334 STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 



IV. 



Golden Cress. 



Cresson dorS. Petit 1826; Noisette 1829. 



Golden. Hort. Trans. 6: sSt,. 182616111x343. 1863; Vilm. 208. 1885. 



Cresson aUnois dor6. Vilm. 195. 1883. 



It appears as if the types of the modem varieties have not changed through culture, 

 as three are quite ancient, and the fourth is but an ordinary variation of a pale yellowish- 

 green color. Curled cress seems to have been first observed by J. Bauhin, who furnished 

 his brother, C. Bauhin, with seed preceding 1596. 



Leptadenia lancifolia Decne. Asclepiadeae. 



Tropical Africa. The natives of the Upper Nile make spinach of its flowers and 

 tender shoots.' 



Leptospermum pubescens Lam. Myrtaceae. tea tree. 



Tasmania and southeastern Australia. The leaves were used by the early settlers 

 as a tea substitute.^ 



L. scoparium Forst. tea tree. 



Australia. The leaves were used by Captain Cook in his second voyage as a tea and 

 are reported as furnishing a beverage of a very agreeable, bitter flavor, when the leaves 

 were fresh.' 



Leucaena esculenta Benth. Leguminosae. 



Mexico. According to Don,^ this is the guaxe of Mexico, the legumes of which are 

 eaten by the Mexicans. 



Leucopogon fraseri A. Cunn. Epacrideae. otago heath. 



Australia. A plant whose sweetish, orange-like drupe is edible. 



L. richei R. Br. Australian currants. 



Australia. The berries are said to have supported the French naturalist Riche, who 

 was lost for three days on the south coast of New Holland." 



Levisticum officinale Koch. Umbelliferae. lovage. 



Europe. Lovage grows wild in the south of Eiirope and is cultivated in gardens. 

 McMahon, 1806,' includes it in his list of kitchen garden, aromatic, pot and sweet herbs, 

 and in 1832 Bridgeman ' includes it among garden medicinal herbs. It is now used in ' 

 eclectic medicine. At the present day, says Vilmorin,' lovage is almost exclusively used 



Speke, J. H. Journ. Disc. Source Nile 575. 1864. 



Smith, A. Treas. Bot. 2:674. 1870. {L. lanigerum) 



'Andrews Bot. Reposit. 10:622. 1797. 



Don, G. Hist. DicU. Ph. 2:421. 1832. {Acacia esculenta) 



Balfour, J. H. Treaj. Bo/. 1:453. 1870. 



McMahon, B. Amer. Card. Cal. 563. 1806. 



' Bridgeman Young Card. Asst. 107. 1857. 



'Vilmorin Feg. Gord. 316. 1885. 



