Wittmack — Our Present Knowledge of Ancient Plants. 15 



garis. Prof. Fischer Benzon of Kiel has confirmed this, in 

 proving that Pliny insisted that the shell was thick and the 

 hollowed fruits served as jars for wine. 



Of the other plants at Ancon I will only mention the pea- 

 nut, which hails from eastern and western South America, 

 although it is now so widely cultivated in Africa and even in 

 China, that one might easily imagine it indigenous to those 

 countries. 



It is the same with the Manioc, Manihot utilissima, or 

 Tapioca, which is also so widely cultivated in Africa, even in 

 inner Africa, that one might think its home was there. The 

 roots have been found in Ancon and nobody now doubts that 

 they came from America. 



Potatoes have not with certainty been found in Ancon, but 

 sweet potatoes, Convolvulus Batatas, and small tubers have 

 been found. Oxalis and cotton were found, but no tobacco 

 or tomatoes. But these are surely American citizens as we 

 all know. 



America has furnished to the world tobacco, several species 

 of cotton, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, corn, lima 

 beans, garden beans and peanuts. Forsooth, we in Europe 

 have to be most thankful for all these precious gifts. 



Issued February 25, 1905. 



