70 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



Capparis spinosa, Linne". 



The Caper-Bush. Southern Europe and Northern Africa, Southern 

 Asia and Northern Australia. A somewhat shrubby and trailing 

 plant, deserving already for the sake of its handsome flowers a place 

 in any garden. It sustains its life even in arid deserts. Light 

 frosts do not destroy this plant; the soil requisite for greatest produc- 

 tiveness should be of calcareous clay. The flower-buds and young 

 berries, preserved in vinegar with some salt, form the capers of com- 

 merce. Samples of capers, prepared from plants of the Botanic 

 Garden of Melbourne, were placed already twenty years ago in 'our 

 Industrial Museum, together with many other products, emanating 

 from the writer's laboratory. The Caper-plant is propagated either 

 from seeds, or suckers, or cuttings; it is well able to withstand either 

 heat or drought. The buds, after their first immersion in slightly 

 salted vinegar, are strained and afterwards preserved in bottles with 

 fresh vinegar. In sheltered plains of Provence annually about 

 1,760,000 Ibs., worth at an average 7d. per pound, are collected. The 

 shrub comes into full bearing at the fifth year, the harvests continuing 

 well for many years afterwards (Masters). Chemical principle: 

 Rutin. 



Capsicum annuum, Linn. 



Central America. An annual herb, which yields the Chillies, and 

 thus also the material for cayenne-pepper. Chemical principle: the 

 acrid, soft, resinous capsicin. Comes to seeding in Christiania still. 



Capsicum baccatum, Linne\ 



The Cherry-Capsicum. A perennial plant. Brought from Brazil 

 to tropical Africa and Asia, where other pepper-capsicums are like- 

 wise now naturalized. 



Capsicum frutes.cens, Linne". (C.fastigiatum, Blume.) 



Tropical South-America. The berries of this shrubby species are 

 likewise converted into cayenne-pepper. 



Capsicum longnm, De Candolle. 



Some of the hottest parts of America. An annual herb, also yield- 

 ing cayenne-pepper. C. grossum (Willd.) is also mentioned by 

 Colonel Drury as a very pungent species. The summers of the warm 

 temperate zone admit of the successful growth of at least the annual 

 species of Capsicum in all the lowlands. C. humile also binds sand 

 even when brackish. 



Capsicum microcarpum, De Candolle. 



South- America. It is this species, which is used by preference in 

 Argentina. There are annual and perennial varieties. 



Caragana arborescens, Lamarck. 



The Pea-tree of Siberia, reaching to 70 North. The seeds are of 

 culinary value, but particularly used for feeding fowls. The leaves 

 yield a blue dye (Dr. Rosenthal). 



