112 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



RHUBARB.— RHEUM. 



Natural order, Holoracece. A genus of the 

 Enneandria Monogynia class. 



Rhubarb is a plant of the dock kind. It 

 is the Rheum Palmatum, or Rheum Chinense 

 of Linnaeus. 



The ancient Greeks called it Rhabarba- 

 rum, from its growing on the banks of the 

 river Rha, (i. e. Wolga,) in the barbarous 

 country of Russia. But the later Greeks 

 are said to have called it Barbaricum, be- 

 cause it was brought to Barbary, whence it 

 was sent to other countries. 



The use of the roots of this plant for 

 medicinal purposes is of so great antiquity, 

 as to defy our endeavours to ascertain to 

 whom mankind are indebted for the dis- 

 covery of its virtues. All the species of 

 rhubarb are natives of Asia, and we may 

 conclude, that its properties did not pass un- 

 noticed by the wise men of the East. We 



