EDIBLE SEA-WEED, Plocaria candida.
liyouk puen, . . Bum. I . . MALAY.
A sea-weed abundant on the Tenasserim coast, and valuable for its nutritious and medicinal pro perties. It was brought to notice by Dr. O'Shaugh nessy as the edible moss of the Eastern Archi pelago, and referred by him to the genus Fucus. The fructifications, however, being in" small tubercles, the Rev. Mr. Mason considered it as a species of Agardhs genus, Sphcerococcus, which now constitutes a member of the genus Plocaria. It is an allied genus with the Ceylon moss (Gigar tina lichenoides), first described as Fucus arny laceus by Dr. O'Shaughnessy, the Plocaria lichen oides of Mr. Mason ; also with a species found on the coast of Devonshire in England, Pl. compres.sa, with the Corsican moss of the Mediterranean, P. helmiuthochorton, also with the Agar-agar, Pl. tenax, but differs from the Irish moss or Chonclrus crispus. It is not of the same natural family as
the Iceland moss, which is a lichen, the Cetraria islandica. The Tenasserim moss is said to be superior to all others, as it is wholly free from the bitter principle which renders other fuci so objectionable. 100 parts contain—sulphate and muriate of soda, 6-5 ; sulphate and phosphate of lime, 1.0 ; iron, a trace, 1-4 ? ; vegetable jelly, 54.5 ; true starch, 15-0 ; wax, a trace, 0.5 ? ; lig neous fibre, 18.0.
For use, steep it for a few hours in cold rain water, next dry by the sun's rays, and grind to a fine powder ; boil for 25 or 30 minutes ; while hot, pass through muslin or calico, strain and boil down till a drop placed on a cold surface gela tinizes sufficiently. With milk and sugar, and flavour with lemon-juice or sherry.