]44 NATURAL HISTORY, 



It appears that in 1869-70, 3272 cwts., valued at Rs. 14,152 were 

 exported from Madras. Drs. Roxburgh and O'Shaughnessy state 

 that G. rubescens, Roxb. Rose. Scitam tab. 107, which grows in 

 Bengal and is there named tickar also yields nutritious fecula. 

 Every part, particularly the root, has a strong but pleasant aromatic 

 odour when bruised; but its chief use is for the preparation of 

 tickar, a fine fecula like arrowroot. G. leucorrhiza, Roxb. Rose. 

 Scitam tab. 102, also named tickar, is common in Behar; its 

 horizontal tubers, long and straight, are of a very pale yellow 

 colour; they also yield an abundance of fine nutritious fecula used 

 by the people of Behar and Bhagalpore. Dr. Royle says: — "The 

 pendulous tubers of Curcuma rubescens, C. leucorrhiza and C. 

 angustifolia yield a very beautiful fecula or starch, which forms an 

 excellent substitute for the West Indian arrowroot, Mar unfa 

 arundinacea. It is sold in the bazaars of Benares, Chittagong, 

 and Travancore, and eaten by the natives. A very excellent kind 

 called tickar is also made at Patna and Bagilpore from the tubers 

 of Batatas (Ipomoea) edulis." 



'J he mode of preparing arrowroot at Travancore is as follows: — 

 " The tubers are first scraped on a rough stick, generally part of the 

 stem of the common rattan or any plant with rough prickles to 

 serve the same purpose. Thus pulverised, the flour is thrown into 

 a chatty of water, where it is kept for about two hours, all impurities 

 being carefully removed from the surface. It is then taken out and 

 again put into fresh water, and so on for the space of four or five 

 days. The flour is ascertained to have lost its bitter taste, when a 

 yellowish tinge is communicated to the water, the whole being stirred 

 up, again strained through a piece of coarse cloth and put in the 

 sun to dry. It is then ready for use." — Drury. The process adopted 

 at Behar and Bhagalpore is as follows :— The root of C. leucorrhiza 

 is dug up and rubbed on a stone or beaten in a mortar, and after- 

 wards rubbed in water with the band and strained through a cloth ; 

 the fecula having subsided, the water is poured off and the tickar 

 dried for use. — Roxb. 



C. pseudo-montana, Grah. Cat. Bomb. PI. Sinderwani ; sinderbui ; 

 sindewan ; helleunda. Bulb oblong, with round, small, potato-like 

 tubers, hanging from the fibres. Leaves, including the petiole 2-3 

 feet long, narrow at both ends, 6-19 inch broad in the middle, quite 

 green. Coma of a beautiful dark rose colour, waved. Flowers 

 yellow, appear in September. 



