AMYLUM MARANT.E. 6i>9 



CANNACE^. 



AMYLUM MARANTiE. 



Arrowroot. 



Botanical Origin — Maraata arundinacea,^ L. — An herbaceous 

 branching plant, 4 to 6 feet high, with ovate lanceolate, puberulous or 

 nearly glabrous leaves, and small white Howers, solitary or m lax 

 racemes. It is a native of the tropical parts of America from Mexico 

 to Brazil, and of the West Indian Islands ; and under the slightly dif- 

 ferent form known as M. indiccp Tussac, it occurs in Bengal, Java and 

 the Philippines. This Asiatic variety is now found in the West Indies 

 and Tropical America, but apparently as an introduced plant.^ 



History — The history of arrowroot is comparatively recent. Passing 

 over some early references of French writers on the West Indies to an 

 Herbe auxjieehes, which plant it is impossible to identify with Maranta, 

 we find in Sloane's catalogue of Jamaica plants (169G), Canna Indica 

 radice alba alexipharmaca. This plant, discovered in Dominica, was sent 

 thence to Barbadoes and subsequently to Jamaica, it being, says Sloane, 

 " vei^ much esteemed for its alexlplicu^iack qualities." It was observed, 

 he adds, that the native Indians used the root of the plant with success 

 against the poison of their arrows, ^'by only mashing and applying it to 

 the poison d wounds " : and further, that it cures the poison of the man- 

 chineel {Hippomane Mancinella L.), of the wasps of Guadaloupe, and 

 even stops " a begun gangreen." ^ 



Patrick Browne (1756) notices the reputed alexipharmic virtues of 

 Maranta, which was then cultivated in many gardens in Jamaica, and 



^ Fig. in Bentley and Trimen's Med. each other. According to Miquel {Linncea, 



Plants, part 23 (1877). xviii. 1844. 71) the plant in the herbarium 



- We accept the opinion of Komicke of Linnaus labelled M. arundinacea, is M. 



{MonorjraphicB Marantaccarum Prodromus, indica. We have ourselves made arrowroot 



Bull, de (a Soc. imp. des Naturalistes de from the fresh rhizomes of J/, arundinacea, 



Moscou, XXXV. 1862, i.) that Maranta arun- in order to compare it with an authentic 



dinacea L. and M. indica Tuss. are one specimen obtained in Java from M. indica: 



and the same species. Grisebach maintains no difference could be found between them, 

 them as distinct (Flora of the British West ' Sloane, Catal. jylant. qucein ins. Jamaica 



Indian hlarids, 1864, 605), allowing both sponte proveniunt, rel vulgb coluntur, Lond. 



to be natives of Tropical America ; but he 16%. 122 ; also Jlist. of Jamaica, i. (1707) 



fails to point out any important character 253. 

 by which they may be distinguished from 



