Legimwmis Fniits^ ' 201 
The culture of asparagus, as Cato has described it, (c. 01.), ah 
so corresponds with that of this plant. We learn from Galen 
that the ancients not only ate the young steilis of many plants, 
but the young shoots of many trees and bushes, for instance 
Pistacia tereVifitlms^ Vitex Agnm cashes^ and others. 
The turnip {Brasdca rapa) is probably a variety of the Brasslca 
napus^ as the large and small turnip are not different in species. 
Turnips were well known to the ancients, and they had several 
varieties, which it is not easy to determine. This much is clear 
from Columella’s notices, (1. ii. c. 10. § 23.), that rapurrt was the 
large turnip, which was used for fodder, napum the small tur«. 
nip. Theophrastus (L vii. e. 4. § 4.) mentions two species of 
yayyvXig, the male and female. Athenagus quotes yoyyvxiq, 
(1. ii. c. 130. — 134.) but without any more 
precise notices. Pliny translates yoyyvxiq by rapum^ by 
napum^ (1. xix. c. 5.). Galen considers to have the same 
meaning with yeyyyA^', {Be Aliment. Facult. 1. ii.). The names 
were thus determined, except some in Athenaeus, which can no 
longer be defined. The plant seems to be a native of central 
Europe, for it is often found in countries where its cultivation 
is quite unusual, and always as Br'asska napus. 
The Romans correctly enough denoted our Radish by the 
name Raplianus^ (Plin. 1. xix. c. 5.) ; and a smaller subspecies, 
called Radix Syriaca^ had been brought from the east not 
long before Pliny’s time. Probably the radish came at a late 
period from the east into Greece, and obtained the name "^ei(pcivlq^ 
which word had signified cabbage, or perhaps from its 
resemblance to cabbage. The radish is extensively cultivated 
in the east, and in Mysore. Einnaeus places its native country 
in ' China,, probably from confounding it with the Chinese oil- 
radish, which seems to be a native of that country. The true 
native country of it remains uncertain. In Egypt formerly an 
oiLradish was cultivated, (Plin. 1. xix. c. 5.). 
Beckmann has distinctly shewn, in his History of Inventions, 
(P. 4. s. 134.), that our Carrot is the StapJiylinus of the an- 
cients, and our parsnip their ElapJiohoscum. The description 
of the latter in Hioscorides (1. hi. c. 80.), is very precise. Thus 
Dioscorides (1. hi. c. 60.) speaks under StapJiylinus of the red 
VOL. VI. 1^0. 12. APRIL 1822. 
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