WOODY ROOTS. 173 



CHAPTEE VI.— UTILIZATION OF MINOR PRODUCE 

 FROM WOODY ROOTS. 



The roots of woody plants yield (a) food for man {e.g., yams, 

 Pueraria tvherosa, &c. ; (6) drugs (e.g., Strychnos Nux-vomica, 

 Hemidesmus indicus, Cissampelos Pareira, mudar, some barberries, 

 &c.); (c) fibres (e.g., Butea frondosu, the aerial roots of some figs, 

 &c.) ; (d) dyes (e.g., chay or Iledyotis umhellata, known as Indian 

 madder ; Rvhia cordifolia, yielding manjit, a product much resem- 

 bling madder ; Morinda citrifolia, yielding a scarlet dye, species of 

 Berheris, a yellow dye, Ventilago Maderaspatana orange by itself, 

 chocolate with chay, and black with galls ; and so on). Many 

 edible wild roots contain some acrid principle which can be got 

 rid of only by long boiling. The fibres of the roots of the Butea 

 frondosa are easily separated by beating the whole root with the 

 back of an axe. These fibres, however, make only very coarse 

 cordage, which becomes brittle in drying. Strips of the fresh-cut 

 root are used for tieing up thatch. 



