164 LITTLE-KNOWN PLANTS 



converted into rubber. So much rubber is used for 

 the tires of automobiles and other vehicles, that there 

 is great interest in plants that yield rubber. 



Chicle Gum. Chewing gum is made from the sap 

 of the chicle tree that grows in southern Mexico and 

 Central America. The gummy sap is purified, and 



EDIBLE MUSHROOMS 



boiled with sugar and flavors that make it taste 

 good. 



Flavors. There are many plants raised for flavors. 

 Lemon oil is extracted from lemons, and vanilla is 

 made from the vanilla bean which is grown in Mexico 

 and other tropical countries. Some years ago, it was 

 found that peppermint will grow well in the black soils 

 of Michigan, and some farmers became rich growing 

 this plant for the peppermint oil it contains. 



