Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.

New York Botanical Garden,
Bronx Park, New York City.
Dear Doctor Merrill:
Many thanks for your note as
to Courtet's paper on the sweet potato, i find I had con-
sulted this,but found it of little value,merely reprinting
a lot of material which had previously been given by others.
Much of the literature which I found in botanical sources
was of the same type,in so far as historical data and names
were concerned.
After my paper was in press I heard from Sidney Ray
in Ena land (the greatest authority <bnrMelanesian languages
now living),that from his study of Melanesian names for the
sweet potato,he believes that the plant has been known and
cultivated there,part i cuiarly in New Go!nea,orobabIv since
long before European contacts. This is'Contrary to the pre-
viously accepted view,that at ;east in New Guinea,it was of
European introducilon.
the whole problem is duzzi inq,and I hope that botanists
may be able to make some -study ot local Peruvian and Polynesian
var ietíes.
filncereIy yours
Ipomoea batatas	T
det.: D. F. Austin 1974
Expédition botanique en Nouvelle Calédonie 1950—52 Mission Franco-Suisse
Organisée et portée par la Donation Georges et Antoine Claraz à Zürich
et assistée par différentes institutions françaises exécutée par MM.
Prof. Dr. A. Guillaumin (Paris), Dr. M. G. Baumann-Bodenheim (Zürich)
et Dr. H* Hürlimann (Winterthur)
No.	Ipoaoea	batatas	(h.	,
 Liane de 6 m.......................................
li# dea Pio» r	Site	é
Date
îcg. 11* _
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
S.v.Ooststrooffl
05100164
05100164