34 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



PARSLEY.— APIUM. 



Natural order, Umbellatce. A genus of the 

 Pentandria Digynia class. 



The common garden parsley, with curled 

 leaves, is said to grow naturally in Sardinia. 

 Pliny seems to disprove this account, as he 

 mentions the Sardinian parsley as being of a 

 venomous quality. He observes*, that pars- 

 ley was in great request with all classes of 

 people, who took it in large bunches in their 

 pottage ; and that there was not a salad or 

 sauce sent to table without it, and that all 

 persons were pleased to have their meat 

 forced with this herb; and yet, says he, al- 

 though parsley is so good, there is not a vege- 

 table growing on the face of the earth, re- 

 specting which learned men more disagree 

 and vary in opinion ; some maintaining that 

 the curled-leaved is the female plant, others 

 insisting that the taller kind is of that sex. 



* Book xx. chap. 1 1 . 



