185 



The shallon, which I have described as a very important small 

 fruit of the northwestern tribes, is represented southward by a 

 most distinctly related one, of very inferior quality, yet consider- 

 ably used for the simple reason that little else is offered over 

 most of the districts where it grows. It is the manzanita (mean- 

 ing little apple), produced by several species of Arctostophylos, 

 especially by A. picngens. They are very interesting and beauti- 

 ful shrubs, with pale-green or glaucous evergreen leaves and 

 terminal clusters of reddish-yellow fruits. The latter are apple- 

 shaped, but scarcely exceed a half inch in breadth, and are usually 

 They are rather dry 



and s 



:, but 



>oking r 



suffi- 



ciently palatable to the Indian. They are also pounded up with 

 other substances to form cakes for preserving. 



The apple family itself supplies a similarly used fruit, the Cali- 

 fornia holly {Heteromeles arbutifolid), in southern California and 

 adjacent Mexico. It is closely related to our mountain ash 

 (Sorbus), and is a very handsome plant. The shrubs grow thickly 

 and exhibit dense masses of dark and glossy foliage, against 

 which lie the large clusters of rich crimson fruit. The latter is 

 not very astringent, but bitterish, and it would be difficult for 



those impoverished people. The closely related choke-berry or 

 choke-pear {Aroma arbutifolid) performs a very similar role for 



the 



This 



Tiall : 



shrub i: 



erywh, 



;re common along the Atlantic and very abundant in 

 ndy salt-marshes, and all berry-pickers are familiar 

 The fruits are of a rich glossy purple-black and much 

 our large black huckleberry. They look very tempting, 



3 be flat 



ndpuc 



of the 



The very puckery proper 

 sweet and edible properties when thoroughly ripe, are too well- 

 known to require more than mention, but reference may be made 

 to the extensive use of another very astringent fruit, the sumac- 

 berry, produced by various species of Rhus. Its use for the 

 preparation of an acid, refrigerant drink, when nothing else is 

 obtainable for the purpose, has been handed down to the present 



