332 STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 



L. latifolium Linn, dittander. poor man's pepper. 



A cress of Europe, north Africa, middle and north Asia.' In Britain, this cress was 

 much used as a pungent condiment before the various substances now employed for such 

 purposes became cheap and hence the common name, poor man's pepper. It was some- 

 times called dittander, and under that name was cultivated in cottage gardens but is now 

 almost entirely discarded as a culinary vegetable.^ Loudon * says it has roots resembling 

 horseradish, for which it may be used as a substitute, and the leaves are excellent as greens 

 and for salads. Lightfoot * mentions the use of the pungent leaves for salads, and Mueller * 

 says it is much used for some select sauces. 



L. oleraceum Forst. f. new Zealand cress. 



New Zealand. This plant is found growing abundantly on the seashores. It is 

 a good antiscorbutic and was eagerly sought after by early voyagers as a remedy for 

 sctu"vy. The natives call it eketera. It is now cultivated in Britain as a potherb.' 

 L. piscidium Forst.- f. fish poison. 



Pacific Islands. This is an extremely pungent cress eaten by seamen as a relish and 

 antiscorbutic. 



L. sativum Linn, cress, nasturtium. 



Orient. De Candolle ' believes this plant to be a native of Persia, whence it may 

 have spread into the gardens of India, Syria, Greece, Egypt and even as far as Abyssinia. 

 It is said by Xenophon, about 400 B. C, to have been eaten by the Persians before they 

 became acquainted with bread. Pliny, in the first centvuy, speaks of the nasturtium as 

 growing in Arabia, of a remarkable size. Cress finds frequent mention in the Greek and 

 Latin authors. This plant has been cultivated in England since 1548 and is mentioned 

 by Gerarde ' who says, " Galen saith that the Cresses may be eaten with bread 

 Velutiobsonium and so the Ancient Spartans usually did ; and the low-countrie men many 

 times doe, who commonly use to feed of Cresses with bread and butter. It is eaten with 

 other sallade herbes, as Tarragon and Rocket; and for this cause it is chiefly sown." In 

 1806, McMahon ' mentions three varieties for American gardens. The leaves while young 

 have a warm, pungent taste and are now eaten as a salad, either separately or mixed with 

 lettuce or other salad plants. The curled varieties are used for garnishing. Burr '" describes 

 five varieties, and four types are now under culture; the common, the curled, the broad- 

 leaved and the golden. '' The synonomy of these various types is as below, it being pre- 

 mised that the modem varieties vary somewhat in degree only: 



Mueller,?. Sel. Pis. 2$Z- 1891. 

 Johnson, C. P. Useful Pis. Gt. Brit. 25. 1862. 

 ' Loudon, J. C. Hort. 687. i860. 

 * Lightfoot, J. F/. 5co/. 1:339. 1789. 

 ' Mueller, F. Sel. Pis. 255. 1891. 

 Smith, A. Treas. Bot. 2:671. 1870. 

 ' De Candolle, A. Orig. Pis. Cull. 87. 1885. 

 ' Gerarde, J. Herb. 2 $0. 1633 or 1636. 

 McMahon, B. Amer. Card. Col.. 581. 1806. 

 "Burr, F. Field, Card. Veg. 341 . 1863. 

 " Vilmorin Veg. Card. 207. 1885. 



