The vegetable classification systems in Polish horticultural literature

Abstract

The paper presents an analysis of the vegetables classification systems used in the Polish literature from the 16^th century to the present. This work was based on the Polish-language agricultural and horticultural books. The first books with chapters referring in a large part to vegetables were published in the middle of the 16^th century [Crescentyn 1549, 1571] and the beginning of the 17^th century [Syrenius 1613]. The first book with chapter covering only vegetables was published in the second half of the 17^th century [Haur 1675]. The first books whose main subject was the cultivation of vegetables were published in the second half of the 19^th century [Lompa 1858, Stelmasiewicz 1862, Lucas 1876, Kaczyński 1886]. In the evaluated literature, there were many systems of vegetables division, but also there were books with no classification system, especially at the beginning of the investigated period. Those systems were based on the alphabetical order, the edible parts of plants, plant taxonomy, the length of the plant’s life cycle and the number of years after manure application, or a combination of those systems. In Polish books which were published after World War II the most popular system of vegetable classification was based on the edible parts of plants and botanical systematic. This classification was proposed by Kaczyński in 1886, and was later modified by Brzeziński [1920] and Lityński [1955]. It has been used by most authors, often only with slight modifications, to this day. However, in the new books about vegetable gardening, spices and medicinal plants, so popular in older publications, are given less attention.