35/47 The tubers were generally small, but I found one, of an oval shape, two inches in diameter: they resembled in every respect, and had the same smell as English potatoes; but when boiled they shrunk much, and were watery and insipid, without any bitter taste. They are undoubtedly here indigenous: they grow as far south, according to Mr.Low, as latitude 50 degrees, and are called Aquinas by the wild Indians of that part: the Chilotan Indians have a different name for them. Professor Henslow, who has examined the dried specimens which I brought home, says that they are the same with those described by Mr.Sabine from Valparaiso, but that they form a variety which by some botanists has been considered as specifically distinct. "Horticultural Transactions" volume 5 page 249. |