DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 205 
in Mexico, where the natives pinch off the blossoms and seed pods, giving as a reason 
that if the seeds are allowed to mature the roots are not good. In Mexico the roots 
are much eaten raw, but are also pickled, boiled in soup, and cooked as a vegetable. 
As they come from the ground they are crisp, sweet, juicy, and of a nutty flavor. 
They are nourishing and at the same time quench the thirst, so that they are much 
liked by travelers. One way of preparing the raw roots is to cut them in thin slices 
and sprinkle sugar over them. They may also be boiled and prepared with batter in 
the form of fritters, and in Mexico they are often minced or grated, and with the 
addition of sugar, milk, and eggs, and a few fig leaves for flavoring, made into 
puddings. 
The identity of the Mexican, Guam, and Philippine plants seems certain. Other 
forms of Cacara, which, like the present species, have been referred by authors to 
(1. erosa, differ very much in the shape and size of the root. The Fijian species, iden- 
tified by Seemann as Pachyrhizus trilobus DC.,¢ has roots 6 to 8 feet in length and the 
thickness of a man’s thigh. Roots of Cacara bought in the Chinese market of San 
Francisco, and referred to (. erosa, were analyzed by Mr. Walter C. Blasdale and 
were found to contain an abundance of nutritive materials. Besides a large percent- 
age of starch, considerable cane sugar was found, as well as protein. Long-continued 
boiling of these roots failed to render them tender. Their principal use by the Chi- 
nese of San Francisco is for the preparation of starch, which is said to be of a superior 
quality. As far as could be learned, the Chinese obtain their comparatively large 
supply of roots entirely from Canton.’ From this description it is evident that the 
roots imported into San Francisco by the Chinese have very different properties from 
the crisp, succulent tubers of Mexico and Guam. 
REFERENCES: 
Cacara erosa (L.) Kuntze, Rey. Gen. 1: 165, 1891. 
Dolichos erosus L. Sp. Pl. 2: 726. 1753. 
Dolichos bulbosus L. Sp. Pl. ed. 2. 2: 1021. 1768. 
Pachyrhizus angulatus Rich.; DC. Prod. 2: 402. 1825. 
Pachyrhizus bulbosus Kurz, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 457: 246. 1876. 
Cactus. 
There is no indigenous plant on the island belonging to the cactus family. The 
only introduced species which has established itself is a prickly pear, for which see 
Opuntia sp. , 
Cadena de amor ((iuam). 
“Chain of love,’ the name applied to Antigonon leptopus, probably on account of 
the rose-colored heart-shaped flowers. 
Cadillo pata-de-perro (Porto Rico). See Urena sinuata. 
Cadios, Cadius (Philippines). See Cajan eajan. 
Caesalpinia bonducella Fleming. Same as ( fuilandina crista. 
Caesalpinia crista L. Same as Guilandina crista. 
Caesalpinia pulcherrima. See Poniciana pulcherrima, 
Caesalpinia sappan. See Biancaea sappan. . 
Caesalpiniaceae. CAESALPINIA FAMILY. 
Representatives of this family growing in Guam are Intsia bijuga, Cassia occidentalis, 
(. sophera, C. tora, Herpetica alata, Guilandina crista, Poinciana pulcherrima, Delonix 
regia, and Biancaea sappan. 
Café, Caffi (Guam). See Pandanus fragrans. 
aSeemann, Flora Vitiensis, p. 63, 1860. 
» Blasdale, Some Chinese vegetable food materials, U. S. Dept. Agr., Off. Exp. Sta., 
Bull. No. 68, 1899. 
