Table 12.2
Plants introduced to the Western Cape under the commandership of Jan van Riebeeck (1652–1662). The common names as recorded by van
Riebeeck are provided
Plant type
Introduced plants
Vegetables
Artichokes; asparagus; beans [broad, horse, dutch (brown and white), rouan and turkish]; beet; beetroot; cabbage (red and
white); carrots; cauliflower; cucumbers; endives; horse-radish; various kinds of Indian beans collectively called
“Katjang
boontjies”; leek; lettuce; onions; parsnip; peas (green, grey, blue and white); radish; spinach; sweet potato; turnips; savoy
cabbage
Fruit and nuts
Apples; bananas; cherries; chestnuts; currants; coconuts; gooseberries; hazelnuts; Indian fruit trees (no species mentioned in
journal, but some letters requested guavas, pomegranate and pawpaw); lemons; melons; olives; oranges; pomelo; pears;
pineapples; plums; pumpkin; quince; strawberries; vines (grapes); walnut; watermelon; almonds; apricots; elder berries;
figs; mulberries; morellos; peaches; raspberries
Herbs and medicinal plants
Aniseed; chervil; fennel; garlic; linseed; mustard seed; parsley; purslane; scurvy plant; tobacco; wormwood; rosemary;
bay-trees; sage; savory; pimpernel; caper (nasturtium)
Grains, fodder and utilities
Barley; buckwheat; clover; cress; hemp; maize; oats; rice; rye; wheat; bamboo; hop; indigo; rape-seed
Ornamental plants
Roses; alders; hawthorn; tulip; oaks
Data obtained from Karsten (1951)
328
K. T. Faulkner et al.