USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



genus of herbaceous plants of the Composite family, 

 somewhat resembling Coreopsis, with opposite, finely 

 dissected, strong-scented leaves and yellow flowers 

 (sometimes without rays), furnishes a species or 

 two used as substitutes for tea by the Mexican 

 population. Thelesperma longipes, Gray, occur- 

 ring from western Texas to Arizona, is commonly 

 known as Cota, and is said to give a red color to the 

 water in which it is boiled. 



Much more appealing to the average taste is a 

 drink that Mexicans sometimes make from the oily 

 kernels of the jojoba nut of Southern California and 

 northern Mexico (Simmondsia Calif ornica, described 

 previously). Mr. Walter Nordhoff, of San Diego 

 and Los Angeles, informs me that the process fol- 

 lowed is first to roast them and then treat them in 

 the same way as the Spanish people prepare their 

 chocolate. This, I believe, is to grind the kernels 

 together with the yolk of hard boiled egg, and boil 

 the pasty mass in water with the addition of sugar 

 and milk. When they can afford it a pleasant flavor- 

 ing is given by steeping a vanilla bean for a moment 

 or two in the hot beverage. This makes a nourish- 

 ing drink as well as a savory substitute for one's 

 morning chocolate or coffee. A substitute for choco- 

 late among the American population of some sec- 



160 



