NAMES, HISTORIES, AND CLASSIFICATION. 249 



Pea. French, pois, from Latin pisum, the pea. 



Pepper, Red. Latin, piper, the true pepper or black pepper, 

 with which the present plant is compared in pungency. 



Potato. Spanish and Portuguese, batata, an aboriginal 

 American name. First applied to the sweet-potato. 



Pumpkin. French, pompion, from Latin pepo, a pumpkin- 

 like fruit. 



Radish. Latin, radix, root. 



Rhubarb. French, rhubarbe ; probably indirectly from Latin 

 barbarus, foreign. 



Sage. Latin, salvus, saved, evidently in allusion to medicinal 

 properties of the plant. 



Salsify. French, salsifis. 



Spinach or Spinage. Latin, spinacia, spinach, from spina, 

 a thorn, in reference to the prickly character of the plant. 



Squash. American Indian, asquash, a raw or green fruit. 



Tomato. Tomate, of South American origin. 



Turnip. Probably Welsh turn, round, and maip, turnip. 



5. Periods of Cultivation and Native Countries of Cultivated 

 Plants. 



(Adapted from researches of De Candolle, and Gray and Trumbull.) 



Almond. Over 4000 years; Mediterranean basin, western 



temperate Asia. 

 Apple. Over 4000 years; Europe, Anatolia, south of the 



Caucasus. 



Apricot. Over 4000 years ; China. 

 Artichoke. Less than 2000 years ; Europe, Africa, Canaries, 



and Madeira. 

 Asparagus. Over 2000 years; Europe, western temperate 



Asia. 



Banana. Over 4000 years ; southern Asia. 

 Barley, Common. (?); western temperate Africa. 

 Bean. Over 4000 years ; unknown wild. Probably North 



America. 

 Bean, Broad. Over 4000 years ; south of the Caspian (?). 



