96 



ANALYTICAL CLASS-BOOK OF BOTANY. 



not the least wonderful part of its history is, that the 

 same root furnishes a wholesome and excellent bread, a 

 deadly and virulent poison, and a delicate and nutritious 

 starch, which is the Tapioca of commerce. The Taro 

 root {Arum esculentiim) is the chief article of cultiva- 

 tion throughout the Sandwich and other Polynesian Isles, 

 answering the double purpose of vegetables and bread. 

 The acrid properties common to its family are dissipated 

 by heat. The Yam is the root of a species of Dioscorea. 

 It is either baked or boiled, and is a tolerable substitute 

 for bread. It will keep longer out of ground than any 

 other vegetable, and hence is proper for sea stores. The 

 Ti-root is also a native of the Polynesian Islands ; but 

 unhappily its true use is perverted, it being often manu- 

 factured by distillation into an intoxicating drink. The 

 natives assemble in whole neighborhoods for the purpose 

 of constructing the still, and surrendering themselves to 

 the exhilarating influence of the poison. 



540. Arrow-root. — This is a kind of very pure 

 white starch, prepared from the roots of different species 

 of Maranta. The "West Indian article is best, and is 

 said to derive its name from the fact that the Indians 

 make use of the root to extract the poison of arrows. 

 Arrow-root is also prepared from a species of Arum. 

 All these are articles of nutriment or luxury ; and they 

 are extensively used in preparing dishes for the sick. 



541. Esculent Roots, in general, are well known 

 and widely diffused. Many of them, as the Beet, Carrot, 

 and Parsnip, contain a large portion of saccharine mat- 

 ter; and from the former sugar is made in sufficient 

 quantities to give it place among articles of commerce. 



542. Many roots are possessed of aromatic, and at 

 the same time medicinal properties, as the Ginger, Co- 

 lombo, and Sweet-Flag. The two former belong to the 

 tribe of Aromatic Lilies of the East. The plants are 

 either of a deep glossy green, or of a warm yellowish 

 green, soft and rich as velvet ; and their flowers, which 

 are put forth in great clusters, are of the most vivid and 

 intense colors. The root of Ginger, it is hardly neces- 

 sary to say, is largely employed as a spice, and also pre- 

 served in sugar as a sweetmeat, and used to flavor other 

 sweetmeats. 



543. Of the violet-colored bark on the roots of 

 Guenbe, a climber of La Plata, a kind of rough cordage 

 is made, which is much employed in local navigation. It 

 will not bear friction like hempen ropes ; but it is cheap, 

 and serves a very good purpose. 



541. The article known in commerce as Madder, is 

 the prepared root of Rubia-tinctoria. Madder contains 

 several distinct principles of wholly different composition. 



and affording different dyes, the chief or characteristic 

 color being red, which, with different mordants, or the 

 substances that bind or set the color, becomes yellow, 

 orange, brown, or purple. The colors from Madder 

 are among the most permanent of vegetable dyes. This 

 plant is cultivated in France and Belgium. Alkanet is 

 the root of Anchusa tinctoria, a native of Southern 

 Europe. A kind of reddish dye is extracted from it, 

 which was formerly used for staining the face ; and hence 

 the origin of its name, which signifies a rouge-pot. Its 

 coloring matter being resinous, is readily imparted to 

 oils and alcohol ; and hence it is used to color lip-salves 

 and stain marbles. Turmeric is the root of Curcuma 

 longa. It yields a fine yellow powder, which is used as 

 a dye, and also in medicine, and the composition of curry 

 powder. Paper stained with Turmeric is employed as a 

 test of the presence of alkaline substances, by which its 

 yellow color is changed to brown. The roots of many 

 plants are rich in medicinal properties ; and hence the 

 Materia Medica draws largely on this part of the vege- 

 table body. 



USES OP THE STEM. 



545. The first uses of the stem of plants, as manifested 

 in the trunk of trees, are those of fuel and for building; 

 but the purposes to which wood may be applied are in- 

 numerable. The most esteemed of ornamental woods 

 are the Mahogany, a native of tropical America and 

 Australia, Ebony, Black Oak and Black Walnut, Curled 

 and Bird's-eye Maple, Cherry, and Birch. There are 

 three varieties of Ebony, red, black, and green, the latter 

 being used for coloring. The Ebony is a beautiful tree, 

 native of Madagascar and Ceylon. 



546. The Bamboo is an arborescent Grass, its jointed 

 stems often growing to the height of seventy or eighty 

 feet ; and with its light and graceful foliage waving in 

 the air, and its slender stems swaying with every breeze, 

 it has altogether a character of beauty which nothing can 

 exceed. Its uses, too, are numerous and important. 

 From the lightness and durability of its wood, it fur- 

 nishes an excellent material for many purposes. In the 

 East Indies, where it grows abundantly, forming large 

 jungles, it is used extensively in building houses, which 

 will sometimes last a hundred years. Its tender stalks 

 are boiled, and eaten as Asparagus ; the small stems are 

 used for canes, flutes, and umbrella sticks, and in the 

 manufacture of chair-seats, sofas, and various articles of 

 furniture. Cane is also used for boat-masts, carriages, 

 boxes, and fences ; paper is made from its macerated 

 stalks ; and it is converted into innumerable articles of 

 use, ornament, or luxury. 



