

TORREYA 



Vol. 23 No. 2 



March -April, 1923 



THE AUSTRIAN FIELD-CRESS AGAIN 



John K. Small 



Notes by Albert A. Hansen on the Austrian field-cress — 

 Radicula austriaca (Crantz), Nasturtium austriacum Crantz, 

 Roripa austriaca Spach — in the September-October (1922) 

 number of Torreya reminded us of some specimens and corres- 

 pondence received at The New York Botanical Garden in 19 18 

 and 1920. 



Under date of June 10, 1918, Professor A. L. Stone of the 

 University of Wisconsin wrote: 



"Under separate cover I am sending you a plant which has 

 developed very obnoxious qualties in one of our farm fields. 

 Just how the plant first became established is a mystery but 

 it seems probable that the seeds were in some alfalfa which was 

 sown on this field about three years ago. I have searched through 

 the authorities on the cruciferae and I am unable to satisfy 

 myself that I am correct in the identification of the plant. If 

 it is one of the [native] cruciferae I believe it must be a varia- 

 tion from the type. 



"Will you kindly identify the plant for me and if the specimen 

 which I am sending does not arrive in sufficiently good condi- 

 tion I shall be glad to send another plant." 



A week later Professor Stone wrote further: 



"Your letter of June 15th has been received and I note your 

 request for fruit-bearing samples of the yellow crucifer which 

 I recently sent you. 



" Peculiarly enough this plant has shown a decided resemblance 

 to the Armoracia Armoracia in that it seems to produce no fruit 

 in this section of the country. Its roots seem to ha^■e exactly 

 the same characteristics as those of the horse-radish in that a 

 very small piece of the root will propagate a new plant. De- 

 pending as it does upon its roots for propagation it seems to 

 have no need of seed production and for that reason has not 



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