>From the asker of the obscure comes another good one. A young lady
>that works with my wife is from West Virginia and talks about going
>out in the spring (I think) and gathering something she calls
>"ramps". From the way she describes them they sound like some sort
>of mushroom. Can someone fill me in as to scientific name for these?
>Is "ramps" a regional name for something we all know.
>
I believe this is rampion, a "European bellflower (_Campanula rapunculus_)
with a tuberous root used with the leaves in salad" (according to Mr.
Webster). I also believe this was the "salad" that Rapunzel's mom craved
from the witch's garden next door, which caused so much aggravation later
in life for her daughter. I guess it all worked out OK, although the
thought of having a hefty prince hanging from your hair isn't very
appealing.
If this is the common name for another species somewhere else, I'm curious
too---I saw another reference to ramps recently.
Molly Anderson