NAMES, HISTORIES, AND CLASSIFICATION. 249 



Pea. — French, pois, from Latin pis^im, 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, rhiiharhe ; probably indirectly from Latin 

 barbanis, foreign. 



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

 properties of the plant. 



Salsify. — French, salsijis. 



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 (?). 



