70 



Taccaceak. 

 Tacca pinnatifida, Forst. ; Tacca Arrowroot, Southsea Arrow- 



root. 



A herbaceous perennial plant with globose rootstock, native of 



Fiji, South Sea Islands, and found in Tropical Africa. 



The arrowroot or starch obtained from the root is an important 

 food of the natives of the South Sea Islands. "Tacca Arrow- 

 root " is preferable to any other in cases of dyseniery and 

 diarrhoea/ 5 Tubers received at Kew in 1890 from Fiji were 

 distributed to the botanical departments of Jamaica, Trinidad, 

 and Lagos (K.B., 1892, p. 51). 



UlOSCOREACKAi;. 



Dioscorea alata, J, inn.; The Wing-stalked Yam, Barbados 

 Yam. D. bulbitera, Linn. [D. sativa, Benth.); Common Yam, 

 Otaheite Potato, of Tropical Asia, Africa, America, West Indies, 

 &c. D. fasciculata, Rodh.; the Kidney-shaped Yam, Karem 

 Potato, of India. 



Climbing perennials, of which there are many varieties under 

 each species cultivated in the countries named. The tuberous 

 roots are an important food, to a large extent occupying much 

 the same place in the Tropics as the potato in temperate countries. 



The rootstocks of "Elephant's Foot" (T estudinaria elephan- 

 tipes, Lindl.) may be mentioned as somewhat of a curiosity, 



called "Hottentot's Bread/' the tlesliy inside having been used 

 a- food by the Hottentots in times of scarcity. 



LlLIACEAE. 



m Cepa, Linn.; Onion. 

 A bulbous annual, cultivated in many temperate, sub-tropical 



and tropical countries. In addition to a large trade in home- 

 grown produce, of which a large proportion is grown in Bedford- 

 shire, onions are imported from Spain (5,074,087 bus.), Egypt 

 (1,709,9-34 bus.), Holland (1,522,133 bus.), France (264,022 

 bus.), Belgium (250,774 bus.), Germany (150,334 bus.), Portugal 

 (90,993 bus.), Malta & Gozo (31,250 bus.), &c, to the amount 



in 1913 of 9,105,164 bushels. 



The ^ Leek " {Allium Pnrrum, Linn.), "Garlic" {Allium 

 sativum, Linu.), ifc Shallot M or " Eschalot " (Allium asca- 

 loiiicum, Linn), and " Chives " (A. schoenoprasum, Linn.), are 

 well-known vegetables of the genus. " Bibroiis" or " Bibraa M 

 (Allium triquetrum, Linn.), is used like the Leek in Algeria, 

 where it is very common on the littoral, especially in the neigh- 

 bourhood of dwelling* and in jjuvdeQB, and the plants are collected 

 in gii at numbers by women in the hedge-rows and fields, 



1. 1913, "Allium triquetrum as a Vegetable," pp. 239-240. 



2. June, 1897, " Effect of Wild Garlic on Milk/* pp. 73-75; 

 Dec. 1902, "The Brined Onion Industry/' pp. 349-354 (see 

 also " Report on the Dutch Brined Vegetable Industry/ , Cd. 



1368 (1902); March, 1895, " CnltrroHng Onions in Egypt/ 1 pp. 

 833-335: Nov; 1911, "The Cultivation of Onions," pp.* 638-642; 



March. 1918, "la Onion Growing Worth While P* pp. 1378- 



1384. April. 1917, " The Cultivation of the Leek/? pp. 66-68. 



