File:Promising root crops for the South. I.-Yautias, taros, and dasheens (1910) (14598154548).jpg

Identifier: promisingrootcro00barr (find matches)
Title: Promising root crops for the South. I.--Yautias, taros, and dasheens
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Barrett, O. W. (Otis Warren), b. 1872 Cook, O. F. (Orator Fuller), 1867-1949
Subjects: Root crops Araceae Yautia Taro
Publisher: Washington, Govt. print. off.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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dix is sterile.In the case of some of the yautias, the spathe may barely exceed thetip of the spadix, whereas in some of the taros it may be prolongedto about twice the length of the spadix; it may be open, like that ofa caladium, in some of the yautias, or it may be strongly twisted intoa cornucopia-like roll, as in some of the taros. The name yautia is an Arawak word which was in common use inthe Greater Antilles at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards. Themeaning is probably place of (ya) the hutia (or spiny rat, Capromyssp.), which was formerly very abundant in tropical America andwhich fed upon roots and fruits. The origin of the name tanier isunknown. The r is usually not pronounced in the British WestIndies, and the spellings tannia and tania are frequently seen.Eddo is probably an African word synonymous w^th taro, but fre-quently applied to the tanier. Coco is another term applied to the 164 Bui. 164, Bureau of Plant Industry, U, S, Dept, of Agriculture. Plate III M O 3 I
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GENEKAL CULTURE. 11 yautia in the British West Indies. Malanga is the Arawak name fortaro, and is still current in Cuba for both yautias and taros. InPanama the yautia is called by the Indian (San Bias?) name of oto,while in Mexico it passes under the names of quequeste, tekixcamote(probably a mongrel Indian and Spanish word), rejalgar, colomo,lampaza, and macal. Since the yautias have been only very recently mtroduced mto theEastern Hemisphere, there are of course few native names ui thatregion. However, the local names for the taro varieties are exceed-ingly numerous and compHcated. Probably as many as 100 moreor less distinct forms of the taro and of the closely related dasheenare now extant; many varieties have probably been lost on accountof the radical changes in habits of the aborigines ui the Pacific islandsduring the past few decades. The locality ui which the cultivationof th^ taros began appears to be Polynesia, though this is not defi-nitely settled. A number of varieties

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