OF NOVA SCOTIA. PREST 405 



potatoes. Tubers grey, 1 in. to 2 in. long. Roots, 2 ft. to 16 ft. 

 long, containing from five to tifty tubers. Each plant has 

 several roots. Tubers tough and albuminous, somewhat strong 

 tasting, but not more so than some cultivated potatoes. Nour- 

 ishing, but needs much cooking. Parboil with salt, then roast. 

 In dry intervale and rocky lake and river banks ; but never 

 far above water level, and never in the shade. Available any 

 time. 



Plentiful in western Nova Scotia. Have never seen it east 

 of Halifax, thougli it may exist there. 



J4,2. Aralia trifolia Decaisne. Dwarf Ginseng, Ground-nut. 



Annual, 3 in. to 4 in. hign, 8 leaf stalks at two-thirds height. 

 Leaflets 3 or 5, oblong, narrow, taper-pointed, notched on mar- 

 gin. Flowers in close set bunch at top of stem, white ; blooms 

 in latter part of May. Tubers set deep in ground at end of 

 long tender white stalk, round, white, with 2 or 3 minute root- 

 lets, starchy, pungent sweetish taste. Passable as a food only 

 in extreme cases. Cut open and boil well. 



4S. Dentaria dipltylla Michx. Two-leaved Toothwort, Pepper- 

 root. 



From 4 to 12 in. high, divided into 2 or 3 leaf stalks of 8 

 leaflets each. Leaves, roughly oval, coarsely toothed on mar- 

 gin, pointed, dark green. Flowers white. Roots, 3 in. to 7 in. 

 long, irregular in size, tV in. to \ in. thick, white, tender, crisp ; 

 hot, like pepper, but pleasant when eaten raw. 



In rich moist soil in limestone lands and intervales. Gener- 

 ally distributed, but not very abundant. 



JiJf.. Typha latifolia L. Common Cat-tail, locally " Bulrush." 



Stem 2 ft. to 6 ft. high, a tall column of overlying leaves 

 with small central core, 1 aves long and grass-like. Top of 

 fiower stalk ending in a beautiful brown seed spike, 6 in. long, 

 and resembling, when ripe, a cat's- tail. Above this projects the 



