338 ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



Cyrenaica. Its cultivation began within historic time. 

 The Greeks diffused it in Greece and Italy; but it was 

 afterwards more highly esteemed by the Arabs, who 

 propagated it as far as Marocco and Spain. In all these 

 countries the tree has become naturalized here and there 

 in a less productive form, which it is needful to graft to 

 obtain good fruit. 



The carob has not been found in the tufa and quater- 

 nary deposits of Southern Europe. It is the only one of 

 its kind in the genus Cerafonia, which is somewhat 

 exceptional among the Leguininosce, especially in Europe. 

 Nothing shows that it existed in the ancient tertiary or 

 quaternary flora of the south-west of Europe. 



Common Haricot Kidney Bean Phaseolus vulgaris, 

 Savi. 



When, in 1855, I wished to investigate the origin of 

 the genera Phaseolus and Doliclios,^ the distinction of 

 species was so little defined, and the floras of tropical 

 countries so rare, that I was obliged to leave several 

 questions on one side. Now, thanks to the works of 

 Bentham and Georg von Martens,^ completing the previous 

 labours of Savi,^ the Legumince of hot countries are 

 better known ; lastly, the seeds discovered quite recently 

 in the Peruvian tombs of Ancon, examined by Wittmack, 

 have completely modified the question of origin. 



I will speak first of the common haricot bean, after- 

 wards of some other species, without, however, enume- 

 rating all those which are cultivated, for several of these 

 are still ill defined. 



Botanists held for a lonj time that the common 

 haricot was of Indian origin. No one had found it wild, 

 nor has it yet been found, but it was supposed to be of 

 Indian origin, although the species was also cultivated in 

 Afiica and America, in temperate and hot regions, at 

 least in those where the heat and humidity are not 

 excessive. I called attention to the fact that there is 



* A. de CandoUe, Geogr. Bof. Eais., p. 9G1. 



* Bentham, in Ann. Wiener Museum, voL ii. ; Martens, Die Oarteri' 

 hohnen, in Jto, Stuttgart, 1860, edit. 2, 1869. 



* Savi, Osserv. sopra Phaseolus e Dolichos, 1, 2, 3. 



