18 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



or a kale, but certainly not of a cabbage. It is named Caulis, and the 

 hexameter line referring to it runs— 



Caulis romana, graecorum, Brassica lingua. 



Dodoens gives illustrations of five sorts of Brassica (1559), but 

 the seed of the last was sold for that of rape, as he describes it as 

 supplying oil for lamps, &c. He describes five sorts of "white" and 

 five "black," including the rape, and identifies them as follows with 

 Pliny's names : 



No. 1. Brassica sessilis et capitata, corresponds with Pliny's (1) 

 Tritiana. 



No. 2. Allobrogica or Sabaudica, 'Choux de Savoy,' with a smaller 

 and longer head, sweeter than the first, and impatient of cold. It is 

 Pliny's (7) Lacuturris. 



No. 3. Cauliflores, unknown to the ancients unless it be (4) Pompeiana 

 or Cypria.* 



No. 4. Bapecaulis, the kohl-rabi ; perhaps Pliny's "turnip," as stated. 



No. 5. Patula, " with crisp and rugose foliage ; as it is much darker 

 in colour, and approaches the B. nigrae, it is called Negrecaulis by the 

 Italians." 



Of the Brassicae nigrae, " commonly called rubra caulis,' 1 Dodoens 

 describes — 



No. 1. Patula, "with very large leaves lying on the ground, on a short 

 stem. This was Cato's leia, and agrees with Pliny's (2) Gumanian." 



No. 2. " Another capitate form, but much smaller than Pliny's 

 Tritiana. Perhaps it is his Lacuturris." 



No. 3. " Foliage variously and doubly incised, like parsley. It is the 

 Sclinoeidcs of Cato." 



No. 4. " Excessively crisped foliage, usually called B. crispa ; it is 

 Pliny's Sab^Uca." t 



In Gerard's " Herbal" (1597) there are fifteen figures of ' Coleworts \ 

 or forms of Brassica oleracea, L. They are interesting in showing 

 something like the probable origins of the existing chief modern types in 

 cultivation, from the slight modifications which arose in the wild form. 

 This Gerard calls B. marina anglica or "English sea colewort." 

 The sources of the cultivated forms can be detected in the original wild 

 plant. Thus Hooker describes the stem as " very stout" ; and, unlike the 

 turnip, carrot, and radish, it does not produce a rosette of leaves on the 

 ground, but at an elevation. Hence this caulis or stem at once distinguished 

 it in the eyes of the early cultivators. As the lower leaves fall off the 

 upper, with very short internodes, form a dense cluster at the top. In 

 this we see the origin of the " head " of the cabbage. When the stem 

 elongates, and the leaves are more scattered, it produces the kales. 

 P>elow the lowest leaves Gerard figures a few globular buds. In his 

 1 Pcrsclcy Cooluwoort,' a kale with finely dissected leaves, the buds are 

 represented as much more numerous. In them we may see the origin of 

 our Brussels sprouts. 



* There is nothing in Pliny's description to suggest this. As stated, it agrees 

 better with the Chou mocllicr. 



t Dodonaeus' (Hembertus) De Stirpium Historia Commentariorum Imagines 

 (1569). 



