189o.] History of Garden Vegetables. 643 
by Burr'? for American gardens in 1863, and its seed was offered 
in American seed catalogues of 1882, perhaps a few years earlier. 
Scolymus, Spanish scolymus, Spanish oyster plant!" or golden 
thistle is called in France, scolyme d’ Espagne cardouille, cardousse, 
epine jaune ; in Holland, varkens distel ; in Italy, barba gentile, 
cardo scolimo ; in Spain, escolimo, cardilla ;"* at Constantinople, 
by the Greeks, Zephalaggalho.2 
SCORZONERA. Scorzonera hispanica L. 
This plant was not mentioned by Matthiolus™ in 1558, but in 
1570 was described as a new plant, called by the Spaniards 
scurzonera or scorzonera. In 1576, Lobel” says the plant was in 
French, Belgian and English gardens from Spanish seed. Neither 
Camerarius™ in 1586, nor Dalechampius™ in 1587, nor Bauhin!” 
in 1596, nor Clusius'” in 1601, indicate it as a cultivated plant, and 
Gerarde,'® in 1597, calls it a stranger in England, but growing in 
his garden. In 1612 Le Jardinier Solitaire"? calls it the best root 
which can be grown in gardens. The use of the root as a garden 
vegetable is recorded in England by Meager™ in 1683, Worlidge™ 
in 1683, by Ray™ in 1686, etc. Quintyne'? in France, in 1690, 
calls it “one of our chiefest roots" Its cultivation does not, 
therefore, extend back to the sixteenth century. No varieties are 
recorded under culture. It was in American gardens in 1806. 
The back oyster plant, black salsify, Spanish salsify, or scorzo- 
nera, is called in France, scorsonere, scorzonere d' Espagne, corcion- 
naire, ecorce noire, salsifis noir ; in Germany, scorsoner, schwarz- 
49 Burr. Field and Gard. Veg., 1863, 94 
120 Vilmorin. The Veg. Gard., 1885, 249. 
123 Lobel. Obs., 
124 Camerarius. Epit., 1586, 314. 
Matth. Com., bue 1570, 370 ; 1598, 409. 
1576, 298. 
131 Syst. Hort., by J. W. Gem, 1683, 186. 
132 Ray. Hist., 1686, 24 
133 Quintyne. Comp. rei 1693, 200 
" 
