292 



HISTORY OP THE VEGETABLE KINGDOM. 



since the time of Dioscorides as a medicine, and 

 are said by him to be a specific for flatulence. 

 The roots formerly nsed to be candied, and sold 

 in the shops under the name of kissing comfits. 

 They are thus alluded to by Shakespeare. They 

 are reckoned stimulating and restorative ; but 

 have fallen entirely into disuse in modern prac- 

 tice. 



CHAP. XXXII. 



niE CEUOIFERiE, INCLUDINO THE TURNIP, MUSTARD, 

 CABBAGE, RADISH, CRESS, &C. 



The natural family of cniciferw is a well 

 marked one, and contains many plants of con- 

 siderable importance to man. The cross-like 

 form which the four petals of the corolla assume 

 in all the species, has afforded the general name 

 of the family. The order consists wholly of an- 

 nual or perennial, often of biennial herbs, occa- 

 sionally assuming a half shrubby form, but even 

 in this case, not exceeding the height of three 

 feet. The roots are either thick and perennial, 

 or annual or biennial, and slender, almost always 

 perpendicular, and undivided. The young roots 

 are tipped with a little sheath called the coleo- 

 rhiza, which is produced by the extended rup- 

 tured coat of the epidermis when the rootlet first 

 appears. The stems are round or somewhat an- 

 gular, branched, and often even in the annual 

 species indurated at the base. The branches 

 proceed from the axilla of the leaves, but the 

 uppermost ones are in most cases abortive. The 

 racemes are always opposite to the leaves. The 

 leaves are simple, generally radical, or alter- 

 nate, or rarely opposite. The flowers are either 

 white, yellow, or purple ; or in a few Cape species 

 bright blue. The fruit is called either a silic^ua 

 or silicula; the former being a linear pod con- 

 taining many seeds, the latter a roundish pod 

 containing one or very few seeds. 



The whole order is pre-eminently European : 

 J-6G species are found in the north and middle 

 of Europe, and 173 on the sea shores of the 

 Mediteri-anean; 45 are found between Mogadore 

 and Alexandria; 1S4 in the countries of the east, 

 as Syria, Asia Jlinor, Tauria, and Persia; 99 in 

 Siberia; 35 in China, Japan, and India; !16 in 

 New Holland, and the South sea islands; 6 in the 

 Mauritius and adjacent countries; 70 at the Cape, 

 9 in the Canaries, 2 in St Helena, 2 in the West 

 Indies, 41 in South America, 48 in North Amer- 

 ica, 6 in Kamchatka and the bordering islands; 

 and finally, 35 are common to several parts of 

 the globe. From this it appears that there are 

 about 100 species in the southern hemisphere, 

 and about 800 in the northern; or, if they are 

 considered with reference to the zones of tem- 



perature, 205 are natives of the frigid zone of 

 the northern hemisphere; 30 of the whole of the 

 tropics, 548 of the temperate zone of the nor- 

 thern hemisphere, and 86 of the southern. The 

 forty-first degree of north latitude may be con- 

 sidered the equatorial line of this family, about 

 half being found on one side of it, and half on 

 the other. Their station is very variable; many 

 inhabit open sandy plains, some fonn the vege- 

 tation about the limits of the perpetual snows 

 of lofty mountains, and many follow the foot- 

 steps of man through all parts of the world. 



The useful qualities of the turnip, the radish, 

 the rape, and the cabbage, with its multifonn 

 varieties, are all well known. The greater part 

 of this order consists of plants possessing high 

 antiscorbutic powers. These appear to depend 

 upon a certain acrid, volatile, oily principle, the 

 chemical nature of which is imperfectly known. 

 It is particularly abundant in the seeds of mus- 

 tard, and the roots of horse radish; and the 

 leaves of a pepper wort, lepedium laiifolium, 

 which latter exercises a violent influence upon 

 the organs of digestion. The same sort of acri- 

 mony, but in less degree, is found in the her- 

 bage of the scurvy grass; and the_ roots of the 

 radish, which act much more mUdly when taken 

 inwardly. Thus, when any cruciferous plants 

 are found to be eatable, either from culture or 

 other circumstances, it is to be understood to 

 depend upon a reduction of this acrid principle. 

 The exciting powers of this last are what renders 

 the horse radish, the scurvy grass, and others, so 

 remarkaUy useful as antiscorbutics; they are 

 also believed to possess diuretic and diaphoretic 

 qualities. It is to be remarked that, cruciferse 

 are alwaj's eatable when their texture is succu- 

 lent' and watery, as in the roots of the radish, 

 and the tui-nip, and the leaves of the cabbage 

 tribe. A further diminution of the acrid prin- 

 ciple is produced by blanching; cruciferae are 

 said to possess a greater share of azote than any 

 other tribe of plants, as is apparent in their foetid 

 smell when fermented. The embryo of all the 

 order abounds in oil, whence several species are 

 employed with much advantage for expressing 

 this fluid, either for eating or for the purpose 

 of burning. Some of the species are extremely 

 beautiful and fragrant, as the stocks, the gilly- 

 flowers, the hesperides, the candy tufts, and 

 many others. The Hutchinsias, drabas, carda- 

 mins, are among the most interesting of alpine 

 plants. 



This natural order includes the whole of Lin- 

 naeus' 15th class, Tetradt/namia , and a single 

 other genus, Cleome. 



The Turnip, (brassica rapa.) This we put 

 at the head of the crucifers, as being one of the 

 most important species of the family. The tur- 

 nip is a biennial plant, indigenous to Britain. If 

 the cultivated plant be in reality a variety of 



