450 sturtevant's notes on edible plants 



Pometia pinnata Porst. Sapindaceae. 



Islands of the Pacific. This species is planted around dwellings for its sweet and 

 edible fruit. ' 



Populus alba Linn. Salicineae. white poplar. 



Northern regions. The inner bark of this species, of P. nigra Linn, and P. tremula 

 Linn, is occasionally used in northern Eiu-ope and Asia as a substitute for flour in making 

 bread.' The soft, new wool of the poplar, says Dall,' is cut fine and mixed with his tobacco 

 by the economical Indian of Alaska. 



Porcela nitidifolia Ruiz et Pav. Anonaceae. 



Peru. The berries as well as the flowers are eaten by the inhabitants of Peru.* 



Porphjrra laciniata Agardh. Algae, layer, slokam. sloke. 



Northern regions; In England, this membranous seaweed is stewed to a pulp and 

 brought to table served with lemon jtdce. It is a favorite article of food with many persons.' 



P. vulgaris Agardh. layer. 



Northern regions. This seaweed is cultivated in the neighborhood of Tokio, Japan. 

 Branches of oak are placed in the shallow waters of the bay in spring time; on these the 

 laver appears and is collected from October to the following March and is sold as food 

 in the markets. 



Portixlaca lutea Soland. Portulaceae. yellow purslane. 



Society Islands. This plant is used as a vegetable in the Society Islands and in New 

 Zealand. 



P. oleracea Linn, purslane. 



A native of tropical and subtropical regions but now spread over nearly the whole 

 world. The fact that this plant is recorded as having reached England only in 1582 

 would seem to indicate its origin as recent in Europe.' Unger ' says it is the andrachen of 

 Theophrastus and Dioscorides and is a widely-distributed plant of the Mediterranean 

 region, occurring everywhere and readily entering the loose soil of the gardens. In the 

 thirteenth century, Albertus Magnus ' does not mention its culture in gardens and appar- 

 ently refers to the wild form, " the stems extending over the soil." In 1536, Ruellius ' 

 describes the erect, green-leaved, cultivated form, as well as the wild, procumbent form, 

 and in this he is followed by many of the succeeding botanists. Three varieties are 



'Gray, A. V. S. Explor. Exped. 259. 1854. (Nephelium pinnatum) 



Johnson, C. P. Useful Pis. Gt. Brit. 252. 1862. 



DaU, W. H. Alaska&i. 1897. 



*Don, G. Hist. Dichl. Ph. 1:92. 1831. 



'Harvey, W.H. Phycol. Brit. 4: PI. XCU. 1846-51. Fig. 



' Mcintosh, C. Book Card. 2:171. 1855. 



' Unger, F. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt. 355. 1859. 



' Albertus MagnuE Veg. Jessen Ed. 548. 1867. 



Ruellius Nat. Stir p. 482. 1536. 



