TAROS AND YAUTIAS oe 
better kinds contain much higher percentages of starch and protein. 
Maturing in the fall or early winter, when home-grown potatoes 
are scarce, these new crops have high potential value for the far 
South. The young leaves of all varieties, after being cooked by 
special methods to destroy their acridity, are eaten as greens. The 
flowers also may be cooked and eaten. 
The taros are all peltate-leaved plants. Colocasia antiquorum 
Schott and C@. esculenta (L.) Schott are the principal species. The 
former, which may be called the red taro, includes the culcas of 
Egypt, the blue tanyah (the pink-rooted variety) of the South 
Atlantic coast, and the common peltate-leaved elephant-ear of the 
garden. The last-named variety is seldom used for food. The 
Ong-hwa taro, recently introduced from China, is the best in quality 
of all the varieties of the red taro tested in this country. C. escu- 
lenta includes the dasheen and most of the taros of the Pacific islands 
and the Orient. The latter species is more important than C. anti- 
quorum. The Penang taro, from China, considered a variety of 
C.. esculenta, is one of the best in quality of all known taros, but is not 
so good a keeper as many others. 
There are several small-growing short-season taros belonging to 
Colocasia esculenta. Among the best. of these tested in the South 
are the Yatsu-gashira and the Kinu-katsugi of Japan. 
A variety of taro of unknown origin, grown under S. P. I. No. 
47147, somewhat resembles the dasheen and possibly belongs to Colo- 
casia esculenta. It is much more moist than the dasheen but becomes 
drier in storage, and for baking it is especially valuable after mid- 
winter. The variety is an excellent keeper. 
The yellow tanyah, the smaller white-rooted taro of the South- 
east, is believed to belong to a different species. Although it has 
been grown in that region for two centuries or more and is of rather 
rich flavor, the necessity for long cooking has prevented'its becoming 
generally popular, even where grown. 
The yautias have large arrow-shaped leaves. The corms of most 
kinds are not suitable for food, only the lateral tubers being used. 
The best known variety of this type is the Rolliza, belonging to 
Xanthosoma caracu Koch and Bouché. This and a pink-skinned 
variety, Pica-uncucha, of another species, are among the best that 
have been found adapted to conditions in Florida. 
Some yautias have edible corms with tubers too small or otherwise 
unsuited for table use. Among these are the Malanga coloré, Ma- 
langa amarilla, and the Nut eddo of the West Indies. The corms 
are yellow fleshed and of excellent quality but small, and the plants 
are not strong growers. It is believed that they can be grown com- 
mercially in southern Florida, however, and already there is a de- 
mand for them in cities having a large West Indian population. 
A. yautia, Yanthosoma brasiliense (Desf.) Engl., known in some 
parts of Porto Rico by the Arawak name “ belembe,” is grown for 
‘its leaves only. They are used as greens, and when properly cooked 
make one of the most delicious dishes of the kind. 
