PINE OF ECONOMIC PLAKTS. 321 



growing atundantlj^ in moist shady places. After flowering its 

 leaves soon wither, and it remains dormant until the following 

 spring. After heavy rains, however, its place is often well 

 marked hy numerous little tuberous roots lying on the surface 

 like grains of wheat, which have been supposed by some to 

 be corn fallen from heaven. This is particularly the case in 

 Silesia, where they are gathered and used as food, being very 

 mealy and not unwholesome when boiled. 



Pine-apple {Ananassa sativa), a plant of the family Brome- 

 liaceas. The original country of this is supposed to be Brazil ; 

 it now exists in both a cultivated and wild state in all warm 

 parts of America, and it has been introduced into "Western tropical 

 Africa, where it has become naturalised, as also in the warm 

 parts of Asia and other tropical countries. Its fruit consists of 

 a number of pulpy ovaries cohering in a firm compact head, 

 and terminated by a tuft of small leaves termed the crown. 



The Pine-apple appears to have been known in England in 

 the time of Charles II , wdio is recorded as having at a royal 

 dinner party first cut one up, of which the celebrated Evelyn, 

 in his Diary, dated July 19th, 1668, says — "I was at a banquet 

 which the King [Charles IL] gave to the French Ambassador. 

 Standing by his Majesty in the presence there was of that rare 

 fruit called the King Pine, growing in Barbados, in the West 

 Indies. The fruit of them I had never seen. His Majesty, 

 cutting it up, was pleased to give me a piece from his own plate 

 to taste of ; but in my opinion it falls far short of those ravish- 

 ing varieties of deliciousness ascribed to it." About that time 

 John Eose was royal gardener. Horace Walpole mentions in 

 the catalogue of his collection at Strawberry Hill " a picture, 

 probably by Bankers, of Eose the royal gardener presenting the 

 first Pine-apple raised in England to Charles IL, who is standing 

 in a garden. The house seems to be Downey Court, near 

 AVindsor, the villa of the Duchess of Cleveland/'-^ to whom Eose 



1 There is a sniall-sizecl copy of this picture in. the libiary of the 

 Boyal Ilorticnltural Society, Soiitli Ken^^ington, oii whicli is the following 

 iiisci-iption : — " Kmg Charles II , and Mr. Rose the royal gardener pre- 



Y 



