sturtevant's notes on edible plants 573 



referred to in the works on gardening beginning with Quintyne, 1693. McMahon.^ 1806, 

 includes salsify among American garden esculents, and, in 1822, John Lowell ^ says, 

 " though it has been in our gardens for ten years, it has never been extensively cultivated 

 for the market." 



T. pratensis Linn, goat's beard. 



Northwest India, Evirope and the adjoining portions of Asia. In 1640, this species 

 was cultivated in gardens in England, as mentioned by Parkinson. Evelyn, in his Ace- 

 taria, mentions its cultivation, but this vegetable has now given way to salsify.' Light- 

 foot * mentions the use of the roots, boiled, and of the spring shoots as greens.* 



Trapa bispinosa Roxb. Onagrarieae. sinhara nut. 



Old World tropics. This species grows abiuidantly in the lakes about Cashmere 

 and at Wurler lake and is said to yield annually ten million pounds of nuts. These are 

 scooped up from the bottom of the lake in small nets and constitute almost the only food 

 of at least 30,000 persons for five months in the year. When extracted from the shell, 

 they are eaten raw, boiled, roasted, fried, or dressed in various ways after being reduced 

 to fiour.^ They are also eaten in Lahore. 



T. cochinchinensis Lour. 



Cochin China. The seeds are eaten as are those of the ling.' 



T. incisa Sieb. & Zucc. 



Japan. This species is grown in Yezo and is largely used by the Ainus and to some 

 extent by the Japanese for food.' 



T. natans Linn, jesuit nut. ling, saligot. trapa nut. water caltrops, water 



CHESTNUT. 



Europe and eastern Asia. The Thraceans, according to PHny, baked bread from 

 the flour of the seeds, and the seeds are thus used even now in some parts of southern 

 Europe and, at Venice, are sold imder the name of Jesuit nuts.' Grant '" found trapa 

 nuts on the Victoria Nyanza in Africa, and the Waganda use the four-pronged nuts for 

 food. It is envunerated by Thunberg among the edible plants of Japan. Introduced 

 into America, trapa is said to have become naturalized in the waters of the Concord River, 

 Massachusetts. This water plant is extensively cultivated in China and furnishes, in 

 its strangely-shaped fruits, a staple article of nutriment. It has run into several varieties." 



'McMahon, B. Amer. Card. Col. 582. 1806. 



' Lowell, J. Mass. Agr. Reposit. 135. 1822. 



Glasspoole, H. G. Rpt. Ohio St. Bd. Agr. 30:541. 1875. 



Lightfoot, J. Fl. Scot. 1:427. 1789. 



'Pickering, C. Chron. Hist. Pis. 844. 1879. 



U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. XXX. 1855. 



' Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 325. 1859. 



' Penhallow, D. P. Amer. Nat. 16:120. 1882. 



Don, G. Hist. Dichl. Pis. 2:700. 1832. 



'" Speke. J. H. Journ. Disc. Source Nile 569. 1864. 



" Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 325. 1859. 



