374 PLANTS USED BY INDIANS OF MENDOCINO COUNTY, CAL, 
Sanicula tuberosa Torr. 
Aa'-a 66 (Pomo), —A delicate plant 3 to + inches high, which has a 
spherical tuberous root, small, very finely divided leaves, and small, 
vellow clusters of flowers. It grows in the hills throughout the county. 
The bulb is only a half inch or so in diameter, but on account of its 
delicate flavor it is considered one of the very finest of the so-called 
Indian potatoes. It is generally eaten in the raw condition, The 
Wailaki name for the plant is je-snd’-t/, 
ERICACEAE. Heath Family. 
Arbutus menziesii Pursh. 
Foin'-ha (Yuki). —The common madrona of the Pacitic coast, a superb 
and stately evergreen tree, 80 to 100 feet in height. It grows very 
plentifully and adds greatly to the beauty and, as a native shade tree, 
to the comfort of the Indian villages and towns about Ukiah. It is 
less common and is apt to be bushy in Round Valley, although some 
splendid trees are to be found there. A striking character of this 
tree, which it has in common with the manzanitas, is that about the 
Ist of July each year a thin laver of the bark exfoliates from the tree 
in cinnamon-like quills, thus exposing a new surface, which changes 
in the course of a few weeks from green to a polished light-brown 
color. As the limbs are almost cylindrical and the new bark is con- 
tinuous throughout, the tree is thus enabled to retain all of the beauty 
and symmetry of youth. One Yuki Indian informed me that. this 
exfoliated bark was formerly used as a tea for the relief of stomach 
ache, but this usage could not be veritied. 
In February and March the madrofa is thickly covered with white, 
globular, wax-like flowers, which furnish an abundance of wild honey, 
and late in the fall and until the middle of January the fruit is an 
abundant and favorite source of food for countless doves and wild 
pigeons, and for barnyard poultry, especially turkeys. 
Concerning the edible qualities of the fruit there seems to be some 
difference of opinion. Several white people aftirmed that it is not del- 
eterious, and that their children are rather fond of it, as it has a sweet 
taste. The Wailakis, Little Lakes, and Calpellas eat it, but some of 
the Concows and Yukis claim that it is deleterious and causes vomit- 
ing if eaten in any considerable amount. So far as the author is 
aware, however, no specific case of poisoning has been traced to eating 
the fruit. None of it is kept by the Indians for winter use, because 
the berry soon decays when bruised, apparently containing a ferment 
which produces this result. Deer are very fond of the fruit. 
The Little Lakes make an infusion of the leaves for the cure of 
colds. The wood is fine-grained, and would be very valuable for fur- 
niture if it did not check so badly. The Indians use it for lodge poles 
