ABSTRACT
Prairie turnip is native to central North America, including the southern prairie provinces of Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba), and much of the westcentral United States. Prairie turnip is a perennial herb that dies back to the ground before winter. Prairie turnip was extensively harvested by Native Americans indigenous to the Great Plains and represented a dietary staple for the nomadic buffalo-hunting tribes of the northern Great Plains. In recent years, recommendations have been made to develop prairie turnip into a modern crop. Prairie turnip was the most important staple plant food gathered by indigenous people of the Great Plains, valued for its nutritional quality and abundance. Prairie turnip has been reported to contain furanocoumarins, chemicals that can cause photosensi-tivity (a rash that develops when skin is exposed to sunlight) in some people.
