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fungus, Pachyma cocos Fries (Lycoperdon solidum), springing from 
the roots of trees in sandy soil, of about the size of a man’s head, 
with scaly woody bark and white, homogeneous granular interior. 
It is, like other fungi, destitute of starch but contains about 80 
per cent. of carbo-hydrates almost entirely in the shape of insipid 
pectin whose nutritive value is still undecided but probably not 
' great. 
On the low grounds of Southern Florida grows a beautiful plant 
of the Cycapacar, Zamia integrifolia Willd., the « Coontie” of the 
Indians, which contains in the caudex and roots about 65 per 
cent. of an excellent starch sometimes called Florida arrow-root. 
This plant supplied the Seminoles with food during their long 
wars with the United States and is now more or less cultivated. 
Certain species of Claytonia, which we cultivate in our gardens 
for their delicate beauty, grow from deep edible bulbs whose crisp 
flesh and nutty flavor were much prized by the natives. I may 
mention C. l2rginica and C. Caroliniana of the eastern States and 
€. Caroliniana sessilifolia Torr. of the Rocky Mountains and west- 
ward. C. megarrhiza Parry has a large fleshy tap-root, but it is 
confined to the summits of the Rocky Mountains and seldom 
available. C. perfoliata Don, of the Pacific States, where it is 
known as “Spanish Lettuce,” is eaten as salad and cooked as 
greens. 
Another elegant little plant of the same Purslane Family is 
Talinum aurantiacum Eng., found everywhere in Texas west of 
the Pecos river and whose tuberous root is quite edible when 
cooked. 
If we now leave the eastern States and extend our investigation 
westward, beyond the Mississippi, the first plant deserving of at- 
tention is Psoralea esculenta Pursh, the “« Pomme de Prairie” or 
“ Pomme Blanche” of the Canadian explorers and voyageurs, the 
« Prairie Turnip” or “Prairie Potato” of the Americans, the 
“ Tipsinah ” of the Sioux and the “ Tahgu” of the Osage Indians. 
It is widely distributed, being most abundant on the dry table- 
lands of the Missouri region, from Montana through Dakota and 
Nebraska to Kansas. The tuber is irregularly elliptical or conical 
in shape, ranging in size from a large filbert to a hen’s egg, aver- 
aging 114 to 2 inches in length. On section it is seen to be com- 
