120 
the leaves of this very useful plant yield strong, flexible textile 
fibres, while the caudex and root are rich in saponin and an ex- 
cellent substitute for soap.  Y. macrocarpa Coville has a stout 
arborescent trunk 10 to 30 feet high and 1 to 1% in diameter, and 
still larger fruit. Y. Schottid Eng., of Southern Arizona, also be- 
longs to this section, as well as Y. 7veculeana Carr., of Northern 
Mexico.. ae 
The NYMPHAEACEAE contain two plants whose seeds are, or 
were, highly prized by the natives, Nelumméo lutea already specially 
noticed for its roots, and Nymphaea polysepala (Eng.) of the north- 
_ern Pacific slope. The former is called Water Chinquapin, from 
the resemblance of its seeds in shape and taste to the Chinquapin 
chestnut of the South; they are eaten raw or cooked and said to 
be even more delicate food than the roots. The latter plant dif- 
fers from the eastern V. advena chiefly in having a larger number 
of sepals and a larger fruit ; the pod is often the size and form of 
an egg, filled with well flavored and nutritious seeds which con- 
stitute one of the most valuable winter stores of the Klamath 
Indians. 
The Ericaceae are rich in finely flavored fruits; the many 
species of Gaylussacia, Vaccinium and Gaultheria furnish the 
Indians with a notable proportion of their vegetable food. Two 
species of Arctostaphylos are likewise utilized by the natives of 
California, A. Manzanita Parry, the Common Manzanita of the 
coast range, and A. tomentosa Dongl.,the Hairy Manzanita of the 
western part of the State. The small apple-like fruit is decidedly 
acid before maturity, tasting somewhat like an agreeably tart apple 
and used for making a cooling drink in summer. When ripe and 
dried, it is pounded and made into cake or bread. 
The Mezquite (Prosopis juliflora DC.) is one of the most wide- 
spread of trees, ranging from the Atlantic to the Pacific, along the 
entire Mexican border, and from the Indian Territory, through 
Texas and Mexico, to South America. It thrives best on bottom 
lands, where it acquires somewhat the size and aspect of an apple- 
tree, but will grow almost anywhere, its long slender tap-roots 
dipping down to great depths in quest of moisture. On arid and 
fire-swept plains the spreading superficial roots absorb most of the 
nutriment, becoming thick and tortuous, while hardly any growth 
is Sranast — ground. 
