CHAPTER II 



WILD PLANTS WITH EDIBLE TUBERS, 

 BULBS OR ROOTS {Continued) 



IT is a character of the Lily family that the plants 

 are usually produced from subterranean bulbs or 

 corms, and many such growing Avild in the LTnited 

 States are of proved nutritiousness and palatability. 

 Among these, for instance, are species of Allium, 

 wild onion or leek, one of which particularly (^4. 

 tricoccum, Ait.) is recommended by those who have 

 tried it for the sweetness and flavor of its young 

 bulbs. It inhabits rich woodlands of the eastern 

 Atlantic States north of South Carolina, its umbel 

 of white flowers borne on naked stalks, appearing 

 in June or July after its rather broad, odorous leaves 

 have withered away. It is the Pacific Coast, how- 

 ever, that has a special fame for edible wild bulbs, 

 many of which are knoA\TL to the world at large only 

 for the beauty of their flowers. There the Indians 

 have, from before history began, been consuming 

 such bulbs either raw or cooked. To some extent, 



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