544 AROIDE^. 



corms of other aroids. The seeds are rather larger than hemp 

 seeds', kidnej^-shapcd, grey and polished; they contain a white 

 oily kernel. 



Chemical composition. — With the exception of a minute trace 

 of an alkaloid, nothing of special interest was detected. The 

 mucilage afforded jelly-like precipitates with plumbic acetate 

 and ferric chloride. No tannin was present. Ash, 14*6 per cent. 



ScindapsuS pertUSUS, Schott., Eheede, Ilort. MaL xii., 

 U. 20, 21, is a large perennial plant, running over trees and 

 rooting on them like Ivy ; leaves alternate, resembling those of 

 the Pipal [Ficiis reUgiosa) but larger, often perforated and cut in 

 the margins; spadices shortly-pcduncled ; spathe gibbous, acute, 

 a little longer than the spadix ; spadix cylindric-obtase. The 

 juice of the plant with black pepper is given to people who have 

 been bitten by the Ku^riija Ghanasy^ a snake so called because 

 the part bitten by it mortifies. The juice, with that of the 

 roots of Croton ohlongifoliim and of the fruit of Momordica 

 Charantia, is also applied to the bitten part. 



u 



ALOCASIA INDICA, Schott 



'Fig.— Wight Ic, t. 794. 



Hab. — India, cultivated in Benjral and elsewhere. The 

 2"oot-stock. 



Vernacular, — liinhAn^, Kachu {Eind), Man-kachu {Beng.)> 

 Kas-alu [Mar.). 



History, Uses, &C.— This large Arum is theManaka 

 of Sanskrit writers ; its root-stock is a valuable and important 

 article of diet in Bengal, and often grows to an immense size, 

 heing from six to eight feet in length, and as thick as a man's 



leff. '^ 



c>- 



d 



affords a large supply of starchy food. In Western India it is 

 much cultivated as an ornamental plant in gardens, but is 



little 



--- known as an article of diet; the acrid juice of the 

 peti oles is, h owever, much used as a common domestic remedy 



* Daboia Russellii, a viper. 



