FOOD IN THE TROPICS 
119 
before eating. In tlie drier places there are various kinds of 
cactus plants. Their fruits and fleshy stem segments are edible 
raw or cooked provided the numerous spines are carefully re- 
moved. Some of the larger, rounder forms have stored water use- 
ful in quenching thirst. The mango grows wild in Central Amer- 
ica and parts of the West Indies and their fruits are available 
from May to August or somewhat later. 
In tropical Africa there are dense, lowland jungles and drier 
plateaus with more open vegetation. The same types of plants, 
although different forms, occur here as elsewhere in the tropics 
and are prepared and eaten in about the same manner. There 
is no lack of emergency food plants in that area. 
POISONOUS PLANTS 
There is no reason to fear the poisonous plants in the Tropics 
any more than in temperate regions. The best general rule is to 
avoid all those with a milky sap, with the exception of the 
numerous varieties of the wild fig, and all those whose taste is 
disagreeable, or that have brightly colored shiny seeds. 
Poisonous plants fall into three general classes : 
(1) those which poison a person internally when eaten; 
(2) those with sap that irritates the skin in the manner of 
poison ivy ; 
(3) those with minute needles or spines that penetrate the 
skin and cause irritation. 
Identification of such plants by persons not familiar with 
tropical vegetation is difficult. If one has an opportunity to do 
so it is best to learn the various kinds that are to be avoided 
from the natives. Otherwise just be careful about touching or 
