USEFUL WILD PLANTS 



original "spreads" put before them in which spat- 

 lum, as the Oregon Indians called it, had a prominent 

 place. Boiling has the effect of dissipating the 

 bitterness ; and the white heart of the root, which is 

 starchy and mucilaginous, is certainly nutritious, 

 though ideas as to its palatability differ. The In- 

 dian practice is to dig the roots in the spring, at 

 which time the brownish bark slips off more easily 

 than after the plant has flowered; and as the bitter 

 principle is mainly resident in the bark, it is desir- 

 able to reject this before cooking. A noteworthy 

 character of the root is its tenacity of life. Speci- 

 mens that have been dipped in boiling water, dried 

 and laid away in an herbarium for over a year, 

 have been known to revive on being put in the 

 ground again, to grow and to produce flowers. An 

 Eastern cousin of the Bitterroot is the charming 

 woodland flower of early spring called Spring 

 Beauty {Claytonia Virginica, L.). It rises from a 

 small, deep-seated, round tuber of starchy composi- 

 tion and nutty flavor, which might serve at a pinch 

 to stave off starvation, and has indeed so served the 

 aborigines. 



16 



