378 



UMBELLIFERJi. CLX. ARRACACHA. CLXI. PLEUROSPERMUM. CLXII. HYMENOL.ENA. 



South America, at Santa Fe <le Bogota, and of the Caraccas, 

 where it is cultivated for culinary purposes under the name of 

 Arracacha. Conium Arracacha, Hook. exot. fl. hot. t. 152. 

 Arracacha xanthorhlza, Bancroft, 1. c. who first published the 

 history and uses of the plant in Alced. diet, geogr. amer. ex 

 Vargas, in Keen. ami. 1. p. 400. Bancr. in rev. brit. 1826. 

 Root forming large oblong tubers in cultivation. Stem 1-| foot 

 high. Petioles tubular. 



The first account which reached our country of this interest- 

 ing and valuable plant was published in the first volume of the 

 Annals of Botany, about the year 1805, from a communication 

 made to the editors of that excellent work by Mr. Vargas, a 

 native of Santa Fe de Bogota, who at that period was residing 

 in London. The arracacha is one of the most useful vegetables 

 in that part of South America ; in some parts of the country it 

 is called apio, from its resemblance to celery. The roots im- 

 mediately divide into 4 or 5 branches, and each of these, if the 

 soil be light, and the season favourable, will grow to the size of 

 a cow's horn. This root yields a food, which is prepared in the 

 same manner as potatoes, is grateful to the palate, and so easy 

 of digestion, that it constitutes the chief aliment of the sick ; 

 starch and pastry are made from its fecula ; and the roots, re- 

 duced to a pulp enter into the composition of certain fermented 

 liquors, supposed to be efficacious as tonics. In the city of 

 Santa Fe, and indeed wherever it can be procured, the arracacha 

 is as universally used as the potatoe is with us. The cultivation 

 of this plant requires a deep black soil, that will easily yield to 

 the descent of the large vertical roots. It is propagated by 

 planting pieces of the root, in each of which is an eye or shoot ; 

 these acquire in 3 or 4 months a size sufficient for culinary pur- 

 poses, though if permitted to continue 6 months in the ground, 

 they attain to immense dimensions, without any injury to their 

 flavour. The colour of the root is white, yellow, or purple, but 

 all the varieties have the same quality. Like the potatoe, the 

 arracacha does not thrive in the hotter regions of America, 

 for in such parts the roots acquire no size, and are indifferent in 

 flavour, and sometimes run altogether to stems. In the coun- 

 tries which are there called temperate, being less hot than those 

 at the foot of the Cordilleras, this vegetable sometimes succeeds ; 

 but never so well as in the elevated region of those mountains, 

 where the medium heat is between 58 and 60 of Fahrenheit. 

 Here it is that these roots grow the most luxuriant, and acquire 

 the most delicious taste. Before Vargas this plant was not men- 

 tioned by any other American writer, except by Alcedo, who 

 notices it in a few words, at the end of his " Diccionario Geo- 

 graphico-historico de las Indias Occidentales O America." Ac- 

 cording to the late Baron de Schack, the arracacha is an essen- 

 tial article of food, not only to the poor, but to the rich, 

 throughout Santa Fe and New Granada, and is every where cul- 

 tivated as carrots are with us. It is also cultivated abundantly 

 in the Caraccas and the adjacent mountainous country. 



Plants of the arracacha have been introduced to this country, 

 but have not succeeded, although every situation, temperature, 

 and soil have been tried ; they have only produced at best a few 

 leaves, and at the end of the year or less have perished alto- 

 gether. Mr. Shepherd of Liverpool alone has been so fortu- 

 nate as to have a few plants flowering in his garden. 



Esculent Arracacha. Fl. Ju. Jul. Clt. 1823. PI. 1 to 2 ft. 



2 A. MOSCHA'TA (D. C. prod. 4. p. 244.) leaves bipinnate, or 

 tripinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid : lobes ovate, acutish, serrated ; 

 involucrum of 1-3 jagged leaves; ribs of fruit acute. If.. F. 

 Native of South America, in the province of de los Pastos, near 

 Teindela, where it is called by the inhabitants Sacharachaca. 

 Herb smelling of musk. Conium moschatum, H. B. et Kunth, 

 nov. gen. amer. 5. p. 14. t. 420. 



Musk Arracacha. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1824. PI. 2 feet. 

 Cult. These plants are of easy culture if kept from the frost ; 

 they may be either increased by seed or dividing at the root. 



CLXI. PLEUROSPE'RMUM (from *\cvpov, pleuron, a rib, 

 and avipp.a, sperma, a seed ; in allusion to the mericarps being 

 furnished with a double membrane, both having ribs). Hoffm. 

 umb. in praef. p. 9. lit. f. 16. 22. Koch, umb. 6. p. 457. Spreng. 

 in Schultes, syst. 6. p. 39. D. C. prod. 4. p. 244 Ligusti- 

 cum species, Lin. Physospermum, Vela et Lag. am. nat. 2. p. 

 75. and 97. but not of Cuss. Enymonospermum, Spreng. 



LIN. SYST. Pentdndria, Digynia. Margin of calyx 5-toothed. 

 Petals obovate, entjre, flat, or somewhat attenuately inflexed at 

 the apex. Fruit ovate, somewhat compressed from the sides ; 

 mericarps furnished with a double membrane, outer membrane 

 inflated into 5 hollow winged ribs ; interior one closely adnate 

 to the seed, elevated into 5 smaller ribs, situated under the ex- 

 terior ones ; furrows of the inner membrane furnished with 1-2 

 vitta each. Commissure furnished with 2 vittae. Carpophore 

 filiform, bipartite. Seed semi-lunar. Perennial glabrous herbs. 

 Leaves bipinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid, cut : lobes acute. Stem 

 fistular. Involucra and involucels of many foliaceous leaves. 

 Flowers white. 



1 P. AUSTRI V ACUM (Hoffm. 1. c.) vittse one in each furrow of 

 the fruit; ribs bluntish. If. H. Native of the Alps of Dau- 

 phiny, Provence, Switzerland, Silesia, Austria, and of the Car- 

 pathian Mountains. Schultes, syst. 6. p. 457. Ligusticum 

 Austriacum, Lin. spec. 36. Jacq. austr. 151. All. pedem. t. 43. 

 Ligusticum Gmelini, Vill. dauph. 2. p. 610. t. 13. exclusive of 

 the synonyme of Gmel. Ligusticum Archani^elica, Geners. el 

 scept. no. 252. ex Schultes. Ligust. Sprengelii, Sieh. in Spreng. 

 umb. spec. 124. Physospermum Cussoni, Lag. am. nat. 2. p. 

 97. Ligust. Hacquetii, Guss. pi. rar. p. 132. Athamanta 

 Golaka, Hacq. pi. earn. t. 5. Athamanta Galatta, Gmel. Plant 

 glabrous. Leaves ternately pinnate ; leaflets pinnatifid, decur- 

 rent at the base ; segments cuneiform, oblong, deeply toothed. 

 Leaves of involucra oval-lanceolate, entire, permanent. Umbels 

 all fertile. Fruit oval, glabrous. Stems furrowed. 



Austrian Pleurospermum. Fl. June, July. Clt. 1597. PI. 

 2 to 3 feet. 



2 P. UKALE'NSIS (Hoffm. 1. c.) vittse one in each furrow of 

 the fruit; ribs very acute. Tf.. H. Native of Siberia, on the 

 Ural Mountains. Ligusticum, Gmel. sib. 1. t. 45. This plant 

 differs from Pleurospermum Austriacum in the rays of the umbel 

 being evidently velvety when examined by a lens ; the colour of 

 the leaves is more glaucous ; the petals more obtuse at the apex, 

 and flat. 



Ural Pleurospermum. PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



3 P. KAMTSCHA'TICUM (Hoffm. 1. c.) vittae 2 in the furrows of 

 the fruit ; ribs somewhat denticulated ; membranes almost co- 

 hering between themselves. J/. H. Native of Kamtschatka. 

 Petals obovate, with somewhat undulated margins, a little in- 

 flexed at the apex. A plant agreeing with this was found about 

 Irkutsk in Siberia, but differs in the leaves of the involucra being 

 sometimes multifid, as is sometimes the case in P. Austriacum. 



Kamtschatka Pleurospermum. PI. 2 to 3 feet. 



4 P. ARCHANGE'UCA (Led. fl. alt. 1. p. 369.) I/. H. Native 

 of Siberia. This plant is not well known. It has the habit 

 exactly of Archangtlica afficinalis, and grows in the same 

 places with it. The fruit is grey or dirty yellow. 



Archangelica-like Pleurospermum. PI. 4 to 6 feet. 

 Cult. Any common soil will suit these plants ; and they may 

 either be increased by dividing at the root or by seed. 



CLXII. HYMENOL^NA (from tyqv, hymen, a membrane, 

 and x\aiva, chlaina, a cloak ; in reference to the ribs of the fruit 



