152 ARIS/EMA TRIPHYLLUM.—THREE-LEAVED INDIAN TURNIP. 
part of the present century, that “it grows wild in wet places in 
Virginia, Carolina, Pennsylvania, etc., where the savages boil the 
spadix with the berries (see our Fig. 4) and devour it as a great 
dainty.” It is said of the roots that one-fourth of the whole 
bulk is starchy matter fit for food. 
Rafinesque, from whom we have already quoted, says that “it 
grows all over North America in woods; it is said to extend to 
South America as far as Brazil; but probably it is a different 
species that is found there ;” and it might be added that “ North 
America” is very different now to what it was in Rafinesque’s 
time, for our plant is not known much beyond the Missouri and 
Mississippi rivers. To the eastward of this line it is found in. 
every State of the Union. Though commencing to flower very 
early, it may often be gathered so late as June, when the leaves 
usually commence to decay. The berry-like seeds are at first 
green, but at maturity become red as in the plate. By this time 
the foliage has wholly disappeared, and the collector only knows 
where the roots are by the clusters of fruit standing on short 
stalks just above the ground. 
The flowers are moneecious, that is to say the sterile ones are 
by themselves in the portion of the spadix at a (Fig. 3), and the 
fertile ones below at 6. But the pistillate flowers are not all fer- 
tile, as we see in Fig. 4; onlya portion of the berries are wholly 
perfect. 
EXPLANATIONS OF THE PLATE.—1I. Root and lower portion of the branch. 2. Upper portion 
of the stem in flower. 3. Spadix with flowers male (a) and female (4) at the base. 4. 
Mature fruit. 
