ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF OUR GARDEN VEGETABLES. 315 



stem, and " runcinate " leaves, i.e. having the marginal lobes pointing 

 downv^^ards , as in the dandelion, whereas the leaves of the endive are 

 large, oval, and merely toothed on the margin. 



The chicory was called seris by the ancient Greeks, and Intuhum 

 by the Eomans. This word appears to have been corrupted to hindeb in 

 Arabic and " endive " in English. Though looked upon as a medicinal 

 herb, Pliny observes that " the wild endive has certain refreshing 

 qualities, and is used as an aliment." Ovid also mentioned it as a 

 salad plant. 



Having been originally introduced into Europe from Egypt, 

 it spread as a garden herb from Italy, and was first received in England 



before, 1548, when Turner speaks of two sorts of Intyhus, the culti- 

 vated and the wild. ' ' The former is the white and garden endive ; the 

 wild also has two sorts, cichorium and the dandelion." Other writers 

 of the sixteenth century describe the crisped-leaved as well as the broad- 

 and narrow-leaved varieties. The former resembles the wild form of 

 Egypt to-day, the latter our wild runcinate species. 



These differences are due to the nature of the soil and climate, 

 just as the horseradish, dandelion, &c., vary greatly in the form 

 of the leaf according to the soil in which they grow. At the present 

 day C. Intyhus is cultivated in Paris under the name Barhe de 

 Capucin, and consists of elongated, very narrow leaves, being little 

 else than the mid-rib, which is blanched. Witloof, or Brussels 



Fig. 93.— Wild Chicory. 



