264. 



HISTORY OK THK VEWETABLE KINGDOM. 



It is easily raised, is very productive, aiid re- 

 sembles the potatoe in its ([ualities, only is of a 

 closer texture. When dug out of the earth the 

 roots are put for some time to dry in an airy 

 place, and may afterwards be kept in casks or in 

 Band for a long time. They are used either 

 roasted or boiled, and form a substitute for bread. 



Yams are raised from the cuttings of the roots, 

 which are planted generally in August, and come 

 to maturity in four or five months. Brown, in 

 his account of the culture of this plant, mentions, 

 that in dividing the roots for seed plants a por- 

 tion of skin must be left on each piece, other- 

 wise no germination will take place, for he says, 

 that by this skin alone they germinate, the roots 

 having no apparent buds or eyes, but they cast 

 out their weakly stems from every pai-t of the 

 surface alike. 



India.v Areow Root Cifarantaarundhtacca J. 



Arrow Koot Plant. 



This is an herbaceous perennial plant, of the class 

 monandria, and order monogt/nia of Linnieus, and 

 a native of the south of Africa. It grows to the 

 height of two or three feet, has broad pointed 

 leaves, and beara a spike of small white flowers. 

 It is cultivated to some extent in the islands of 

 the West Indies, and in parts of India, for the 

 purpose of obtaining a farinaceous powder from 

 its roots, well known as the substance called 

 arrow root. This latter name it obtained from 

 confounding it with another plant from which 

 the Indians extract a poison with wliich they 

 anoint their arrows. There are two species, the 

 maranta arundinacea and ramosissima, which 

 yield the arrow root. The process is as foUows : 

 When the roots are a year old they are dug up, 

 and carefully washed in clean water. They are 

 then either grated or beaten into a pulp, in a 

 large wooden mortar. This pulp is then thrown 

 into a quantity of clean water, and after thorough 

 agitation, all the fibrous matter is collected with 

 the^ hand, squeezed, and thrown out. The re- 

 maining milky fluid contains the farina, mixed 

 with water, and a portion of the remaining 

 fibrous matter. This latter is separated by strain- 

 ing through a sieve, when the liquid is then al- 

 lowed to rest, the starch subsides to the bottom. 



and the water is drained oflF. The white pasty 

 residuum is again washed iu a farther portion of 

 water, and allowed to subside as before ; and this 

 process is sometimes repeated a third time and 

 even oftener, if a very fine powder is required. 

 The powder is finally spread on clean whito 

 cloths, and dried in the sun ; and in this state is 

 fit for use, and will keep for any length of time, 

 provided moisture is kept from it. 



Common Arum, or Wake Robin (arum maeu- 

 latum). This plant belongs to the class monascia, 

 and order poli/andria of Linnseus. The root is 

 perennial, tuberous, about the size of the thumb, 

 sending off many long simple fibres. The leaves 

 are commonly three or four, growing from each 

 root; these are arrow-shaped, of a deep green 

 or purplish colour, beset with many veins and 

 dark spots, and stand upon long grooved and 

 somewhat triangularly-shaped footstalks. The 

 ,„„ flower-stalk is very short and channel- 

 shaped ; the ciilyx is a sheaf of one leaf, 

 large, oval, nerved, and enclosing the 

 spadix, which is round, club-shaped, 

 fleshy, above of a purple colour, below 

 whitish, standing in the centre of the 

 sheath, and supporting the parts ne- 

 cessary to fructification. On tracing 

 it towards the base, we first discover 

 the nectaries, or several oval corjjuscles, 

 which are terminated by long tapering 

 points; next to them are placed the 

 anthers, which are quadrangular, united, and ol 

 a purple colour ; under them again we find more 

 nectaries, and lastly the germina, which are very 

 numerous, round, without styles, and crowned 

 with small bearded stigmata. This curious spe- 

 cies of inflorescence displays itself early in 

 spring ; but the berries do not ripen till late in 

 the summer, when they appear in naked clus- 

 ters, of a bright scarlet colour, making a con- 

 spicuous appearance under the hedges, where 

 they commonly grow. The root, in its recent 

 state, contains a milky juice, extremely acrimo- 

 nious, and in this state it is used in medicine as 

 a powerful stimulant. This acrimony is, how- 

 ever, dissipated by drying and by the application 

 of heat, when the substance of the root then be- 

 comes a bland farinaceous matter, like arrow 

 root. For this purpose it is either roasted or 

 boiled, then dried and pounded in a mortar, the 

 skin being previously peeled ofl\ The powder is 

 said to possess a saponaceous quality, and has 

 been used for cleaning linen instead of soap. It 

 forms also the Cypress powder of the Parisians, 

 much used as a cosmetic for the skin. 



The Egyptian Arum (aritm colocasioe) abounds 

 in Egypt, Syria, and the adjacent countries, and 

 is extensively cultivated for the sake of its large 

 esculent roots, which are no less esteemed than 

 those of the other species of the same plant. 

 Taro (arum esculcntttm) is another species 



:( 



