388 DICTIONARY OF POPULAR NAMES SPINACH 



mentioned in St. Mark was prepared from this plant. It appears 

 to have been early known in Europe, and history tells ns it was 

 a favourite with the ladies of Eome ; but it has long ceased to be 

 used, its smell being considered disagreeable to modern taste. 



Spinach, Garden {Spinacia oleracca), an annual plant, the 

 type of the Spinach family (Chenopodiaceie). The native country 

 of the Garden Spinach is not well ascertained, but is supposed to 

 be Western Asia ; it has been knoAvn in this country for at least 

 three hundred years. There are two kinds, one with smooth 

 and the other with prickly seeds. Both are cultivated, and used 

 as a vegetable. 



Spinach, Australian. — Chcnojoodinm auricomum, native of 

 the interior of Australia. It is allied to C. liyhridum, a weedy 

 plant of this country. It has lately come into use as a substi- 

 tute for Spinach. 



Spinach, Indian. — Basella ruhra and B. alha, succulent 

 climbers, with soft, entire, alternate leaves, of the family Basel- 

 lacese, but considered by some to be a section only of the Spinach 

 family (Chenopodiacere), natives of the East Indies, generally 

 cultivated for shade as arbour plants. In Hortits Keicensis 

 they are called Malabar Nightshade. 



Spinach, Mountain, or Garden Orache (Atriplex hortensis), 

 native of Eastern Europe. It is a hardy annual plant of the 

 Chenopodiaceie, growmg 2 to 3 feet high, having large hastate 

 leaves, varying from light green to dark red, which are some- 

 times used as Spinach. They seed freely, the red-leaved kind 

 becoming a weed in some gardens. 



Spinach, New Zealand (^Tetragonia expcmsa), a trailing 

 branch-stemmed annual, several feet in length, with Spinach- 

 like leaves, of the Fig Marigold family (Ficoideaj). It was dis- 

 covered in New Zealand during Captain Cook's first voyage, and 

 was much prized as a fresh vegetable amongst the crews, and 

 was considered efficacious as an antiscorbutic. It is also 

 common to Australia, Tasmania, Japan, and South America. It 

 was introduced into this country in 1772, and in some gardens 

 it is substituted for Spinach. 



