This page has been validated.
20
THE AMERICAN INDIAN
PLANTS CULTIVATED BY THE NATIVES OF THE
NEW WORLD BEFORE 1492
The following list enumerates the most important plants originally cultivated by the several Indian tribes before the discovery of the New World in 1492.
| Name | Area of Cultivation |
| Agave, or aloe (Agave americana Linn.) | Mexico to Chile |
| Alligator pear (Persea gratissima Geartn. f.) | Central American and West Indies |
| Arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Barnyard grass (Echinochloa crusgalli (L.) Beauv.) | Mexico and southern United States |
| Bean, kidney (Phaseolus vulgaris Linn.) | Distribution same as maize |
| Bean, Lima (Phaseolus lunatus Linn., var. macrocarpus Benth.) | Brazil and Peru |
| Coca, or cocaine (Erythroxylum coca Lamarck) | Peru and Bolivia |
| Cherimoya (Anona Cherimolia Miller) | Peru and Brazil |
| Cashew nut (Anacardium occidentale Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Capsicum or Chili pepper (Capsicum annuum Linn. and Capsicum frulescens Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Cacao (Theobroma cacao Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Corn (See maize) | |
| Cotton (Gossypium barbadense Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Guava (Psidium guajava Linn.) | Tropical America |
| Gourd (Cucurbita pepo, var. ovifera Linn.) | Distribution same as maize |
| Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus Linn.) | Mississippi Valley |
| Maize (Zea mays Linn.) | See map (Fig. 5) |
| Manioc (Manihot utilissima Pohl.) | See map (Fig. 5) |
| Maté or Paraguay tea (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hil. and Ilex conocarpa Reiss.) | Paraguay and western Brazil |
| Madia (Madia sativa Molina) | Chile |
| Potato (Solanum tuberosum Linn.) | Chile and Peru |
| Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo Linn.) | Temperate North America |
| Prickly pear or Indian fig (Opuntia ficus-indica Mill.) | Mexico |
| Pineapple (Ananas sativus Schult. f.) | Mexico and Central America |
| Peanut (Arachis hypogœa Linn.) | Peru and Brazil |
| Papaw (Carica papaya Linn.) | West Indies and Central America |
| Oca (Oxalis tuberosa Molina) | Chile and Bolivia |
| (Oxalis crenata Jacq.) | Chile and Bolivia |
| Quinine (Cinchona calisaya Wedd.) | Bolivia and Peru |
| (Cinchona officinalis Linn.), and others | Bolivia and Peru |
| Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) | Colombia and Peru |
| Sweet potato (Ipomœa batatas Poir.) | Topical America |
| Star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito Linn.) | West Indies and Panama |
| Squash (Cucurbita maxima Duchesne) | Tropical America |
| Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum Linn.) and other species | See map (Fig. 8) |
| Tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) | Peru |
