959 



Cfjc Cr^a^itrp ai SSotang. 



[raph 



and crowned with a pappus of one series 

 of rough hairs. The name of Vegetable 

 Sheep (!) is given by the settlers in New 

 Zealand to R. eximia, because, from its 

 growing in large white tufts on elevated 

 sheep-runs, it may be readily mistaken for 

 the sheep. The genus is dedicated to M 

 Raoul, a French naval surgeon who wrote 

 on New Zealand plants. [A. A. B.] 



RAPA. The name given by Tournefort 

 to the genus which he constituted to con- 

 tain the common turnip, Brassica Eapa, 

 which he separated even from the colza, 

 B.Xapus; though some botanists now in- 

 clude both these under B. campestris, con- 

 sidering that the differences are not suffi- 

 cient to establish even their specific dis- 

 tinction. [J. T. S.] 



RAPATEA. A genus of Juncacece, con- 

 sisting of four or five species from tropical 

 South America. They are stout and rather 

 coarse herbs, with long flat radical leaves 

 and erect simple scapes, often much flat- 

 tened at the top ; and bearing a head or 

 dense umbel of yellow flowers in an invo- 

 lucre of two leafy bracts, broad at the 

 base with long points. Each flower is 

 surrounded by several imbricated scales, 

 and consists of three outer stiff chaff-like 

 I erect sepals, and three inner spreading 

 ' petals, with six stamens and a three-celled 

 three-valved capsule, with one seed in 

 each cell. 



RAPE, SUMMER. Brassica campestris. 

 — , "WINTER. Brassica Napus. 

 RAPETTE. (Fr.) Asperugo procumbens. 



RAPHANISTRUM . A genus of Qruciferce 

 combined with Raplianus, from which it 

 differs only in the more slender-beaded 

 pods, which break transversely into one- 

 seeded joints, the lower joint persistent, 

 empty, not obliterated, and the substance 

 of the pod woody not spongy throughout. 

 The flowers are pale-yellow or white. The 

 pod has a beak formed by the conical 

 persistent style. The Wild Radish, Raplia- 

 nus Raplianistrum, a common weed in cul- 

 tivated ground, is the type. [J. T. S.] 



RAPHANUS. A genus of Cruciferce 

 containing only two or three species, of 

 which the most important is the Common 

 Radish. The genus is characterised by the 

 pod, which is more or less elongated 

 thick pointed and indehiscent, more or 

 less contracted or even jointed between 

 the seeds, without any longitudinal par- 

 tition when ripe, but containing several 

 seeds separated by a pithy substance filling 

 the pod. 



The Garden Radish, R. salivas, is un- 

 known in the wild state ; but some varieties 

 of R. Raplianistrum on the Mediterranean 

 coast come sufficiently near to suggest the 

 possibility that it is merely a cultivated 

 race of the wild plant. It is a hardy an- 

 nual, and in the time of the Pharaohs was 

 extensively cultivated in Egypt, from 

 whence it gradually found its way into 

 Europe, but does not appear to have 

 reached this country until a.d. 1548. Gerard 



mentions four varieties as being knownin 

 a.d. 1597, The root is fleshy and variable in 

 form, in some varieties fusiform, in others 

 round like a small turnip, or semi-globu- 

 lar, and either of a reddish-purple, white, 

 yellowish, or deepbrown colour. The leaves 

 are rough, lyrate, or partly divided trans- 

 versely into segments, the outer one being 

 much larger and broader than the rest. 

 The flower-stem is round erect and 

 branching, about three feet high, and 

 bearing moderate-sized flowers, varying 

 from white to pale-violet, with strong dark- 

 coloured veins. The seed-pods are smooth, 

 ending in a short pointed beak. When 

 plump, and while young and green, these 

 pods are used for pickling, alone or with 

 other vegetables, and are considered a 

 tolerable substitute for capers. 



It is, however, as a salad-root that ra- 

 dishes are chiefly grown, and for this they 

 have been used from time immemorial. 

 They are of rapid growth, and in perfec- 

 tion when of a moderate size and- quite 

 young. The flesh is white, crisp, and ten- 

 der, and abounds in a peculiar nitrous 

 juice, which is much relished by vegeta- 

 rians, and considered to be a powerful 

 antiscorbutic. Radishes are usually eaten 

 raw with salt, vinegar, &c, or cut into 

 slices and mixed in salads. When too 

 large for a salad they make an excellent 

 dish if dressed and served like asparagus. 

 Although a favourite vegetable with all 

 classes, it is generally admitted to possess 

 but a very small amount of nutritive mat- 

 ter. [W. B. B.] 



RAPHE. The cord of flbro-vascular 

 tissue which connects the base of the nu- 

 cleus of an ovule with the placenta. 



RAPHIA. The species forming this 

 genus of Palms are confined to three very 

 limited but widely separated localities- 

 one, R. tcedigera, being found only on the 

 banks of the Lower Amazon and Para 



Raphia Ruffia. 



Rivers in Brazil ; another, R, vinifera, on 

 the West Coast of tropical Africa ; while 



