What common food plant was used for hunting?
By Chelsie Vandaveer
October 15, 2001
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Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an interesting plant, because it is the only economically important plant today that is extremely toxic. The toxic variety called bitter cassava contains prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide). Over the millennia that South American natives have cultivated this plant, they have developed varieties, called sweet cassavas which have little of the toxin found in the original wild species.
To use the nutritious starch of the bitter cassava, the root was macerated to break open each cell. This process released the starch granules and the hydrogen cyanide. Through continual rinsings with fresh water, the starch and toxin became separated; a difficult and labor-intensive way to make meal for flat bread.
For natives to put that much work into processing the starch, there must have been few other sources of carbohydrates. Even the sweet variety requires a number of steps to extract the starch.
Hunters in the Amazon rainforest used the sap from the bitter cassava root on the tips of blow darts to bring down prey. These hunters did not kill for sport. The sap brought a quick death and prevented injured animals from escaping and dying elsewhere.
Wikipedia has an excellent article on the history, processing and detoxification of cassava. To learn more, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassava
Wikipedia has an informative article on the Yanomami, "...known as hunters, fishers, and horticulturists, cultivating as their main crops plantains and cassava in "gardens," areas of the forest cleared for cultivation." To learn more, click on the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanomami
killerPlants Tendrils: ~~1~~2~~3~~4~~5~~
Suggested Reading:
What twelve plants supply most of the food...? Plants that Changed History - Aug 21, 2001
Why should potatoes be stored in the dark? Herbal Folklore - October 8, 2001
What slave food is more valuable than Inca gold? Plants that Changed History - October 9, 2001
What is a hairy potato? Renfield's Garden - October 10, 2001
What was the great Potato War? What's in a Name? - October 12, 2001
What toxic plant feeds 500 million people? Plants that Changed History - October 16, 2001
What plant was blamed for the deaths of children? Herbal Folklore - October 22, 2001
What Ice Age morning glory feeds millions of people? Plants that Changed History - Oct 23, 2001
How do sweet potatoes protect themselves? Renfielsd's Garden - October 24, 2001
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Wollemi Pine
National Geographic®
Exclusively from National Geographic, this survivor from the age of the dinosaurs is one of the greatest living fossils discovered in the 20th century. The Wollemi pine is one of the world's oldest and rarest tree species, belonging to a 200-million-year-old plant family thought to have been extinct for more than two million years.
Previously known only from fossil records, it was presumed extinct until a single tree was found in the Wollemi National Park, Australia, in 1994. Subsequent research discovered 100 adult trees that have survived in a single canyon in this wild and rugged area.
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You can assist in the conservation effort and enjoy the unique opportunity to ensure the continued survival of this rare species by giving the tree as a gift or growing your own. Suitable for indoor container gardening or as a landscape tree in certain areas of the U.S.
Comes with a care manual with the full story about the discovery and fascinating history of the Wollemi pine. Comes in a copper-colored container and will be approximately 10''H when shipped. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of these plants will fund ongoing conservation research.
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National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic®
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You are invited to roam the world in the pages of National Geographic magazine. Explore the diversity of our planet's lands and inhabitants in compelling stories covering topics such as animals, nature, science, technology, culture, history, travel, adventure, exploration, and geography. The monthly National Geographic magazine is your key benefit of membership.
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