BOTANICAL INFORMATION. 305 



I.— Subdivision ; level, loamy , stony and grassy plains, en- 

 compassed by sandy and scanty pine woods and basalt 

 masses. As soon as the ground-water has disappeared in 

 the early spring, these plains are at once clothed with 

 the beautiful wine-red flowers of the handsome Sisyrinchium, 

 311 j and almost at the same time appear the different 

 tuberous Ferules in the adjoining sandy woods; the yellow 

 former species, as well as the famous "Biscuit Root,"* 

 mentioned before. The Pulmonaria, Hydrophyllum, tu- 

 berous Claytonice, Frittillari<B and Espeletia helianthoides 

 are here all together, to live and die away in less than 

 four weeks. The grasses are, as before mentioned, Triticum 

 and Festuca, thriving well in the clayey soil, with a half- 

 paved surface. This is the favourite soil of the robust 

 Espeletia, 395 ; which often invests such plains, and espe- 

 cially their depressions. The whole plant has a strong tur- 

 pentine odour, and the Indians cannot eat the thick sub- 



* By the first rays of the warm sun in March or April, this humble 

 useful plant emerges from the sand. In about two or three weeks, the plant 

 is in bloom. This is the time when the Indians, especially the Saptonas 

 and Spokans, turn out to gather its delicate tubers ; which are commonly 

 of the size of a small walnut, somewhat bread-shaped, but then they are 

 at least three to four years old, far inferior to the thin spindle-form two 

 year old tender tubers. The substance is farinaceous, snowy-white, and 

 in the young tubers not entirely insipid. Like many of the tuberous 

 plants in Oregon, this also has a very short time for vegetating above 

 ground, for in three weeks after flowering, the wind sweeps already the 

 dry stalks over the plains. These tuberous Ferula are to the Indians 

 here the same as the Cymopteri on the Platte are to the Pawnees in 

 Missouri territory. Another and more remarkable species of Ferula, is 

 the " Pooh- Pooh root" of the Spokans, which I never met growing 

 myself ; and only know from what I could see from a few dried leaves, 

 I found that it must be more than twice the size of the former, and 

 according to all descriptions a rare plant. The tubers are of the size of 

 a small potatoe, but somewhat bread-shaped, and contain, as the former, 

 a white farinaceous substance, which has a rather strong, but pleasant 

 aromatic odour and taste, resembling citron, which they keep for more 

 than a year. The Indians gather them in but small quantities and file 

 them on strings. It would be well for future botanists to get tubers and 

 seeds for planting, as it would be a great acquisition for our kitchen- 

 gardens. 



