Unika. 
87 
vikandora (sweet potatoes), viazi viku (yams), 
vimungmunia (egg-plant), tungudsa, and various 
kinds of matango (melons). Cassada is a very- 
valuable plant to the natives ; it is most easily pro- 
pagated, and if the natives were not the laziest people 
in the world, they need never know what famine 
means. The stalk is chopped up into short lengths ; 
these are just stuck into the soil ; and in two or three 
months, without any more trouble than that of keeping 
the weeds down, you have a fine plantation of a 
thoroughly good vegetable, almost sufficient in itself 
to sustain life. When raw, as has been observed by 
some one, it eats like a poor chesnut, but it is then 
poisonous ; and partaken of freely, it causes a giddiness 
in tile head, and brings on vomiting. Boiled, it is a 
good substitute for potatoes, especially when mealy. 
Dried in the sun, it is eaten like bread with cocoa-nut, 
or it is pounded and made into sima (pudding). It 
is, however, only made use of in this form when the 
supplies of Indian corn have been exhausted. Yams 
are riot largely grown, because they are too difficult to 
dig up, the natives having no idea of giving them- 
selves unnecessary trouble. 
Mandano (saffron), arrowroot, and Kauma (cal- 
umba), grow all over the country. Medicinal herbs 
and roots there are in great numbers, some of which 
are watched over by the natives with great care and 
jealousy. 
Flowering plants are numerous, and are often 
very lovely. They exhibit every variety of colour, 
some of them being extremely brilliant. A scarlet 
flower resembling our sweet-william is very com- 
mon. Flowers reminding you of verbenas, marigolds, 
