NOTES ON HELIANTHUS TUBEROSUS. 203 
the bignes of a man’s head,” ete. These must be the “'Tubera 
terre maxima,” of Clayton, “ vulgo Tuckahoo,”’ which Gro- 
novius (Fl. Virgin. 205) refers to Lycoperdon solidum, L., 
and for which Rafinesque (Med. FI. ii. 270) proposed a new 
genus Tucahus. Kalm describes them (Travels, i. 225) as 
“ Truffles.” Fries (El. Fung. ii. 39) assigns them to his 
Pachyma cocos. 
Writing in haste and with frequent interruptions, it has 
been possible to do little more than copy, without condensing 
or arranging, such notes as I had before me. ‘They have ex- 
tended to such a length that I must not add even an apology 
for the superfluous matter. Yours truly, 
J. H. TRumBw.t. 
It would be interesting to know whence came the French 
name of these Helianthus tubers, ‘“ Topinambour,” it being 
the only thing in the case which, as Mr. Trumbull remarks, 
“looks to a Brazilian origin, as it seems to be derived (and 
so Littré gives it) from the Topinamboux Indians of Brazil.” 
The English name, “ Jerusalem Artichoke,” comes, as is well 
known, from the Italian ‘“ Girasola,” 7. e. Sunflower. 
As to the annual Sunflower, or Helianthus annuus, said by 
Linnzus to come from Peru and Mexico, I have for some 
years been convinced that its original is the /7. lenticularis 
of Douglas, which again is probably only a larger form of /. 
petiolaris of Nuttall, natives of the western part of the Mis- 
sissippi Valley and of the plains to and beyond the Rocky 
Mountains. It is an interesting confirmation of this opinion 
that Sagard (as mentioned in the above communication) and 
Champlain found this Sunflower in cultivation by the Huron 
Indians, for the sake of the oil of its seeds, which they used 
for hair-oil, 
