CARAWAY. liJ-S 



Description. — The root is biennial, fusiform, whitish, about 

 the thickness of the thumb, and furnished with numerous fibres, 

 The stems are erect, firm, cylindrical, striated, smooth, branch- 

 ed, and rise to the height of two feet. The leaves are long, 

 sheathing at the base, doubly pinnate, and of a deep green 

 colour ; the radical ones are stalked, with nmnerous acute seg- 

 ments ; those of the stem are opposite, very unequal, and di- 

 vided into fine linear acute segments. The flowers are arranged 

 in dense terminal umbels of about ten radii, with a general in- 

 volucre of a few setaceous leaves, and no partial one. The 

 calyx is a mere obsolete margin. The petals are five, nearly 

 white, inversely heart-shaped, and slightly emarginate at the 

 end. The stamens are five, with capilliform spreading fila- 

 ments, as long as the petals, tipped with globose two-lobed an- 

 thers. The germen is inferior, ovate, abrupt, surmounted by 

 two short, afterwards elongated, filiform, spreading styles, 

 tumid at the base, terminated by obtuse stigmas. The fruit is 

 oblong, compressed at the side, and composed of two carpels, 

 traversed by five filiform equal ridges, having interstices with 

 single vittae, and their inner faces plane. The seed is some- 

 what convex, narrow at both ends, plane in front. Plate 10, 

 fig. 4, (a) half of a radical leaf; (6) an entire floret of the 

 natural size ; (c) the fruit, showing the two carpels separating 

 at maturity. 



This plant grows wild in France, Germany, Holland, Sweden, 

 Poland, and as far north as Lapland. It occurs in meadows 

 and pastures in several places in this country, and is also fre- 

 quently cultivated. It flowers in June. 



The ancient naturalists, and Greek and Roman physicians, 

 frequently mention this plant under the name of y.apo;, xccpsov, 

 careum, and it was so named, according to Pliny *, because 

 it was peculiarly abundant in Caria, a province of Asia 

 Minor. 



Qualities and general Uses. — The Caraway, from being 

 cultivated in our gardens, loses a great part of its natural acri- 

 dity : the root becomes more voluminous and succulent ; the 

 fruit larger, more oily, and acquires a more aromatic, and agree- 



* Hist. Nat , lib. xix, cap. 6. 



