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DESCRIPTIVE BOTANY. 



COCHLEARIA, Tournefort. (Horse Radish.) Calyx equal at the base. 

 Sepals short and slightly spreading. Petals entire, larger than the 

 sepals, with short claws. Style short, occasionally long. Pod globular 

 or egg-shaped ; valves convex, nerve dorsal. Seeds usually few, obo- 

 vate, flattened, arranged in two rows in each cell. Leaves large, ob- 

 long, lower ones pinnate, those on the upper part of the stem entire. 

 Root perennial. 



1. C. armoracia, L. (Horse Radish.) Stem 2 to 4 feet in height, striate, 

 much branched ; branches ascending. Leaves large and thick , radical ones 

 12 to 18 inches long; on the lower part of the stem either pinnate, crenate, 

 or toothed, on long stalks 6 to 12 inches in length; upper leaves on short 



petioles, sometimes sessile, entire, elliptical, 



or strap-shaped. Flowers in corymbs, white. 



Seed-vessel egg-shaped, seldom ripening seed. 



Root large, fleshy, and edible, and of very rapid 



growth. Flowers in June. 



2. C. officinalis, L. (Scurvy Grass) The leaf 

 has the shape of a spoon, hence the generic 

 name. Sometimes cultivated in the United 

 States. There are other species, but they are 

 not cultivated. 



Geography. — The geographical range of the 

 Cochlearia is the middle and southern edges 

 of the north temperate zone, extending from 

 Great Britain to western Asia, and northeast 

 America. 



Etymology. — Cochlearia, the generic name, 

 is from the Latin cochlear, a spoon, due to the 

 shape of the leaf of the C. officinalis. Armo- 

 racia, the specific name, is derived from Armor- 

 ica, a province in France where the Horse 

 Radish was thought to be native ; but it has 

 been ascertained that Armorica is not the home 

 of this plant, hence the name did not arise in that way, and the derivation is 

 obscure. Horse Radish, the common name, signifies a strong Radish, due to the 

 very pungent taste of the root. Officinalis means " of the shops," or " useful." 

 History. — It is not certain that this plant was known to the ancients. 

 Pliny, in the first century, applied the name to another plant. It was taken 

 to Great Britain before Cesar's invasion, and has become naturalized, and is 

 growing freely and propagating itself , without cultivation, throughout temper- 

 ate Europe. It was brought to northeastern America by colonists, Avhere it 

 is cultivated, and is also naturalized. It is an important plant to the market 

 gardener. 



Use. — The medical properties of the Horse Radish are stimulant, dia- 

 phoretic, diuretic, and anti-scorbutic, and when applied externally, rubefacient. 

 It is administered in paralysis, rheumatism, dropsy, and in other complaints to 

 excite the secretions. 



As a food, the root is esteemed for flavoring and preparing sauces for meats 

 and fish. It is prepared by grating the root and preserving it with vinegar. It 

 is adulterated with grated turnip, which renders it more mild and palatable. 



Cochlearia armoracia 

 (Horse Radisli). 



