Naturalisation in Extra-Tropical Countries. 499 



Scorzonera deliciosa, Gussone.* 



Sardinia, Sicily, Algeria and Tunis. One of the purple-flowered 

 species ; equal, if not superior, in its culinary use to the allied salsify. 

 Bears much frost. In its native country this plant yields its root for 

 a favorite confectionery [A. Paillieux]. 



Scorzonera Hispanica, Linn6.* 



Middle and Southern Europe, South-Western Asia. In Norway 

 hardy to lat. 63 26'. The root of this yellow-flowered perennial 

 herb furnishes not only a wholesome and palatable food, but also 

 serves as a therapeutic remedy much like dandelion. Long boiling 

 destroys its medicinal value [B. Clark]. Kept in a cellar for a while 

 it becomes available for cutting up as admixture to salad [Babo]. 

 Some other kinds of Scorzonera may perhaps be drawn into similar 

 use, there being many Asiatic species ; they should be cultivated as 

 annuals. The leaves of some may be used as salad. 



Scorzonera tuberosa, Pallas. 



On the Volga and in Turkestan, in sandy desert-country. This 

 species also yields an edible root, and so perhaps the Chinese S. 

 albicaulis (Bunge), the Persian S. Scowitzii (Candolle), the North- 

 African S. undulata (Vahl), the Greek S. ramosa (Sib thorp), the 

 Russian S. Astrachanica, the Turkish S. semicana (Candolle), the 

 Iberian S. lanata and S. mollis (Bieberstein), the latter being a 

 favorite food-plant in Baluchistan [J. H. Lace]. At all events, 

 careful culture may render some of them valuable esculents. 



Scutia Indica, Brongniart. 



Southern Asia. This, on Dr. Cleghorn's recommendation, might 

 be 'utilised as a thorny hedge-shrub. 



Sebsea ovata, R. Brown. 



Extra-tropical Australia and New Zealand. This neat little 

 annual herb can be utilised for its bitter tonic principle (Gentian- 

 bitter). S. albidiflora (F. v. M.) is an allied species from somewhat 

 saline ground. These plants get disseminated most readily, but 

 are unacceptable to stock. S. crassulifolia (Chamisso) and Chironia 

 baccifera (Linne) serve for the same therapeutic purposes in South- 

 Africa [MacOwan]. 



Secale cereale, Linne.* 



The Rye. Orient, but perhaps wild only in Afghanistan, and, as 

 recently noted by Dr. A. von Regel, also in Turkestan, but descended 

 from the perennial S. montanum (Gussone), as positively ascertained 

 by Professor Batalin, who records also Winter-rye from the Don- 

 region as perennial and as harvested two and even three years from 

 the same individual plants. Mentioned as one of the hardiest of all 



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