84 sturtevant's notes on edible plants 



Bassia butyracea Roxb. Sapotaceae. indian-butter. phoolwa-oil plant. 



East Indies. The pulp of the fruit is eatable. The juice is extracted from the flowers 

 and made into sugar by the natives. It is sold in the Calcutta bazaar and has all the 

 appearance of date sugar, to which it is equal if not superior in quality.' An oil is 

 extracted from the seeds, and the oil cake is eaten * as also is the pure vegetable butter 

 which is called chooris and is sold at a cheap rate.' 



B. latifolia Roxb. k?ie. mahoua. yallah-oil plant. 



East Indies. The sucailent flowers fall by night in large qiuntities from the tree, 

 are gathered early in the morning, dried in the sun and sold in the bazaars as an important 

 article of food. They have a sickish, sweet taste and smell and are eaten raw or cooked. 

 The ripe and imripe fruit is also eaten, and from the fruit is expressed an edible oil.'* 



B. longifolia Linn, illupie-oil plant, ilpa. 



East Indies. The flowers are eaten by the natives of Mysore, either dried, roasted, 

 or boiled to a jelly.' The oil pressed from the fruits is to the common people of India 

 a substitute for ghee and cocoanut oil in their curries.* 



Batis maritima Linn. Batideae. Jamaica samphire, saltwort. 

 Jamaica. This low, erect, succulent plant is used as a pickle.^ 



Bauhinia esculenta Burch. Leguminosae. 



South Africa. The root is sweet and nutritious.* 



B. lingua DC. 



Moluccas. This species is used as a vegetable.' 



B. malabarica Roxb. 



East Indies and Biuma. The acid leaves are eaten.^' 



B. purpurea Linn. 



East Indies, Burma and China. The flower-buds are pickled and eaten as a 

 vegetable." 



B. tomentosa Linn. st. thomas' tree. 



Asia and tropical Africa. The seeds are eaten in the Punjab,^' and the leaves are 

 eaten by natives of the Philippines as a substitute for vinegar. 



Drury, H. Useful Pis. Ind. 67. 1858. 



' Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 290. 1874. 



' Pickering, C. Chron. Hist. Pis. 603. 1879. 



* Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 290. 1874. 



' Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 291. 1874. 



Don, G. Hist. Dichl. Pis. 4:35. 1831. 



'Smith, J. Dom.Bot. 237. 1871. 



' Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 328. 1859. 



Unger, P. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 359. 1859. 

 " Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 159. 1874. 

 " Brandis, D. Forest Fl. 160. 1874. 

 " Drury, H. Usefid Pis. Ind. 74. 1873. 



