Re: Famine foods (was cycad)
- Subject: Re: Famine foods (was cycad)
- From: &* G* <p*@gmail.com>
- Date: Tue, 4 Sep 2007 17:11:18 -0700
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On 9/4/07, Tony and Moira <tomory@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
> I was most interested to make the acquaintance of Chlorogalum, which I had
> not previouusly heard of.. It seems to be exclusively a genus of the USA and
> is I gather now assigned to the Agavaceae.
>
> They did not as far as I could see in the extracts quoted by Google explain
> the common name Soap Lily, but I assume it is one of those plants like the
> European soapwort which will give a lather with water. Soapness could
> doubtless expalain why it would be only a "famine food".
> >
Chlorogalum had two uses, food, and the fibers surrounding the bulb
were used as brush bristles for paint brushes. I've seen them growing
in the wild and they're rather interesting looking plants, even out of
flower with wavy strap like leaves. They're easy to miss if you're not
looking for them as they hide among the grass, and they don't tend to
stand out in color. Some of the bulbs are quite large, growing 7 to 15
centimeters (3 - 6 inches). The Miwok used these as a winter food (so
they weren't just a famine food). C. pomeridianum, the most common
form in California grows also into Oregon, so yes, it appears to be a
North American genus.
The common name does in fact derive from their use as a soap for
washing the hair (I prefer making lather from Ceanothus flowers, which
is also fragrant and creates a rather cool blue lather, but it's more
a novelty than something I'd seriously use).
