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 Madagascar Arrowroot.—There is also produced in Madagascar an arrowroot from a different form of plant, namely Tacca pinnatifida. It is not, however, of any very great commercial importance. A similar starch is made from the same plant in Otaheite.

Plantain Meal.—The plants of the natural family Musaceæ are important articles of food in many tropical regions, the plant yielding also, in addition to the starch, fibers suitable for textile use. The fruit of the Musa paradisaica is chiefly employed for this purpose. It is quite similar in its character to the fruit of the allied species, Musa sapientum, or common banana. The starch granules which make up the plantain meal are remarkable for their long and narrow shape. The lines marking their surface are only faintly distinguishable, and the hilum is small and somewhat indistinct. Plantain meal is not used to any very great extent outside of the country where it is produced.

—(Photograph by H. W. Wiley.)