By M. De Candolle. 



3d 



fiava, of a more delicate flavour; and the Blade, nigricans, 

 the fleshy part of which is white, and the skin only of a black- 

 ish colour. 



Fifth Species. BRASSICA PRECOX. 

 The fifth, and last species of Cabbage here mentioned, and 

 unknown to botanists till lately, has long been cultivated 

 by different farmers in various parts of Europe ; it is called 

 in the Eastern Provinces of France Navette d'Ete, Navette 

 de Mai, Navette annuelle, and in Germany, Kohl Reps, or 

 Summer Reps, which has the same signification as the French 

 Navette d'Ete ; it is distinguished from the preceding by its 

 upright seed-pod, which does not open when mature ; from 

 the Brassica oleracea, by its expanding calyx, and from the 

 Turnip, by its glabrous leaves ; and, lastly, from them all, 

 by its precocity ; it is usually sown in spring, and though it 

 blossoms later than the Winter Navette, it has time to ripen 

 in the course of the year, and is distinctly an annual, whereas 

 the two preceding varieties ripen their seed only in the se- 

 cond year. 



This species was introduced into botanical gardens by 

 Messrs. Waldstein and Kitaibel, of Hungary, under the 

 name of Brassica prcecox, a name truly expressive of its na- 

 ture, and adopted by Messrs. Schultes* and HoRNEMANN.-f 

 I have since received from M. Nestler some specimens of 

 it, accompanied with very interesting historical notes and de- 

 scriptions he calls it Brassica striata, as expressive of its 

 character, but the prior claim of the Hungarian botanists, 

 and the desire of coming as near as possible to common prac- 



* Schultes Obs. n. 1010. f Hornemann Hort. Hafn. Vol. ii. page 621. 

 VOL. V. F 



