105 
FOOD IN THE TROPICS 
Open Grassland, Thin Woods, and Thickets 
There are large areas in the tropics which are only sparsely 
covered with vegetation consisting for the most part of grasses 
and a few scattered trees. Some of these areas are the result 
of the destruction of the original vegetation by cultivation or by 
fires. They are often quite dry. Various grasses are found in 
these open spaces and as there are no poisonous grasses any 
that are found may be eaten without danger. In fact, most of 
man’s cultivated food comes from grasses such as wheat, rye, 
corn, sugarcane, etc. Heal grasses can be recognized by their 
jointed stems, such as in a cornstalk, and by their character- 
istic flowers which are never conspicuously colored. Because 
their seeds fall off readily after ripening they are generally 
difficult to gather. Also their seeds usually need to be ground 
into some kind of flour and cooked before being eaten. One 
form of grass, however, has fairly large, usually white and shiny, 
beadlike “fruits” called Job’s Tears. These contain several seeds 
that can be eaten either boiled or roasted. This plant is some- 
times cultivated. 
A small tree — up to 20 feet in height — that grows in open and 
waste places, as well as in cultivated fields, in the Old World is 
the horseradish tree (Fig. 30). The leaves, shoots, and young 
pods of this tree may be eaten raw, or when cooked as greens. 
The seeds may be roasted. The roots of the tree taste like 
horseradish. 
River and Stream Margins 
Because of their variability, tropical streams are bordered by 
a large number of potential food plants. In the Far East the 
