dumbcane (was: Moles and other Geophyte predators)

dumbcane (was: Moles and other Geophyte predators)
Alberto Castillo (Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:12:13 PST)

dave, i believe the origin of the term dumbcane was
not that children or anyone else would unwittingly
chew on this plant, but that it was used as a
punishment for escaped slaves in the caribbean (to
have the cut stems rubbed inside their mouths and thus
they would not be able to speak for several days).

=========
tsuh yang

Hi Tsuh:
It is actually the "dumbman's cane". The oxalate crystals are
present in Spatiphyllum, Arum, Zantedeschia, Anthurium, Philodendron,
Dracontium and any aroid you can think of, when raw. That practice was
common in Brazil as well. A piece of stem was placed horizontally in the
slave's mouth and then forced to bite it.

Regards
Alberto

_________________________________________________________________
Charla con tus amigos en línea mediante MSN Messenger:
http://messenger.latam.msn.com/