270 ON THE PRODUCTS OF THE PEA FAMILY. 



white variety of the kidney bean is commonly used by the poorer classes as 

 a substitute for potatoes, and during the scarcity of this favourite vegetable in 

 1847, immense quantities were imported from America, finding ready sale. In 

 India, the seeds of Phaseolus Mungo, L., are much used as an article of food, 

 being cultivated to a large extent for that purpose. Large quantities are 

 likewise shipped from Madras to Bombay, Bengal, the Mauritius, &c. 

 There are several varieties of this plant, the most distinct having black 

 seeds, and are called Black Gram. The other varieties are green, and 

 therefore called Green Gram. The seeds of Phaseolus Roxburghii, W. et A., 

 form another valuable article of food amongst the natives of India ; the 

 seeds are reduced to meal from which bread is made for their religious 

 ceremonies. The straw is said to be eaten by cattle with avidity. P. 

 trilobus, Ait., is likewise cultivated for the sake of its seed as an article of 

 food. The roots of P. rostratus, "Wall., are eaten in India, as well as 

 employed by native practitioners in medicine, both for external and 

 internal application. The same may be said of P. trinervius, Heyne., being 

 used in rheumatism, and with other constituents as a remedy for snake 

 bites. In Jamaica there are several varieties of P. vulgaris, extensively 

 cultivated and eaten as food, some being used in a green state in the same 

 manner as our French bean. When dry they form an excellent ingredient 

 in soups ; they are also ground, forming a wholesome and nutritious 

 flour. 



The tubers of Apios tulwosa, Moench., were shown in the Exhibition of 

 1851, as a substitute for potatoes ; but, they appear not to have answered 

 the expectations, as they are in no way employed as a vegetable in this 

 country now, though used in America, where they are indigenous. They 

 somewhat resemble a potato in their outward appearance, and vary in size 

 from that of a damson to a large egg plum. 



Voandzeia subterranea, furnishes a seed called " Bambarra ground nut," 

 much eaten on the Gambia, and in other parts of Africa. Abrus pre- 

 catorius, L., a native of all the tropics, is called in Jamaica the liquorice 

 plant, having a strong flavour of liquorice. The leaves are employed as 

 a substitute for tea, and likewise in medicine. The small scarlet seeds 

 called "Crab's eyes" are very extensively employed in the East Indies, as 

 an ornament, for necklaces, rosaries, &c. ; indeed, they seem to be largely 

 used for ornamentation in all countries where they are obtained, on account 

 of the bright permanent scarlet of the testa. So uniform are these seeds 

 in their weight of one grain, that they are employed as a standard weight 

 by the druggists and jewellers in India, and known as the Retti weights. 

 In a pulverised state, they are employed by goldsmiths to promote adhesion 

 in their finer and more delicate work. They are also used in medicine, 

 in various forms, and for various diseases ; and have been stated to be of 

 an intensely poisonous nature unless swallowed whole ; but this cannot 

 be fully borne out, from the fact that they are eaten in Egypt as an article 

 of food. East Indian Bono is procured from Pterocarpus marsupium, 

 Roxb., a large tree, growing in the Neilgherries, Malabar, &c. It is col- 



