. med. 3. p. 436. 



English Scurvy-Grass. FL May. Britain. Plant variable 

 in size. 



10 C. OFFICINA'LIS (Lin. spec. 903.) pods ovate-globose, 

 twice as short as the pedicels ; radical leaves stalked, cordate, 

 cauline ones ovate, toothed, angular. $ . H. Native on the 

 sea-coast, in stony or muddy situations, abundantly throughout 

 North Europe; plentiful in Britain. Oed. fl. dan. t. 135. 

 Woodv. med. bot. 1. p. 86. t. 29. Smith, eng. bot. t. 551. 



