STARCHY FOODS 157 



plants by the Polynesians, botanists have preferred the name 

 dasheen. All the taros, dasheens, and yautias belong together 

 in the same family with the calla lily. The flowers of the taro 

 are large, white, and calla-like. The leaves, moreover, greatly 

 resemble those of the calla lily, but are, of course, much larger. 

 All of these plants are succulent and some of them, as just indi- 

 cated, produce large leaves like the caladium or elephant ear. 

 The leaf stem or petiole varies in length from I to 6 feet. In 

 the yautia the leaf blade is sagittate, or arrow-shaped, with an 

 open sinus. In the taro the leaf is peltate with the leaf stem 

 attached about half way from the center to the basal margin. 

 Taros have been cultivated for centuries in Japan and China 

 and the Polynesian Islands. The areas devoted to these plants 

 are of considerable extent in all tropical countries and the 

 tubers therefore constitute an important article of food. The 

 starch in the different varieties of taro ranges from 6 to 18 per 

 cent. 



BREADFRUIT 



The well known breadfruit (Artocarpus incisa) is one of the 

 most beautiful ornamental trees of the Tropics. It is a native 

 of the Pacific Islands, but has gradually been distributed quite 

 widely through other parts of the world. The tree possesses 

 a graceful habit of growth and develops large, shiny, incised 

 leaves and a globular fruit 4 to 6 inches in diameter. The tree 

 attains a height of 30 to 60 feet and is highly prized as a shade 

 tree as well as a source of an important food product. Most 

 varieties of breadfruit have no seed. The tree is propagated by 

 root suckers. 



Breadfruit is much used in the Orient in curries. In all 

 tropical countries where it occurs breadfruit is also eaten baked 

 or roasted as a vegetable. In a baked form it has a very agree- 

 able flavor which usually appeals to the new comer in the 

 Tropics at first acquaintance. Breadfruit may also be roasted, 

 dried, and ground into flour and is used in making poi. A. 



