CHAPTER XXVII 



CASSAVA — Manihot utilissima 



Cassava, in tropical countries called manioc, is a shrub 

 4 to 10 feet high, which, in general appearance and foUage, 

 somewhat resembles the castor 

 bean plant (Fig. 199). Cassava 

 belongs to the milk-weed fam- 

 ily (Euphorbiaceoe) . Its native 

 country is Brazil, but it is now 

 cultivated in many tropical and 

 semitropical regions. i 



433. Kinds. — Cassava has 

 been divided into two classes, 

 namely, the bitter and the sweet. 

 Bitter cassava is the kind gen- 

 'erally grown in the tropics. It 

 requires more than one year to 

 make its best growth and has 

 not been cultivated extensively 

 in the United States. Sweet 

 cassava is the kind grown in 

 this country. 



434. Climate and distribu- 

 tion. — The cassava requires a 

 season of about seven months 



457 



Fig. 199. — Cassava Plant, 

 SHO-wiNG Stems and En- 

 larged Roots. 



