1 62 
THE VEGETATION OF THE DISTRICTS OP 
rotunda , Indo-Chinese ; Curcuma Zedoaria , native; Curcuma longa, 
native; Curcuma Amada, native; Zingiber Zerumbet, Indo-Chinese ; 
Zingiber Casumunar , native ; Zingiber officinale , native ; Maranta 
arundmacea , American; Musa sapientum , native; Sanseviera 
Roxhurgh'iana, doubtfully native ; S. trip as data, African; Dioscorea 
fasciculata , native ; Dioscorea alata , native ; Allium Ascalonicum , 
Mediterranean; Allium Cepa , Mediterranean; Allium tuberosum > 
native; Allium Ampeloprasum ) Mediterranean; Allium sativum, 
Mediterranean; Amorphophallus campanulatus } native; Alocasia 
indica , native ; Alocasia macrorrkiza, Indo-Chinese ; Colocasia antiqu - 
orum, native ; Pennisetum typhoideum , African ; Setaria italicaj 
Mediterranean ; Panicum miliaceum, native ; Panicum miliare , 
native ; Panicum maximum , African ; Oryza saliva , native ; Saccha - 
rzm Sara, native; Saccharum officinarum , native; Andropogon 
Schoenanthus , native; Andropogon Nardus } native; Andropogon 
Sorghum , native ; Eleusine Coracana , native ; Triticum vulgare , 
Central Asiatic ; Mays , American. 
Of the crops grown in our districts about 50 are almost certainly 
natives of I ndia itself, but of these four-fifths are croDs of the inon soon 
season, only one-fifth are cold-weather crops. On the other hand, 
35 crops or so are natives of Central or Western Asia or of the Medi- 
terranean region ; with hardly an exception these are crops of great 
antiquity in India and from the situation of their native countries it is 
almost certain that they were originally brought with them to India 
by early invaders from the north-west. In this case, with, perhaps^ 
one or two exceptions, the crops are crops of the cold weather 
only. About 15 of our crops are of African origin and the majority 
of these are introductions of later date, many of them not going 
beyond the period of Mussalman invasions, A few of these African 
crops, however, like Guizotia abyssinica , are very interesting because 
their cultivation is as old as, or older than, that of the crops probably 
introduced by Aryan invaders, and because their use is practically 
confined to peoples of Central Indian affinity. Of these African 
crops two-thirds are monsoon crops. Crops introduced from America, 
and therefore mostly, if not wholly, introductions that date from the 
discovery of the New World, are almost as numerous as the African 
ones. In this case, however, two-thirds of the crops are cold season 
ones. Some of the American crops like the Potato, and various 
vegetables, have obviousiy been introduced by way of Europe. 
Others, however, like the Tobaccos, the Chillies and Maize would 
appear to have come by the Eastern route, and perhaps, by way of 
China and independent of, if not prior to, European intercourse 
with America. About a dozen crops have clearly come to India 
