186 Select Plants for Industrial Culture 



Ipomcea Batatilla, G. Don. 



Cooler regions of Venezuela. The tubers serve as sweet potatoes. 

 I. platanifolia (Roemer and Schultes), from Central America, and I. 

 m'ammosa (Choisy), from Amboina, are similarly useful. 



Ipomcea Calobra, Hill and Mueller. 



Eastern Central Australia. Hardy in the South of France (Prof. 

 Naudin). The stems cover the ground for a radius of several yards; 

 the spots becoming picturesque by the showy large flowers for 8 months 

 in the year; the tubers are formed at 4 or 5 yards' distance along 

 running roots, weigh from 5 to 30 lbs.,.and are a fair esculent. The 

 plant likes a ferruginous loam (Rev. Dr. Woolls). 



Ipomcea costata, F. v. Mueller. 



Central and North-Western Australia. Produces edible tubers. 



Ipomcea graminea, R. Brown. 



Tropical Australia. The root, called " Mallamak," is eaten by the 

 natives either raw or cooked (Foelsche). 



Ipomcea magapotamica, Choisy. 



Southern Brazil and Argentina. The root attains several pounds 

 weight, and serves as jalap. Propagation by pieces of the root or 

 from cuttings of the underground-stem. 



Ipomoea paniculata, R. Brown. 



Almost a cosmopolitan plant on tropical coasts ; so also indigenous 

 to North- Australia and the warmer parts of East- Australia. The 

 tubers of this species also are edible. If hardy, the plant would de- 

 serve cultivation in any mild extra-tropical countries. 



Ipomcea pes caprae, Roth. 



Tropical and sub-tropical sea-shores of both hemispheres.. Can be 

 used in coast-regions free of frost, to bind drift-sand. Preferentially 

 chosen for this purpose by Colonel Worster in Madras. 



IpomcBa purga, Wenderoth. 



Mountains of Mexico. The true Jalap. This species yields the 

 medicinal jalap-root. It has recently been cultivated with apparent 

 success even at New York, and is therefore entitled to a trial in warm 

 woodlands. Active principle : the resinous convolvulin. I. Oriza- 

 bensis (Ledanois) also yields jalap, according to Hanbury. 



Ipomcea simulans, Hanbury. 



Mexico. From this species the Tampico-jalap, or rather the Sierra- 

 Gorda-jalap, is derived. I. operculata (Martius) yields the Brazilian 

 jalap. 



Iris Florentina, Linne". 



Countries around the Mediterranean Sea. The well-known " Orris- 

 root " is obtained from this species. Of the same geographic range 



