EDIBLE TUBERS, BULBS OR ROOTS 



terranean fungus {Pachyma Cocos, Fries), often 

 found attached to old tree roots in the Southern 

 States. It resembles roughly a cocoanut, though 

 sometimes of more irregular shape. Inside the 

 brown rind is a firm, white meat, which would be 

 quite insipid, except for a trace of sweetness that 

 is present. Its most common name is Indian Bread, 

 because of the Indian use of it as a food. It is de- 

 void of starch and seems of questionable nutritive 

 value. Another subterranean parasite, though not a 

 fungus, that is of genuine worth as an edible, is the 

 curious Sand Food {Ammohroma Sonorae, Torr.), 

 abundant in sandhills of southern Arizona and across 

 the Mexican line in the dunes bordering on the Gulf 

 of California, where it is called camote de los 

 medanos. It consists underground of a slender, 

 fleshy, leafless but scaly stem, two to three feet long, 

 while above the sand during the flowering season 

 in the spring is a small, funnel-like top on which 

 the tiny, purple blossoms appear. After flowering, 

 the overground part withers and disappears, and the 

 plant presents no sign of its existence except to the 

 experts who know where to dig. The subterranean 

 stem is tender, juicy and sweet — a refreshing and 

 luscious morsel, meat and drink in one. It may be 

 eaten either raw or roasted, and is relished by red- 



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