Limacia-Lodoicea (Sturtevant, 1919)

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Sturtevant, Notes on edible plants, 1919 Limacia-Lodoicea (Sturtevant, 1919)

Lonicera-Lucuma →

Limacia scandens Lour.

Menispermaceae.

Forests of Cochin China. The drupes are small, smooth, acid and esculent.

Limnanthemum crenatum F. Muell.

Gentianeae.

Australia. The small, round tubers are roasted for food.

Limnanthemum nymphoides Hoffmgg. & Link.

Europe and northern Asia. This water plant, with its yellow flowers and round leaves, was formerly eaten in China in spite of its bitterness.

Linaria cymbalaria Mill.

Scrophularineae. KENILWORTH IVY. PENNYWORT.

Europe. This plant is eaten in southern Europe, says Johnson, as a salad and is a good antiscorbutic. Its taste is not unlike that of cress.

Lindera benzoin Meissn.

Lauraceae. BENJAMIN BUSH. SPICE BUSH.

North America. Barton says the berries partake of the same spicy flavor as the bark and that, during the War of the Revolution, the people of the United States used them dried and powdered as a substitute for allspice. Porcher says the leaves were much used by the Confederate soldiers for making a pleasant, aromatic tea. L. S. Mote says the young twigs and leaves were often used by the early pioneers of Ohio as a substitute for tea and spice.

Linum usitatissimum Linn.

Linaceae. FLAX.

Europe and the Orient. Flax has been in cultivation since the earliest times. It was known to the early Egyptians, as it is mentioned frequently in the Bible as a material for weaving cloth. The cloth used in wrapping mummies has been proved to be made of the fibers of this plant. Flax was also cultivated by the early Romans. Among the Greeks, Alcman, in the seventh century before Christ, the historian Thucydides, and among the Romans, Pliny, mention the seed as employed for human food, and the roasted seed is still eaten by the Abyssinians. In the environs of Bombay, the unripe capsules are used as a food by the natives. In Russia, Belgium, Holland, Prussia and the north of Ireland, flax is extensively grown for its fiber which constitutes the linen of commerce. The seeds, known as linseed, are largely used for expressing an oil, and the press-residue is used for feeding cattle. This plant is largely grown for seed in the United States. We find mention of the culture of flax in Russia about 969 A. D. Flax is said to have been introduced into Ireland by the Romans, or even more remotely, by the Phoenicians, but the earliest definite mention of linen in Ireland seems to be about 500 A. D. In England, the statement is made that it was introduced in 1175 A. D., and Anderson, in his History of Commerce, traces some fine linen made in England in 1253. In New England, the growing of flax commenced with its first settlement, and as early as 1640 it received legislative attention.

Lippia pseudo-thea Schau.

Verbenaceae.

Brazil. In Brazil, an infusion of the leaves is highly esteemed as a tea substitute, under the name of capitao do matto.1 Lindley2 says the leaves form an agreeable tea.

Liriodendron tulipifera Linn.

Magnoliaceae. POPLAR. TULIP TREE. WHITEWOOD.

Eastern North America. The root is used to prepare an agreeable liquor. The Canadians use the root to correct the bitterness of spruce beer and to give it a lemon flavor.

Lissanthe montana R. Br.

Epacrideae.

Australia. The large, white, transparent, fleshy fruits are eaten.

Lissanthe sapida R. Br.

AUSTRALIAN CRANBERRY.

Australia. The berries are red and acid and are made into tarts in New South Wales. A. Smith says the flesh is thin and more like that of the Siberian crab than of the cranberry.

Lissanthe strigosa R. Br.

Australia. The fruit is eaten.

Litobrochia sinuata Brack.

Filices. ROYAL FERN.

Seemann says the leaves of this fern are used as a potherb by the natives of Viti.

Livistona australis Mart.

Palmae. CABBAGE PALM. GIPPSLAND PALM.

Australia. The young and tender leaves of this palm are eaten like cabbages.

Lobelia sp.?

Campanulaceae. LOBELIA.

The roots of one species are said by Thunberg to be eaten by the Hottentots. It is called karup.

Lodoicea callipyge Comm.

Palmae. COCO DE MER. DOUBLE COCOANUT.

Seychelles Islands. The heart of the leaves is eaten and is often preserved in vinegar. The fruit is the largest any tree produces, sometimes weighing 40 or 50 pounds, with a length of 18 inches and a circumference of 3 feet. The immature fruit affords a sweet and melting aliment. Brandis says the fruit takes several years to come to maturity.