114 



POPULAU ECOKOMIC BOTANY. 



caraway^ except that tliey are very rarely distilled for their 

 essential oil. The Coriander has an aromatic sweet taste, 

 with very little pungency j it also is a fruit {mericar])) , 

 though commonly designated a seed ; it is, like the caraway, 

 an annual plant. Its native country is the South of Europe, 

 some writers say Italy ; it is however capable of enduring a 

 very wide geographical distribution, for it grows abundantly 

 in India, and bears the chmate of Britain equally well ; 

 indeed, it is sometimes found growing wild, and bearing 

 fruit, from seeds accidentally scattered. Its history is much 

 more ancient than that of the last-mentioned seed. The 

 food which fell from heaven to feed the Israelites in the de- 

 sert is thus described in Exodus xiv. 31 : ^^And the house 

 of Israel called the name thereof Manna : and it was like 

 coriajider-^etdi, white; and the taste of it was like wafers 

 made with honey.^^ It was also known to most of the 

 writers of antiquity, by many of whom it was believed to 

 possess great medicinal virtues ; its Greek name was KopLov, 

 or fcopiavvov, whence its modern name coriander. 



The whole plant, when growing, has a most disagreeable 

 odour, and grows about two feet in height. The flowers are 

 white and small, like most of the parsley tribe, and the 

 seeds, growing in pairs, are round, except a sKght flatness 



