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The  Ethnobotany of Culturally Significant Plants

Updated 08/01/2008

Manhattan Plant Materials Center

The historical use of native plants has become of interest to many Tribal peoples and also to the general public. This information was developed as a general educational tool to satisfy this interest. This program is not a source of reference for research or an in-depth explanation of individual plant characteristics and uses. For a more detailed study of each plant you should visit the NRCS Plants Database web site: http://plants.usda.gov or follow the "PLANTS Guide Page" link for each species.

Plants played an integral part of every American Indian tribe's existence. Plants were used as food, ceremonial artifacts, and in medicines. Additional plants were also important in traditional American Indian lifestyles. Each slide lists the major food, cultural or medicinal qualities once used by American Indians or European colonists for the plants shown.

Each slide has the common and scientific name as listed on the Plants Database web site. Additional scientific synonyms and common names are listed because these plants are referred to in some older publications or geographic locations by different names. Many people will recognize the plant by a previously used Latin name or a different common name.

You may use any of this information for your own uses. For more information please contact Pat Broyles by email or phone (785) 539-8761.


 

Scientific Name Common Name PowerPoint File PLANTS Species Profile Plant Guide
Allium canadense L. meadow garlic Go to Profile for ALCA3
Artemisia frigida prairie sagewort Go to Profile for ARFR4
Arurndinaria gigantea switchcane Go to Profile for ARGIT8
Artemisia ludoviciana white sagebrush Go to Profile for ARLU
Arisaema triphyllum Jack in the pulpit Go to Profile for ARTR
Asarum canadense Canadian wildginger Go to Profile for ASCA
Asclepias tuberosa butterfly milkweed Go to Profile for ASTU
Baptisia bracteata longbract wild indigo Go to Profile for BABRL2
Betula nigra river birch Go to Profile for BENI
Bouteloua curtipendula sideoats grama Go to Profile for BOCU
Bouteloua gracilis blue grama

Go to Profile for BOGR2
Carya cordiformis bitternut hickory Go to Profile for CACO15
Campsis radicans trumpet creeper Go to Profile for CARA2
Ceanothus americanus New Jersey tea Go to Profile for CEAM
Cornus sericea redosier dogwood
 
Go to Profile for COSE16
Dalea candida white prairie-clover Go to Profile for DACA7
Dalea purpurea violet prairie clover Go to Profile for DAPU5
Echinacea angustifolia blacksamson echinacea Go to Profile for ECAN2
Euonuymus americana strawberry bush Go to Profile for EUAM7
Euphorbia marginata snow on the mountain
 
Go to Profile for EUAM8
Fagus grandifolia American beech Go to Profile for FAGR
Fraxinus americana white ash Go to Profile for FRAM2
Hierochloe hirta northern sweetgrass Go to Profile for HIHI
Hierochloe odorata vanilla grass Go to Profile for HIOD
Hieracium venosum rattlesnakeweed Go to Profile for HIVE
Hydrangea quercifolia oakleaf hydrangea Go to Profile for HYQU3
Iris virginica Virginia iris Go to Profile for IRVI
Juniperus virginiana eastern redcedar Go to Profile for JUVI
Kalmia latifolia mountain laurel Go to Profile for KALA
Levisticum officinale garden lovage Go to Profile for LEOF
Liquidambar styraciflua sweetgum Go to Profile for LIST2
Monarda fistulosa wild bergamot
 
Go to Profile for MOFI
Nepeta cataria catnip Go to Profile for NECA2
Nelumbo lutea American lotus Go to Profile for NELU
Opuntia species, including O. compressa, O. fragilis, O. humifisa, O. macrorhiza, O. polyacantha and O. tortisipna. pricklypear Go to Profile for OPUNT
Oxydendrum arboreum sourwood Go to Profile for OXAR
Parthenocissus quinquefolia Virginia creeper Go to Profile for PAQU2
Pediomelum esculentum large Indian breadroot Go to Profile for PEES
Polystichum acrostichoides Christmas fern Go to Profile for POAC4
Populus alba white poplar Go to Profile for POAL7
Populus deltoides eastern cottonwood
 
Go to Profile for PODE3
Podophyllum peltatum mayapple Go to Profile for POPE
Prunus virginiana chokecherry Go to Profile for PRVI
Quercus alba white oak Go to Profile for QUAL
Quercus falcata southern red oak Go to Profile for QUFA
Quercus muehlenbergii chinkapin oak Go to Profile for QUMU
Quercus prinus chestnut oak Go to Profile for QUPR2
Rudbeckia triloba browneyed Susan Go to Profile for RUTR2
Sassafras albidum sassafras Go to Profile for SAAL5
Salix amygdaloides peachleaf willow Go to Profile for SAAM2
Sanguinaria canadensis bloodroot Go to Profile for SACA13
Sagittaria latifolia broadleaf arrowhead Go to Profile for SALA2
Sambucus nigra common elderberry Go to Profile for SANIC4
Schizachyrium scoparium little bluestem Go to Profile for SCSC
Smilax bona-nox saw greenbrier Go to Profile for SMBO2
Sphaeralcea coccinea scarlet globemallow Go to Profile for SPCO
Sporobolus heterolepsis prairie dropseed Go to Profile for SPHE
Thuja occidentalis northern white cedar Go to Profile for THOC2
Toxicodendron pubescens Atlantic poison oak Go to Profile for TOPU2
Trillium cuneatum little sweet Betsy Go to Profile for TRCU
Viburnum acerifolium mapleleaf viburnum Go to Profile for VIAC
Viola palmata early blue violet Go to Profile for VIPA3
Vitis rotundifolia muscadine Go to Profile for VIRO3
Vitis aestivalis and Vitis riparia summer grape and riverbank grape
 
Go to Profile for VITIS
Xanthorhiza simplicissima yellowroot Go to Profile for XASI
Zanthoxylum americanum common pricklyash
 
Go to Profile for ZAAM

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