STURTEVANT S NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 353 



varieties have been established, the qtiality of which, says Berlanger,' in respect to the 

 abundance and flavor of the flesh, places them in the fh^t rank of tropical frtiits. In the 

 Mauritius, they cultivate a number of varieties. This tree has been introduced into 

 Florida and is now grown there to a limited extent. In Jamaica, starch is made of the 

 unripe frmt.* In India, the unripe fruit is much used in conserves, tarts and pickles, 

 and the kernels of the seeds are boiled and eaten in times of scarcity.* 



M. sylvatica Roxb. 



Himalayan region. The yellow fniit is eaten by the natives, although inferior to the 

 worst kinds of the common mango.'' 



Manihot palmata Muell. Euphorbiaceae. sweet cassava. 



Brazil. This is the sweet cassava of eastern equatorial America, where it has been 

 cultivated from early times. The roots of this variety are sweet and may be eaten raw 

 but it is less cultivated than the bitter variety. It is cultivated in Queensland, according 

 to Simmonds,* for the production of arrowroot. 



M. utilissima Pohl. bitter cassava, manioc, tapioca. 



Brazil. The manioc, or bitter cassava, of eastern equatorial South America was 

 cultivated by the Indians of Brazil, Guiana and the warm parts of Mexico before the 

 arrival of Europeans and is now grown in many tropical cotmtries. The root is bitter 

 and a most virulent poison when raw but, when grated to a pulp and the poisonous juice 

 expelled by pressvire, it becomes edible after being cooked. The coarse meal forms cassava. 

 The expressed juice, allowed to settle, deposits a large quantity of starch which is known 

 as Brazilian arrowroot, or tapioca. The boiled juice furnishes cassareep, a condimental 

 sauce, and from the cakes an intoxicating beverage called ptwarrie is brewed by the 

 Brazilians. The plant is extremely productive. In Brazil, some 46 different kinds are 

 fotmd. Manioc was naturalized in the Antilles as early as the sixteenth centxiry, says 

 linger,* although its joxomey around the world by way of the Isle of Bourbon and the 

 East Indies took place at a comparatively late period. It reached the west coast of Africa 

 earlier, and the erroneous opinion has been entertained that it was transplanted from 

 Africa to America. In Africa, at Angola, Livingstone ' says the Portuguese subsist 

 chiefly on manioc. It is prepared in many way^. The root is roasted or boiled as it 

 comes from the ground; the sweet variety is eaten raw; the root may be fermented in 

 water and then roasted or dried after fermentation; baked, or rasped into meal and 

 cooked as farina; or made into confectionery with butter and sugar; and the green leaves 

 are boiled as a spinach. Grant ' says it is the staple food of the Zanzibar people, where 

 some kinds can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, roasted or in flour. In India, it is eaten as a 



' Berlanger Trans. N. Y. Agr. Soc. 18:567. 1858. 

 'Brandis, D. Forest Fl. \2T . 1874. 

 Masters, M. T. Treas. Bot. 2:716. 1870. 

 *Don, G. Hist. Dichl. Pis. 2:64. 1832. 

 * Simmonds, P. L. Trap. Agr. 34$. 1889. (M.jantpha) 

 ' Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 309. 1859. 

 ' Livingstone, D. Trav. Research So. A jr. 462. 1858. 

 'Speke, J. H. Journ. Disc. Source Nile 581. 1864. 

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