392 
The  Manihots. 
•  Am.  Jour.  Pharm . 
i       Aug. ,  1891. 
in  Africa,  where  it  is  considered  one  of  the  most  important  of 
foods. 
The  name  Mandioca  has  been  taken  from  the  Tupi  language, 
meaning  "  Something  baked  at  home,"  "Mandi,"  baked,  "  Oca " 
house. 
The  genus  Manihot  is  found  in  America  only,  and  almost  exclu- 
sively in  dry  and  hot  regions;  of  the  80  known  species,  71  belong 
to  Brazil,  therefore,  I  should  say  that  Brazil  ought  to  be  called  its 
home.  On  the  Western  coast  of  Africa  the  bitter  mandioca  is 
largely  cultivated,  and  some  writers  have  said  that  it  was  brought 
over  by  the  negroes ;  but  this  hardly  seems  credible,  as  the 
Portuguese,  when  they  discovered  Brazil,  found  the  mandioca  culti- 
vated by  the  Indians,  under  many  names,  thus  proving  that  the 
culture  had  been  long  continued.  It  is  true  that  the  seeds  of 
mandioca  preserve  their  fertility  for  a  considerable  length  of  time, 
and  that  they  may  possibly  be  carried  across  the  ocean  by  the 
currents. 
Varieties  and  Description. — There  are  two  kinds  of  mandioca,  viz  : 
The  bitter,  or  red  or  black.  Manihot  utilissima,  Pohl,  and  the  sweet 
or  white  (Manihot  palmata,  M.  Arg.),  from  which  spring  the  many 
useful  varieties,  distinguished  chiefly  by  their  color. 
Their  leaves,  when  bruised  or  pressed,  have  an  odor  similar  to 
that  of  peach  leaves,  and  the  odor  of  the  peach  kernel  is 
observed  in  the  fleshy  rhizomes  and  roots.  The  latter  are  called 
mandioca,  while  the  whole  plant  is  named  maniva. 
Mandioca  doce  (sweet)  or  Manihot  palmata,  is  in  the  Southern  Prov- 
inces (now  States)  called  aypim,  and  in  Northern  Provinces 
niacaxera.  It  is  a  bush,  about  one  to  two  meters  in  height,  monoe- 
cious, stems  and  branches  light  green ;  the  leaves,  with  three, 
five  or  seven  lanceolate  lobes,  dark  green  on  upper  surface ;  blos- 
soms yellowish.'  The  roots  are  white,  weigh  about  one  kilo, 
are  30  to  45  centimeters  long,  4  to  5  centimeters  thick,  and 
covered  with  a  thick  bark,  which  is  easily  removed,  even  with 
the  fingers.  In  the  white  varieties  the  quantity  of  milky  fluid 
is  scarcely  observable,  and  indeed  if  present  is  always  in  the 
bark ;  a  white  fibrous  wood  bundle  runs  through  the  center,  which 
is  as  thick  as  ordinary  twine  (about  1-16  in.),  and  is  never  found  in 
the  bitter  mandioca.  The  white  mandioca  is  seldom  used  for  flour 
( farinha)  and  should  never  be  dug  up  for  use  while  flowering,  as  it 
