NEW ESCULENT PLANTS. 
91 
size of a walnut, but these are inferior to the 
thin spindle-formed two-year old tender tubers. 
The substance is farinaceous, snowy white, 
and in the young tubers not entirely insipid. 
The Indians gather the tubers when the plant 
is in the flowering state. It is found in the 
sandy woods in the basaltic plains of Upper 
Oregon, at an elevation of about 2000 feet. 
Mr. Geyer mentions another and more re- 
markable species of Ferula (the Pooli-Pooh 
root of the Spokans) which he had not seen 
growing, and only knew from a few dried 
leaves which were twice the size of the former ; 
the tubers of this are about the size of a small 
potato, and contain a white farinaceous sub- 
stance ; they have a rather strong but plea- 
sant aromatic odour and taste resembling 
citron, which they keep for more than a year. 
They are rare. The Indians gather them in 
small quantities, and string them. This, he 
says, would be a great acquisition for our 
kitchen gardens. 
The Sptstlum, Bitter root plant, or JRacine 
amare (Leivhia rediviva, Pursh). The 
Indians value this root highly, and it is with 
them, prepared with the marrow of the bison, 
regarded as a most dainty dish. Travellers 
also use it as a very wholesome food, and it is 
prized notwithstanding its strong bitter taste, 
which resembles the bitter of Chinabark. The 
plant is related to Mesembryanthemum, and 
has a fusiform flexible root, capitate stem, the 
leaves soon dying away, the flowers handsome, 
of a beautiful rose-purple colour. The root 
is dug during flower time, when the cuticle is 
easily removed, by which it acquires a white 
colour ; it is brittle, and by transportation 
broken to small pieces. When the bark is 
thus stripped off the roots, they appear to con- 
sist of little else than starch. Before boiling 
it is steeped in water, which makes it swell, 
and after boiling it becomes five to six times 
larger in size, and resembles a jelly-like sub- 
stance. Being a small root, it requires much 
labour to gather a sack, which generally com- 
mands the price of a horse. Six weeks at 
most is the period during which the Lewisia 
vegetates above ground for the whole year. 
At first the fascicles ofleaves show themselves 
soon after the scapes ; as soon as the first 
flower begins to open, the leaves die away ; 
the flower is only open during sunshine. The 
plant occurs sparingly on the plains of the 
Upper Platte j quite abundant on the Upper 
Clarke river, which is on that account deno- 
minated lliviere aux Racines Amares by the 
Canadians ; but far more abundant on the 
arid basaltic plains of Upper Oregon, at an 
elevation of about 2000 feet. The flowers are 
pale in colour on rocky ground, but it is a very 
elegant plant in the sandy woods. 
The plant was named Lewisia, by Pursh, 
from having been first collected by Capt. M. 
Lewis ; the name rediviva was appropriately 
given in consequence of Lewis's preserved 
specimen having revived and grown at the 
Kew garden, after having been about three years 
out of ground between paper. In our cata- 
logues it is recorded as having been introduced 
in 1826. 
Helosciadium californicum. — Mr. Geyer 
mentions an umbelliferous plant, which is 
found throughout Upper Oregon, on grassy 
moist slopes, and in shady meadows, the 
tubers of which are truly delicious, and one 
of the dainty dishes of the Saptona Indians. 
He supposes this plant to be the Helosci- 
adium californicum (Douglas). It is an in- 
conspicuous umbelliferous perennial, with a 
black tuberous root. By boiling the tubers 
like potatoes they burst open lengthways, 
showing a snowy white farinaceous substance, 
which has a sweet cream-like taste, and some- 
what of the aroma of young parsley leaves. 
This plant Mr. Geyer thinks would be an ex- 
cellent addition to kitchen gardens. It holds 
in Oregon exactly the place which the wild 
carrot does with us ; and there is no doubt 
the roots would similarly increase in size by 
cultivation. 
A comparison should hardly be drawn be- 
tween these plants in their aboriginal condi- 
tion, and the cultivated varieties of our 
esculent vegetables : but if they are compared 
it should be with the latter also in their wild 
condition. Such a comparison is full of en- 
couragement, for perhaps hardly any of our 
cultivated vegetables have sprung from sub- 
jects originally so promising as these. The 
proper course would be to cultivate highly, to 
raise successive crops from seed, preserving 
in each generation for the purpose of seeding 
those only which manifest some improvement. 
In this way there is little doubt,, that varieties 
as far removed in excellence as the cultivated 
cabbages or carrots from their original stock 
would be obtained. 
NOTES ON FLOWERS AND FLOWERING 
FLANTS. 
Lachenalia orchioides, Alton (Orchis- 
like Lachenalia). — Liliaceas § Scillea?. — A 
bulbous plant, producing one or two oblong 
strap-shaped leaves, and a round flow r er stem 
spotted with dull purple, and bearing a spike 
of flowers just above the leaves ; the flowers 
are crowded together, the three outer seg- 
ments greenish, the three inner ones purplish, 
edged with yellow, A native of the Cape of 
Good Hope. Introduced in 1752. Flowers in 
March and April. Culture. — Requires a cool 
green-house ; loam and peat ; well ripened 
after growing ; propagated by off-sets. 
