44 STURTEV ant's NOTES ON EDIBLE PLANTS 



weed everywhere in India and is much used by the natives as a pot-herb.* Drury says it 

 is considered very wholesome.' This species is the goose-foot of Jamaica, where it is 

 sometimes gathered and used as a green.' 



A. polystach3rus Willd. 



East Indies. The species is cultivated in India as a pot-herb for its mucilaginous 

 leaves but is tasteless.* 



A. retroflexus Linn, green amaranth, pigweed. 



North America. This weed occiurs around dwellings in manured soil in the United 

 States whence it was introduced from tropical America.' It is an interesting fact that 

 it is cultivated by the Arizona Indians for its seeds.' 



A. spinosus Linn, prickly calalue. thorny amaranth. 



Tropical regions. This is a weed in cultivated land in Asia, Africa and America. 

 It is activated sometimes as a spinach.'' In Jamaica, it is frequently used as a vegetable 

 and is wholesome and agreeable.* It seems to be the prickly calalue of Long.' 



A. viridis Linn. 



Tropics. This plant is stated by Titford '" to b3 an excellent pot-herb in Jamaica 

 and is said to resemble spinach when boiled 



Ambelania acida Aubl. Apocynaceae. 

 Guiana. The fndt is edible." 



Amelanchier alnifolia Nutt. Rosaceae. western service berry. 



North America. In Oregon and Washington, the berries are largely employed as 

 a food by the Indians. i^' " The fruit is much larger than that of the eastern service 

 berry; growing in favorable localities, each berry is full half an inch in diameter and very 

 good to eat. 



A. canadensis Medic, grape-pear, juneberry. service berry, shad, sweet pear. 



North America and eastern Asia. This bush or small tree, according to the variety, 



is a native of the northern portion of America and eastern Asia. Gray " describes five 



Wight, R. Icon. Pis. 2:719. 1843. (A. polygonoides) 



2 Drury, H. Useful Plants Ind. 31. 1858. {A. polygonoides) 



'Lunan, J. Hort. Jam. 1:3,81. 1814. 



* Royle, J. F. Illustr. Bot. Himal. 1:321. 1839. 

 ' Gray, A. Man. Bot. 412. 1868. 



Brewer and Watson Bot. Cat. 2:41. 1880. 



' De CandoUe, A. P. Geog. Bot. 2:778. 1855. 



Lunan, J. Hort. Jam. 1:143. 1814. 



' Long Hist. Jam. 3:771. 1774. 



' Titford, W. J. Hort. Bot. Amer. VII of Addenda. 1812. {A. sanguineus) 



" Unger, F. U. S. Pal. Off. Rpt. 351 1859. 



" Vasey U. S. D. A. Rpt. 162. 1875. 



" Case Bot. Index 38. 1881. 



" Grav. A. Man. Bot. 162. 1868. 



