XANTHOSOMA 



XANTHOSOMA (Greek, yellow body, referring to 

 the stigma). Ariceie. This genus is interesting to the 

 horticulturist as containing the handsome variegated 

 stove foliage plant known to the trade as Phyllotcenium 

 Lindeni, and part of the vegetables 

 known as "Malanga a crop to which tno 

 per cent of the arable land in Porto Ri o 

 is devoted. Many species ot the -iium 

 family are noted for their huge tiltr 

 some of which areelille after th i i 1 

 and more or less i i i lit r 



dispersed by the | 1 i 



or by its di sipat 1 II {H 



M. 4989). Of thi^ 1 II k ^u 



is the Elephant s L ( / ti 



culenta. The Milan^a is i i to be lit 

 tie, if at all, inferior to ( ? 7 > escu 

 lentum; in wholesomeness an 1 lelicaoy 

 far superior to spmath and in this re 

 spect it may vie with any European vege 

 table whatever —Bot Mag The 'iintia 

 Malanga" of Porto Rico is according to 

 Cook, Coloca!,ia ant q lorum var es 

 citlenfa. Other Tantias "^re spe les f 

 Xanthosoma. The botany of tbei i i oi 



Xanthosoma is a gen i f " I le 

 according to Engler wl 1 i \ i i 

 account of them in L t n ii IX i 

 Phaner. vol.2 (18 1) Tl e\ i i lk\ 

 herbs of South and C entr 1 \n e 1 



a tuberous or tall and thick il iz ii e 1 

 arrow-shaped 3 cut or pedateh cut fls 

 unisexual, naked males with 4-0 sta 

 mens connate in in inversely pyramidal 

 synandriuin with 5 or 6 faces ovary ^-4 

 loculed ; ovules anatropous. 

 A. Ciiiidex a short, thick, erect rhizome. 



sagittifdlium, Schott {Artim sagiftifd- 

 limn, Linn.}. MALANGA. A tropical vegetabli 

 plants of this are stemless, but in age, from the decay of 

 the old Ivs., an annulated caudex is formed some inches 

 in height, each throwing out stout fibers from the base, 

 and from time to time producing offsets, by which the 

 plant is easily propagated, or if suffered to remain the 



XANTHOXYLUM 1995 



sagittate - ovate, suddenly and shortly acute at apex, 

 basal lobes obtuse: spathe large, with a creamy white 

 limb. Tropical Amer. B.M. 4989. -In northern hot- 

 houses said to bloom i 



2756 Xanthosoma Lindeni, 





.^^ 



5755. Xanthorrhiza apiifolia (X K). 



plant becomes tufted, and numerous Ivs. are produced 

 from the summit of the short, yet stem-like trunks " 

 (B.M. 4989). Lvs. 1-2 or almost 3 ft. long, broadly 



AA. Caudex taberons. 

 Lindeni, Engl. {Phyllotcenium Lindeni, Andrfi). Fig. 

 2756. Tender variegated foliage plant with large, ar- 

 row-shaped lvs. marked with white along the midrib 

 and parallel veins which run therefrom to the margin. 

 I.H. 19:88. A.G. 19:573 (1898). -Tuberous plant from 

 Colombia. G. W. Oliver, in his "Plant Culture," remarks 

 that this stove ornamental plant should be more used 

 for decorative purposes than it is at present, for it will 

 stand more rough usage than one would suppose. After 

 a goodly number of leaves have been developed in a 

 warm, moist atmosphere, the plants will maintain a 

 good appearance in a greenhouse temperature and may 

 even be used as house plants. The Ivs. are firmer in 

 texture than caladiums. Prop, by division. Before re- 

 potting, put the pieces in a warm sand-bed to encour- 

 age fresh roots. Lvs. oblong-hastate, with acute basal 

 lobes. 



X. belophyllum, Kunth. has a short, thick, erect rhizome 

 and a cordate-hastate leaf. Venezuela. Var. Caracasanum, C. 

 Koeh(S. Caracasanum, Schott. Coloeasia Caracasana, Eng.), 

 lias lvs. pale green beneath, the posterior lobes more produced 

 at the .ipex and the midrib and nerves often rosy. Caracas.— 

 X. Mafdffa. 8chott (Coloeasia Mataffa, Hort.), closely allied to 

 the preceding, has a similar eaudex and a cordate-ovate leaf 

 but the posterior costae are separated by a right or acute an- 

 gle, the angle in the preceding species being obtuse, y^^ jj^ 



XANTH6XYLUM (Greek, xanthos, yellow, and xy- 

 lon, wooti). Sometimes spelled Zanthoxylum. In- 

 cluding Fagara. Biitdcew. Prickly Ash. Tooth- 

 ache Tree. Ornamental deciduous or evergreen 

 trees and shrubs, mostly prickly, with alternate odd- 

 pinnate or sometimes simple leaves and small greenish 

 or whitish flowers in axillary clusters or terminal pani- 

 cles followed by small capsular, often ornamental 

 fruits. X. Americanum is the only species which is 

 hardy north, but some of the species from E. Asia will 

 probably prove fairly hardy in the middle Atlantic 

 states. As ornamental shrubs they are valued chiefly 

 for their fruits, but some have handsome foliage also, 

 and A', ailanthoides is called by Sargent one of the 

 most beautiful trees of Japan. They seem to be not 



