USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



8. Jamesii, Torr. The tubers are about the size of 

 grapes, are quite edible when cooked and long ago 

 attracted the attention of the Navajo and other 

 Indians, who use them. And curiously in contrast 

 to this the sweet potato of cultivation has a wild 

 cousin in the United States (Ipomoea pandurata, 

 Meyer) with a huge, tuberous root weighing some- 

 times 20 pounds, popularly called ' ' man-of -the- 

 earth." It is found in dry ground throughout the 

 eastern United States, a trailing or slightly climbing 

 vine with flowers like a morning glory. So obvious 

 a root could hardly have escaped the Indian quest 

 for vegetables, and as a matter of fact it was eaten 

 to some extent after long roasting. 



There is a plant family the Umbelliferae that 

 has given to our gardens carrots, parsnips, celery 

 and parsley. It includes also a number of wild 

 members with food value, occurring principally in 

 the Eocky Mountain region westward to the Pacific. 

 Among these the genus Peucedanum, represented in 

 western North America by over 50 species, is note- 

 worthy because of the edible tuberous roots of 

 several species. Of these the following may be 

 noted, adopting Dr. Havard's enumeration in his 

 paper above quoted: P. Canbyi, C. and E. (the 

 chuklusa of the Spokane Indians) ; P. eurycarpum, 



10 



