EDIBLE STEMS AND LEAVES 



site leaves united at their bases forms a cup or 

 saucer around the stem, a diagnostic feature of the 

 plant. The Indians were very fond of the pleasant 

 succulence of the stem and leaves and their consump- 

 tion of the herb led the white pioneers to try it. 

 It makes, indeed, a palatable enough dish, either 

 raw with a sprinkling of salad dressing or boiled 

 and served like spinach. Stephen Powers tells of a 

 certain tribe of California Indians who were accus- 

 tomed to lay the leaves near the nests of red ants, 

 which running over the greens would flavor them 

 with a formic acidity that served in lieu of vinegar ! * 

 The value of this little wilding is attested by its intro- 

 duction into English kitchen gardens, where, under 

 the name of Winter Purslane, it is esteemed as a 

 pot-herb and a salad plant. 



Also of California is another of the Portulaca kin- 

 ship, the pretty wild flower known as Eed Maids or 

 Kisses {Calandrinia caulescens Mensiesii, G-ray), 

 whose crimson blossoms expanding in the sunshine 

 make sheets of vivid color over considerable areas 

 in the spring. The plant is an annual with, juicy 

 stem and leaves, and may be used like those others 

 of its family just mentioned as a garnish to a meal. 



If, as we have seen, the Nettle may be made to 



3 "Contributions to North American Ethnology," vol. Ill, 425. 



131 



