458 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1911. 



wild grape (Vitis arizonica), choke cherries (Padus melanocarpa and 

 P. capuli), the wild rose (the fruit or hips of Rosa fendleri and other 

 species), service berries (Amelanchier sp.) ; mulberries (Morus micro- 

 pliylla), hackberries (Celtis reticulata), lemita (Schmaltzia trilobata), 

 and toinatilla (Lycium torreyi, L. pallidum, and other species). Of 

 the first two shrubs a Mexican once told the writer that the fruit con- 

 sists of u niucho hueso y poco carne" (a large seed and little flesh), 

 and this is true of most of those just enumerated. Wild grapes grow 

 in many of the mountains, but their fruit is small and sour. Mul- 

 berries are found only in the southern part of the State. The trees, 

 which stand in the drier canyons and on open stony slopes, are small 

 and stunted, and the fruit is undersized and not very juicy. Service 

 berries form thickets in most of the mountains, but the berries are 

 small and insipid. The fruit of some of the species found in the 

 northwestern part of the State is nearly if not quite dry, and so is not 

 edible. The tomatilla, a characteristic shrub of the mesas and river 

 valleys, bears an abundance of bright red juicy fruit which is eaten 

 by the native population, although it does not seem very appetizing. 



Besides these fruits — in the popular sense of the word — the seeds 

 of many plants formed part of the food of the Indians. Those of the 

 sunflower, a weed which thrives almost everywhere in the West, were 

 gathered and ground into meal. This is so rich in oil that it was sel- 

 dom used alone but was mixed with other substances. The seeds of 

 some of the amaranths (Amaranthus spp.) and goosefoots or lamb's 

 quarters (Chenopodiumspp.) were collected by the Zunis and Navahos, 

 as well as those of purslane (Portulaca oleracea and P. retusa) and of 

 certain grasses. The Apaches depended upon a sort of bread made 

 from the ground legumes and seeds of the mesquite and the tornillo 

 or screw bean (Stromhocarpa pubescens). The pods of these shrubs 

 are rich in sugar and sweet to the taste. Children are often seen 

 chewing them and they are relished by stock of all kinds. The 

 Zunis gathered cedar berries and after grinding them formed the meal 

 into cakes. Young fruits of the wild gourd (Cucurbita foetidissima) 

 were cooked in various ways. 



Besides the seeds of the lamb's quarters the plants themselves, the 

 leaves and young shoots, were cooked as " greens," just as they fre- 

 quently are in other parts of North America. Additional succulent 

 plants such as the purslane, the Rocky Mountain bee weed (Peritoma 

 serrulatum) , a small composite (Pedis angustifolia) , and many others 

 were treated in the same way. All plants used thus are known by 

 the Spanish name of quelite. It seems almost incredible to anyone 

 familiar with the bee weed that it could ever be eaten. It is one of 

 the most common plants of the northern part of the State, covering 

 large extents of mesa land. Its stems and leaves when crushed give 

 off a most offensive odor, but tins is said to disappear upon cooking. 

 Only the young shoots are used as food. 



