32 



Perennial Crops 



high: root a mass of long fleshy cord-like members spreading 

 from the sides and bottom of a progressive rootstock: shoots 

 arising from the crown in early spring, succulent but subse- 

 quently decreasing in diameter, without ordinary foliage, com- 

 prising the edible part of the plant; tops dying in autumn: 

 leaves on young shoots triangular-cuspidate, iV to % in. long; 

 on the branches represented by very small scarious scales, from 

 the axils of which arise one but usually several short green 

 terete cladodes or cladophylls (commonly regarded as leaves) 

 IS to in. long and perhaps one elongated branch, the plumose 

 cladodes and stems altogether constituting the foliage : flowers 

 1 to 4 in the axils of the cladodes, on slender jointed pedicels ; 

 male or sterile fls. yellowish green and conspicuous, nearly ^ 

 in. long, bell-shaped, the perianth 6-toothed about one-third its 

 depth, the stamens G and included, pistil present but abortive; 

 female or fertile fls. (on separate plants) less conspicuous, 

 one-half or less the length of the sterile fls., the pistil practi- 

 cally filling the perianth and the 3 stigmas protruding: fr. a 

 globular hanging red 3-celled berry, -is to % in. diameter, 

 usually maturing several seeds, the remains of the 6 perianth- 

 lobes appressed on its base; seeds large {^s in. or less diam.), 

 rounded at the back and more or less angled or flattened 

 toward the micropyle, black, without prominent surface marks, 

 weighing 15 to 22 mg., retaining germinating power 5 years 

 or more. — Native on coasts and sandy areas, Great Britain, 

 Mediterranean region, to central Asia. The usual native form 

 (var. maritimus, Linn.) is a short-branched plant more or 

 less prostrate at the base. The var. altilis (Latin: large, fat, 

 nourishing) has longer branches and the thick stout stem is 

 erect from the base; known in cultivation and as an escape. 

 It is a plant of ancient cultivation. 



RHUBARD OR PIE-PLAXT 



^5 a garden vegetable, rliuharh is grown for the large 

 thich acid petioles or leaf -stalls, wliicli are used in spring 

 for sauces and pies. The plant is perfectly hardy; it de- 



