54 ORIGIN OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



parts of the former are roots, those of the latter subter- 

 ranean branches.^ The sweet potato is sugary as well 

 as farinaceous. It is cultivated in all countries within 

 or near the tropics, and perhaps more in the new than 

 in the old world.^ 



Its origin is, according to a great number of authors, 

 doubtful. Humboldt,^ Me3^en,* and Boissier^ hold to its 

 American, Boyer,^ Choisy,^ etc., to its Asiatic origin. The 

 same diversity is observed in earlier works. The question 

 is the more difficult since the Convolvulacese is one of the 

 most widely diffused families, either from a very early 

 epoch or in consequence of modern transportation. 



There are powerful arguments in favour of an 

 American origin. The fifteen known species of the 

 genus Batatas are all found in America ; eleven in that 

 continent alone, four both in America and the old 

 world, with possibility or probability of transportation. 

 The cultivation of the common sweet potato is widely 

 diffused in America. It dates from a very early epoch. 

 Marcgraff^ mentions it in Brazil under the name of 

 jetica. Humboldt says that the name camote comes 

 from a Mexican word. The word Batatas (whence comes 

 by a mistaken transfer the word potato) is given as 

 American. Sloane and Hughes^ speak of the sweet 

 potato as of a plant much cultivated, and having several 

 varieties in the West Indies. They do not appear to 

 suspect that it had a foreign origin. Clusius, who was 

 one of the first to mention the sweet potato, says he had 

 eaten some in the south of Spain, where it was supposed 

 to have come from the new world.^^ He quotes the 



* Tnrpin gives figures wliich clearly show these facts. M^m. du 

 Museum, voL xix. plates 1, 2, 5. 



* Dr. Sagot gives interesting details on the method of cultivation, 

 the product, etc., in the Journal Soc. d'Hortic. de France^ second sarieB) 

 voL V. pp. 450-458. 



' Humboldt, Nouvelle Espagne, edit. 2, voL ii. p. 470. 



* Meyen, Grundrisse PJianz. Geogr., p. 373. 



* Boissier, Voyage Botanique en Espagne. 



* Boyer, Hort. Maurit., p. 225. ' Choisy, in Prodronms, p, 338. 



* Marcgraff, Bres., p. 16, with illustration. 



* Sloane, Hist. Jam., i. p. 150; Hughes, Barh., p. 228. 

 *• Clusius, Hist., ii. p. 77. 



