222 



NATURAL HISTORY OF PLANTS. 



various organs ; like the Kadishes, 1 and the various Cabbages and 

 Turnips, in which we have studied 2 the seat of these deposits. In 

 several the leaves are eaten, either cooked, as in Sea Kale 3 (C/iou 

 marin, figs. 248-253), and certain species of Lepidium, Cardamine, 

 Baphanus, Prinplea, 4 Matthiola, 5 Zilla? &c. ; or raw, in salad, like the 

 cultivated Cresses (Cressons). These last are not mere insipid green 

 vegetables, but are distinguished by a greater or less development of the 

 stimulant pungency, or even acridity common to most medicinal Cruci- 

 fers. 7 The Water Cress (Cresson officinal, C. de fontaine) is Nasturtium 

 officinale? growing wild or cultivated in fresh water. It is pretty 

 powerful as a stomachic, diuretic, depurative, and, above all, anti- 

 scorbutic. 9 From it is distinguished the Creeping Watercress {Cresson 

 sauvage ; N. sylvestre)™ possessing the same virtues, though less used. 

 The Cress of our gardens (C. aUnois or Nasitort) is a member of the 

 totally different genus Lepidium ; it is L. sativum" and acrid and 

 antiscorbutic, and sternutatory. Bittercress (Cresson des pres), the least 

 used of all, is Cardamine pratensis™ For the same purposes, medicinal 



1 All belonging to R. sativus L. (R. cMnensis 

 Mill., orbicularis Mill., rotundus Mill., sativus 

 Mill.), and comprising two chief races : 1. The 

 small Radishes (Radis, Petites Raves), including 

 the Turnip Radish (Radis Rond ; R. Radicula 

 Pees.) and the Spring Radish (Radis Allonge, 

 Rave ; R. sativus Mill.). — 2. The larger 

 Radishes (Raves, vraies Raiforts), including the 

 Black Radish (Rave Noir, Radis Noir ; R. niger 

 Lob.), the large White Radish (Orosse Rave 

 Blanche ; R. rotundis Mill.), the Gray Radish 

 (Radis gris), Winter Violet Radish (R. Violet 

 d'Hiver), &c. (See Spach, Suit, a Buffon, vi. 

 340.— Gtjib., loc. cit., 674.) 



2 See above, pp. 188-195, fig. 219-237. 



3 Crambe maritima L., Spec, 937. — (Ed., Fl. 

 Dan., t. 316. — Rosenth., op. cit., 645. So in 

 the East are eaten C. orientalis L. and Kots- 

 cliyana Lindl. C. Tataria Jacq. (C. tata- 

 rica W.), or Hungarian Sea Kale, is probably 

 the Chara Casaris on which Caesar's troops 

 fed. 



4 P. antiscorbutica Hook. F., is used in Ker- 

 guelen's Land like the Cabbage in Europe. (See 

 Rosenth., op. cit., 635, 1.142.) 



5 M. incana R. Br. and livida DC. are only 

 eaten in times of famine. 



6 The Arabs eat the leaf buds and leaves of Z. 

 myagroides Forsk. (Myagrum spinosum Lame. ; 

 ■ — Bunias spinosa L.). 



7 This also distinguishes them from Papa- 



veracea, which have a milky or more or less 

 op-.descent latex. 



8 R. Be., in Ait. Hort. Kew., ed. 2, iv. 110. — 

 Spach, op. cit., vi. 432. — Guib., op. cit., iii. 675, 

 fig. 752. — Chatin, le Cresson, lSiuo. (Paris, 

 1866). — N. siifoliutn Reichb. — JV. mierophyllum 

 Reichb. — Sisymbrium Nasturtium L., Spec, 

 91 6. — Cardamine fontana LAMK. — Cardaminum 

 Nasturtium McENCH. 



9 It contains iodine, iron, phosphates, an 

 essential oil containing sulphur and nitrogen, 

 which gives it its peculiar pungency (Chat., op. 

 cit., 96), and is used for medicine in the forms of 

 the fresh juice, syrup, soft or dry conserve, ex- 

 tract, and milk of Watercress. It enters into 

 the sirop de Raifort iode of Parisian druggists. 



10 R. Br.., loc. cit. — Guib., loc. cit., 676. — 

 Fruca sylvestris Fuchs., Hist., 263. 



11 L., Spec, 899.— DC, Prodr., i. 204, n. 9.— 

 Turp., Fl. Med.,\c. — Thlaspi sativum Ceantz.— 

 Lepia sativa Destx. — Thlaspidium sativum 

 Spach, loc. cit., 557. It is thought to be the 

 KdpBapov of Dioscorides. The other species, 

 whose leaves or roots are used raw or cooked as 

 antiscorbutics and diuretics, are L. campestre R. 

 Br., latifolium L. (Broad-leaved Cress, grande 

 Pa-sserage), Iberis Pall., ruderale L. (Nas- 

 turtium ruderale Scop.) and virginicum L. (See 

 Rosenth., op. cit., 638.) 



12 L., Spec, 915.— DC, Prodr., i. 151, n. 23.— 

 RosENTa., op. cit., 632. — H. B>\, in Diet. 



