66 ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



of its species/ perhaps it might be found that certain 

 wild European forms, included by authors under A. 

 arenarium, h., A. arenarium, Sm., or^. scorodoprasum, 

 L., are only varieties of A. sativum. lu that case every- 

 thing would agree to show that the earliest peoples of 

 Europe and Western Asia cultivated such form of the 

 species just as they found it from Tartary to Spain, 

 giving it names more or less different. 



Onion — Allium Cepa, Linnasus. 



I will state first what was known in 1855 ;* I will 

 then add the recent botanical observations which confirm 

 the inferences from philological data. 



The onion is one of the earliest of cultivated species. 

 Its original country is, according to Kunth, unknown.^ 

 Let us see if it is possible to discover it. The modern 

 Greeks call Allium Cepa, which they cultivate in 

 abundance, kromm^unda.* Tliis is a good reason for be- 

 lieving that the krorriTnuon of Thoophrastus ^ is the same 

 species, as sixteenth-century writers already supposed." 

 Pliny'' translated the word by covpa. The ancient Greeks 

 and Romans knew several varieties, which they distin 

 guished by the names of countries : Gyprium, Cretense, 

 Sam,othraciae, etc. One variety cultivated in Egypt ^ was 

 held to be so excellent that it received divine honours, 

 to the great amusement of the Romans.^ Modern 

 Egyptians designate A. Cepa by the name of basal ^^ or 

 bussul,^^ whence it is probable that the bezalim of the 

 Hebrews is the same species, as commentators have said.^'-' 

 There are several distinct names — palandu, latarlca, sa- 

 handaka}^ and a number of modern Indian names. The 

 species is commonly cultivated in India, Cochin-China, 



j Annales des Sc. Nat, Sri series, vol. viii. 



' A. do Candollo, Q6ogr. Bat. RaisonruSe, ii. p. 828. 



' Kunth, Ermmer., iv. p. 394. 



* Praas, Syn. Fl. Glass., p. 291. 



• Theophiustus, Bist., 1. 7, c. 4. 



« J. Bauhin, Hist, ii. p. 548. ' Pliny, 7/ts«., 1. 19, o. 6. * Ihid. 



' Juvenalis, Sat. 15. "• Forskal, p. 65. 



" Ainslie's Mai. Med. Ind., i. p. 269. 



" Hiller, Hieroph., ii. p. 30 j Rosenmiillor, Handlk. Bibl. Alterlc. iv. 

 p. 96. 



" Piddington, Index ; Ainslie's Mat. Med. Ind. 



