STARCHES. 



Habitat. East Indies. Naturalized in Bombay. 



Remarks. Various Cycads contain starch in their stems or fruit, 

 which, when extracted, constitutes a variety of Sago or Arrowroot. C. 

 circinalis yields it in the Eastern Archipelago from the pith of the trunk, 

 and also of an inferior quality from the kernel. The fruit is also eaten, 

 and the plant exudes a gum similar to Tragacanth. Cycas revolutn, W. 

 a native of China, is the source of " Japan Sago." Zamia pumila, 13. M. of 

 the Cape of Good Hope (London), and West Indies (Lindley), Z. in- 

 tegrifolia, W. also of the West Indies, various Cape species of En- 

 cephalartos, as E. caffer^ Lehm. and the seeds of Dion edule, Lind. of 

 Mexico, also yield the same kind of fecula. True Sago is the fecula of 

 several species of Palms. See " N. O. 233-234 and 251." Buzur-lutoo is a 

 Deccan name (Ainslie) of Corypha umbraculifera, W. Great Fan-Palm. 



N. O. 233. ZINGIBERACE.E. GINGERWOETS. 

 Curcuma angustifolia. Rox. Narrow-leaved Turmeric. 



Linn. Syst. Monandria Monogynia. 



The fecula of the tubers, East Indian Arrow-root. 



Vernacular. Ticor, Tikur, Hind. Kooa-koghei> Hind. Mai. Kooa- 

 maoo, Tarn. 



Habitat. The Concans, Nagpore, Travancore, Benares. 



Remarks. This is said to yield the East Indian Arrow-root of commerce, 

 and most probably it does a portion. Much confusion exists, however, 

 regarding the Arrow-root yielding Gingerworts of India, and I am as yet 

 able to throw no positive light on the subject. Before last rains I planted 

 out roots, obtained from Nagpore, Raipore, Travancore, Rutnagherry, 

 and Mahableshwur, but none, save the Mahableshwur species (C. caulina, 

 Graham, v. infra}, flowered; and all I can now state is, that except the 

 Mahableshwur species, the other tubers and leaves could in no way be 

 distinguished from each other. They will probably flower next rains 

 (1862), when I hope also to raise plants from Benares and Bengal. 

 Dr. Waring, when forwarding me the roots of the Travancore Cur- 

 cuma, believed the species to be C. angustifolia, Rox. but had not 

 examined the flower. It yields, he states, only a portion of what is called 

 "Travancore Arrow-root/' by far the greater portion being obtained from the 

 West Indian Maranta arundinacea t Linn. Often under the same name, 

 he also states, Cassava meal is sold, the Manioc being largely cultivated 

 about Travancore. CTShaughnessy states that the tubers of C. rubescens, 

 Rox. are used in Travancore and Bengal ; those of C. leucorrhisa, Rox. 

 in Behar ; and those of C. angustifolia, Rox. in Benares. Tikor he gives 

 as the native name of each. Royle states simply, " The pendulous 

 tubers of Curcuma rubescens, leucorrhiza, and angustifolia, yield a very 

 beautiful fecula or starch, which forms an excellent substitute for the 

 West Indian Arrow-root, Maranta arundinacea. It is sold in the bazars 

 236 



