ABSTRACT
The growing heart (apical meristem) is edible (Morton 1968b). It is a bit tricky to extract the heart without being cut by the leaves, but it provides a moist bite when successful. There is a slight resemblance to palm heart, but sawgrass hearts are not usually as sweet. Sturtevant (1955) found the Seminoles using the hollow stems as a ’sakpofketv (medicine blowing tube). This refers to the Creek tradition of “blessing” medicinal plants. Part of that ritual included the heles hayv (traditional doctor) bubbling his breath through the liquid using a tube (Howard 1984).
