668 The American Naturalist. [August, 
plant has a strong, sweetish, aromatic odor, and a warm, pungent 
taste, and is probably grown now in America, as in 1806, rather 
as a medicinal than as a culinary herb. It appears to have been 
known to Ruellius ^^ in 1536, who calls \t Levis ticum officinarum, 
and was only seen in gardens by Chabrseus "^^ in 1677. 
It is called in France ache de montagne, liveche ; in Germany, 
liebstock ; in Spain, apio de monteP 
MALLOWS. Malva crispa L. 
This plant is considered nearly indispensable in French gardens, 
although it is not an esculent, but the leaves are used for garnish- 
ing."^ It was known to Camerarius^^ in 1588, and was only known 
to Dodonaeus,-' in 1616, as a cultivated plant. The mallows 
which were used by the Romans as a pot-herb appear to be the 
Malva rotimdifolia L. Even Pythagoras thought much of this 
spinage, and it is even now said to be grown extensively on the 
banks of the Nile. M. sylvestris L. appears also to have been 
grown by the Romans as a pot herb, and M. verticillata L. has been 
recognized among Chinese vegetables from the 5th century. All 
these, and, indeed, all malvas have now disappeared from culti- 
vation as edibles in European countries. 
The Curled Mallow is called in France maiive frisk, mauve 
crepiie, mauve a feuilles crispees ; in Germany, krausbldttrige 
malve ; in Italy, malva crespa. 
The M. rotundifolia L. was carried to North America previous 
to 1669, and now appears as a weed. It is the mallows of Britain 
and America, the mauve of France, the runde kasepappel of Ger- 
many, the malva of Italy, the moloha or molohe of Greece. In 
Yemen called hobsen':^ 
The M. verticillata L. is called in Egypt khobbeyzeh ; in China 
tung han ts'ai'F 
2' Ruellius. De Nat. Stirp., 698. ''■^ Dodonaeus. Pempt., 1616, 653. 
•'•'■ Chabraeus. Icones et Sciag., 1677, 401. ^b Pickering. Ch. Hist., 348. 
•''■' Vilmorin. The Veg. Gard., 319. " Gard. Chron.. July 10, 1886, 41. 
