DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 205 



in Mexico, where the natives pinch off the blossoms and seed pods, giving as a reason 

 that if the seeds are allowed to mature the roots are not good. In Mexico the roots 

 are much eaten raw, but are also pickled, boiled in soup, and cooked as a vegetable. 

 As they come from the ground they are crisp, sweet, juicy, and of a nutty flavor. 

 They are nourishing and at the same time quench the thirst, so that they are much 

 liked by travelers. One way of preparing the raw roots is to cut them in thin slices 

 and sprinkle sugar over them. They may also be boiled and prepared with batter in 

 the form of fritters, and in Mexico they are often minced or grated, and with the 

 addition of sugar, milk, and eggs, and a few fig leaves for flavoring, made into 

 puddings. 



The identity of the Mexican, Guam, and Philippine plants seems certain. Other 

 forms of Cacara, which, like the present species, have been referred by authors to 

 C. erosa, differ very much in the shape and size of the root. The Fijian species, iden- 

 tified by Seemann as Pachyrhizus trilobus DC./' has roots 6 to 8 feet in length and the 

 thickness of a man's thigh. Roots of Cacara bought in the Chinese market of San 

 Francisco, and referred to C. erosa, were analyzed by Mr. Walter C. Blasdale and 

 were found to contain an abundance of nutritive materials. Besides a large percent- 

 age of starch, considerable cane sugar was found, as well as protein. Long-continued 

 boiling of these roots failed to render them tender. Their principal use by the Chi- 

 nese of San Francisco is for the preparation of starch, which is said to be of a superior 

 quality. As far as could be learned, the Chinese obtain their comparatively large 

 supply of roots entirely from Canton. b From this description it is evident that the 

 roots imported into San Francisco by the Chinese have very different properties from 

 the crisp, succulent tubers of Mexico and Guam. 

 References : 



Cacara erosa (L. ) Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 1: 165. 1891. 



Dolichos erosus L. Sp. PI. 2 : 726. 1753. 



Dolichos bulbosus L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 2: 1021..1763. 



Pachyrhizus angulatus Rich.; DC. Prod. 2: 402. 1825. 



Pachyrhizus bulbosus Kurz, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 45 2 : 246. 1876. 

 Cactus. 



There is no indigenous plant on the island belonging to the cactus family. The 

 only introduced species which has established itself is a prickly pear, for which see 

 Opuntia sp. 

 Cadena de amor (Guam). 



' ' Chain of love, ' ' the name applied to Antigonon leptopus, probably on account of 

 the rose-colored heart-shaped flowers. 

 Cadillo pata-de-perro (Porto Rico). See Urena sinuata. 

 Cadios, Cadius (Philippines). See Cajan cajan. 

 Caesalpinia bonducella Fleming. Same as Guilandina crista. 

 Caesalpinia crista L. Same as Guilandina crista. 

 Caesalpinia pulcherrima. See Poniciana pulcherrima. 

 Caesalpinia sappan. See Biancaea sappan. 



Caesalpiniaceae. Caesalpinia family. 



Representatives of this family growing in Guam are Intsia bijuga, Cassia occidentalis, 

 C. sophera, C. tora, Herpetica alata, Guilandina crista, Poinciana pulcherrima, Delonix 

 regia, and Biancaea sappan. 

 Cafo, Cafu (Guam). See Pandanus fragrans. 



« Seemann, Flora Vitiensis, p. 63, 1865. 



b Blasdale, Some Chinese vegetable food materials, U. S. Dept. Agr., Off. Exp. Sta., 

 Bull. No. 68, 1899. 



