BOOK XIX. XXV. 75-x.\vi. 79 



about tlie lurnip, were it not that medical men class 

 the round plants in this group as being of" the male 

 sex and the more spread out and curved ones as 

 female, the latter being superior in sweetness and 

 easier to store ; though after being repeatedly sown 

 they turn into male pLants. The same authorities 

 have made four classes of navews," the Corinthian, 

 Cleonaean, Liothasian and Boeotian, the last also 

 called merely the green turnip. Of these the 

 Corinthian turnip grows to a very large size, with 

 its root almost bare, for only this kind grows up- 

 ward, not down into the ground as the others do. 

 The Liothasian kind is by some called Thracian 

 navew ; it stands cokl extremely well. The Boeotian 

 navew is sweet, and also is remarkable for its short 

 round shape, not being ek^ngated Hke the Cleonaean 

 varietv. In fact, generally spcaking, navews the 

 leaves of whicli are smooth also themselves have a 

 sweeter taste, and those w^th rough and angular and 

 bristly leaves are more bitter. There is also a wild 

 kind the leaves of which resemble colewort. At 

 Rome the prize is given to the turnips of San 

 \'ettorino, and next to those of Norcia, and the 

 third place to tlie local variety. The rest of the 

 facts about growing navews have been stated in the 

 passage dealing with turnips. xviii. 120. 



XXVL Radishes consist of an outer skin and a Radishes: 

 cartilage, and with many of them the skin is 'propercies 

 even thicker than the bark of some kinds of trees. andvarieties 

 They have an extremely pungent flavour, which 

 varies in proportion to the thickness of the skin. 

 The other parts as well are somctimcs of a woody 

 substance. They have a remarkable power of 

 causing flatulence and eructation ; consequently 



471 



