J94 ITAtlVE COUNTRY OF THE POTATO. 



a very comrnon plant in many parts of North Anoerica, and 



perhaps uo where more common than in Virginia. This 



fine plant grows in moist situations, in a rich soil, as along 



the bunks of our rivers, &c. It is well known by the name 



of [ndian potato, wild potato, earth nuts, ground nuts, &c. 



"w"hic]i}s?i The root is so abundant, and so well tasted, that the pla«t 



plant well is worthy of beuig cultivated; and the more so, as even its 



^ure : seed, or " pease" as they are sometimes called, when boiled, 



are deemed a delicacy at the table, 

 but De Laet's But De Laet's openawk is as unlike glycine apios, as it is 

 rl"^^t"°^ unlike solanum tuberosum. Indeed, 1 must dismiss this 

 part of my subject by candidly confessing, that I know not 

 ■what plant the openawk is. Perhaps, it will be found, in 

 the course of farther inquiry, to be a species of one of the 

 three genera, arum, pothos, or sagittaria,. 

 0^he^ esculent Beside the openawk, De Laet speaks of, 1. the 

 tioned ^^de oheepenauk. This is, unquestionably, the vast tuber, men- 

 Laet. tioned by Clayton {Flora Virginica, p. 176), which 1 call 



tuber tucca. 2. The kaistttcpenauck, wh\ch has a white 

 root, ** ovi gallinae forma et raagnitudine." This I take to 

 be a sagittaria. 3. TsinaWt a climbing plant, of which 

 bread is made, is I suspect, a species of smilax. 4. Coscu- 

 show. Of the root of this also the Indians made bread. The 

 plant grows in moist and stagnant places. The recent juice 

 is poisonous and raust be expressed before the pulpy and 

 fibrous part can be made into bread. This, certainly, is 

 not solanum tuberosum, but, if I mistake not, a species of 

 ^rum. I take it to be Captain Smith's tockawhoughe, 

 5. Habaicorit " a hot root, of the shape and size of the 

 parsnip": perhaps the root of some species of angelica. 

 Gerard's tesii- II. lam sorry that 1 have not an opportunity of consult^ 

 mony of little ^^^ ^^^ herbal of Gerard. But I readily take it for granted, 

 that what thia old writer has said relative to the potato js 

 correctly stated by sir Joseph. Allowing this to be the case, 

 the statement is not of very material importance in the pre- 

 sent inquiry. Gerard may have meant nothing more, than 

 that the plant was said to have come from Virginia, or 

 Habitats of Norembega. Every botanist knows how vaguely, or errone- 



plantsfrc- ouslv, the native countries of many vegetables are men- 

 quently given "^ J* ^,, • , • ■, • 



enoHeousiy. tioned, ev«u in some of the best and most classical works on 



the 



