ORCHIDS. 77 
orchids; but the noble collections near Boston, in Albany, and 
—we doubt not—near New York city and Philadelphia also, 
already present treasures worthy of study, and give a promise of 
nobler things to come. 
It has been elsewhere observed in these pages, that very few 
of the great orchid family are as yet found useful in the various 
economies of life. But there is one notable exception, in the 
article of commerce known as Salep, a nutritious food prepared 
from several of the orchid plants. The subjoined somewhat 
variant accounts of the matter will interest the general reader. 
Appleton’s Encyclopedia says :— 
“Salep (Persian Sahaleb) is a substance consisting of the 
dried bulbs of various species of the orchidacezx. Any of the 
tuberous-rooted orchids afford it, and it is ascribed to more 
than a dozen species, natives of different countries, from Eng- 
land to India. It is known in commerce by the country 
rather than by the plant producing it; but is chiefly sup- 
plied through Smyrna. Some species have roundish, others 
lobed tubers, which when taken up, are stripped of their epi- 
dermis and plunged into boiling water, or dried in an oven, 
after which they are strung together in bunches. In drying 
they form small, oval, irregular masses,—hard, horny, semi- 
transparent, of a yellowish color, feeble odor, and mild, 
mucilaginous taste. It is used in a powdered state, in which 
it is also sometimes kept. 
“Salep has long been in use in Oriental countries, where 
it has been for ages regarded as able to restore virility — 
but at best, it is only an article of diet of no special value. 
It contains a small proportion of starch, and forty-eight per 
