CASSADA MANIOC. 55 



perfect leaves, but have in particular every part, the stalk, middle 

 rib, and transverse ones, as visible as any k'ii whatsoever. 



2. The gossypifolia, cohon-leavedjatropha, or belly-ache bush, 

 the leaves of which are quinquepartite, with lobes ovate and entire, 

 and glandular branchy bristles. The stem, which is covered 

 with a light-greyish bark, grows to about three or four feet high, 

 soon dividing into several wide-extended branches. From among 

 these rise several small deep-red pentapetalous flowers, the pistil of 

 each being thickset at the top with yellow farinaceous dust, which 

 blows off when ripe. These flowers are succeeded by hexagonal 

 husky blackish berries, which, when ripe, open by the heat of the 

 sun, emitting a great many small dark-coloured seeds, which serve 

 as food for some species of the dove. 



3. The multifida, or French physic-nut, with leaves many-parted 

 and polished. The flowers of this grow in bunches, umbel fashion, 

 upon the extremities of each large stalk, very much resembling, at 

 their first appearance, a bunch of red coral : these afterwards open 

 into small fiveleaved purple flowers, and are succeeded by nuts, 

 which resemble those of the first species. 



4. The manihot, or bitter cassada, has palmated leaves ; the 

 lobes lanceolate, very entire and polished. 



5. The janipha, or sweet cassada, has palmated leaves, with lobes 

 very entire, the intermediate leaves lobed with a sinus on both 

 sides. 



6. The elastica, with ternate leaves, elliptic, very entire, hoary 

 underneath, and longly petioled. 



The root of bitter cassada has no fibrous or woody filaments in 

 the heart, and neither boils nor roasts soft. The sweet cassada has 

 all the opposite qualities. The bitter, however, may be deprived 

 of its noxious qualities (which reside in the juice) by heat. Cassada 

 bread, therefore, is made of both the bitter and sweet, thus : the 

 roots are washed and scraped clean, then grated into a tub or 

 trough ; after this they are put into a hair bag, and strongly 

 pressed with a view to squeeze out the juice, and the meal or farina 

 is dried in a hot stone bason over the fire ; it is then made into 

 cakes. It also makes excellent puddings, equal to nullett. The 

 scrapings of fresh bitter cassada are successfully applied to ill-dis- 

 posed ulcers. Cassada roots yield a great quantity of starch, which 

 the Brasilians export in little lumps under the name of tapioca. 



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