the C. angustifolium by the Karuk people . The juices of the bulb contain saponins that form a lather when mixed with water, making the bulbs useful as a kind of soap. This is the origin of several of the plants' common names. It was particularly used for washing hair, since C. pomeridianum at least was held to be effective against dandruff. Cuisine The young leaves of certain species can be used as food, but the saponins in the bulbs make these poisonous. However saponins are very poorly absorbed by the body and usually pass straight through, and in any case they can be destroyed by thorough cooking. The Miwok and Chumash people roasted and ate the bulbs as a winter food. In February 1847 Patrick Breen of the ill-fated Donner Party recorded that a Native American gave the starving settler some "roots resembling Onions in shape [that] taste some like a sweet potatoe, all full of little tough fibres." Breen's son later called the roots "California soap-root"—almost certainly C. pomeridianum. Saponins are much more toxic to some other animals than they are to humans. Fish are particularly susceptible, and the bulb juices were used to kill or stun them so they could be caught easily. Medicinal The bulbs also had various medicinal uses, both external (e.g., for making a poultice to be used as an antiseptic, or as a rub in cases of rheumatism) and internal (decoctions were used for a range of purposes, including as a diuretic, as a laxative and against stomachache). Fishing Many of California's Native American tribes traditionally used soaproot, or the root of various yucca species, as a fish poison. They would pulverize the roots, then mix the powder in water to create a foam, and then add the suds to a stream. This would kill, or incapacitate, the fish, which could be gathered easily from the surface of the water. Among the tribes using this technique were the Lassik, the Luiseño, and the Mattole. See also Hooveria, which now encompasses the diurnal plants formerly placed in this genus. Hastingsia and Camassia, which are placed in a large clade with Chlorogalum that is sister to Hooveria. References External links CalFlora Database: genus Chlorogalum Genus Chlorogalum treatment from the Jepson Manual Palomar College website: Soap Lilies in California Agavoideae Asparagaceae genera Flora of California Flora of Oregon Native American history of California Saponaceous plants