EDIBLE TUBERS, BULBS OR ROOTS 



Lindl., the plant of the preceding paragraphs. A 

 closely allied species is Camassia Leiclitlinii (Baker) 

 Gov., connnon in northern California and Oregon. 

 White settlers, in the days before their orchards and 

 gardens were established, found in Camas a wel- 

 come addition to their meager and monotonous bill 

 of fare, and Camas pie was a not uncommon dish in 

 many an old time Oregon or California household. 



Related to the Lily tribe is the Sedge family, of 

 which two or three species are utilizable for human 

 food. One of these is a bulrush of wide occurrence 

 in the United States {Scirpns lacustris, L.), the Far 

 Western form of which is commonly kno^^^l as Tule. 

 Its tuberous roots are starchy and may be ground, 

 after drying, into a white, nutritious flour. They 

 may also be chewed to advantage by travelers in 

 arid regions as a preventive of thirst. Of more 

 worth, however, are two species of Cyperus — C. 

 rotundiis, L., and C\ esculentiis, L. The former, 

 commonly known as Nut-grass, is a denizen of fields 

 in the Southern Atlantic States; the latter, popu- 

 larly called Cliufa, is abundant in moist fields on 

 both our seaboards. Both, also, are widely dis- 

 tributed in the Old World. Like all of their genus, 

 they are distinguished by triangular stems, naked ex- 

 cept for a few grass-like leaves at the base, and bear- 



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