No. 144.] 453 



fruit of those referred to by Nicollet, as the Prairie potato. AH 

 the high prairies, he said, abound with the silver leaved psoralia^ 

 which is the prairie turnip of the Americans, Xla.Q pomme des pr(^ 

 ries (prairie apple) of the Canadians, and furnishes an invaluable 

 food to the Indians ; tliere are several species of this genus. 



Two new vegetables have been lately introduced into the Jardia 

 des Plantes, at Paris, from the Ecuador, by Mr. Bouvira, formerly 

 Consul General of France, there. One is the red and yellow ocra?, 

 which is of the form of a long potato and has the taste of a chestnat. 

 The other is the Milloco, which has the form and taste of our be^ 

 potatoes. These two roots, which are found in great abundanee 

 in the neighborhood of Quito, grow readily in the poorest lansi. 

 The oca is cultivated in Mexico, but only succeeds in warm dis- 

 tricts. 



A root used largely by the Indians, near the mouth of the Oo- 

 lumbia, was called (40 years ago) wapato; a word reminding fis 

 of our word potato. 



H. MEIGS. 



[Paris. Revue Horticole, Dec, 1854.] 



EUPATORIUM LEVIGATUM. 



This shrub belong to the tribe of the radiated composites. Jt 

 grows to the height of from thirteen to twenty feet. Branejbfis 

 numerous, long, slender, brittle. The leaves are set opposite ^d 

 each other — are lance shaped, toothed [lanceolees, dentees), swell- 

 ing surface, and of a dark, dull green color. It is originally fK)ja 

 Brazil. A color analogous to the blue of indigo is made from Jfce 

 leaves. It is growing now in the central nursery of Algeria. 



By maceration and use of lime a superb blue is obtained fwm 

 its leaves. The proportion of color obtained dry is one m Jl»e 

 hundred weight, which is equal, if not superior, to the indigo 

 plants (les vrais Indigotiers). It has the advantage over them of 

 longevity. It is true that we have not as yet examined the 

 Wrightia tinctoria of the coast of Coromandel, and therefore can- 

 not say. This Eupatoriura lives from twelve to fifteen years, aniii 

 yields several crops of leaves a year. When trimmed like the 

 mulberry it gives out vigorous shoots. 



