214 



POPULAR ECONOMIC BOTANY. 



1. China Turmerice — ^This sort consists of smooth^ plump, 

 round, and long tubers, of a greenish-yellow colour exter- 

 nally. They yield a bright powder, and on that account 

 fetch a high price, and are much esteemed. 



2. Bengal Turmeric. — This consists principally of long 

 thin tubers, externally smooth and of a dull stone-colour; 

 internally a deep reddish-yellow colour, and rather brittle, 

 with shining fracture. It is not so fine in appearance as 

 other sorts, but fetches a high price, and is particularly va- 

 luable as a yellow dye. 



3. Madras Turmeric. — This Dr. Pereira calls the most 

 showy of all kinds of Turmeric.^^ The tubers are large ; some 

 are long with side branches, others are round and oval ; ex- 

 ternally they are, in common with the preceding varieties, 

 marked at slight distances by transverse ridges, but besides 

 these the Madras variety has slight longitudinal wrinkles. 

 Externally the colour is bright yellow, internally it resem- 

 bles that exhibited by the fracture of Gamboge. 



4. Malabar or Bombay Turmeric — consists of long irre- 

 gularly shaped tubers, darkish yellow, and much wrinkled 

 externally ; the tubers are smaller than the Madras kind, 

 and of an inferior quality. 



6. Java Turmeric — somewhat resembles the Chinese va- 



