palustris produces a lively effect, especially when 
its white spathe and spadix assist in modestly 
bedecking the water’s bosom. 
This plant, as well as being a native of North 
America, is abundant in some parts of the north 
of Lapland; and Linneus, in his Tour in Lapland 
and Norway, mentions it as being, in the latter 
country, called Missne ; and that the inhabitants 
there make of it Missen bread. He thus describes 
its preparation. “The roots are taken up in spring, 
before the leaves come forth, and, after being ex- 
tremely well washed, are dried, either in the sun 
or in the house. The fibrous parts are then taken 
away, and the remainder dried in an oven. After- 
wards it is bruised in a hollow vessel or tub ; the 
dried roots are chopped in this vessel, with a kind 
of spade, like cabbage for making sour kale, (sour 
crout) till they become as small as peas or oatmeal, 
when they acquire a pleasant sweetish smell ; after 
which they are ground. The meal is boiled slowly 
in water, being continually kept stirring, till it 
grows as thick as flummery. In this state it is 
left standing in the pot for three or four days and 
nights. It is mixed for use either with the meal 
made of fir bark, or with some other kind of flour, 
not being usually to be had in sufficient quantity 
by itself; for the plant is, in many places, very 
scarce, though here, in such abundance, that cart 
loads of it are collected at a time. This kind of 
flummery, being mixed with flour, as I have just 
mentioned, is baked into bread, which proves as 
tough as rye-bread, but is perfectly sweet and white. 
It is, really when new, extremely well-flavoured.” 
