ARUM. 
*-r“ 
by the 'fk'es of rivers and marfhes, where the water is not 
very deep; in both thofe kingdoms it is'a very common 
trod; the root and tender petioles being £aten boiled. 
'I he bruited leaves are applied to tumours, and are fup- 
poietl to be of fervice againft poifonous bites. It is a na¬ 
tive aiio of japan, is frequently cultivated there, and both 
roots and (talks are diced and put into their foups and 
broths. It is found in all the illands of the fouthern 
ocean, except thofe which are drowned or defert; and is 
Cultivated every where within the tropics, and even in the 
northern extremity of New Zealand. The natives of the 
South-Sea Illands bellow great pains on the culture of this 
root: for, in the firft: months of its growth, it fucceeds 
bell when the ground is inundated, but afterwards it fhould 
be laid dry, which they do by means of ditches dug round 
the fields. The root, which is the common food in many 
of the illands, is extremely acrid, and, when eaten raw, 
will excoriate the mouth; but, baked in hot allies, lofes 
its acrimonious quality, and becomes mild and well tafted ; 
it is however heavy on a weak Ilomach, and is apt to occa- 
iion coftivenefs. The leaves, which are very foft, glau¬ 
cous, and covered with a very fine filky nap, are ufed by 
the inhabitants indead of plates and difhes. In German 
this arum is named cjfbarc arum, Indianifcke kohl, and zuaf- 
Jerbrodvmrzel\ in Dutch, eetbaar kalfsvoct, karaibifehe kool, 
and zvalcr-helady ; in French, choux du brejil, ckoux caraibes, 
and chon poi.vre ; in Japan, imo, or J'atorino; in China, hai 
yu ; in Cochin-China, cay mon. It is obfervable that the 
Java name tallas varies little from thofe of Otahaite and 
New Zealand, tallo and tarro. 
12. Arum macrorhizon, or long-rooted arum: leaves 
peltate cordate repand, two-parted at the bafe. This has 
a very large root, or rather fubterraneous trunk, the thick- 
nefs and length of the human arm. The leaves are very 
large and wide, filming on both fides, fmooth, and of a 
pleafant fine green; they have very ftrong promipent 
nerves, and come out many together: their very long hol¬ 
lowed petioles form at bottom, where they embrace each 
other very clofely, a Hem three feet long, and as thick as 
one’s arm. The flower is white, and very fweet. This 
recedes in fome meafure from the generic charfter in the 
irudeification, all the florets being hermaphrodite. The 
berries are roundifii and red. This fpecies is diftinguifhed 
by its great fize. It is a native of China and Cochin-Chi¬ 
na, the Eaft Indies, Ceylon, and the illands of the fouthern 
ocean ; and is eaten by the natives as well as the foregoing, 
when the roots are deprived of their acrimony by dreffing. 
In Ceylon this is called habara\ in Chinefe, dca veu ; in 
Cochin-China, ray llar.g ; in Otaheite, ape ; in the Friendly 
and Sandwich illands, kappe. 
13. Arum peregrinum : leaves cordate obtufemucronate, 
angles rounded. This is a native of America. Mr. Mil¬ 
ler fays, that he received three forts of arum from the 
Weft Indies, by the title of edder; but he fuppofes this 
to be mod commonly cultivated there for its roots. 
14. Arum divaricatum : leaves cordate-haftate divari¬ 
cate. Native of Malabar and Ceylon. 
x 15. Arum trilobatum, or three-lobed arum : leaves fa- 
gittate-trilobate, flower feflile. Root roundifii, comprefled, 
fmooth, half an inch in diameter. Plant a foot high, up¬ 
right. The flower is very fetid, like carrion, or common 
dragon. This fort was brought from Ceylon in 1752, and 
flowered in the Chelfea garden. According to Linnaeus, 
this is To nearly allied to the foregoing, that it may be 
doubted Whether it is a diftimS fpecies. Native of Ceylon, 
Amboyna, Japan, and Cochin-China. It flowers here in 
May and June. The qualities of this are reputed to be 
the fame with thofe of the fifth. 
16. Arum fagittaefolium, or arrow-leaved arum : leaves 
fagittate triangular, the angles divaricate acute. This 
grows four feet high, and is upright; leaves large, dufky 
green. Native of the Spanifh Weft Indies, China, and 
Cochin-China. It was cultivated here in 1731 by Mr. 
Miller. In Jamaica it is called fmalier Indian kale, and is 
cultivated there by many perfons for the fame purpofes 
with the eleventh fort. This, and feveral of the forego” 
ing forts, fays Mr. Miller, are eaten by the inhabitants of 
the hot countries, where they grow naturally, and fome 
of them are cultivated in the fugar colonies, as efculent 
plants ; their roots being conftantly eaten, as alfo the leaves 
of fome, particularly the eleventh. It is efteemed a w hole- 
fome green when boiled, and w here the common European 
vegetables are with difficulty procured, this proves a good 
fuccedaneum. The fixteenth fort lias not been many years 
introduced into the fugar iflands; for it came originally 
from the Spanifh Weft Indies, where it grows in great 
plenty. Both this and the fourteenth have larger roots 
than the eleventh, for which reafon they are preferred to 
it. Thefe forts are preferved by perfons curious in exotic 
plants, tor the variety of their leaves; their flowers hav- 
ingvery little beauty, nor do they often appear in this 
country. 
17. Arum maculatum, or common arum : leaves haftate 
quite entire, fpadix club-fhaped. Of this there are three 
varieties: Common arum without fpots, common fpotted 
arum, and Italian arum. Common arum has a tuberous 
vvhitifli root, about the fize of a large nutmeg, growing 
tranfverfely, fending forth on every fide a great number 
of (ingle fibres, propagating itfelf by lateral tubercles. 
Native of moll parts of Europe, except the moft northern 
ones, in Ihady places, and on the banks of ditches; flow¬ 
ering in May. The berries ripen at the clofe of fiimmer. 
The root and leaves of arum when recent are extremely 
acrid; on firft tailing them they feem to be merely muci¬ 
laginous and infipid, but they foon affect the tongue with 
a pungency as if it were pricked with needles. This un- 
eafy fenfation may be alleviated by milk, butter, or oil. 
They lofe this acrimony in drying, and (he roots become 
farinaceous and infipid. In this ftate they might be ufed 
for food in cafe of neceflity; and by boiling or baking 
would probably afford a mild and wholefome nourifhment, 
as well as thofe forts which are natives of hot climates. 
Wedelius is of opinion, that the chara which Csefar’s fol- 
diers found abundantly about Dyrrhachium was this plant; 
being reduced to great ffraits for want of provifions, they 
mixed the roots with milk, and made them into a fort of 
bread. Probably this may be the third variety, which is 
larger than ours, and is made a diftindl fpecies by Mr. 
Miller, under the name of arum Italicum. The berries 
are devoured by birds ; and Mr. Curtis thinks that even 
the roots are eaten by them, particularly by pheafants. 
The root dried and powdered is ufed by the French as a 
wafh for the fkin, and is fold at a high price under the 
name of Cyprefs powder. It is a good and innocent cof- 
metic. Starch alfo may be made^from the roots; but 
Parkinfon obferves, that the hands are apt to be bliftered 
in ufing it. Occafionally they have been fubftituted for 
foap, and Mr. Pay mentions their being ufed about Maid- 
ftone for that purpofe. The root newly dried and pow¬ 
dered has been given as a ftimulant, in dofes of a fcruple 
and upwards; but in being reduced to powder it lofes much 
of its acrimony, and there is reafon to fuppofe, that the 
compound pow der, which takes its name from this plant, 
owes its virtues chiefly to the other ingredients. The pul- 
vis ari compcfitus is therefore difearded from the London 
difpenfatory, and inftead of it a conferve is inferted, made 
by beating half a pound of the frefli root with a pound 
and a half of fine fugar. In the medicine recommended 
*by Sydenham againft rheumatifms, the acrid antifcorbutic 
herbs are largely joined with it. Dr. Lewis orders the 
frefli root to be beaten with a little teftaceous powder, and 
mixed with an equal quantity of gum arabic, and three 
or four times as much conferve, and thus to be made up 
into an eleftuary; or elfe to be rubbed with a thick mu¬ 
cilage of gum arabic and fpermaceti, adding any watery li¬ 
quor and a little fyrup, to form an emullion ; two parts of 
the root, two of gum, and one of fpermaceti. In thefe 
forms lie has given the frefh root, from ten grains to up¬ 
wards of a fcruple, three or four times a-day: it general¬ 
ly occalioned a fenfation of flight warmth, firft about the 
ftomach. 
