The Ethnobotany of the Miami Tribe: Traditional Plant Use from Historical Texts

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The Ethnobotany of the Miami Tribe: Traditional plant use from historical texts

A thesis submitted to the Miami University Honors Program in partial fulfillment of the requirements for University Honors

Brian C. King

May, 2003 Oxford, Ohio

i ABSTRACT

THE ETHNOBOTANY OF THE MIAMI TRIBE: TRADITIONAL PLANT USE FROM HISTORICAL TEXTS

by Brian C. King

The purpose of this research project was to organize and clarify information found in historical documents pertaining to traditional Miami plant knowledge. It serves as a field guide to plants used as foods and drinks, industrially (fibers, building materials, dyes, etc.), medicinally and ceremonially. Plant references were extracted from the larger language documents. Botanical identities were clarified by comparing the species range to that of the Miami Tribe. Uses mentioned in the text were compared to other uses found reported in the literature. Botanical descriptions and illustrations are included to aid in identification of the plants. Preparations are also included, where applicable. A total of 86 plants are included in this guide, 49 of which had a documented Miami use. Of these, 29 were used as a food or drink, 17 were used industrially, and 8 were used either medicinally or cerimonially.

iii

The Ethnobotany of the Miami Tribe: Traditional plant use from historical texts

by Brian C. King

Approved by:

______, Advisor / Reader Dr. Michael A. Vincent

______, Advisor / Reader Mr. Daryl W. Baldwin

______, Reader Dr. Kimberly E. Medley

Accepted by:

______, Director, University Honors Program

v Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the following people and organizations, without whom this project would not have been possible. Thanks to my two advisors, Dr. Mike Vincent and Daryl Baldwin. Dr. Vincent is the curator of the Willard Sherman Turrell Herbarium at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. His knowledge of the local flora was an invaluable tool while clarifying the botanical identity of the more difficult plants.

Mr. Baldwin is the director of the Myaamia Project at Miami University, and was instrumental in initiating this project. He acted as my connection to the tribe, and taught me about the Miami culture as well as helping with the plant information. Thanks to Dr. Kim Medley, who was part of my Honors committee, along with Dr. Vincent and Mr. Baldwin. I’d also like to thank Mike Gonella, who is a graduate student in

Botany at Miami University. His research in ethnobotany will bring a new level of depth to the information supplied by the historical sources. Thanks to Dustin Olds, the land manager for the Miami Tribe of

Oklahoma, who showed me and Mike around the Miami tribal lands while we were collecting specimens.

Also thanks to Dr. David Costa at U.C., Berkeley. The work by Dr. Costa, Mr. Baldwin, and others on

Miami language has provided the basis for this project and the Myaamia Language Project in general.

Thank you to Dr. Noel Holmgren, the illustrators of the Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist’s

Manual and the New York Botanical Garden Press for their permission to reproduce the drawings presented in this thesis. Thanks to Miami University and the Undergraduate Summer Scholars program for supporting this and other projects related to preservation of Miami cultural information. And of course, thank you to the Miami Tribe. I hope this project helps you maintain a strong cultural identity.

vi TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ...... i

Abstract ...... ii

Approval Page ...... iv

Acknowledgements ...... vi

Miami History ...... 1

Introduction to This Guide ...... 3

Catalog of Plants ...... 6

General Miami Plant Terms ...... 154

Glossary of Botanical Terms ...... 155

Harvesting Calendar ...... 157

Miami Language Sources ...... 161

Other References ...... 163

Plants Used by the Miami as Food or Drink by Scientific name ...... 165 by Common name ...... 166 by Miami name ...... 167

Plants Used by the Miami Industrially by Scientific name ...... 168 by Common name ...... 168 by Miami name ...... 169

Plants Used by the Miami Medicinally or Ceremonially by Scientific name ...... 170 by Common name ...... 170 by Miami name ...... 170

Plants Used by Other Groups as Food or Drink by Scientific name ...... 171 by Common name ...... 173 by Miami name ...... 175

Plants Used by Other Groups Industrially by Scientific name ...... 177 by Common name ...... 178 by Miami name ...... 179

vii Plants Used by Other Groups Medicinally or Ceremonially by Scientific name ...... 180 by Common name ...... 181 by Miami name ...... 182

Index of Plants by Scientific name ...... 183 by Common name ...... 185 by Miami name ...... 187

viii 1

Miami History

The Miami lived along timbered river valleys in what are now eastern Illinois, Indiana and western

Ohio. They shared many linguistic and cultural traits with neighboring Algonquian tribes. The Miami belong to the Central Algonquian linguistic family, and are closely related to the Illinois. They lived in the transition zone of the Eastern forest and prairie, and grew crops as well as hunting large game like deer and buffalo. The Miami were allied with the French during the French and Indian Wars, from 1689 to 1783.

Unfortunately, a century of struggling to protect their homelands in combination with introduced diseases and alcohol all drastically reduced the Miami population by the mid 1700s. Still, they joined their former adversary the British to fight the American rebel colonists during the American Revolution from 1775 to

1783. Before and after the Americans won the war, more settlers were arriving in Indian territories west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Miami and other tribes resisted this westward expansion. To protect the settlers and control the land, President George Washington ordered an army be sent to Fort Washington, what is now Cincinnati, on the Ohio River. These soldiers fought the Miami and their neighboring tribes the Chippewa (Ojibwa), Ottawa, Potawatomi, Delaware, Shawnee and Illinois from 1790 to 1794 in what is known as Little Turtle’s War, or the Miami War. Miami leader Little Turtle led the military confederation to stop the American from trespassing on their land. The tribes were successful in winning several key battles. However, Little Turtle realized that they would eventually be overwhelmed by the American soldiers. He pushed for a peace agreement in 1794, but many warriors wanted to continue the resistance

against European encroachment. Soon after, the confederation suffered a crushing blow at the Battle of

Fallen Timbers. In 1795, the chiefs of the Indian alliance (including Little Turtle) signed the Treaty of Fort

Greenville, which ceded much of the Ohio lands to the American government, although the tribes were able

to reserve other lands further west.

During the first half of the nineteenth century, the Miami lost most of their lands through the

treaty making process. The U.S. Government then persuaded the Miami to accept relocation west by the

terms of the 1840 treaty. In 1846, approximately 300 Miami were relocated to a reservation in Kansas,

while several Miami families were exempt from the removal and allowed to remain in Indiana. The

Indiana Miami, as they were known, would organize themselves and be included in subsequent treaties, which laid the foundation for them to assert tribal status. However, by 1897 a US attorney general ended that status, and the Indiana Miami today have been unable to establish a government-to-government relationship with the U.S. federal government. For those who were forced to relocate to Kansas, they

would soon find themselves relocated again to northeastern Oklahoma. Despite the continual forced

relocations and loss of lands, the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has been able to maintain its sovereign status

with the US Government. The land base of both groups was eventually allotted to families, but by 1930,

most of that land had been lost to land speculators and tax sales at one point both communities would find themselves landless as a nation. Some Indiana Miami chose to move west to Oklahoma, while many remained in the homeland of Indiana. In 1992, the total enrollment of the Miami Nation of Indiana was variably reported to be from 5,000 to 6,000, with about 2,500 residing in Indiana. The Miami Tribe of

Oklahoma toady claims approximately 3,000 members.

Unfortunately, a century of relocation and boarding school education erased parts of the cultural memory of the tribe. The language was in some cases prohibited, and by the middle of the twentieth century, it had fallen out of use. However, the tribe is making an effort to perpetuate its cultural identity among their children through a variety of language and cultural programs that continue today. A recent effort that directly benefits cultural preservation for the Miami Nation is the Myaamia Project, which was established at Miami University during the summer of 2001. Its mission is to assist the Miami Tribe in efforts to preserve, promote and research Miami Nation history, culture and language. The project is a true collaboration between the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio.. In 2002, the tribe and university signed an agreement to establish a central repository for Miami Indian linguistic and cultural resources at Miami University. It will include items such as records, photographs, maps, tribal records, and other related objects.

Introduction to this Guide

Removals, boarding schools and deliberate attempts to eradicate language and culture made it difficult to maintain traditional beliefs, values and knowledge. Because the Miami Tribe’s culture is ecologically based, some of the traditional knowledge of the environment began to fade away. This work is intended to assist the Miami in preserving and in some cases regain traditional botanical knowledge. The primary sources for this are a number of extent records of Miami-Illinois language that were compiled from the late seventeenth century until the early 1960s. These records contain valuable information on Miami language and culture including botanical references. Recently, Dr. David Costa, Daryl Baldwin, and others affiliated with the Myaamia Project have begun identifying and organizing that botanical information.

They have reviewed the original sources, and compiled every plant reference in those documents into a database. The information I began with was in the following form:

akanteemiši akándämîndjî (Dunn-M / dogwood tree; Dunn-P / the wood of this tree was used for arrows. The bird arrows were made with blunt points out of dogwood and hickory wood, both of which will sink in the water.); see also ihkalwi Dogwood (Cornus spp.)

In the case of Dogwood, Dunn noted that the fruit of the Dogwood was red (under “ihkalwi”). The only native Dogwood in our range with a red berry is Cornus florida, the Flowering Dogwood. After confirmation with the director of the Myaamia language project, the Miami names were further clarified.

“akanteemiši” is the Miami term for this plant, while “iihkalomiši” is the Peioria term for the same plant.

My role was to clarify and re-organize this information into a more accessible format. In the summer of 2002, I participated in Miami University’s Undergraduate Summer Scholars program during which I spent ten weeks working on the project. Many of the species names could be clarified by comparing the range of the plants to the range of the tribe (as described above). After I was confident of the identity of the species in question, I supplemented the information pertaining to Miami use with a review of the literature on plant use. I then compiled information on how other people had used the plants.

To aid in identification and clarification of what plant was being discussed, I included line drawings as well as written botanical descriptions. During my senior year at Miami University, I refined the guide and am using it as my thesis for the University Honors Program. Eventually, this will be published by the tribe and made available as an educational tool throughout the tribal community.

In some cases, it was difficult to assign a Latin name to a Miami name, because the reference was too vague in its description of a particular plant. Sometimes there would be one Miami name used for several unrelated species, other times there would be multiple Miami names for a single species. In some

cases, the species had to be inferred based upon the range and frequency of the plant, when compared to the

traditional range of the tribe. For example, “makiinkweemina” is the Miami term for “blackberry,” and

while there are over 120 species of blackberry, Rubus allegheniensis is the only common native blackberry

in the Miami’s range. If there are several closely related species that a term could refer to, all are

presented. Some references only give a name for a plant (for example ateehimini = strawberry), but do not

give a use. In other words, it was not explicitly stated that the Miami ate strawberries. In situations like

this, the use was confirmed by tribal members. Thus, there is some reliance on oral knowledge. If a plant was especially difficult to determine, it has either been noted or omitted. This is by no means a complete documentation of Miami botanical knowledge. This is the first work to deal specifically with Miami plant knowledge, and it is without doubt that further research will refine our information regarding the botanical knowledge of the Miami People. The plants and Miami language included in this work are those we felt reasonably comfortable with in terms of their identification.

Another observation worth noting is the use of medicines and references to medicines in this document. I became aware early in my exposure to traditional plant usage that medicinal plant information was traditionally highly guarded knowledge, at least among woodland people. The knowledge of healing and plant remedies generally was not shared either inside or outside the community. This is likely the reason why little information was found in the historical records that pertained specifically to medicines. I was also warned early on by tribal members that information derived from other published sources should be viewed as suspect. I did chose to use medicinal information claimed to have come from other tribes, but this is just for reference. It is true that many plants do possess medicinal qualities, but many of the

references to these uses were vague, or were highly variable from source to source. I included medicinal information in this work when the sources supported each other to a certain degree, and I felt reasonably assured that there was some validity to the reference. However, many plants contain powerful toxins as well as medicines (often it is just a question of dosage), and users of this document should be cautious about the use of plants either as foods or medicines without further investigation.

Brian King

April, 2003

Catalog of Plants

The following pages make up the bulk of this thesis. Illustrations as well as botanical descriptions are given to help identify collected material. The Latin, common and Miami names are given. An asterisk

(*) implies uncertainty of meaning, identification, or in some cases a spelling of a Miami word. If a reference was particularly vague, the species in question was omitted. Major uses of plants as reported in the literature are included and specific use to the Miami is underlined.

A total of 86 plants are included in this guide, 49 of which had a documented Miami use. Of these, 29 were used as a food or drink, 17 were used industrially, and 8 were used either medicinally or cerimonially.

WARNING:

Some of the plants described in this guide are HIGHLY POISIONOUS. Some of the edible

plants are toxic unless properly prepared, and even then may not be 100% free of toxins. And many of the

medicinal plants are toxic as well – often the difference between a medicine and a poison is only a matter

of dosage. If a certain plant may be toxic, it will be noted along with the use. However, I am not an expert

in plant toxins, and the information in this guide will inevitably be somewhat incomplete. I recommend

checking other sources before consuming any wild plants. Be especially cautious with plants that require

substantial preparation to render them edible. And it is a good idea to begin with a small portion, to

determine whether you have an allergy to the plant, and just how edible that plant might be. In addition,

some non-toxic plants may have toxic look-alikes. Do not eat anything unless you are sure of what it is,

and that it will not hurt you. Please use discretion when dealing with toxic plants, and check other sources

on how to prepare them.

NOTE:

The original version of this document contained copyrighted images, which have been omitted for posting on the web. To maintain the proper page numbers in the indexes, some blank pages have been inserted.

Acer negundo L.

Box Elder, Ashleaf Maple

Aceraceae (Maple family)

Miami Term: šiišiikweehkihsi

Use: syrup, medicine

Parts Used: sap, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 30-75’ tall, 2-4’ wide. Twigs green or purplish, glossy, white-powdery, or rarely hairy, buds white-hairy. Leaf scars meet in raised points on opposite sides of the twigs. Leaves opposite, pinnately compound (unique among eastern N. American maples), 4-10” long, with 3-5 and sometimes 9 leaflets, coarse toothed or toothless, 2-4” long, 1-1½” wide, end leaflet often somewhat lobed, turning yellow or red in fall. Blooms from April-May. Fruit a paired samara, 1-1½“ long, from Sept.-Oct.

Found in moist and fertile soils of riverbanks, floodplains and uplands. Range from s. Alberta east to Nova

Scotia, south to Fla., west to cent. Tex. and Mexico, scattered in the West and Calif., also in Guatemala.

Miami Use:

Gatschet noted that a decoction of the Box Elder was made. It is not clear whether this is in

reference to boiling the sap to make sugar syrup, or to making a medicinal decoction.

Other Use:

Box Elder may be tapped to make maple syrup or sugar (See Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum). This

was done by the Cheyenne, Dakota, Montana Indians, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca and Winnebago.

The Meskwaki, and Ojibwa used a decoction or infusion of the inner bark as an emetic (to induce

vomiting).

Acer saccharinum L.

Soft Maple, Silver M.

Aceraceae (Maple family)

Miami Term: wiikapaahkwaahkaniša

Use: syrup, dye, beverage

Parts Used: sap, leaves, twigs

Botanical Description:

Medium to tall tree, 40-90’ tall, 1-3’ in diameter. Bark light gray, flaking off in large plates to

reveal brown inner bark. Twigs and buds like A. rubrum, but when broken release a foul smell. Leaves

opposite, with 5 deep, long pointed lobes, the middle tending to be more narrow, undersides whitish,

somewhat hairy, doubly serrated edge, 2-10” long and wide, turning pale yellow in fall. Flowers in spring,

Feb.-May. Fruit a paired samara, green to red, 1½-2½” long, mature in April-June. Found in wet soils of

river banks, swamps and floodplains. Range from Minn. east through Ontario to New Brunswick, south to

nw. Fla., west to e. Okla.

Miami Use:

The Miami made sugar from the sap of the Soft Maple (Gat). Also, when cooking the roots of the

wild potatoes, sometimes a few leaves of the Soft Maple were added to the boiling water to turn the roots

black (Trowbridge).

Other Use:

The sap from the Silver Maple may be collected and boiled to make maple syrup (see Sugar

Maple, Acer saccharum). Syrup was made from this tree by the Chippewa, Dakota, Iroquois, Ojibwa,

Omaha, Ponca, and Winnebago. The Iroquois fermented the sap to make an alcoholic beverage.

The Omaha and Winnebago used twigs of the Soft Maple to make a black dye for tanning hides.

The Omaha would mix iron-rich clay with grease, and then roast the mixture. Meanwhile, twigs were

boiled, and the water was added to the grease and clay. Hides were soaked for three days to give a brown color, and up to seven days to give a black color.

Acer saccharum Marsh.

Sugar Maple

Aceraceae (Maple family)

Miami Terms: ahsenaamši

ahsenaamišaapowi (maple syrup)

Use: syrup, food, beverage

Parts Used: sap, fruit

Botanical Description:

Tree, 40-120’ tall, 1-3’ wide. Bark light to medium gray, rough and deeply furrowed into narrow ridges. Young twigs rough and glossy, greenish to reddish brown to gray, buds slender. Long and hairy leaf stalk, leaves opposite, simple, palmately lobed and 5-veined, 3½ - 5½” long and wide, hairless above, mostly hairless and lighter below, with a few narrow, long pointed teeth, turning red, orange and yellow in the fall. Fruit a paired samara at an angle greater than 120˚, 1 – 1¼”, flat and with a long wing, from June –

Sept. Found in rich, moist or dry soil in upland and valley forests, sometimes in pure stands. Range from sw. Manitoba, east to Quebec and Newfoundland, south to N. Carolina, west to e. Kansas

Miami Use:

Sugar Maple was used to make syrup (Hockett).

Other Use:

The most common use of the Sugar Maple is to make maple syrup by boiling the sap. This was done by the Quebec Algonquin, Cherokee, Dakota, Iroquois, Malecite, Menominee, Meskwaki, Micmac,

Mohegan, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi. The Iroquois fermented the sap to make an alcoholic beverage.

Today, syrup is produced commercially, and is a staple with almost any pancake breakfast.

Maples, Walnuts, Hickories, Sweet Birches and Sycamores can all be used to produce syrup. However

Sugar Maple sap has the most sugar. Each tree yields between 5 and 60 gallons of sap, and about 32 gallons of sap are needed to produce 1 gallon of syrup, or 4½ pounds of sugar.

There are several methods of making maple syrup. Generally, the sap is collected from the trees, and then it is concentrated either by freezing or by boiling. The unboiled sap may be used as drinking

water. Sometimes, the sap is allowed to sour to make a maple vinegar. Trees are tapped from January until

early spring (around April), as things are thawing out, but before the leaves appear. It is best to collect on

warm, sunny days after cold nights.

To collect the sap, choose a tree at least a foot wide. Those on southern slopes in sandy soil are best. Drill a hole ¼-½” wide. It should be angled slightly upwards, so that the sap will flow out. Insert a spile (tube through which sap flows out), sharpened end first, so that ½” of it remains outside. Spiles may be bought at the store, or you can make your own from Sumac or Elderberry branches. Take a 5” section of an Elderberry branch, punch out the pith, and make a diagonal cut to make a sharpened tip. Nail a bucket underneath the spile. Make some sort of cover to place over the bucket to keep out falling debris. Do not put more than 2-3 buckets per tree, to avoid stressing it. Empty the buckets daily for a week. When done,

plug the holes with wooden pegs to protect the tree from pests and disease.

To make syrup or sugar, the sap needs to be concentrated. This is usually done by boiling. When

boiling, it is best to do so outside to avoid sticky walls in your kitchen. If you choose to boil the sap from

the beginning, rather than freezing first (see below), be sure to boil slowly, taking care not to let it boil over

or burn. Syrup is ready when a candy thermometer reads 7˚ F (4˚ C) higher than the temperature at which the syrup first boiled (217 ˚F (104 ˚C) at sea level). To make sugar, let the temperature rise to 22 ˚F (12 ˚C) higher than the temperature at which it first boiled (234 ˚F (112 ˚C) at sea level).

An alternative to boiling the sap from the beginning is to concentrate it by freezing first. To do this, place the sap in gallon jugs. Leave them outside overnight, or place them in a freezer. When the jugs are completely frozen, bring inside and let 1/3 of it melt. Collect the liquid (which has the sugar) and discard the ice (which is mostly water). Repeat with the concentrated liquid, but this time let ½ of the jug thaw. Then evaporate off the desired amount of water on a stove. Keep in mind that it will become more

“syrupy” as it cools. Yield is approximately 1 pint syrup for every 5 gallons of sap.

The paired samara of the sugar maple are edible as well. Collect them in the fall. To prepare, roast them at 250˚ F for 20-30 minutes, or until they are crisp. They may also be boiled. These are good served with butter and salt.

Aesculus glabra Willd.

Ohio Buckeye

Hippocastenacaceae (Horse-chestnut family)

Miami Term: mihsihkiišikomiši

Use: medicine, fish poison

Parts Used: root, fruit

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 40-70’ tall, 1-2’ in diameter. Bud scales ridged, twigs reddish brown, and

emitting a foul odor when broken. Bark scaly. Leaves opposite, palmately compound, 4-15”, with 5-7

toothed leaflets, each 2-6” long, ¾-2¼” wide, turning yellow or orange in fall. Flowers 1” long, yellow,

bell-shaped, in upright clusters, 4-6” long. Blooms April-May. Fruit a loculicidal capsule with a pale

brown husk splitting on 2-3 lines, armed with weak spines, containing 1-3 large dark brown seeds, from

Sept.-Oct. Found in rich, moist, well drained soils of slopes, sometimes along stream banks as a thicket

forming shrub, or in mixed forests. Range from cent. Iowa, east to s. Ont. and w. Penn., south to cent. Ala.,

west to se. Okla.

Miami Use:

Trowbridge noted, “there were many roots and weeds used as emetics (to induce vomiting), the

most common of which was the root of the buckeye.”

Other Use:

The Delaware used the pulverized nuts as a fish poison. They called it “fish peyote” and said that

it made the fish dizzy.

Allium canadense L.

Wild Garlic

Liliaceae (Lily family)

Miami Term: wiinhsihsia (wild onion)

Use: food, medicine, insect repellant

Parts Used: bulb, bulblets, leaves

Botanical Description:

Herb, 8-24” tall. Leaves coming from a bulb, grass-like, flat, 6-18” long. Flowers perfect, ½” wide, with 3 petals and 3 petal-like sepals, pink or white in an umbel, 3 bracts beneath. Variety in the east often with flowers replaced with bulblets, flowering varieties in the west and south. Blooms May-July.

Fruit a 3-lobed capsule. Entire plant has a strong onion-like odor. Found in low woods, thickets, prairies and meadows. Range from N. Dak. east to Ontario and New Brunswick, south to Fla., west to Tex.

Miami Use:

Wild Onions were a preferred vegetable of the Miami Indians. To prepare them, they would

“clean them, cut them fine, and cook them in grease till wilt. Then they would add a little water, salt and pepper, and then thicken with flour.” (Dunn)

Other Use:

Wild onions were widely eaten, and they are quite nutritious as well, containing more vitamin C than an equal weight of oranges, and twice as much vitamin A as spinach. Wild Onions may be eaten raw or parbroiled. The leaves are best collected in the spring before the flower stalk appears and may be cooked as greens or added to salads. They may be collected later in the summer, but they wilt and fall off as the year progresses. The bulbs may be collected year round, but are best gathered in May through

August. If adding wild onions to soups or stews, it is best to do so during the last 10 minutes of cooking, as

cooking them longer may make them slightly bitter. They are also good baked in bread. To make an onion or garlic flavored oil, put peeled bulbs in a jar and cover with oil. Let it sit, and the oil will take up the flavor. The same bulbs may be used for several fillings of oil.

Wild onions were widely used by Native Americans as medicines as well. A. cernuum was used by the Cherokee to treat colds, sore throats and “liver complaints.” A decoction of the bulbs of A. stellatum was used by others to treat colds as well. Wild onion soup is a good meal when one is sick.

Wild onions may also be used as an insect repellant, however this may also keep fellow humans away, as well as the bugs.

These plants are easily propagated by transplanting the bulbs or bulblets.

Allium cernuum Roth.

Nodding Wild Onion

Liliaceae (Lily family)

Miami Term: wiinhsihsia (wild onion)

Use: food, medicine, insect repellant

Parts Used: bulb, bulblets, leaves

Botanical Description:

Similar to A. stellatum, but umbel nodding, flowers rose or white, and blooms earlier (July-Aug).

Usually flowering, without bulblets. Found in dry rocky soils and open woods and prairies. Range from

B.C. east to Alberta and to N.Y., south to Georgia, west to Texas, north to S. Dak. and Mo.

Miami Use:

Wild Onions were a preferred vegetable of the Miami Indians. To prepare them, they would

“clean them, cut them fine, and cook them in grease till wilt. Then they would add a little water, salt and

pepper, and then thicken with flour.” (Dunn)

Other Use:

All wild onions are used similarly, see Allium canadense.

Allium stellatum Ker. Gawler.

Wild Onion

Liliaceae (Lily family)

Miami Term: wiinhsihsia (wild onion)

Use: food, medicine, insect repellant

Parts Used: bulb, bulblets, leaves

Botanical Description:

Herb, 1-2’ tall. Leaves 6-18” long, less than 1” wide, grass-like, arising from a bulb, strongly aromatic. Flowers perfect, lavender to pink, ¼” long, 3 petals, 3 petal-like sepals, in an erect umbel, 2½” wide. Blooms July-Sept. Fruit a capsule with three lobes. Found on rocky slopes, prairies and shorelines.

Range from Saskatchewan east to Ontario, south through Ind. to Ark., west to Tex.

Miami Use:

Wild Onions were a preferred vegetable of the Miami Indians. To prepare them, they would

“clean them, cut them fine, and cook them in grease till wilt. Then they would add a little water, salt and pepper, and then thicken with flour.” (Dunn)

Other Use:

All wild onions are used similarly, see Allium canadense.

Allium vineale L.

Field Garlic

Liliaceae (Lily family)

Miami Term: wiinhsihsia (wild onion)

Use: food, medicine, insect repellant

Parts Used: bulb, bulblets, leaves

Botanical Description:

Like A. canadense, but with green, white, pink or purple flowers, small, long tailed bulbs, leaves cylindrical and hollow, one bract beneath inflorescence. Strong garlic odor. Introduced from Europe, now a weed from Wisc. east to Ontario and Maine, south to Fla. and west to Louisiana.

Miami Use:

Wild Onions were a preferred vegetable of the Miami Indians. To prepare them, they would

“clean them, cut them fine, and cook them in grease till wilt. Then they would add a little water, salt and pepper, and then thicken with flour.” (Dunn)

Other Use:

All wild onions are used similarly, see Allium canadense.

Apios americana Medik.

Common Groundnut

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: eepiikanita

Use: food

Parts Used: tubers, seeds

Botanical Description:

Small, perennial twining vine, to 10’ long. Flowers maroon to reddish brown, clustered in a compact raceme in leaf axils, individual flowers ½” long, pea-shaped with keel upturned and sickle-shaped.

Blooms June-Sept. Leaves alternate, 4-8” long, pinnately compound, with 5-9 smooth, egg-shaped leaflets,

1½-2½” long. Fruit a dry, coiling pod, 3/16-3/8” long, with several seeds. Root a string of usually 2 or

more walnut sized tubers, 1-1½” thick. Found in rich, moist soil of thickets, meadows, streambanks and

open woods. Range from N. Dak. east to Maine and Nova Scotia, south to Fla., and west to Tex.

Miami Use:

The Miamis ate the tuberous roots.

Other Use:

The tubers may be eaten and were an important food source for the Native Americans and early

European settlers. The root was eaten by such tribes as the Cherokee, Chippewa, Dakota, Delaware,

Huron, Iroquois, Menominee, Meskwaki, Mohegan, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Potawatomi, Seminole, and

Winnebago. The Menominee were known to cook the roots with maple sugar. Groundnuts were so

important to the early European colonists that they passed a law in the mid-seventeenth century which

prohibited Native Americans from digging groundnuts on land claimed by the settlers.

To prepare Groundnuts, peel the roots and boil for 20 minutes. You may also roast them, or fry

them in fat or oil. They were often cooked with fatty meats. The taste becomes disagreeable when cold.

They may also be dried, ground into flour, and used when making bread or thickening soup. Especially important as a winter and famine food. Some consider the taste to be superior to candied yams. The tubers may be collected year-round, but are best in late fall to early spring.

The seeds may also be cooked and eaten. Uncooked seeds a substitute for pinto beans. Collect the seeds in summer.

Groundnuts are easily propagated. Plant the tubers 2-3 inches deep in the early spring. Once the young shoots emerge, provide something for them to climb on. They are ready to harvest after one or more years of growth. The yield of tubers per plants is relatively low, but research has been done on developing more productive varieties.

Apocynum cannabinum L.

Indian Hemp, Dogbane

Apocynaceae (Dogbane family)

Miami Terms: ahsapa

Use: cordage, medicine, gum

Part Used: outer bark, leaves, sap

Botanical Description:

Colonial, bushy perennial, 1-4” tall. Stems reddish-purple, exuding milky sap when broken.

Leaves opposite, smooth. One erect, fertile main stem, with side branches sterile. Flowers small, bell-like,

¼” long, in erect clusters, radially symmetric, calyx and corolla of 5 fused parts, corolla often twisted in

bud, white to green, fragrant. 5 stamens. Blooms June-Aug. Fruit is 2 pods, paired, 3-8” long, slender,

containing plumose seeds. Found in fields, thickets, moist woodland borders, along ponds and streams and

on sandy shores. Range from s. Canada south, mostly from N. Dak. east to NY, south to Fla., west to Tex.,

occasionally found in the west to the Pacific. POISONOUS.

May be confused with Bitter Root, also known as Spreading Dogbane (A. androsaemifolium). A.

cannabinum is somewhat smaller, the leaves are oblong and the flowers are greenish white and erect, while

A. androsaemifolium is generally larger, the leaves are rounded at the stalk and tapered at the end and the

flowers are pink and nodding. Both species are POISONOUS.

Young shoots may be confused with the edible Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca).

Milkweed shoots are more stout and downy-hairy, while Dogbane shoots are quickly branching and

hairless.

Miami Use:

Fiber and cordage was obtained from this plant. Its primary use was to make fishnets (Dunn).

Other Use:

Dogbane was used by many tribes for cordage, including the Cahuilla, California Indian,

Cherokee, Chippewa, Kickapoo (called it a0apya), Kutenai, Luiseño, Mendocino Indian, Meskwaki,

Modoc, Nez Perce, Okanagan-Coolville, Okanagon, Northern Paiute, Shawnee (called it waaph0apya),

Shuswap and the Thompson. The Thompson cut the stems in October. These were soaked, and sometimes split in half. The fibrous outer skin was peeled, and the brittle inner skin was discarded. Dried, the fiber could be stored indefinitely.

A poultice of chewed up leaves was applied to wounds. The plant was also used to treat rheumatism, cough, poisoning, worms, and rabies (hence the name Dogbane). However, since a decoction of roots taken monthly supposedly renders one permanently sterile, using this plant medicinally is not advised.

The Isleta made a chewing gum by mixing the gummy latex with clean clay. The Kiowa made a gum from Dogbane latex as well, by letting it dry overnight.

Aralia nudicaulis L.

Wild Sarsaparilla

Araliaceae (Ginseng family)

Miami Term: maahkwana*

Use: tonic, beverage, medicine

Part Used: root

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 8-20” tall, with a long rhizome. Three compound leaves, with 3-5 leaflets, lance- shaped to ovate, 3-6” long, finely toothed. Flowers clustered into 2 or more umbels of small greenish- white flowers, with five reflexed petals, clusters 2” wide. Blooms July-Aug. Fruit a cluster of dark purple berries. Found in upland woods. Range from Alberta east to Newfoundland, south to the mountains in

Georgia, west to Neb. and N. Dak. Also in the Northwest.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

An infusion of the roots was used by many tribes as a tonic or beverage, including the Bella

Coola, Chippewa, Oklahoma Delaware, Meskwaki, Iroquois, Mohegan, Ojibwa, Okanagan, and Thompson

Indians.

A poultice of the root was used by several tribes to treat burns and sores. A decoction of the root was used to treat cough. Sarsaparilla was also used to treat acne.

Arisaema triphyllum (L.) Schott.

Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip

Araceae (Arum family)

Mismi Term: wiikopayiisia*

Use: food, medicine

Part Used: root

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 1-3’ tall. Flowers typical of the Araceae, with a spadix (“Jack”) sitting inside a spathe (“the pulpit”) with a curved hood, 2-3” tall, solitary, green often with purple stripes. Blooms April-

June. Usually 2 leaves, on long stalks, with 3 leaflets and parallel veins. Mature fruit a cluster of scarlet berries. Found in rich, moist woods and swamps. Range from Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, south to Fla., west to Tex.

Miami Use:

The root of this plant was eaten by the Miamis. Since the plant contains chemicals which cause burning in the mouth, they dried it to make it edible. Dunn observed that Jack-in-the-pulpit “is an actual poison if it is eaten raw; but [the Miami] cut it in very thin slices, and cook it in an oven during three days and three nights; thus by heat they cause the acrid substance which renders it poisonous to evaporate in steam . . .” (Dunn)

Other use:

WARNING: Like Skunk Cabbage, the entire plant of Jack-in-the-pulpit contains calcium oxalate crystals, and the undried plant causes a burning sensation or even blistering. Thinly sliced and dried, this plant can be eaten like potato chips, or ground into a flour. Like the Miami, the Potawatomi also cooked the thinly sliced roots for three days. Collect corms from fall to early spring.

A poultice of the root was used to treat headache by the Cherokee, Pawnee, and Iroquois. It was used to treat swellings, bruises and sores by the Cherokee, Iroquois, Micmac, Mohegan, Pawnee,

Penobscot, Rappahonnock, and Meskwaki. It was used to treat sore eyes by the Chippewa, Iroquois,

Menominee and Ojibwa.

Asclepias syriaca L.

Common Milkweed, Purple M.

Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family)

Miami Term: leninši

Use: food, medicine

Parts Used: shoots, young leaves, flower buds,

flowers, young fruit, latex, outer bark

Botanical Description:

A colonial perennial, 2-6’ tall, covered in downy hairs, generally unbranched, stem exuding milky sap when broken. Leaves opposite, oval to elliptic, large, thick and downy underneath, 4-10” long.

Individual flowers small, ½“ wide, pink, in clusters 2-4” wide. Blooms from May-Aug. Seed pods are pointed, gray-green and warty, containing many seeds with silky tufts of white hairs. Found in prairies, pastures, old fields, waste places, disturbed areas and along roadsides. Range from N. Dak. east to Nova

Scotia, south to Georgia, and west to Texas.

CAUTION: Do not confuse with A. tuberosa (Butterfly Weed), which has orange flowers and lacks a milky sap. Butterfly Weed is POISONOUS. Young shoots of the edible A. syriaca may be

confused with those of the POISONOUS Dogbanes, except Milkweed is downy-hairy and slow to branch

while the Dogbanes are hairless and quickly branching.

Miami Use:

The shoots of the Common (Purple) Milkweed (A. syriaca) were preferred as greens, and prepared

like asparagus. One source noted that plants with four leaves or fewer were used. Godfroy described the

plant by saying it “has substance.” Adding vinegar improves the taste. The flower buds were added to

soup (Dunn).

Other Use:

Common Milkweed was widely eaten among Native Americans, including the Chippewa, Dakota,

Iroquois, Meskwaki, Mohegan, Ojibwa, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Potawatomi, and Winnebago. It makes one of the better wild greens. The milky sap is bitter and slightly toxic, but these qualities are lost upon boiling. To prepare the young shoots, leaves, flower buds and young pods, boil in 6” of water for 15 min, using several changes. Make sure to use boiling water to change. Using cold water and bringing it back to a boil is less effective, and tends to fix the bitterness. The first few changes of water should be rapid, with just over a minute between changes. They may be cooked with meat or added to cornmeal mush. Flower clusters may be dipped in boiling water for 1 minute, then in batter and fried to make fritters. Collect shoots (less than 8” tall) and young leaves in spring. Collect the buds, flowers and pods (less than 1” long) during the summer. It is also possible to harvest the sweet dew from the flowers. Collect the flowers in the morning, when still covered in dew, squeeze, and boil to make sugar.

Milkweed is nutritious, and contains vitamins A and C. It also contains a host of other chemicals, such as cardiac glycosides, similar to those found in Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), used to treat heart

diseases. It also contains resinoids and alkaloids. Monarch Butterfly caterpillars eat milkweed, and use

these chemicals to make themselves toxic to predators.

Common Milkweed has a number of medicinal uses. An infusion of the root combined with

Virgin’s Bower can be taken for backache. The milky sap was used to treat bee stings, cuts and ringworm.

The Cherokee, Iroquois, and Rappahonnock also used Milkweed to treat warts. An infusion of dried,

pulverized roots and rhizomes was taken by women as a temporary contraceptive. Milkweed was also said

to produce post-birth milk flow in the mother.

Industrially, the outer bark was used to make a fine thread by the Cherokee, Menominee, and

Meskwaki. The fibers were chewed by little boys to make popgun wadding. The milky sap was used as a

glue.

Milkweed is easy to propagate. Sow the seeds in the fall, or stratify (cold treatment) and plant in

the spring. It may also be propagated by spring cuttings, or root divisions in the fall or early spring.

Asclepias variegata L.

White Milkweed

Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed family)

Miami Term: alemontehsa

Use: none

Parts Used: none

Botanical Description:

A. variegata is similar to A. syriaca, but usually about 3’ tall, flowers white, or pink tinged, in clusters 2½”-3” wide. Blooms from May-June. Found in open woods and thickets. Range from Oklahoma northeast to Illinois and Ohio, east to NY. and Conn., south to Fla.

Miami Use:

The Miami did not eat the shoots of the smaller species of milkweed, nor the white-flowered milkweed (A. variegata), which is considered poisonous. They don’t use the small purplish stemmed plant with slim sharp-pointed leaves (Dunn).

Other Use:

None.

Asimina triloba (L.) Dunal

Pawpaw, Indiana Banana

Annonaceae (Custard-apple family)

Miami Terms: mihsiimišaahkwi

mihsiimini (fruit)

ahsiimini (alt. form)

Use: food, cordage

Parts Used: fruit, inner bark

Botanical Description:

A small understory tree, 6-20’ tall. Bark mostly smooth. Twigs somewhat hairy. End buds long, naked, and dark brown to reddish-hairy. Flowers with six maroon to purple petals, nodding and appearing before the leaves in the early spring, 1” wide. Leaves alternate, toothless, 6-12”. Fruit large and fleshy, slightly resembling a banana, 2½-6” long, 1-1½” wide, in clusters of 3-5, and with large seeds, appearing from Aug.-Oct. Found in rich soil, along stream banks and in woods. Range from e. Neb and s. Iowa east to N.J. and s. Ont., south to Fla., west to e. Tex.

Miami Use:

The fruit was eaten (Dunn).

Other Use:

This is many people’s favorite native food. In addition to the Miami, Pawpaw was eaten by the

Cherokee and Iroquois. The pulp is eaten raw or cooked. The fruit is collected in the fall when green, and then set aside until dark brown and ripe. Fully ripened fruits are difficult to find in the wild, as they are favorites of opossum, squirrels, raccoons, foxes, and other wildlife.

Pawpaw is good in recipes for pies and bread. To make Pawpaw ice cream, add 3 cups raw pawpaw pulp, 5 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 grated lemon peel, 1 cup orange juice, and 1½ cups honey.

Whip, and add 3 cups cream. Pour in a cake pan and freeze. Makes about 2 quarts.

The Cherokee made a strong fiber from the inner bark.

Carpinus caroliniana Walt.

Ironwood, Musclewood, Hornbeam

Betulaceae (Birch family)

Miami Term: myaalwaamiši

Use: none

Parts Used: none

Botanical Description:

Tall shrub or small tree, 20-40’ tall, 10-20” wide. Bark smooth and grey, trunk deeply rippled and muscular-looking. Twigs either hairy or smooth. Leaves alternate, simple, oblong, 1-5” long, doubly toothed. Plants monoecious, with flowers in catkins. Blooms in April. Fruit a small nut, attached leafy bracts with 3 points, from Aug-Oct. Found in rich soils of moist woods in bottomlands, and elsewhere.

Range from e. Minn. east to Nova Scotia, south to New England and Fla., west to Tex.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

None.

Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch

Pecan

Juglandaceae (Walnut Family)

Miami Terms: kaanseenseemini (fruit)

Use: food, syrup, medicine

Parts Used: nut, sap, leaves

Botanical Description:

Tall tree, to 120’ tall and 4’ in diameter. Bark light brown to gray, irregularly furrowed into narrow ridges. Leaves large, 12-30” long, pinnately compound with 9-17 leaflets, leaflets narrow, glossy, asymmetrical and often recurved at the tip, edges slightly toothed, turning yellow in fall. Male inflorescence a slender catkin, female flowers in spikes of 3-10. Fruit a nut surrounded by a dark brown, thin, oblong husk which splits into four sections, 1¼-2”, 3-10 in cluster. Found in rich, moist and well drained soil of floodplains and valleys, especially in mixed hardwood bottomland forests. Range from

Iowa, east to Indiana and sw. Ohio, south to Ala., west to cent. Tex. and northern Mexico.

Miami Use:

The plant grows fast in the Quapaw Reservation and in same latitude elsewhere begins to bear fruit when six or seven years old. The plants grow taller in sheltered (understory) areas than in the open.

Plants in the prairie branch sideways due to frequent storms (Dunn). Today, there are several pecan groves on tribal property in Miami, Oklahoma, and the tribe runs a pecan business.

Other Use:

The nuts are gathered in the fall, and used like those of the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra). Pecan is one of the most valuable cultivated plants originating in North America. The sap may be tapped in early spring and used to make syrup (see Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum).

The Comanche used a poultice of pulverized leaves to treat ringworm.

Celtis occidentalis L.

Northern Hackberry

Ulmaceae (Elm family)

Miami Term: pakamaakaniši

Use: firewood, spice

Parts Used: wood, fruit

Botanical Description:

Medium to large tree, 20-90’ tall, 1-3’ in diameter. Branches often deformed and referred to as

“witches’-brooms.” Bark gray or light brown, smooth with warts and ridges. Twigs light brown, mostly

hairy, chambered. Leaves alternate, ovate, upper portion sharply toothed, base round and unequal, smooth

or rough-hairy above, usually hairy on 3 main veins below, 2-7” long, 1½-2 ½” wide, turning yellow in fall.

Flowers ephemeral, in the spring. Fruit a dry drupe, orange-red to purple, ¼-3/8“ in diameter, with a

conspicuously pitted stone, appearing in Oct-Nov. Found in moist, rich soil of river valleys, upland slopes,

bluffs and mixed hardwood forests. Range from Manitoba and N. Dak. east to New England, and s.

Quebec, south to n. Ga., west to nw. Oklahoma, locally in NC, Ala. and Miss. Distinguished from other

hackberries by having toothed leaves.

Miami Use:

“The tree gives a good fuel.” (Gatschet)

Other Use:

The hard stone and fruit were pounded and used as a meat seasoning. The Dakota, western Keres,

Meskwaki, Omaha and Pawnee used it as a food or spice.

Cercis canadensis L.

Redbud

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: eeyoonsaaweekiša

Use: food, medicine, dye

Parts Used: buds, flowers, young fruit, roots, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Small tree, 40-50’ tall, diameter to 1’. Showy pink clusters of ½” perfect flowers. Redbud is one of the first colors to emerge in the early spring, before the leaves, from March-May. Leaves heart shaped,

2-6”, smooth margin, turning yellow in fall. Twigs hairless. Buds scaly, mostly more than one bud per leaf scar, end bud false. Leaf scars mostly fringed with hairs. Fruit a dry pod, 2½-3¾” long, appearing in July and lasting throughout the winter. Found in moist soils of valleys, slopes and hardwood forests. Range from Conn. and New Jersey, south to cent. Fla., west to central Tex., north to Neb., also in northern

Mexico.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The buds, flowers, and tender young fruit are all edible, and are good simmered in butter for 10 min. Collect flowers and buds in early spring, young pods in early summer.

The red roots yield a dye.

An infusion of the roots and inner bark was used by the Alabama for congestion and fever. An infusion of the bark was used by the Cherokee to treat whooping cough, and by the Delaware (Okl.) to reduce fever and calm nausea.

Cornus florida L.

Flowering Dogwood

Cornaceae (Dogwood family)

Miami Terms: akanteemiši (M)

iihkalomiši (P)

iihkalwimini (fruit)

Use: arrows*, dye, medicine

Parts Used: branches, root, root bark

Botanical Description:

Smaller tree, with spreading to horizontal branches, 10-40’ tall, 8-18” wide. Bark checkered, dark reddish brown. Young twigs sometimes green, but mostly purple. Flower buds on long stalks. Flowers small, appearing in spring before the leaves, usually clustered in groups of 4, subtended by four large showy white or seldom pink bracts (not true petals), 3-4” across. Blooms March-June. Leaves opposite, 2-

5” long, elliptical, with 5-7 curved veins on either side of the midvein, hairless above, fine hairs beneath, short stalked, turning bright red in fall. Fruit a small, elliptical berry-like drupe, 3/8-5/8”, shiny red, clustered on the end of a long stalk, appearing from Aug.-Nov. Found in moist and dry soils of uplands and valleys, in old fields and the understory of hardwood forests. Commonly cultivated. Range from s.

Ontario, to sw. Maine, south to n. Fla., west to e. central Tex. and ne. Mexico, north and east to cent. Mich.

Miami Use:

The wood of dogwood trees was used to make bird arrows with blunt tips. Hickory wood was also

used for this purpose. Both sink in water (Dunn). Gatschet makes a special note of iihkalwimini

neehpikanki, the dogwood berry, observing that it was red. There are several species of dogwood in this

area, but the only one with a red fruit is the Eastern Flowering Dogwood, C. florida.

Other Use:

Powdered bark may be turned into a toothpaste, or mixed with iron sulphate to make a black ink.

Root bark yields a red dye.

An infusion of the root bark was used medicinally by the Cherokee and Houma to treat fevers and malaria. It was used as a general blood tonic by the Cherokee, Delaware (Okl.), Iroquois and the

Rappahannock.

Cornus sericea L.

Red Osier Dogwood

Cornaceae (Dogwood family)

Miami Term: neehpikaahkwi

Use: ceremonial, arrow poison

Parts Used: bark, sap

Botanical Description:

Small shrub with several main branches, or rarely a tree, usually less than 10’ tall, 3” in diameter.

Bark gray or brown, smooth or in flat plates. Twigs slender, purplish red, with rings at nodes and white pith. Leaves opposite, 1½-3½” long, elliptical, toothless, 5-7 long curved veins on each side of midvein, whitish green, with hairs beneath, turning red in fall. Flowers white, small, ¼”, in umbel-like clusters.

Blooms from May-Aug. Fruit a small, whitish drupe, from July-Oct. Found in moist soils, especially along streams, often forming thickets inside forests. Range from cent. Alaska east to Newfoundland, south to n. Va., scattered in the west to Calif. and n. Mexico.

Miami Use:

The dried bark of the Red Osier Dogwood was dried and scraped fine, and used for killikinnick

(Dunn, George Winter).

Other Use:

This plant was used ceremonially by several tribes, including the Apache, Cheyenne, Dakota,

Gosiute, Montana Indians, Ojibwa, Omaha, Ponca and Thompson Indians.

The Thompson Indians used the sap as an arrow poison.

Corylus americana Walter.

American Hazelnut

Betulaceae (Birch family)

Miami Terms: paahkiteensaahkwi

paahkiteensi (fruit)

Use: food

Part Used: nut

Botanical Description:

Shrub, to 10’ tall. Twigs and leaf stalks with stout hairs, bundle scars 3 or more. Blunt buds, with scales and false end buds. Leaves alternate, somewhat heart-shaped, with doubly toothed edges, 1-5”.

Separate male and female inflorescences. Blooms as the leaves appear, from March-May. Fruit a dry nut,

½”, in hairy, ragged edged husks, ½-1”, opening at one end to expose nut, from March-Sept. Found in dry or moist soils of thickets and along the edge of forests. Range from Saskatchewan east to Maine, south to

Ga., west to Okla. and Mo.

Miami Use:

None recorded

Other Use:

The nuts were eaten by many tribes, including the Cherokee, Chippewa, Dakota, Iroquois,

Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, Omaha, Ponca, Potawatomi, and Winnebago. Many tribes preferred the nuts while they were in the “milk stage,” before they were hardened and fully ripe. At this point, the meat is softer and sweeter. The nuts are also known as filberts. Be quick to gather them in late summer or early

fall, as they are a favorite of wildlife as well as humans. They may be eaten raw, roasted, ground into flour,

or candied.

Wild hazelnuts have more flavor than the European cultivars. Several cultivars are available. To

ensure cross pollination, plant at least two different cultivars a few yards apart. Hazelnuts do well as screen hedges around homes and along fences.

Diospyros virginiana L.

Common Persimmon

Ebenaceae (Ebony family)

Miami Terms: pyaakimišaahkwi

pyaakimini (fruit)

Use: food, tea

Parts Used: fruit, leaves

Botanical Description:

Shrub or tree, 20-70’ tall, 1-2’ in diameter, sometimes colonial. Bark black to brown, in small square scaly blocks. Twigs brown or gray, hairy. Buds with two scales, very dark, end buds false, 1 bundle scar. Leaves alternate, ovate or elliptical, toothless, hairless above, hairless to densely hairy below,

2-6” long, 1½-3” wide, turning yellow in fall. Flowers greenish-yellow, 4-lobed, bell shaped and fragrant.

Plants functionally dioecious (separate male and female plants), the female plants with nonfunctional

anthers. Blooms May-June. Fruit an orange to purplish-brown berry, 1½” in diameter, containing 4-8

large, flat seeds, mature before frost (Aug.-Oct.) and often persisting throughout winter. Found in moist

soils of valleys, dry uplands, roadsides, old fields, clearings and mixed forests. Range from e. Kans. and

extreme se. Iowa east to s. Conn., south to s. Fla., and west to cent. Tex.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate persimmon fruit.

Other Use:

The flavor of the fruit resembles that of dates. They are eaten fresh, or used to make pudding,

cake, beverages, and bread. They may also be dried and stored. The fruits are ripe around the time of the

first frost, but do not ripen because of the frost. To collect in bulk, spread a sheet under the tree, shake the

branches and separate the ripe from the unripe fruit. The pulp is rich in iron, potassium, and vitamin C.

The dried leaves may also be used to make a tea rich in vitamin C.

Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.

Beech

Fagaceae (Beech family)

Miami Term: sansakamiši*

Use: food, oil

Part Used: nut

Botanical Description:

Tall tree, 60-80’ tall, 1-3’ in diameter. Bark smooth gray. Twigs hairless or with long hairs, buds

with many scales, slender. Leaves elliptic, coarse-toothed, 1-5” long, 1-3” wide, turning yellow and brown

in fall. Male and female flowers on the same plant, the male inflorescence a small, drooping head, the

female flowers usually paired. Flowers from April-May. Fruit a small and triangular nut (3/8”), enclosed

in a bur-like husk (½-¾”), each containing 2-3 nuts, from Sept.-Oct. Found in rich, moist soils of upland

forests, and well drained soils of lowlands. Range from e. Wisc. east to s. Ontario and Nova Scotia, south

to n. Fla. and west to Tex.

Miami Use:

None recorded

Other Use:

The nuts were eaten by several tribes, including the Algonquin, Chippewa, Iroquois, Menominee,

Ojibwa and Potowatomi. Native Americans frequently relied on the winter stores of chipmunks and deer

mice. These were found in hollow logs or fallen trees when there was snow on the ground, or by the litter

around the cache. A single store could contain 4-8 quarts of nuts. This was an efficient way to gather nuts,

as it saved hours of collecting and shucking. Also, the mice only collect high quality nuts. The kernels are

good roasted and eaten whole or ground into flour. A high quality vegetable oil can be squeezed from the crushed kernels. Roasted, they may be used as a coffee substitute. Usually, only the trees in the north

produce large quantities of nuts. Collect them in October, when they fall to the ground during the first few frosts.

Fragaria vesca L.

Wood Strawberry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Term: ateehimini (fruit)

Use: food, tea

Parts Used: “fruit,” leaves

Botanical Description:

Like F. virginiana, but has flower stalks longer than the leaves, and the leaves are more sharply pointed. Also the “fruit” is more conical, with the seed-like fruit on the surface of the receptacle rather than in pits. Both flowers and fruit smaller. Found in moist, rocky woods and openings. Range from Canada and the n. U.S. south to Mo., Va.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate strawberries.

Other Use:

Both species of strawberry were widely used by Native Americans. The Ojibwa regarded the fruit of the

Wood Strawberry to be a delicacy, and used it ceremonially. See F. virginiana.

Fragaria virginiana Duchesne.

Common Strawberry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Term: ateehimini (fruit)

Use: food, tea, medicine

Parts Used: “fruit,” leaves, root

Botanical Description:

Low, perennial creeping herb, reproducing asexually by runners. Flowers white, small, ½-1” wide, on stalks usually shorter than the leaves, 3-6” long. 5 petals, 5 sepals, many pistils, many stamens.

Blooms Mar.-June. Leaves in basal rosettes, compound with 3 coarse-toothed leaflets, 2” long, on a long hairy stalk. Fruit small and seed-like, in depressions on red, fleshy, enlarged receptacle. Found in open fields, meadows and along the edges of woods. Range throughout North America, except for the Arctic

Islands and Greenland.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate strawberries.

Other Use:

Both species of strawberry were widely used by Native Americans. The fleshy red “fruit”

(enlarged receptacle) is good eaten raw, or turned into jelly and jam. Strawberries contain more vitamin C than an equal weight of oranges. The fruit is ripe from May-July, and the Potawatomi called June the moon of strawberries.

A tea, rich in vitamin C, can be made from the dried leaves.

An infusion of the root was used by the Ojibwa and Chippewa to treat “Cholera infantum” and stomach aches.

Fraxinus nigra Marsh.

Black Ash, Basket A.

Oleaceae (Olive family)

Miami Term: peepihkwilakiki*

Use: baskets

Part Used: wood

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 30-80’ tall, 1’ in diameter. Bark gray, corky and scaly. Twigs brown and stout. Leaves pinnately compound, opposite, 12-16” long, with 7-11 leaflets, lance shaped, finely toothed, stalkless, with tufts of rust-colored hairs on the midvein, each 3-5” long, 1-1½” wide. Flowers purplish, lacking petals and sepals, in small, many-flowered clusters, 1/8” long. Blooms from April-May, before the leaves appear. Separate male and female trees. Fruit a key, with a broad, oblong wing forming a flat body,

1-1½” long, in clusters, from June-Sept. Found in wet soils, swamps, bogs and streams, particularly in poorly drained cold standing water. Range from se. Manitoba east to Newfoundland, south to W. Virg., west to Iowa.

Miami Use:

Used for baskets (Dunn).

Other Use:

When short logs are repeatedly pounded on their ends, the wood splits along the growth rings.

This is then cut into strips and used for weaving. Black Ash was used by several tribes for making baskets, including the Abnaki, Chippewa, Malecite, Meskwaki, Micmac, and Ojibwa.

Gleditsia triacanthos L.

Honey Locust

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: akaawinšaahkwa

Use: snack

Part Used: fruit pulp

Botanical Description:

Tall tree, 70-80’ tall, 2-3’in diameter. Bark dark, somewhat scaly, with stout, branched thorns, several inches long. Leaves on spur shoots pinnately compound, those on long shoots are bipinnately- compound, 4-15”, with 3-7 pairs of pinnae, each with 9-14 pairs of leaflets, turning yellow in fall. Leaflets slightly toothed, oblong, 3/8-1½”. Leaf bases and scars encircling buds, end buds false, three bundle scars.

Flowers small and greenish, with separate male and female inflorescences. Blooms May-July. Fruit a flattened, twisted pod, 8-18” long, with numerous oval seeds, surrounded by sweet pulp, from Sept.-Feb.

Found in rich woods and fields, often in flood plains and dry upland limestone hills, also in waste places.

Range from se. S. Dak. east to Penn., south along Appalachian mountains to nw. Fla, west to se. Tex.

Similar to Water Locust (G. aquatica) but Honey Locust is larger, with narrower leaflets, thorns branching, and pods only 2” long. Also similar to Black Locust (Robinia pseudo-acacia), but Honey

Locust is branched, unpaired thorns, while Black Locust has unbranched, paired thorns. CAUTION: Do

not confuse pods with those of the POISONOUS Kentucky Coffee-tree (Gymnocladus dioica), which is

thornless, has larger leaves and smaller pods.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The sweet pulp from unripe fruit makes a tasty snack.

Helianthus tuberosus L.

Jerusalem Artichoke

Asteraceae (Aster family)

Miami Term: oonsaapeekateeki

Use: food

Part Used: tubers

Botanical Description:

Perennial wildflower, 3-10’ tall, branching at tops. Stem green or brown, rough-hairy. Leaves with three main veins, broad, rough, lance-shaped, with winged stalks, upper leaves alternate, lower opposite, 4-10” long. Flower sunflower-like, 2-3” wide, 12-20 “petals” (ray flowers), inner disc yellow, bracts narrow and long-pointed. Blooms from Aug-Oct. Fruit dry, egg-shaped, hairy, less than ¼” long.

Found in moist soil in fields, roadsides, ditches, waste areas, damp thickets and along fencerows and streambanks. Range from Saskatchewan east to Ontario, south to Ga., west to Ark. and Okla., also found in the northwest, except in the far north.

Miami Use:

The tubers were eaten (Dunn).

Other Use:

The tuberous roots of Jerusalem Artichoke were used as food by the Cherokee, Cheyenne,

Chippewa, Dakota, Hopi, Huron, Iroquois, Lakota, Malecite, Micmac, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Potawatomi and Winnebago. This plant was often cultivated for its tubers. They may be eaten raw, or prepared like potatoes. They may also be boiled briefly, and pickled for a few weeks in wine vinegar. Consume in moderation, as this plant may cause gas. Baking them slowly makes them sweeter and more digestable.

Collect the tubers between the first frost and before the spring shoots emerge. One plant will produce 2-6 tubers, spreading 2 or more feet from the plant. Domesticated plants may produce more. To store tubers

over the winter, bury in a leaf insulated pit two feet deep. Cover with more leaves, then place a board and a few plastic bags full of leaves on top. They will store this way for 2-3 weeks. Jerusalem Artichoke is high in iron, and low in fat and carbohydrates. The sugar content of the tubers increases as they are stored.

The flower buds may be collected in the summer, and are good boiled, and served with butter.

Juglans cinerea L.

Butternut

Juglandaceae (Walnut family)

Miami Terms: kiinošiši

kiinošiši pakaani (fruit)

Use: food, oil, syrup, dye, medicine

Parts Used: nut, husk, sap, root, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 40-80’ tall, 1-2’ in diameter. Bark light gray, smooth to rough and deeply furrowed. Twigs brown and stout, with sticky hairs and chambered pith. Leaves pinnately compound, 15-

24” long, with 11-17 leaflets. Leaflets 2-4½”, broadly lance-shaped, unequal at base, finely toothed, stalkless, slightly hairy above and soft hairs beneath, turning yellow or brown in fall. Fruit an oily nut, surrounded by a thick husk with 2 ridges and sticky, rust-colored hairs. Nut shell thick and light brown.

Found in moist or dry, rocky soils of hardwood forests in valleys or on slopes. Range from e. Minn. east to s. Quebec and sw. New Brunswick, south to n. Georgia, west to Ark. Not in Oklahoma. Similar to Black

Walnut (J. nigra) but leaves usually with end leaflet, and fruit oblong and sticky. Butternut is becoming very rare due to disease.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The nuts of Butternut were eaten by several tribes, including the Quebec Algonquin, Cherokee,

Iroquois, Menominee, Meskwaki, and Potawatomi. The nuts become rancid quickly, and should be harvested quickly after maturing from Oct-Nov. The immature fruits may be boiled and pickled. The nuts

are especially oily. The oil was used for cooking and ceremonially anointing the head. See Black Walnut,

J. nigra.

Butternut may be tapped in early spring for the sap to make syrup. See Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum.

The husk of the fruit yields a yellow or orange dye. The roots and inner bark give a brown or black dye.

The Potawatomi made a tea from the inner bark to treat upset stomachs.

Juglans nigra L.

Eastern Black Walnut, American W.

Juglandaceae (Walnut family)

Miami Terms: myaalweehki (Wea)

ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P)

ayoonseeki (fruit, M, P)

myaalweehki pakaani (fruit, Wea)

Use: war bows, food, oil, syrup, medicine, dye

Parts Used: wood, nuts, husks, sap, leaves

Botanical Description:

Medium to tall tree, 70-100’ tall, 2-4’ wide. Bark dark brown, rough and deeply furrowed.

Young twigs brown and stout. Leaves large, 1-2’ long, and pinnately compound, often lacking terminal

leaflet, mildly spicy scented, turning yellow in fall. Leaflets 7-23, narrow and toothed, broadly lance-

shaped, mostly hairless above, hairy beneath, 2½-5” long. Fruit a distinctly 2-valved nut inside a hard,

blackish brown shell, attached to a fleshy spherical green husk, 1½-2½” in diameter, appearing from Oct.-

Nov. Found in rich, moist, well drained soil, along streams and in deciduous woods. Range from s. Minn,

east to s. Ontario and w. Mass., south to nw. Fla., and west to e. Texas. Similar to Butternut (J. cinerea),

but leaves often without terminal leaflet, fruit more rounded and not sticky.

Miami Use:

No recorded use.

Other Use:

Black Walnuts were eaten by a number of tribes, including the Cherokee, Comanche, Dakota,

Iroquois, Kiowa, Lakota, Meskwaki, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, and Winnebago. The nuts are quite

nutritious, having 50% more protein per pound than meat. They may be consumed fresh, or dipped in

sugar to make a candy. They may also be ground into a flour. Crushed nuts when boiled will give a high quality cooking oil, which separates from the water. The nuts are harvested in autumn, when they fall to the ground, from Sept.-Oct. The husks must be taken off, and the nuts dried. One way to remove the husks is to run them over with a car. CAUTION: The juice will stain hands and clothing. Spread the nuts in the sun for 2-3 weeks to dry them, and then crack them open.

The sap can be tapped in early spring to make syrup. See Sugar Maple, Acer saccharum.

A dark brown or black dye can be made from the nuts and husks.

The Cherokee used a poultice of the leaves to treat ringworm. The Delaware (Okl.) used a poultice of the husks for the same thing.

Black Walnut is one of the most desirable of the native hardwoods, and is now relatively scarce.

The wood commands such a high price that some trees have actually been stolen off properties.

Juniperus virginiana L.

Eastern Red Cedar

Cupressaceae (Cypress family)

Miami Term: šiinkwaahkwa (P)

(generic evergreen term)

Use: war bows, ceremonial, medicine, dye

Parts Used: wood, twigs, fruit, root, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 40’-50’ tall, 1-2’ in diameter. In open, windy areas may be shrubby and creeping. Leaves evergreen, the older leaves scale-like and the younger needle-like or awl-shaped, 1/16”-

¾”, opposite along four rows, on leaders. Twigs 4-sided. Bark reddish brown, dry, fibrous and shredding.

Cones surrounded by fleshy tissue, berry-like, dark blue or whitish to blackish green, ¼” in diameter, aromatic, juicy, sweet, containing 1-2 seeds. Found in dry uplands, especially on limestone, also in flood plains and swamps, often along fencerows, sometimes in scattered pure stands. Range from North Dak. east to s. Ontario, Maine and s. Quebec, south to n. Fla., west to Tex. Native in 37 states.

Miami Use:

Used to make the shorter or war bows. Black Locust and Mulberry were also used for this. Also, the dried leaves were rubbed fine and used ceremonially (Dunn).

Other Use:

A compound decoction of twigs, fruits, and/or roots was used to treat rheumatism as an herbal steam by the Chippewa and Delaware (Okl.). It was used internally by the Chippewa and Iroquois.

Smoke from smoldering branches was used to treat colds and coughs by several tribes. A decoction of fruits and leaves was also used for this purpose.

The Ojibwa used the inner bark as a mahogany colored dye.

The boughs were placed on top of tepee poles by several tribes to ward off lightening.

Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume

Spicebush

Lauraceae (Laurel family)

Miami Terms: wiinaahkatwi

Use: tea, spice

Parts Used: twigs, bark, crushed berries, leaves

Botanical Description:

A highly branched shrub to 15’. Bark smooth. Leaves aromatic, elliptic, untoothed, smooth, 2-6”.

Flowers yellow, with 6 petal-like sepals. Blooms from March to May, before the leaves. Fruit an aromatic

berry, green when unripe, yellow or red when ripe, from July to Sept. Found in damp woods along

streams. Range from Mo. and Iowa, east through s. Mich. and s. Ontario to sw. Maine, south to Fla. and

west to Tex.

Miami Use:

Made a tea called wiinaahkatwaapowi (Dunn).

Other Use:

Steep 1 handful of twigs, bark, crushed berries, or young leaves in 4 cups of water for 15 minutes

to make a pleasant tea. This was widely drunk for its restorative qualities and as a tonic.

Dried and powdered berries are a substitute for allspice. The Cherokee used the berries to season

meats with strong tastes, such as groundhog and opossum.

Liriodendron tulipifera L.

Tulip-tree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip P.

Magnoliaceae (Magnolia family)

Miami Terms: oonseentiaahkwi

oonseentia (alt. form)

Use: canoes

Part Used: trunk

Botanical Description:

Very tall tree, 50-120’ tall, 2-6’ wide, sometimes larger. Bark dark gray, thick and deeply furrowed. Twigs brown, hairless, ring scars at nodes, chambered pith. Leaves simple, with 4-6 short pointed lobes, overall leaf shape somewhat square, 3-10”, turning yellow in fall. Flowers cup-shaped, 1½-

2”, 4 green sepals, six petals, green at tips, orange in the center, with many large yellow pistils. Blooms from May-June. Fruit light brown, cone-like, 3” long, an aggregate of 1-1½” 1 or 2 seeded, winged nutlets, appearing from Sept.-Nov., with the central stalks persisting throughout the winter. Found in moist, well drained soil of valleys and slopes. Sometimes in pure stands. Range from se. Mo. east to cent. Mich. and

Vermont, south to n. Fla. and west to Louisiana.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Early American settlers introduced this native North American tree to Europe because of its high commercial value. A single trunk was hollowed out to make a long and lightweight canoe.

Maclura pomifera (Raf.) Schneid.

Osage Orange, Bodark

Moraceae (Mulberry family)

Miami Term: oonsaawaahkwa

Use: bows, dye

Parts Used: branches, wood chips, root bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, coppiced, with several main stems, 50-60’ tall, 1-2’ wide. Bark gray to orange-brown, furrowed, fibrous, inner root bark orange and papery. Milky sap. Twigs may have thorns, buds ball-shaped, end buds false. Leaves 2-5” long, 1½ -3” wide, smooth edge, turning yellow in fall.

Fruit a large, grapefruit sized green ball, 3-5” in diameter, with small ridges, appearing in Oct. Found in moist soils in valleys. Native to e. Tex., se. Okla., and sw. Ark., now widely planted and escaped.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The wood was used to make bows by the Comanche, Kiowa, Omaha, Pawnee, Pima, Ponca,

Seminole, and the Tewa. One of the names of this plant, Bodark, comes from the French bois d’arc, which means “bow wood.”

Boiled wood chips and root bark yield a yellow dye.

Osage Orange is widely cultivated, and often planted as a living fencerow.

Morchella esculenta, M. spp.

Common Morel, Yellow M., and others

Morchellaceae (Morel family)

Miami Term: minohsakayi

Use: food

Part Used: fruiting body

Botanical Description:

Mushroom. Cap spongelike, oval to bluntly cone shaped, tan to grayish, with deep pits and whitish ridges. 2-4” tall. Found in moist woods, often in oak ridges or stands of tulip poplar with

Mayapples (Podophyllum peltatum) growing underneath, also in old apple orchards and burned fields.

Found in spring.

CAUTION: Do not confuse with false morels. True morels appear only in the spring. Time of

fruiting varies based on your location, but generally sometime around April Their false look-alikes appear

in the spring, summer and fall.

Miami Use:

The morels are eaten (Dunn).

Other Use:

Morels are prepared like mushrooms. Good sautéed in butter.

CAUTION: Morels contain a chemical that interferes with the body’s metabolism of alcohol. Do not drink alcohol within 2 hours of eating morels.

Morus rubra L.

Red Mulberry

Moraceae (Mulberry family)

Miami Terms: mihtekwapimiši

mihtekwapimina (fruit)

Use: food, bows, fiber

Parts Used: fruit, wood, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, to 70’ tall, 2-3’ in diameter. Bark red-brown. Twigs brown and hairless, with milky sap in twigs and leafstalks. Leaves alternate, fine-toothed, rough above, hairy below, often with 2-3 lobes, 3 main veins arising from an unequal base, 3-7” long, 2½-5“ wide, turning yellow in autumn. Plants monoecious (male and female flowers on the same plant) or dioecious (separate male and female plants).

Flowers tiny, in hanging clusters. Fruit hanging, compound, green or pink when unripe, purple when ripe, approx. 1” long, resembling a blackberry, appearing from May-July. Found in rich soil in open woods, along fencerows and in flood plains. Range from se. Minn. east through s. Ontario to sw. Vt., south to s.

Fla., west to cent. Tex.

Miami Use:

The fruits were gathered and cooked as a vegetable. The wood was used for making bows (Dunn).

Other Use:

The fresh and dried fruits were eaten by several tribes, including the Cherokee, Comanche,

Iroquois, Omaha and the Seminole. They may also be made into jelly. To make juice, crush the berries and collect the juice, add lemon and honey, and chill. The fruits are quite refreshing, and not as sweet as many fruits. Gather the fruits in early summer, from May-July.

The young shoots can be gathered when the leaves are first appearing in the spring. These are

POISIONOUS, but become edible after 20 minutes of boiling.

WARNING: Unripe fruits and raw shoots are POISONOUS.

The inner bark yields a fiber, which may be used like that of Basswood.

Nelumbo lutea (Willd.) Pers.

American Lotus, Water Chinquapin,

Yellow Water Lily

Nelumbonaceae (Lotus family)

Miami Term: poohkhšikwalia

Use: food

Parts Used: roots, leaves, seeds

Botanical Description:

Aquatic plant. Leaves either held above water (up to 3’), or floating on the surface, leafstalk attached in the center of the leaves, cup shaped if held above the water, flat and disc-like if floating on the surface, 1-2’ wide. Flowers perfect, with many pale yellow petals and petal-like sepals, with one fading into the other, flowers 6-10” wide, receptacle 3-4” wide, with numerous pits containing the pistils. Blooms from July-Sept. Fruit dry and nut-like, embedded in round, flat-topped structures. Found in ponds and quiet streams. Range from Minn. east to Maine, south to Fla., west to Tex., mostly west of the

Appalachians.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate the roots and seeds of this plant. Dunn notes, “the common mode of its preparation by the Miami women was to gather the roots (tubers), soak them in lye to loosen the skin, and then peel and boil them. The seeds were likewise soaked in lye, and shelled. Of these they made soup or cooked them as desired.” DeGannes observed, “these give them no trouble to prepare; they merely cut [the root] into pieces half as thick as ones wrist, string them, and hang them to dry in the sun or in the smoke.”

Trowbridge mentioned that these dried pieces were then often boiled with meat or eaten raw.

Other Use:

This plant was used as food by many tribes including the Comanche, Dakota, Huron, Meskwaki,

Ojibwa, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Potawatomi and Winnebago. The enlarged rootstock may be boiled like sweet potatoes. Gather the roots from the fall to early spring. The young leaves while still unrolling can be collected in spring, and prepared like spinach. The immature seeds may be eaten raw or cooked. The kernel of the fruit while green can be boiled, salted, and buttered, and it tastes like sweet corn. Kernels from ripe seeds may be eaten like nuts or ground into flour. Collect seeds just as they mature in the summer and fall. This plant is high in starch and protein.

Nicotiana rustica L.

Wild Tobacco

Solanaceae (Nightshade family)

Miami Terms: ahseema (plant or material)

myaamia ahseema (specific variety)

Use: ceremonial, insecticide, medicine

Part Used: leaves

Botanical Description:

Coarse annual, 1.5-3.5 feet tall. Leaves alternate, simple, entire, ovate to elliptic, 4-8 inches long, fleshy with sticky hairs. Inflorescence a panicle, individual flowers green-yellow, tubular, broadly cylindrical, ½-3/4” long, less than ½” wide. Fruit a capsule, with many small seeds. Range is Andean

South America, from Ecuador to Bolivia, sporadically naturalized in eastern U.S., commonly cultivated in

Europe and Asia. Once widely cultivated and naturalized in North America, now very rare or extinct outside of cultivation.

Closely related to N. tabacum, which is the species used by the tobacco industry, which has white, pink or red flowers, and is more of a stout annual, 3-10’ tall.

Miami Use:

The Miami raised a variety of tobacco called miamia sama. It does not grow as large as other varieties. It was only used on special occasions such as when one went to the doctor. (Dunn).

Other Use:

This is the older species of tobacco. It is thought to have originated in Peru, following the hybridization of N. paniculata and N. undulata. There is speculation as to how the plant was introduced to

Mexico and eastern North America, whether as a weed, a cultivated plant, or a wild plant. Since its seeds are small, it could have reached new areas by natural means. It is cultivated in Mexico and the eastern

U.S., but less so in South America, where N. tabacum, the other species of smoking tobacco, appears to have become the major cultivated variety. N. tabacum is the species of choice for the commercial tobacco industry. Both species contain high levels of nicotine, the chemical which makes tobacco addictive. N. rustica has nearly 15 times the nicotine content as N. tabaccum. This may be one reason why N. rustica is used primarily for ceremonial purposes, while N. tabaccum is the species of choice for recreational use.

WARNING: Smoking causes cancer.

A decoction of the leaves has been used as a natural herbicide for hundreds of years.

Tobacco was used by the Cherokee and Iroquois to treat insect bites.

Nymphaea odorata Aiton.

White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L.

Nymphaeaceae (Water Lily family)

Miami Terms: mahkohpena

Use: food, medicine

Parts Used: roots, leaves, flower buds, seeds

Botanical Description:

Aquatic plant. Leaves the familiar “lily pad,” on long stalks, round, 4-12” wide, with a single cleft, green above, purplish red beneath. Flowers large, white and showy, 3-5” wide, with yellow stamens, four green sepals, many petals. Blooms only in the morning, from June-Sept. The most common native white flowered water lily. Found in ponds, shallow lakes and quiet water. Range from Minn. and

Saskatchewan east to Newfoundland, south to Fla. and west to Tex. Widely distributed in the west.

Miami Use:

The roots were collected, dried and eaten. Trowbridge notes, “[the root] is very tough and requires considerable preparation before it is fit for use. They find it as large as a mans [sic] wrist and one to two feet long. After taking up a considerable quantity of it, they dig a hole in the ground, upon the bottom of which they place a layer of stones, on these a layer of wood and on top another layer of stones.

They set the wood on fire, and when it is consumed they cover the heated stones with dry moss, and then throw into the hole the mukoapineek [N. odorata]. This is covered with grass or moss, and bark, and having filled the hole with water, they cover it with earth. They suffer it to remain untouched for five days, when they take out the roots and cut them into small pieces, after which they are dried upon a scaffold and put away for use. They are preserved in this way for a year, and whenever they have use for them, they throw a quantity into the soup kettle before the meat is thoroughly cooked.” DeGannes recorded a similar preparation: “I have seen the women pull the roots up from the ground at the bottom of the water into which they wade sometimes up to the waist, so that they often duck their heads under the water to pluck

them up. There are some as big as ones leg. The savages assert that they are poisonous when raw, which I hardly believe. The women have peculiar difficulty in cooking them. Sometimes three or four cabins combine and dig a hole in the ground five or six feet deep and ten or twelve square. They throw a great deal of wood into it, which they set on fire and when it is aflame they throw in a number of rocks, which they take care to turn over with a big lever until they are all red; then they go in quest of a large quantity of grass which they get at the bottom of the water and which they spread as well as they can over these rocks to the thickness of about a foot, after which they throw on many buckets of water and then as fast as they can each cabin puts its roots in its own place, covering them over with dry grass and bark and finally earth.

They leave them thus for three days. They shrink to half their former size.” The root was also used

medicinally in an unspecified manner (Dunn).

Other Use:

Collect the tubers from fall until early spring. The young, unrolled leaves and unopened flowers

are edible and may be boiled for 5-10 and served with butter. Collect the leaves in spring and the flower

buds in summer. The seeds may be fried like popcorn, or parched, and ground into flour or creamed like

corn. They are high in starch, oil, and protein. Collect the seeds in the fall.

CAUTION: Some tribes, including the Miami, considered the root to be poisonous, at least when raw.

Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf.

Eastern Prickly Pear

Cactaceae (Cactus family)

Miami Term: ilenoonkwia

Use: food

Parts Used: fruit, pads

Botanical Description:

A clustering cactus, 1’ tall, clusters to 3’ wide. Flowers radially symmetric, with many flower

parts, yellow, 2-3” wide. Spines 1-2, or absent, with tufts of barbed glochids (bristles) at their base.

Blooms May-Aug. Fruit a large, green to purple berry, from Aug.-Oct. Stems flat, fleshy, green pads.

Found in sandy or rocky soils, in clearings. Range from s. Minn. and S. Dak. east to Quebec and Mass.,

south to Fla., west to e. Tex. Often cultivated.

Miami Use:

Thought by Dunn to be a mushroom, Gatschet identified it as the prickly pear. No use recorded

Other Use:

The fleshy pulp of the fruit is juicy, refreshing, and not as sweet as many fruits. To remove the

bristles on the skin of the fruit, wipe it with a moist cloth. It is best to remove the skin and the seeds. Save the seeds because they can be ground into a flour or soup thickener. Collect the fruit in late summer or fall.

The tender pads are edible as well, peel them and prepare like green beans. Collect in spring or early summer.

Panax quinquefolius L.

American Ginseng

Araliaceae (Ginseng family)

Miami Term: piloohsa

Use: tonic, stimulant

Part Used: root

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 8-24” tall. Leaves 1-5, but mostly 4, whorled, palmately compound with 3-7 leaflets, each 5-12” long, leaflets stalked, toothed. Inflorescence an umbel of small, greenish-white or greenish-yellow flowers, arising from a whorl of leaves, 1/16” wide, 5 petals. Blooms May-Aug. Fruit a cluster of red berry-like drupes. Root large, shaped somewhat like the human form. Found in cool, moist woods. Range from Minn. east to Quebec, south to n. Fla., west to Oklahoma. Ginseng is a

THREATENED species, due to over collection.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Ginseng was used by many tribes, including the Cherokee, Creek, Delaware, Meskwaki, Houma,

Iroquois, Menominee, Micmac, Mohegan, Pawnee, Penobscot and Potowatomi. It was used as a general tonic, to give energy, increase fertility and for many other uses. It was also said to act synergistically with other medicines, enhancing their effects.

Ginseng is highly prized by herbalists – particularly in the Orient – for promoting general good health. It is also been used as an aphrodisiac, and a heart stimulant.

Over collection has resulted in depleting populations severely. It is now classified as a threatened species in throughout its range in 31 eastern states, and is included on the CITES list, which limits inter- state trade.

Phytolacca americana L.

Pokeweed

Phytolaccaceae (Pokeweed family)

Miami Term: maamilaneewiaahkwia

maamilaneewia (fruit)

Use: paint, food, medicine

Parts Used: fruits, shoots, leaves, root

Botanical Description:

Perennial, to 10’ tall. Stems reddish purple. Leaves alternate, 5-12” long, elliptical. Plants dioecious (with separate male and female plants), or flowers perfect, in a pendulous raceme, individual flowers ¼” wide, 5 white petal-like sepals. Blooms June-Oct. Fruit a cluster of dark purple berries, ¼” wide. Found in open woods, damp thickets, clearings and roadsides. Range from Minn. east through s.

Ontario to New Brunswick, south to Fla., west to Tex. Also found west of the Rockies.

Miami Use:

Dunn gives conflicting reports of the Miami use of pokeweed. In one account he says that the young shoots were used with other greens, but in another says they were not eaten. The berries were used as a paint. The berries were also used as a medicine. Soaked in whiskey, they were used to treat rheumatism. The pulverized boiled root was used as a poultice (Dunn).

Other Use:

While it is questionable whether the Miami ate pokeweed, other tribes did, including the

Cherokee, Iroquois, Malecite and Mohegan. The young shoots (up to 6”, or the leafy tips) are edible if they are collected before the pink color appears on the stem. Boil them for 20-30 minutes in at least two changes of water until tender. Boil peeled stalks for 15 minutes. One recipe: peel stalks and cut them lengthwise. Dip in egg, roll in cornmeal and fry like fish. Collect young shoots in spring. To store until

winter, boil for 10 minutes, drain, and freeze in an airtight container. CAUTION: Berries, roots and purple

shoots are poisonous. Berries will stain clothing.

The juice from the berries is used as a red dye, and has been used to color canned fruit and cheap wine. It is also mixed with sugar and sour grapes to make a beverage. CAUTION: There is some debate regarding whether the berries are toxic. The best advice is to avoid consuming them.

Pokeweed was widely used by Native Americans to treat rheumatism and swollen joints. The

Cherokee used an infusion of the berries, or berry wine to treat rhematism. Roots were also used. The

Delaware (Okl.) used a strong infusion of the root as an herbal steam to treat rheumatism. The

Rappahannock used a fermented infusion of the leaves to treat rheumatism.One recipie to treat rheumatism was toasted and crushed pokeweed roots, along with sarsaparilla and mountain grape bark used externally.

A poultice of the root was used by the Iroquois to treat sprains, bruises and swollen joints. The plant has other medicinal uses as well. The leaves were used to treat acne. A compound infusion of the plant was

used to combat poison ivy rash. To remove warts, apply a poultice of the root until it bleeds.

Dried berries were also used to make necklaces.

Planera aquatica J. F. Gmel.*

Water Elm

Ulmaceae (Elm family)

Miami Term: apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi

Use*: canoes, tables, boxes

Parts Used: wood, bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 30-40’ tall, 1’ in diameter. Bark light brown or gray, scaly, inner layers red- brown. Flowers appearing with the leaves in the spring. Leaves alternate, ovate with unequal, rounded base, with blunt, glandular teeth, 2-3” long. Fruit elliptical, drupe-like, warty, dry and indehiscent, 3/8” long, from April-May. Found in wet soil along riverbanks and swamps, especially in areas commonly flooded. Range from s. Mo. east through Ill. and w. Ky., south to Fla. and west to Texas. Uncommon.

Miami Use*:

Dunn noted, “for canoes used hickory (pig nut best) or water elm – cut down tree and peeled off with flat stick – bark loose in spring when beginning to leaf out – other times had to pound it to loosen – this kind also used for tables for drying corn, berries, fruits, etc. Laid on poles placed in forked sticks.

Also used for sugar troughs – bend ends up and fasten them. When through would soak them and

straighten them out and lay them up like shingles when dry to use next year. Would serve for several years.

Also made boxes of it.”

Other Use:

None recorded.

Platanus occidentalis L.

Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree

Platanaceae (Sycamore family)

Miami Term: kaakihšaahkatwi

Use: canoes, drinking source

Parts Used: wood, sap

Botanical Description:

Large tree, 50-100’ tall, 3-8’ (14’) in diameter. Bark brown, which flakes off in large pieces to

reveal white to yellowish underbark. Leaves alternate, nearly hairless, 3-5 lobes, wavy edge, with large

teeth, 4-10” long. Leaf stalks and bud scars surrounding buds. Twigs greenish, slender, and often zig-

zagged. Buds with a single scale, end bud false. Many bundle scars. Plants monoecieous, with male and

female flowers on the same plant. Flowers small, in globose heads, April-June. Fruits small, long haired

and packed tightly into a ball hanging from a long stalk, ¾“ – 1½” in diameter. They are easily torn apart

to reveal a small, woody core. Fruits in Oct., and last through the winter. Found in wet soils along streams,

floodplains, near lakes and swamps, often dominant in mixed forest. From e. Neb. east to s. Maine, south

to nw. Fla., west to central Tex. Closely resembles the London Planetree (P. x acerifolia, a hybrid between

the Sycamore and the Oriental Planetree, Platanus orientalis) which usually has 2 or more fruit clusters per

stalk, and have more yellowish underbark.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Trunks used by some Native Americans to make dugouts. One canoe was 65’ long and weighed

9000 pounds. The tree may be tapped like the Sugar Maple (A. saccharum), and although the sap yields a

relatively poor syrup, it provides an excellent drinking source in areas with contaminated water.

Podophyllum peltatum L.

Mayapple, “Mandrake”

Berberidaceae (Barberry family)

Miami Terms: kahkiteemišaahkwi

kahkiteemiši (alt. form)

kahkiteemini (fruit)

Use: food, medicine, insecticide

Parts Used: fruit, root, whole plant

Botanical Description:

A colony forming biennial, with a single leaf during the first year, and two leaves and a single flower arising from the leaf axil the second year, 12-18” tall. Flowers with 6 or 9 white petals, yellow stamens, nodding, 1-2” wide, from March-June. Leaves large, deeply cleft, to 12” wide. Fruit egg-shaped,

2-3 inches long, initially green, turning lemon-yellow when ripe in late summer. Found in rich woods and openings. Range from Minn. east to w. Quebec and Nova Scotia, south to Fla., west to Tex.

Miami Use:

According to Dunn, the Miami don’t eat may-apples.

Other Use:

Although the Miami may not have eaten mayapples, the fruit was eaten by the Cherokee,

Chippewa, Iroquois, Menominee and Meskwaki. Enjoy, but be careful - the roots, leaves, seeds, and unripe

green fruit are POISONOUS and strongly cathartic. They should not be eaten. However, the lemon-

colored ripe fruit is edible, though somewhat of a laxative. The pulp (not the seeds) may be eaten raw,

cooked, dried, or made into a preserve (add pectin). The juice is good added to lemonade. Eat in

moderation to avoid gastric upset. Collect the fruit as the plant is dying, in late summer, Aug.-early Sept.

Mayapple was widely used for medicinal purposes. The roots were used by several tribes as a laxative and purgative. They were also used as a cathartic. Powdered root was used on ulcers and sores.

The “root ooze” was used by the Cherokee to soak corn seeds before planting, to discourage bugs and birds from eating them. The Iroquois mixed a decoction of the plant and used it when sprouting corn as well. They called it “corn medicine.” The Menominee used a decoction of the whole plant on potato plants to kill potato bugs. The root joints are considered especially poisonous.

Populus deltoides Marsh.

Eastern Cottonwood

Salicaceae (Willow family)

Miami Term: waapaahkoonseentia*

Use: ceremonial

Part Used: unknown

Botanical Description:

Large tree, often with stout forks, 40-100’ tall, 3-4’ or larger in diameter. Young bark is smooth and yellow-green, older bark is rough, furrowed and light gray. Twigs yellowish, with sticky buds. Leaves are triangular, with curved, coarse teeth, 2-8” long and 3-5” wide, turning yellow in fall. Leafstalks long and flattened, with 2-5 glands at the base. Fruit light brown, in a catkin to 8” long of elliptical capsules,

containing 3-18 cottony seeds, ½” long, mature in spring. Found along streams and wet soils of valleys,

often in pure stands or with willows. Pioneer plant on sandbanks and open floodplains. Range from s.

Alberta east through the n. U.S., s. Quebec. and New Hampshire, south to nw. Fla., west to w. Texas.

This is the only of the four species of native poplars with flattened leafstalks with glands. A

subspecies called Plains Cottonwood (var. occidentalis Rydb.) is found in the western area of the range and

has more coarsely toothed leaves which are often wider than long, and slightly smaller than Eastern

Cottonwood.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The Delaware (Okl.) and the Montana Indians added this plant to the killikinnick.

Populus tremuloides Michx.

Quaking Aspen

Salicaceae (Willow family)

Miami Term: siipiomeekwa*

Use: ceremonial, medicine

Part Used: bark

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 20-70’ tall, 1-2’ wide, narrow form. Bark whitish, smooth and thin, gets thicker, darker and furrowed with age. Twigs shiny-brown without hairs. Leaves nearly rounded, with a

short point at the tip, finely toothed, leafstalks flattened, 2-6” long, turning golden-yellow in the fall.

Leaves tremble in the breeze. Fruit catkins (4”) of conical green capsules (¼”), splitting into two parts to

release many tiny, cottony seeds, mature in late spring. In the West, reproduction is mostly asexual via root

sprouts. Found in moist woods and streambanks, often in burned or clearcut areas, especially on sandy or

gravelly slopes. Range is widely distributed across northern North America, from Alaska east to

Newfoundland, south to Virginia, in the Rocky Mountains south to Mexico and New Mexico.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

This plant was added to the killikinnick by the Montana Indians, and was smoked ceremonially by

the Hopi.

A poultice of bark was applied to cuts and wounds by the Chippewa, Ojibwa, and Sikani.

Portulaca oleracea L.

Common Purslane

Portulacaceae (Purslane family)

Miami Term: koohkooša awiilawi

Use: food

Parts Used: above ground parts

Botanical Description:

Creeping herb, branches to 1’ long. Stems smooth, thick, fleshy, and reddish. Leaves succulent, mostly alternate, sometimes opposite, flat and ovate, ½-1½” long. Flowers solitary or in small round clusters, usually 5 petals, 2 sepals, ¼” wide. Blooms May-Nov, only on sunny mornings. Fruit a small capsule, containing small black seeds. Introduced from Europe, probably originally from s. Asia, this plant is widely cultivated and has escaped to waste areas, commonly found in cracks of sidewalks and in gardens.

Range is most of North America, except in the arctic.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Purslane was eaten by many tribes, including the Apache, Chiricahua, Mescalaro, Hopi, Iroquois,

Isleta, Western Keres, Laguna, Luiseño, Navajo, Gila River Pima, and the Tewa. It is a highly nutritious wild edible. Purslane contains lots of iron, as well as vitamins A and C, calcium and phosphorous. The fleshy stems and leaves are good in salads or boiled for 10 minutes. Good to thicken soups and stews. The stems may also be pickled. Collect in the summer, from June-Sept., and dry for winter storage. The seeds can be ground into a flour. To harvest the seeds, dry the plants for a few weeks, then pound them and sift.

Collect seeds in late summer. If starting plants from seed, the seeds require light to germinate.

Prunus americana Marsh.

American Plum

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Terms: atehseemišaahkwa

ateehseemina (fruit)

Use: food, medicine, brooms

Parts Used: fruit, root bark, branches

Botanical Description:

A thicket forming shrub, or a short, stocky tree, to 30’ tall, 1’ in diameter. Bark shaggy to scaly and dark brown. Twigs light brown, hairless, sometimes thorny. Flowers white, 1” wide, with 5 petals, in stalked clusters of 2-5. Blooms in early spring, before leaves appear, from April-June. Leaves alternate, elliptical, pointed, coarsely and often doubly toothed, veins slightly sunken from above, slightly hairy beneath, 2½-4” long, 1½” wide, leafstalk not glandular. Fruit a plum, less than 1” in diameter, thick red skin, pulp somewhat sour with a large stone, mature in summer, Aug.-Oct. Found in moist soils of thickets, prairies, pastures, and woodlands on valley and upland slopes. Range from Montana and se. Saskatchewan east to N.H., south to Fla, and west to Okla.

Miami Use:

Plums were eaten by the Miamis.

Other Use:

Many tribes ate the fruit of the American Plum, including the Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne,

Chippewa, Crow, Dakota, Iroquois, Isleta, Kiowa, Lakota, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, and

Winnebago. The fruit is good fresh, dried, or used in jellies and jams (requires pectin). There are several hundred recorded varieties for this species, some of which are cultivated for their sweet fruit. Collect in the midsummer and fall, particularly in August.

Several tribes valued the fruits for their astringent properties, using them to treat cuts, wounds, sores and mouth cankers. The bark and root bark was boiled, and applied as a decoction or poultice to abrasions. The Omaha timed the planting of corn, beans, and squash based on the blooming of the wild plum. The twigs are quite flexible, and when tied together make nice brooms. This plant is often grown for erosion control, and spreads by root sprouts.

Prunus serotina Ehrh.

Black Cherry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Terms: katoohwakimišaahkwi

katoohwakimini (fruit)

Use: food, medicine

Parts Used: fruit, bark

Botanical Description:

Small or large tree, 60-80’ tall, 2-3’ wide. Bark aromatic, old bark dark, scaly and fissured, young bark and inner bark red-brown. Leaves elliptical, narrow, blunt-toothed, 2-6” long, midrib with white to brown hairs, 15 or more pairs of side veins. 1-2 dark red glands at leaf base, turning yellow or red in fall.

Flowers with 5 white petals. Blooms from May-June. Fruits 3/8” in diameter, dark red or blackish, with an elliptical stone, from June-Oct. Flowers and fruits in clusters, 4-6” long, spur branches absent. Found in woods and thickets, now along roads and in waste areas, does not like either very wet or very dry soils.

Range from N. Dak., east to Newfoundland, south to Fla., west to Tex., local in Ariz. and Mexico.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate the fruit.

Other Use:

Black Cherry was eaten by several tribes, including the Cherokee, Chippewa, Iroquois, Mahuna,

Menominee, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi. There are other, more shrubby species of wild cherries, but this is the only tree in our area. Some species and varieties are sweeter than others. The fruit may be eaten fresh, or made into jellies and jams, which requires pectin. Collect in late summer or early fall, particularly from

August to September. The fruit from trees in full sun taste best. WARNING: Wilted leaves and fruit pits contain cyanide and should not be eaten.

This plant was widely used medicinally among Native Americans. A compound decoction or infusion of the bark was used to treat colds or coughs by the Cherokee, Iroquois, Mahuna, Micmac,

Mohegan, Narrangansett, Ojibwa, Penobscot, Rappahannock and Shinnecock. If the decoction got stale, the Rappahannock considered it POISIONOUS. The Delaware used the fruit for the same purpose.

Quercus alba L.

White Oak

Fagaceae (Oak family)

Miami Terms: waawaapinkwaahkatwi

Use: food

Part Used: acorn

Botanical Description:

A large tree, 60-100’ tall, 2-4’ in diameter. Bark whitish, shallowly furrowed or scaly with loose plates. Twigs hairless. Leaves elliptical, pubescent when young, hairless when mature, with 5-9 even lobes, somewhat whitened beneath, without bristled tips, 2-9” long, 2-4” wide, turning red or brown in the fall. Fruit an acorn, 3/8-1¼”, with a bowl shaped cup, pubescent within, covering less than 1/3 of acorn with warty, finely hairy scales, mature in first year. Found in moist but well drained uplands and lowlands,

many times in pure stands. Range from Minn. east through s. Ontario to Maine, south to n. Fla., west to e.

Tex.

Similar to Q. lyrata (Overcup Oak) and Q. macrocarpa (Bur Oak), but these two species are

usually more deeply lobed.

Miami Use:

No recorded use.

Other Use:

White Oak was eaten by the Iroquois, Menominee, Meskwaki, and Ojibwa. The Ojibwa soaked

the acorns in lye to remove the tannins, which cause them to be quite bitter. To make the lye, they simply

soaked wood ash (often Basswood) in water. There are other trees in the white oak group, but only a few

of them have acorns that are sweet enough to be eaten straight off the tree. Most are quite bitter. Since

tannins are water soluble, boiling will remove an acorn’s bitterness. One method of preparing acorns is to

boil the kernels in water using several changes of water, until the water no longer turns brown. Roast for 1 hour at 350˚, and eat as nuts or make into candy. To make a flour, dry and crush the kernels, boil in a porous bag or container to remove tannins, redry, and grind into a meal-like flour. They are excellent in muffins and bread. High in protein and fat. Collect in early fall.

Quercus macrocarpa Michx.

Bur Oak, Mossycup O.

Fagaceae (Oak family)

Miami Terms: mihšiinkweemiši

mihšiinkweemina (fruit)

Use: food

Part Used: acorn

Botanical Description:

A tall tree, 50-80’ tall, 2-4’ in diameter. Bark gray, scaly, with shallow grooves. End buds blunt and hairy. Twigs hairless or hairy, sometimes with corky wings. Leaves broadest in middle, lower half deeply lobed, upper half shallowly lobed, end rounded, tips not bristled, 4-10” long, 2-5” wide, turning yellow or brown in the fall. Acorn surrounded by a deep cup, with “mossy” fringe of scales, largest of all native oaks, 1-2”, mature in one year. Found in dry uplands on limestone and gravel ridges, also in sandy plains and loamy slopes and floodplains. A pioneer plant, often in nearly pure stands. Range from se.

Saskatchewan east to s. New Brunswick, south to Tenn., west to se. Tex. Local in Lou. and Georgia.

Miami Use:

They would gather the acorns, soak them in lye, then shell, boil and eat them (Dunn).

Other Use:

Bur Oak was eaten by several tribes, including the Cheyenne, Chippewa, Dakota, Lakota, Ojibwa,

Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca and the Winnebago. The acorns were often soaked with basswood ashes to remove the tannins, which cause them to be quite bitter. Bur Oak is in the White Oak group which contains other species, but only a few of them have acorns that are sweet enough to be eaten straight off the tree. Most are quite bitter. Since tannins are water soluble, boiling removes an acorn’s bitterness. One method of preparing acorns is to boil the kernels in water using several changes of water, until the water no longer

turns brown. Roast for 1 hour at 350˚, and eat as nuts or make into candy. To make a flour, dry and crush the kernels, boil in a porous bag or container to remove tannins, redry, and grind into a meal-like flour.

They are excellent in muffins and bread. High in protein and fat. Collect in early fall.

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Quercus rubra L.

Northern Red Oak

Fagaceae (Oak family)

Miami Term: maamhkatiaahkatwi

Use: food, medicine

Part Used: acorn, inner bark, root bark

Botanical Description:

A large tree, 60-90’ tall, 1-4” in diameter. Bark dark, rough, ridged, often laced with shiny strips; inner bark reddish. End buds hairless, not angled. Twigs hairless. Leaves somewhat lobed, into 7-11 wavy lobes, usually glossy above, somewhat hairy beneath, especially along midvein, bristled tips, 4-9” long, 3-6” wide, turning brown or dark red in fall. Fruit an acorn, with cup flat and saucerlike, enclosing acorn less than 1/3, mature after two years, 3/8-1 1/8” long. Found in woods, often in pure stands, in moist loamy, sandy, rocky, and clay soils. Range from Minn. east to s. Quebec and Nova Scotia, south to

Georgia, west to se. Okla.

Miami Use:

No recorded use.

Other Use:

Red Oak was eaten by several tribes, including the Dakota, Iroquois, Menominee, Meskwaki and

Ojibwa. This is a Red Oak, and is quite bitter. To remove the acorns’ bitterness, they were often soaked with Basswood ashes. Since the bitterness comes from tannins, which are water soluble, boiling will remove an acorn’s bitterness. One method of preparing acorns is to boil the kernels in water using several changes of water, until the water no longer turns brown. Roast for 1 hour at 350˚, and eat as nuts or make into candy. To make a flour, dry and crush the kernels, boil in a porous bag or container to remove tannins,

101

redry, and grind into a meal-like flour. They are excellent in muffins and bread. High in protein and fat.

Collect in early fall.

The Ojibwa used a compound decoction of the inner bark of Q. rubra to treat blood, heart, and lung problems. An infusion of the root bark was used to treat gonorrhea.

102

Rhus copallina L.

Winged Sumac, Dwarf S., Shining S.

Anacardiaceae (Cashew family)

Miami Term: ciiciinkweemiši

Use: drink

Part Used: fruit

Botanical Description:

Shrub or small tree, to 4-10’ tall, 1-3” in diameter, larger in the south. Bark light brown to gray.

Twigs brown, with fine hairs, raised dots and watery sap. Leaves 6-14” long, with a winged central axis, pinnately compound into 7-23 leaflets, each 1-3” long, lance shaped, smooth margin, shiny dark green above when mature, fine hairs beneath, turning dark red in fall. Flowers small, with 5 green-white petals, in clusters to 3” wide with hairy branches, usually separate male and female plants. Blooms July-Sept..

Fruit dark red, one seeded, over 1/8” in diameter, covered with sticky hairs, in drooping clusters, Aug.-Oct., and remaining attached until spring. Found in uplands and valleys, clearings, forest edges, grasslands, roadsides and waste areas. Range from cent. Wisc., east to s. Ont. and sw. Maine, south to Fla., and west to cent. Tex.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The sumac fruit can be used to make a lemonade-like beverage. Collect the ripe berries in late summer. Gently bruise them and soak in cold water for 10-15 minutes. Strain through cheesecloth, sweeten to taste, and chill. Also good for mouth sores.

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Rhus glabra L.

Smooth Sumac, Common S.

Anacardiaceae (Cashew family)

Miami Terms: mahkomiši

mahkomini (fruit)

Use: drink, food, dye, medicine, ceremonial

Parts Used: berries, shoots, roots, leaves

Botanical Description:

Colonial shrub or small tree, 4-20’ tall, 4’ in diameter. Bark brown. Twigs gray, hairless, with white milky sap and without obvious dots. Leaves alternate, to 1’ long, pinnately (or bipinnately) compound into 11-31 leaflets, each 2-4” long, lance-shaped, toothed, hairless, dark green above, whitish beneath, turning red in fall. Flowers small and whitish, 5 petals, in erect clusters to 8” long with hairless branches, usually separate male and female plants. Blooms from May-July. Fruits dark red, one seeded, over 1/8” in diameter, covered with short sticky haris, in erect clusters, from June-Oct., persisting through winter. Found particularly in sandy soils of uplands, clearings, grasslands, edges of forests, roadsides and waste places. Range from e. Saskatchewan east to Maine, south to nw. Fla., west to cent Tex., also in the west and northwest. Native to all 48 contiguous states.

Miami Use:

No uses recorded, but Dunn noted that smooth sumac was called m’kumizhi because the bear, m’kwa, shows a preference for its berries in winter.

Other Use:

104

similarly. The twigs can be used as a chew stick for sore mouths and teeth. Chew on the tip to make a brush for the teeth and gums. Sumac has antibiotic properties, and helps prevent tooth decay.

The root bark yields a dye, and the leaves were used to tan leather.

The leaves, usually the young red leaves, were dried and smoked ceremonially by some tribes, including the Comanche, Creek, Dakota, Omaha, Pawnee, Tewa and Winnebago.

Propagate by seeds or root cuttings.

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Ribes americanum Mill.

American Black Currant, Eastern Black C.

Grossulariaceae (Gooseberry family)

Miami Terms: eehsipanimini

Use: food

Part Used: fruit

Botanical Description:

Shrub to 5’ tall. Twigs with ridges from leaf scars, mostly hairless, thornless. Flowers yellow or

white, with 5 petals in drooping clusters. Blooms April-June. Leaves opposite, with 3-5 maple-like lobes, double toothed, somewhat hairy beneath and gland-dotted, ½-4” long. Fruits small, black and smooth, from June-Sept. Upper and lower sides of leaves, twigs, buds, ovaries and fruits with bright yellow resin dots, visible with a hand lens. Found in floodplains and open woods. Range from Alberta east to New

Brunswick, south to W.V. and west to Neb. and New Mex.

Currants are distinguished from Gooseberries in that the former are usually thornless and their

fruit separate easily from the stalk and have smooth skin.

Miami Use:

Gatschet noted that raccoon grapes, or currants, were relished by raccoons, but not eaten by

people.

Other Use:

American Black Currant was eaten by several tribes, including the Chippewa, Iroquois, Lakota,

Meskwaki, Montana Indian and Ojibwa. There are several species of gooseberries and currants in our area,

all of which are edible, but some require sugar to make them less tart. Gooseberries usually have bristles

on the berries, which are softened by boiling. Other than that, use them like other berries. They contain

lots of pectin. Collect in midsummer.

106

107

Ribes cynosbati L.

Pasture Gooseberry, Dogberry

Grossularicaeae (Gooseberry family)

Miami Term: kaayomišaahkwi

Use: food

Part Used: fruit

Botanical Description:

Thorny shrub, to 5’ tall. Bark papery, often shredding. Leaves alternate, maple-like, with 3-5 lobes, ½-4” long, toothed, usually with soft hairs and without glands. Typically with 1-3 thorns at base of leafstalk, ¼-3/8” long, sometimes lacking. Flowers in drooping clusters, greenish. Blooms May-June.

Berries reddish-purple, covered in spines, from July-Sept. Found in open woods. Range from Manitoba east to New Brunswick, south to sw. Ala., west to e. Okla.

Gooseberries are distinguished from currants in that they have 1-3 thorns at the base of the leafstalk, and the fruits are firmly attached to the stalks and covered in bristles.

Miami Use:

No recorded use.

Other Use:

Pasture Gooseberry was eaten by tribes such as the Quebec Algonquin, Cherokee, Chippewa,

Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi. There are several species of gooseberries and currants in our area, all of which are edible, but some require sugar to make them less tart. Gooseberries usually have bristles on the berries, which are softened by boiling. Other than that, use them like other berries.

They contain lots of pectin.

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Robinia pseudo-acacia L.

Black Locust, Yellow L.

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: unknown

Use: bows

Part Used: wood

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 40-80’ tall, 1-2’ wide. Bark light gray and deeply ridged. Twigs with stout

paired spines at nodes, ¼-½” long. Leaves pinnately compound, 6-12” long, with 7-19 leaflets, each 1-1

¾” long and ½-¾” wide, toothless, with bristled tips, blue-green above, pale beneath. Flowers ¾” long,

white, pea-shaped, in drooping clusters 4-8” long. Blooms in late spring. Fruit an oblong, flat pod, 2-4”

long, with 3-14 brown seeds, mature in fall and remaining attached through winter. Found in moist or dry,

rocky or sandy soils in open areas and woods. Native range from s. Missouri east through s. Ohio and cent.

Pa., south to Ala., and west to e. Okla., now widely naturalized in the northeast, California, and southern

Canada.

Miami Use:

Used Black Locust, Red Cedar, and Mulberry to make the shorter, war bows (Dunn).

Other Use:

None recorded.

109

Rubus allegheniensis Porter

Common Blackberry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Term: makiinkweemina

Use: food, drink

Parts Used: berries, shoots, leaves

Botanical Description:

Upright or arching shrub, to 10’. Stems angular, with prickles. Leaves fan-compound, with 3-7, usually 4 or 5, leaflets, wooly or velvety beneath, entire leaf 3-8”. Flowers white, 5 petals, blooming from

May-July. Fruit black and compound, receptacle detaching with the fruit, from July-Sept. Found in sunny thickets. Range from Minn. east to Nova Scotia, south along mountains to N. C. and Tenn.

Blackberries are a complex category of the Rubus genus, with over 120 species

Miami Use:

Blackberries were eaten.

Other Use:

The Common Blackberry was eaten by tribes such as the Cherokee, Chippewa, Menominee,

Meskwaki, Ojibwa and Potawatomi. The ripe berries are collected in summer, and may be eaten straight off the plant, made into jelly or a cold drink, or dried. To dry, put a single layer of berries in the oven for

10 minutes at 150˚. Then place on screens in the sun for 3-10 days. Bring inside at night, or if it looks like rain. Reconstitute the berries by soaking in water overnight.

The dried leaves may be made into a tea. The tender young shoots may be gathered in spring, peeled and eaten raw.

There are many horticultural varieties available. Propagate by root cuttings, transplanting suckers, or by cuttings at the tip of a cane or node.

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111

Rubus flagellaris Willd.

Northern Dewberry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Term: meenkaalakiinkweemina

Use: food, drink

Parts Used: berries, shoots, leaves

Botanical Description:

Trailing shrub, to 1’ tall, canes to 15’ long, often rooting at tips. Stems thorny. Leaves alternate, sharp-toothed, 3-7”, fan-compound with 3-5 leaflets. Flowers white. Blooms from May-June. Fruits black, from June-Aug. Found in thickets, prairies, roadsides, rocky open woods and on ledges and cliffs.

Range from Minn. east through s. Ontario to Maine, south to Ga. and Ark.

Dewberries are unique in the Rubus genus in that the stems are round or angular, are not white- powdered, are trailing, and the leafstalk bases are not winged. There are two groups of dewberries, the prickly dewberries and the bristly dewberries, with about 70 total species.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate Dewberries.

Other Use:

The ripe berries are collected in summer, and may be eaten straight off the plant, made into jelly or a cold drink, or dried. To dry, put a single layer of berries in the oven for 10 minutes at 150˚. Then place on screens in the sun for 3-10 days. Bring inside at night, or if it looks like rain. Reconstitute the berries by soaking in water overnight. The dried leaves may be made into a tea. The tender young shoots may be gathered in spring, peeled and eaten raw.

There are many horticultural varieties available. Propagate by root cuttings, transplanting suckers, or by cuttings at the tip of a cane or node.

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113

Rubus occidentalis L.

Black Raspberry

Rosaceae (Rose family)

Miami Term: neepaleereemina

Use: food, drink

Part Used: berries

Botanical Description:

Arching shrub, to 6’ tall, canes to 12’ long, sometimes rooting at tips. Stems round, with strongly hooked prickles, strongly whitened, especially on the first year’s growth (primocane). Leaves fan- compound, 2-8” long, usually with 3 leaflets on floricane, and 5 leaflets on the primocane, whitened beneath. White flowers in dense clusters of 3-7, with 5 petals. Blooms April-July. Fruits black and compound separating from a persistent receptacle, from June-Aug. Found in thickets. Range from Minn. east to Quebec and south to Ga. and Ark.

Miami Use:

The Miami ate raspberries.

Other Use:

There are many horticultural varieties available. Propagate by root cuttings, transplanting suckers, or by cuttings at the tip of a cane or node.

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Rudbeckia hirta L.*

Blackeyed Susan

Asteraceae (Aster family)

Miami Terms: meehkateewi ciipihki

Use: ceremonial

Part Used: root

Botanical Description:

Biennial or short-lived perennial, with a large, daisy-like flower, 1-5’ tall. Leaves alternate, lance- shaped to ovate, rough and hairy, 2-7” long, lower leaves with winged stalks. Flowers clustered in a head

2-3” wide, 10-20 yellow outer rays, inner disc chocolate-brown. Bloms June-Oct. Found in dry fields, prairies, roadsides and open woods. Range throughout North America, except in Nev., Ariz., and in the far north.

Miami Use:

Dunn thought the root of R. hirta was used as a charm or amulet. *However, he also notes that he has not actually seen the plant, and his source told him “the Whites call it Bachelor’s Button, because a button grows on the top, which is in the midst of a brown flower. The stalks are from two to three feet tall.” The common name Bachelor’s Button refers to an unrelated member of the Aster family, Centaurea cyanus, which is a European species.

Other Use:

This plant is usually avoided by browsing livestock, and can be toxic if eaten.

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Salix babylonica L.

Weeping Willow

Salicaceae (Willow family)

Miami Term: niipiaahkatwi

Use: none

Part Used: none

Botanical Description:

Medium sized tree, 30-40’ tall, 2’ or more in diameter. Bark rough, gray, and deeply grooved.

Branches drooping. Leaves narrow, lance shaped, finely toothed, dark above and whitish beneath, 2½-5” long and less than ½” wide. Flowers in catkins to 1”, in early spring. Fruit a cluster of light brown capsules, each 1/16” long, mature in late spring or early summer. Widely used in landscaping, particularly around water. Native to China, now widely cultivated in the east and west, escaped locally from Missouri east to s. Quebec, south to Ga.

Miami Use:

No recorded use.

Other Use:

None recorded.

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Sambucus canadensis L.

Common Elderberry

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Miami Terms: wiikooloomphsa* (EM)

kikalosa* (WM)

Use: food, drink, medicine

Parts Used: berries

Botanical Description:

There are two native species in our area, the Common Elderberry (S. canadensis L.), and the Red

Elderberry (S. racemosa L.). S. canadensis is a shrub, 3-13’ tall. Bark brownish. Twigs stiff, with white pith. Buds small, green or brown, leaf scars connected. Leaves opposite, large, compound, with 5-11 leaflets, usually 4-11”. Leaflets elliptical, coarse-toothed. Flowers small and white, in a flat to convex inflorescence. Blooms June-July. Fruits small, juicy, purple-black, sometimes bright red, yellow, green or orange, from Aug.-Oct. Found in damp to wet rich soil, in woods and along roadsides. Range from

Manitoba and S. Dak. east to Nova Scotia and Quebec, south to Ga. and west to Tex. and Mexico.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Common Elderberry was eaten by the Cherokee, Chippewa, Dakota, Iroquois, Meskwaki, Omaha,

Pawnee, Ponca and Seminole. The berries are often unpleasant smelling and tasting, but if prepared correctly, are quite good, and high in vitamin C. Also contains vitamin A, calcium, iron, and potassium.

Collect the berries in late summer or fall. Drying the berries removes the rank odor and taste. Remove stalks, and lay on a screen in the sun. Boil dried berries to reconstitute them. The inflorescences may be dipped in batter and then fried in oil. Dip the flowers in hot water to make a tea. Collect flowers in

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summer. CAUTION: The vegetative parts of both Elderberry species are POISIONOUS. All parts of the

plant have been reported to contain hydrocyanic acid, and cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Only the

flowers and fruit are edible.

Elderberries make good juice and wine. The juice is good when mixed with the tart juice of plants

like sour apples, crabapples and half-ripe or wild grapes. To get juice from Elderberries, add one cup water

for every quart of berries. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, mash, and simmer for 10 more minutes. Strain with

cheesecloth. Use a similar procedure to make other juices.

To make wine, pour a gallon of boiling water over 1 pound of elderberries, and ½ pound of

chopped raisins. Stir well, cover, and let sit for two weeks. Strain and discard the waste. Add 3 whole

cloves, and bring liquid to a boil. Pour over 3 pounds of sugar. Stir. When liquid has cooled to lukewarm,

add ½ ounce of brewer’s yeast, cover and let sit for 3 days. Strain and put in bottles, and lightly cork.

After 2-3 weeks, add a little sugar to each bottle and recork. Careful, the corks may pop out. The wine is

ready in 6 months, but improves with age.

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Sambucus racemosa L.

Red Elderberry

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Miami Terms: wiikooloomphsa* (EM)

kikalosa* (WM)

Use: food, drink

Part Used: berries

Botanical Description:

There are two native species in our area, the Common Elderberry (S. canadensis L.), and the Red

Elderberry (S. racemosa L.). S. racemosa resembles S. canadensis, but has brown pith, only 5-7 leaflets, and the flower and fruit inflorescence is cone-shaped, blooming from April-July, fruits bright red, sometimes white or yellow, from June-Sept. More of a woodland species than S. Canadensis. Range from

British Colombia to Newfoundland, south to Pa. and west to Ill., in the mountains to N. C.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The berries were eaten by the White Mountain Apache, Bella Coola, Gosiute, Hesquiat, Kitasoo,

Kwakiutl, Makah, Nitinant, Ojibwa, Okanagon, Quileute and Thompson. The berries are good dried, or make good juice or wine. See Common Elderberry, S. canadensis.

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Sanguinaria canadensis L.

Bloodroot

Papaveraceae (Poppy family)

Miami Term: oonsaalemooni

Use: paint, dye, insect repellant, medicine

Parts Used: root sap

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 6-10” tall. One basal leaf, curled, bluish green, 4-7” long, with 5-9 lobes. Solitary white flower, orange in middle, 8-10 separate petals, 2 deciduous sepals, many stamens and a single pistil.

Blooms from March-May, flowers open in full sun and close at night. Root exudes red-orange sap when broken. Found in rich woods and along streams. Range from Manitoba east to Newfoundland, south to

Florida and west to Tex. and Okla.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Used by Native Americans as a ceremonial and war paint, a dye for baskets and clothing, and as an insect repellant. Also used by many tribes for a wide variety of medicinal purposes.

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Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees.

Sassafras

Lauracee (Laurel family)

Miami Terms: mankiišaahkwi

mankiišaahkwaapowi (drink)

Use: tea, tonic, canoes, seasoning

Part Used: root, root bark, bark

Botanical Description:

A medium sized tree, 10-60’ tall, to 2’ in diameter, sometimes larger. Crushed leaves, twigs bark

and berries fragrant. Bark red-brown and furrowed. Young twigs green and branched, only one bundle

scar per leaf scar, true end buds. Leaves simple, toothless, ovate to irregularly 2 or 3-lobed (sometimes

mitten-shaped), all three types occurring on same plant, 2-9”, turning yellow, red or orange in fall. Plants

dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Flowers greenish-yellow, appearing with the leaves in the spring. Fruit a one seeded berry, small, blue, fleshy, on a red stalk, appearing from Aug.-Oct. Found in moist and sandy soil in old fields, clearings, and on the borders of woods. Range from Mo. and se. Iowa east to cent. Mich. and sw. Maine, south to central Fla., west to e. Tex.

Miami Use:

They made a tea from sassafras root (Dunn).

Other Use:

Collect the roots during any time of the year, wash them, and boil until the water turns brown.

This is drunk as tea and sweetened to taste. This may also be made into a jelly. The root, root bark and bark were commonly used among Native American tribes as a general tonic. The roots once were a major flavoring in root beer. WARNING: Although once considered a healthful tonic, Sassafras has been linked to cancer in laboratory test animals.

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File’, a Creole spice, is made from dried and powdered young leaves. Add one tablespoon of file’ to a pot of soup just before serving to flavor and thicken it. Do not boil again, or the soup will become stringy. Collect the young leaves in spring and summer.

The roots were used by several tribes for medicinal purposes. The lumber was used for buckets, posts, small boats and dugout canoes. The oil is used to scent soap.

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Scirpus validus Vahl.

Softstem Bulrush

Cyperaceae (Sedge family)

Miami Term: alaansooni

Use: mats, kindling, food

Parts Used: stems, roots, shoots

Botanical Description:

Grass-like colonial, perennial herb, rhizomatous, 3-10’ tall. Stems easily crushed between the

fingers. Inflorescence tends to be looser and more open than other species of bulrush. Found in marshes

and muddy shores of lakes and streams, widespread in temperate N. America and tropical America.

Miami Use:

Mats were woven from bulrush. Gatschet wrote, “[they make a] long mat manufactured from a

round-stem scirpus-reed growing in the Indian territory. When to be used as a bed mat, it is our size of

beds and laid on the ground.” DeGannes notes, “Every young man has a little mat made of the round reeds

I have mentioned which grow in the marshes. The women dye them black, yellow, and red and make them

three feet long and two feet wide.” Bulrush was also used as kindling. DeGannes notes, “one of them [the

hunters] went off three or four arpents into a hollow, which in the spring is nothing but a sort of marsh and

brought back a bundle of round reeds as thick as ones fingers. They drew from their quivers two bits of

wood which serve them for striking a fire [see Thuja occidentalis], and in less than half a miserere, they

had a fire. They kindled a part of their reeds, over which they put their meat which they turned from time

to time with their bows.”

Other Use:

The roots are edible, and are best in early spring or fall. The main, vertical rootstock is best, as the

horizontal roots are often tough and stringy. The young shoots may be eaten raw or cooked.

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Smilacina racemosa (L.) Desf.

Wild Spikenard, False Solomon’s Seal

Liliaceae (Lily family)

Miami Term: kahkiitiaahkwi*

Use: medicine, food

Parts Used: root, shoots, leaves, berries

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 1-3’ tall. Stem arching and angled slightly at leaves in a zig-zag. Leaves alternate,

finely hairy beneath and along edges, parallel veins, 3-6” long. Flowers creamy-white, clustered in a

panicle at the end of the stem, individual flowers 1/8” long, panicle 1-4” long, flower parts in multiples of

3. Blooms May-July. Fruit a berry, unripe green with red spots, ripe berries juicy ruby red with 2 seeds.

Found in moist woods on slopes, and in clearings and thickets, in soil with lots of organic matter. Range

from B.C. east to Nova Scotia, south to the uplands of Tenn., Ga. and N.C., west to Ariz. and Mo.

Miami Use:

Used medicinally in an unspecified way (Dunn).

Other Use:

The young shoots are collected in early spring, and are prepared like asparagus, or thrown in a salad. The young leaves may also be eaten in a salad. The berries are high in vitamin C and are edible, although somewhat of a laxative when eaten in abundance. Rootstocks are edible, but must be soaked in lye or ash overnight, and then parbroiled or boiled.

The root was used in traditional medicine to treat headaches, sore throats, back pain and kidney problems during pregnancy. It was also used as a stimulant, and to cleanse the system. The Yana applied a

poultice of the roots to swellings and boils. A compound decoction of the roots was used for pain by the

Chippewa, Gitksan, Ojibwa and Thompson.

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Symplocarpus foetidus (L.) Nutt.

Skunk Cabbage

Araceae (Arum family)

Miami Term: šikaakwainši*

Use: food, deodorant

Parts Used: shoots, roots

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 1-2’ tall. The flower smells fetid and skunk-like, shape typical of the Araceae, with a shell-like spathe (hood) surrounding a knob-like, yellow to dark reddish-purple-brown spadix

(flower cluster), 3-6” long. Blooms from Feb-May. Leaves appearing after flowering, rolled into a tight cone, unfolding to be 1-2’ long, 1’ wide, arising directly from ground. Found in open swamps, marshes, wet woods and along streams. Range from Ontario east to Nova Scotia, south to N.C., west to Tenn., north to Minn, and in the mountains locally to Georgia.

Miami Use:

None recorded

Other Use:

The young shoots and rootstock may be eaten. WARNING: The fresh plant material contains calcium oxalate crystals, which cause intense burning when eaten. Boiling does not remove this property, but thorough drying will. May be left in pits with hot coals. Collect the leaves in early spring before they unroll. These are good reconstituted in soups and stews. Collect the rootstock from fall to early spring.

This can be ground into flour.

An infusion of powdered root was used by the Iroquois to “cure strong smell under your arm.”

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Thuja occidentalis L.

Northern White Cedar

Cupressaceae (Cypress family)

Miami Term: unknown

Use: fire starter, canoes

Part Used: wood

Botanical Description:

Medium to tall evergreen tree, 40-70’ tall, 1-3’ wide. Bark light brown, shreddy and in narrow ridges. Leaves evergreen, opposite in 4 rows, scale-like with short pointed tips, flat pair with glands.

Cones 3/8” long, elliptical, upright, with 8-10 paired cone scales. Found in swamps or on limestone soils, often in pure stands. Range from se. Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, south to Maine, and N.Y., west to Ill., locally in the south in the mountains.

Miami Use:

The wood was used as a fire starter. DeGannes observed, “one of the pieces of wood which they use to make a fire is of white cedar, which is the most combustible, a foot long more or less, according as they choose to make it and as thick as 2 fingers. On one side, on the very edge, they make little holes, in which they make a notch. They put this bit of wood on some rotten wood or on some grass, dry and very fine, after taking care to crush it thoroughly in their hands. The other piece of wood is as thick as the little finger; it is a bit of wood that has a black berry, which we call morette. When this wood is green it is very soft and it is proportionately hard when it is dry. They shape the end to the size of the holes in the other piece of wood, into one of which they insert it and by turning it in their hands without ceasing, they produce a sort of powder from which shortly is converted into flame. This coming through the notch of which I have just spoken falls on the rotten wood or dry grass, which is ignited.”

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Other Use:

The wood splits easily and was a preferred wood for making canoes.

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Tilia americana L.

Basswood, American Linden

Tiliaceae (Basswood family)

Miami Term: wiikapimiši

Use: cordage, tea, medicine, lye

Parts Used: inner bark, flowers, ash

Botanical Description:

There are several species of basswood, and they are difficult to separate. They are medium to

large trees, 50-100’ tall, 2-3’ in diameter. The bark is dark, with shallow grooves when old, gray and

smooth when young. Leaves alternate, heart-shaped, with an uneven base and a finely-toothed edge, 5-10”

long. Flowers ½” wide, with 5 pale yellow petals in long stalked clusters hanging from green bract.

Blooms from June-Aug. Fruit nut-like, elliptical or round, gray and hairy, indehiscent and hard. Found in

moist woods in uplands and valleys. Range is from s. Manitoba east to New Brunswick, south to Fla. west

to Texas, also in Mexico.

There are at least four varieties of this species, as well as many cultivars and non-native cultivated

species. T. americana is distinguished from the other species by having hairless flower stalks and leaves.

Miami Use:

The inner bark was used to make cordage. Dunn observed, “cordage of all kinds was obtained

from the inner bark of the linn [Linden] tree. For temporary use this needed no preparation. When boys

went hunting with men, it was their first work to get linn bark to hobble the horses, while men hunted.

When rope was wanted for permanent use, the woman boiled this bark and twisted or braided it while it

was damp . . . bark of linn tree most used for rope and hobbles.”

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Other Use:

Cordage was obtained from Basswood by many tribes, including the Tête de Boule Algonquin,

Cherokee, Chippewa, Lakota, Malecite, Menominee, Meskwaki, Ojibwa, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca and

Potawatomi. One of the primary uses of Basswood cordage among the Ojibwa was to lash together the frames of wigwams and medicine lodges. When wet cordage was used, it dried and shrank to make a tighter joint.

The wood was burned to make ash for lye, and used for several purposes, such as removing bitterness from acorns.

In addition to industrial uses, the unopened leaf buds may be eaten as a snack. The dried or fresh flowers can me made into a tea. It is said to aid digestion, and acts as a sedative. May also be turned into a

jelly. Collect flowers in early summer.

The Ojibwa had several medicinal uses for Basswood – the inner bark treated dysentery, twigs

were used for lung ailments and the leaves treated burns and scalds.

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Trifolium pratense L.

Red Clover

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: neehsopaki eensiwatoonki

Use: food, tea, cover crop

Parts Used: seeds, leaves, flower

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 6-24” tall. Leaves clover-shaped, at the end of long stalks, with three oval leaflets,

½-2” long, with a light V-shaped mark in the middle. Flowers a clustered head of magenta pea-shaped flowers, each ½” long, head 1” long, ½-2” wide. Blooms May-Sept. Found in fields, lawns, roadsides.

Introduced from Europe, now common throughout N. America, except in the arctic.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Widely cultivated as a hay and pasture crop. With the help of symbiotic bacteria, also fixes atmospheric nitrogen and improves soil fertility.

To make the flowerheads and leaves digestable, soak in salt water for several hours, or boil for 5-

10 min. Dried flowers are good added to tea mixtures. They may also be ground with the seeds to make a flour. Clovers are high in protein.

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Trifolium repens L.

White Clover

Fabaceae (Legume family)

Miami Term: neehsopaki (white clover and generic)

Use: food, tea, cover crop

Parts Used: seeds, leaves, flowers

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 4-10” tall, creeping. Leaves with 3 leaflets, each with a V-shaped coloration in the

middle. Flowers white or pinkish, pea-shaped, ¼-½” long, in a head ¾” wide at the end of a long stalk.

Blooms May-Oct. Found in fields, lawns and roadsides. Introduced from Europe, now common

throughout N. America, except in the arctic.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Widely cultivated as a hay and pasture crop. With the help of symbiotic bacteria, also fixes

atmospheric nitrogen and improves soil fertility.

To make the flowerheads and leaves digestable, soak in salt water for several hours, or boil for 5-

10 min. Dried flowers are good added to tea mixtures. They may also be ground with the seeds to make a

flour. Clovers are high in protein.

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Typha latifolia L.

Common Cattail

Typhaceae (Cattail family)

Miami Terms: apahkwaya

Use: thatching, food, medicine

Parts Used: leaves, roots, down

Botanical Description:

Aquatic reed, 3-10’ tall. Leaves 3/8-1” wide. Flower the familiar cat-tail, lower section female,

brown, 4-6” long, ¾-1” wide, upper section male, golden yellow with pollen, absent later in the season, the

two portions are usually contiguous, rarely separated by 1/8”. Fruit less than ½”, white-hairy. Found in

clean marshes. Range is throughout the northeast. This is the common inland species.

Miami Use:

Cattails were used to make mats for thatching buildings. Marquette writes: “As bark for making

Cabins is scarce in this country, they use Rushes; these serve them for making walls and roofs, but do not

afford them much protection against the winds, and still less against the rains when they fall abundantly.

The advantage of cabins of this kind is that they make packages of them and easily transport them wherever

they wish, while they are hunting.” DeGannes notes, “some days after this [the buffalo hunt, beginning of

June] the women who remain go off in canoes, of which they have as many as three in each cabin, to cut

reeds with which they cover their cabins. These are a kind that grow in their marshes. They procure

bundles of them, which, after removing a skin that encloses several blades conjointly, they dry in the sun

and tie together with twine which they make of white wood, with ten or twelve bands at intervals of about

six inches. They make these up to ten fathoms in length. They call them apacoya, a word which serves not

merely to designate these, but which is a generic term for all sorts of coverings. They use the same term for

bark boards, and two of these apacoyas, one on top of the other, protect one from the rain as well as the best

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blanket. These are cabins which they use in autumn and winter; even if they leave their canoes, the women carry these on their backs.”

Other Use:

Cattail was widely used among Native Americans. At least 42 tribes used the plant industrially, and at least 30 have been documented to eat it. The young spring stalks (up to 3’) may be prepared like asparagus. The young shoots may be pulled from their root, and peeled to reveal the tender white core which is eaten raw or prepared similarly. Collect the young flower heads while they are still green, before they rise from the leaves in late spring. Boil for a few minutes, serve with butter, and eat like corn on the cob. Collect pollen in early summer, sift through a strainer, and mix 1:1 with wheat flour to enrich protein content. In late summer, collect the next year’s shoots from the rootstock. Eat them raw or boil for 10 minutes. As these shoots emerge in the spring, collect before they break the surface and eat the starchy base like a potato. When collected in late fall, winter and early spring, the rootstocks yield a nutritious flour. Crush them in cold water, remove the fibers, and allow the crushed root to settle. Pour out water, and use immediately or dry.

The down from the flowers was used to treat burns or sores by the Dakota, Meskwaki, Montana

Indians, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca, Sioux and Winnebago. Also used as a talcum powder or as stuffing for pillows and pads.

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Ulmus rubra Muhl.

Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E.

Ulmaceae (Elm family)

Miami Term: ašaahšikopa

Use: cordage, tea, food, medicine

Parts Used: bark, inner bark

Botanical Description:

Small to medium sized tree, 40-60’ tall, 1-3’ wide. Inner bark slimy. Young twigs rough-hairy.

Buds red and hairy, over 1/8”. Leaves alternate, 4-9” long, 2-3” wide, rough like sandpaper above, hairy

below, elliptical, rounded at base with sides very unequal, doubly toothed, many parallel side veins, thick

and turning yellow in fall. Fruit a solitary seed with a hairless, light green, circular (slightly notched at tip),

disc-like wing encircling it, 3/8-7/8” wide, pubescent over the seed, from May-June. Found in hardwood

forests with moist, rich soil, especially on lower slopes and floodplains, also in dry upland regions. Range

from N. Dak., east to s. Ontario and s. Quebec, and south through New England to nw. Fla, and west to

central Tex.

Miami Use:

Slippery Elm was used to make cordage.

Other Use:

Like the Miami, a fiber was extracted by the Dakota, Menominee, Omaha, Pawnee, Ponca and

Winnebago.

The slimy inner bark may be steeped in hot water for 15 minutes to make a healthy tea. It may

also be dried, and ground into a nutritious flour. Collect in spring.

The bark was chewed to treat sore throats by several tribes, including the Chippewa, Iroquois,

Mohegan and Ojibwa. Dried and powdered inner bark may be remoistened to make a cough remedy or a

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poultice. It was also used as flour or chewed piecemeal to ward off scurvy. The Ojibwa made a wash for foot cuts from the roots.

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Urtica dioica L.*

Stinging Nettle

Urticaceae (Nettle family)

Miami Term: ašošaawia*

Use: cordage, food, medicine

Parts Used: stalk, leaves, root

Botanical Description:

Perennial herb, 1-4’ tall. 4-sided stem. Stem and leaves covered with many glass-like hairs which

produce a burning sensation when touched. Leaves opposite, 2-4” long, simple, coarsely toothed with

stinging hairs, ovate, with base heart shaped. Flowers small and green, clustered in leaf axils. Either

monoecious, having both male and female flowers on the same plant, with the male flowers on the upper

portion of the plant and female flowers on the lower portion, or dioecious, with separate male and female

plants. Blooms June-Sept. Found in thickets, waste places, roadsides and damp woods. Native to Europe, now established in most of North America, except in the Artic. Similar to Laportea canadensis (Wood

Nettle), which has alternate leaves rather than opposite, and is found in moist soils and along stream banks.

Also resembles U. gracilis (Slender Nettle), which has fewer stinging hairs than either the Wood Nettle or

Stinging Nettle, and grows in damp soil and thickets. Gleason and Cronquist’s Manual treats U. dioica, U.

gracilis and U. viridis as the same species.

*U. dioica is a European species, but is widespread throughout our range.

Miami Use:

The Miami possessed a large number of belts and pipes which illustrated different historical

events. Two boxes were destroyed at the time of Harmers defeat, and much of the early Miami history and

traditions were lost. The belts were made from small bones from the legs of swans and other large birds.

They were attached with a cord made from the fibers of the wild nettle (Trowbridge).

Other Use:

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Like the Miami, fine cordage was obtained from various species of nettle, by tribes such as the

Hesquiat, Lakota, Nitinaht, Thompson, Bella Coola, Dakota, Inuit Eskimo, Haisla and Hanaksiala,

Southern Kwakiutl, Menominee, Montana Indian, Ojibwa, Omaha, Oweekeno, Pawnee, Ponca,

Potawatomi, Ouileute, Upper Skagit, Winnebago, Cahuilla, Kawaiiru and Luiseño. To obtain the fibers, wipe the plant with a cloth to remove any remaining needles, crumple dry stalks in hands, or gently pound with a stone.

Latin name from uro, “I burn,” referring to the stinging properties of this plant. Although stinging nettles should be handled with care, and often give an unpleasant surprise to unsuspecting hikers, the tender upper leaves and young shoots (only a few inches tall) make an excellent cooked green. All stinging nettle species in our area are edible (including L. canadensis). Simmer them in just enough water to cover them for 10-15 minutes. Their stinging qualities disappear with boiling. Good served with butter and lemon, or added to soups. Texture resembles that of spinach. Save the water, or dry the fresh leaves

(dried leaves do not sting) to make a healthful tea. Leaves contain vitamins A and C, iron and protein.

Collect in spring and summer.

Stinging Nettle is also used to counteract pain by striking the affected area with branches. This is especially effective against rheumatism and stiff joints. The Chehalis and Quileute used the whole plant as a whip to treat arthritis. Relief of pain will follow a few minutes of stinging. Use crushed Aloe (Aloe vera) or Jewelweed (Impatiens spp.) to sooth the irritation. A less “striking” way to treat joint pain is to apply a hot poultice of pounded and bruised leaves or roots. The roots and stems were used to treat rheumatism, soreness and stiffness by several tribes, including the Klallam (poultice), Quileute (infusion taken internally), and the Shuswap (bath). Other species were used in similar ways by other tribes. CAUTION:

If a poultice is left on too long, it may cause blistering. Studies show that Nettles’ action involves the action of white blood cells, improving coagulation, as well as the formation of hemoglobin. Also may act as a CNS-depressant, and block the effects of adrenaline. Has antibacterial activity. May be effective in treating kidney and urinary ailments, prostate cancer, inflammation of the gall bladder and hepatitis.

Clearly this is one of the more powerful plants.

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Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.

Large Cranberry

Ericaceae (Heath family)

Miami Term: neehpikicia

Use: food

Part Used: berries

Botanical Descriptions:

Creeping shrub. Leaves evergreen, small, blunt tipped, white or pale beneath, round or wedge- shaped, ¼-5/8” long. Flowers bell-shaped and pink, 2-6 in a cluster, or solitary in leaf axils. Blooms June-

Aug. Fruit red, globular and many seeded, 7/16-13/16” across, from Sept.-Nov. Found in bogs. Range from Manitoba and Minn. east to Newfoundland, south to Long Island and along the mountains to N.

Carolina and Tenn., west to Ark. and n. Ill.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Use like commercial cranberries. They contain their own pectin. Collect the berries just before or just after the first frost.

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Vaccinium oxycoccos L.

Small Cranberry

Ericaceae (Heath family)

Miami Term: neehpikicia

Use: food

Part Used: berries

Botanical Description:

Similar to V. macrocarpon, but with leaves pointed, small, egg-shaped to triangular, 3/16-5/8” long. Flowers in clusters of 1-4. Blooms May-July. Fruits red or rarely white, usually less than 3/8”, from

Aug.-Oct. Range from Alaska to Greenland, south to Newfoundland and Long Island, in the mountains to

N. Carolina, west to Arkansas and Minn.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Use like commercial cranberries. They contain their own pectin. Collect the berries just before or just after the first frost.

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Viburnum prunifolium L.

Smooth Blackhaw

Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle family)

Miami Terms: papaakimišaahkwi

papakimini (fruit)

Use: food

Part Used: berries

Botanical Description:

Shrub or small tree, 6-15’ tall, 2-6” in diameter. Bark dark and divided into small squares.

Leaves elliptic or egg shaped, fine toothed, somewhat leathery, hairless or slightly scaly beneath, 1-3” long.

Leafstalk not winged. Flowers small and in stalkless clusters. Blooms April-May. Fruits almost black, from Sept.-Oct. Found in woods and along hedgerows. Range from e. Kans. east to Conn., south to n. Fla. and west to Tex.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

The berries were eaten raw by the Meskwaki.

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Vitis aestivalis Michx.

Summer Grape, Pigeon G.

Vitaceae (Grape family)

Miami Term: kiišiipitoonisinki

Use: food, drink

Parts Used: fruit, leaves

Botanical Description:

There are several species of wild grapes in our area, and the species can be difficult to identify.

All are thornless, climbing vines with forked tendrils. Stems woody, often with shreddy bark and brown pith which is interrupted by diaphragms at the nodes. Leaves large, heart shaped, coarsely toothed, often lobed. Flowers greenish. Fleshy fruit, containing 1-4 pear-shaped seeds. Fruiting from Aug. to Oct.

V. aestivalis is distinguished by having a long inflorescence, 2-6”, and dark purple to black fruit, less than ½“ wide. Found in moist or dry soil in open forests, thickets and roadsides. Range from s. Minn. east to Ont. and Mass., south to Ala.

Miami Use:

Dunn noted that Summer Grapes are recognized as the first to ripen, and they tickle the mouth when eaten.

Other Use:

All wild grapes are edible, and may be used as a substitute for cultivated grapes, but may require more sweetening. To make juice, put stemmed grapes in a pot and cover with enough water to avoid scorching them. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Collect in mid to late summer. Young, unripe fruit are an excellent source of pectin. The young leaves may be boiled for 10-15 minutes and served with butter, or lightly boiled and wrapped around meat before baking. Collect leaves in early summer, when they are first fully unrolled.

146

147

Vitis labrusca L.

Fox Grape

Vitaceae (Grape family)

Miami Term: waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa*

Use: food

Parts Used: fruit, leaves

Botanical Description:

There are several species of wild grapes in our area, and the species can be difficult to identify.

V. labrusca is distinguished by having an ovoid inflorescence, 1½-3” long, and dark red to black fruit, ½-¾” wide. Found in woods and thickets, and along roadsides. Range from s. Mich east to Maine, south to S.C. and Tenn. Ancestor of Concord grapes, and numerous other cultivated varieties.

Miami Use:

Waawipinkwaki noted to be as dark as Concord grapes, sweet, and growing east and west of

Spring River, in Indian Territory (Dunn). Gatschet recognized the Fox Grape a wine grape.

Other Use:

American grape that is used to make wine. Young, unripe fruit are an excellent source of pectin. The young leaves may be boiled for 10-15 minutes and served with butter, or lightly boiled and wrapped around meat before baking. Collect leaves in early summer, when they are first fully unrolled.

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149

Xanthium strumarium L.

Common Cocklebur

Asteraceae (Aster family)

Miami Term: sakinteepwa

Use: none

Parts Used: none

Botanical Description:

Annual herb, 1-6’ tall. Rough stemmed. Leaves maple-like and coarsely toothed, 2-6” long.

Flowers greenish and clustered in heads, separate male and female plants. Female heads ½-1½” long, forming ovoid burs, with hooked prickles. Male heads in short spikes. Blooms Aug.-Oct. Found on low ground, in fields, waste areas and along roadsides. Range throughout N. America.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

None recorded.

150

Zanthoxylum americanum Mill.

Northern Prickly Ash, Common Prickly A.

Rutaceae (Rue family)

Miami Term: seenankašia*

Use: medicine

Parts Used: leaves, fruit, bark

Botanical Description:

Thicket forming shrub, 4-10’ tall. Twigs with paired prickles next to the leaf scars and buds.

Leaves alternate, compound, hairy when young, lemon-like smell when crushed, 3-10” long, with 5-11 toothed and egg-shaped leaflets, leafstalk prickly. Plants dioecious, with separate male and female plants.

Flowers small and greenish, in clusters. Blooms April-May. Fruit a small dry pod, with 1-2 seeds, from

Aug.-Oct. Found in moist fertile soils of woods, old fields and stream banks. Range from s. N. Dak. east through Ontario to Quebec, south to Ga., Ala., west to ne. Okla., found irregularly in the northeast.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Leaves, fruit and/or bark were chewed to relieve toothache, hence another common name for this plant – Toothache-tree. The inner bark was used to treat toothache by the Alabama, Comanche, Meskwaki and Iroquois. It was also used to treat coughs and sore throats.

151

152

Zizania aquatica L.

Wild rice

Poaceae (Grass family)

Miami Terms: naloomini

Use: food

Part Used: grain

Botanical Description:

A robust annual aquatic grass, to 10’ tall. Leaves lance-shaped, 1-3’ long, 1-2” wide. Flowers in long clusters, to 2’ long, upper inflorescences pistillate (female) and erect, lower inflorescences staminate

(male) and spreading. Seeds cylindrical, in bristle-tipped papery husks. Found in shallow water. From

Minn. east to New Brunswick, in the south mostly along the coast to Fla. and La., irregularly inland.

Miami Use:

None recorded.

Other Use:

Harvest the rice before it falls in late summer. Beat the stem with a stick over a sheet to collect the rice. Dry thoroughly. Rub gently to remove husks. To remove smoky taste, wash with cold water. Parch gently at 450˚ for 1 hour, stirring to ensure even parching. Wild rice is nutritious, and high in calories and protein. The Dakota called the moon of September “psin-hna-ketu-wi” which means “the moon to lay rice up to dry.” CAUTION: Although rare, the highly dangerous fungi Claviceps spp., or Ergot, occasionally grows on this plant. It infects the plant by replacing some of the seeds. They are pink or purple, and either the same size of the seed, or 3-4 times larger. If present, collect somewhere else. If eaten it causes a

condition known as ergotism or St. Anthony’s Fire, characterized by constriction of the blood vessels

leading to a burning sensation in the extremities, gangrene, loss of limbs or death. Also accompanied by

153

maddening hallucinations. When infected grain was turned into bread, entire towns were affected. Ergot is

less of a concern in today’s commercial grain due to careful testing procedures.

154

General Miami Plant Terms

acorn cap – aalakaya bark – alakiihkwi bud - weesintepeehkwa grass (green) – ihkipakaahkatwi grass (dry, hay) – mihtahkatwi leaf – kaakipakwa (P), mihšipakwa (M) moss – anseensi nut –pakaani pith – weemhši thorn – kaawia

155

Glossary of Botanical Terms

achene – a dry, indehiscent fruit (e.g. sunflower) annual – a plant that germinates, flowers, sets seed, and dies in one growing season berry – a fleshy fruit from a single pistil, usually with more than one seed bract – a modified leaf, arising in the axil beneath, or subtending, the flower or inflorescence stalk calyx – the whorl of sepals of a flower capsule – a dry dehiscent fruit, with more than two chambers catkin – a dense, spike-like inflorescence, with many unisexual flowers, lacking petals complete – a flower with all four whorls of parts (sepals, petals, pistils, stamens) compound – a leaf with two or more leaflets corolla – the whorl of petals of a flower decussate – leaves opposite, with each pair at ninety degrees to those above and below (e.g. most mints) dehiscent – a fruit that splits open at maturity to release the seeds dioecious – plants unisexual, with separate male and female individuals disk – in Asters, the central part of the head, with tubular flowers drupe – a fleshy, indehiscent fruit with a stony pit (e.g. peach, plum) floricane – the shoots of the genus Rubus which bears flowers and fruits glochid – hair with recurved barbs at the tips (e.g. at the base of some cactus spines) head – an indeterminate inflorescence with a dense cluster of sessile flowers indehiscent – a fruit that does not open at maturity keel – the two, lower petals of many Legumes locule – the space or chamber within the ovary loculicidal – a capsule that splits along the locule wall, not along the septae (e.g.. Iris) monoecious – bisexual plants with male and female flowers on the same individual node – the place on a stem where leaves and other structures (flowers, fruit, tendrils) are attached nut – a dry, indehiscent fruit with a hard wall, usually with one seed (e.g. walnut, pecan)

156

palmate – a leaf type with three or more lobes, nerves, or leaflets arising from a single point (e.g. buckeye) panicle – a branching indeterminate inflorescence, usually broadest near the base perennial – a plant which survives more than two growing seasons perfect – a flower with both male and female reproductive parts, but not necessarily petals and sepals petals – the second whorl of floral parts, usually white or colored to attract pollinators pinnae – the first primary division of a compound leaf pinnate – a leaf type where veins or leaflets arise from a central axis pistil – the female reproductive structure of a flower; made of stigma, style, and ovary; usually in the center pith – large celled tissue found in the center of a stem or root plumose – feathery, or with long fuzzy hairs pod – any dry fruit that splits apart when mature primocane – name of first year shoots of the genus Rubus pubescent – with any kind of hairs raceme – an elongate inflorescence arising from an unbranched central axis receptacle – the base of a flower, where all the parts are attached reflexed – sharply bent backward rhizome – a creeping underground stem rosette – when leaves or other organs are arranged in a circle or disk around the stem, often at the base samara – a winged fruit, that does not split at maturity sepal – composes the outer whorl of floral parts (calyx), often green and leafy underneath the petals spadix – a spike inflorescence with dense small flowers on a fleshy axis spathe – a solitary bract subtending and enclosing an inflorescence in the monocots

spike – an elongate, indeterminate inflorescence

stamen – the male flower organ, usually consisting of an anther and filament

stolon – a creeping, rhizomatus stem on or near the surface of the soil

tuber – a thickened end of a rhizome, functions in food storage and reproduction

umbel – a racemose inflorescence with a short axis and long pedicles

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Harvesting Calander

This is intended to give approximate dates of when some wild foods are ready to be collected.

This calander is not precise, and the harvesting times will vary from location to location and season to season. For greatest success, keep an eye on any plants you are interested in collecting throughout the

season so you will know when is the right time to collect.

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January February

Acer negundo (sap) Acer negundo (sap) Acer saccharum (sap) Acer saccharum (sap) Acer saccharum (sap) Acer saccharum (sap) Apios americana (tubers) Apios americana (tubers) Arisawma triphyllum (tubers) Arisawma triphyllum (tubers) Carya illinoinensis (sap) Carya illinoinensis (sap) Helianthus tuberosus (roots) Helianthus tuberosus (roots) Juglans cinerea (sap) Juglans cinerea (sap) Juglans nigra (sap) Juglans nigra (sap) Nelumbo lutea (roots) Nelumbo lutea (roots) Nymphaea odorata (roots) Nymphaea odorata (roots) Platanus occidentalis (sap) Platanus occidentalis (sap) Symplocarpus foetidus (roots) Symplocarpus foetidus (roots) Typha latifolia (roots) Typha latifolia (roots)

March April

Acer negundo (sap) Allium spp. (leaves) Acer saccharum (sap) Asclepias syriaca (shoots) Acer saccharum (sap) Cercis canadensis (flowers, young fruits) Allium spp. (leaves) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs) Apios americana (tubers) Morchella spp. (fruiting body) Arisawma triphyllum (tubers) Nelumbo lutea (leaves) Asclepias syriaca (shoots) Nymphaea odorata (leaves) Carya illinoinensis (sap) Opuntia humifusa (pads) Helianthus tuberosus (roots) Phytolacca americana (shoots) Juglans cinerea (sap) Scirpus validus (roots and shoots) Juglans nigra (sap) Smilacina racemosa (shoots and leaves) Morchella spp. (fruiting body) Symplocarpus foetidus (leaves) Nelumbo lutea (roots) Typha latifolia (shoots) Nymphaea odorata (roots) Ulmus rubra (bark) Platanus occidentalis (sap) Urtica spp. (leaves) Scirpus validus (roots and shoots) Smilacina racemosa (shoots and leaves) Symplocarpus foetidus (leaves) Typha latifolia (shoots) Ulmus rubra (bark)

159

May June

Allium spp. (bulbs) Allium spp. (bulbs) Asclepias syriaca (flowers, flower buds) Asclepias syriaca (flowers, flower buds) Cercis canadensis (young fruits) Cercis canadensis (pods) Fragaria spp. (fruit) Fragaria spp. (fruit) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs) Morchella spp. (fruiting body) Morus rubra (fruit) Morus rubra (fruit) Nymphaea odorata (flower buds) Nelumbo lutea (leaves) Opuntia humifusa (pads) Nymphaea odorata (leaves, buds) Portulaca oleracea (aboveground parts) Opuntia humifusa (pads) Ribes spp. (fruit) Phytolacca americana (shoots) Rubus spp. (fruit) Scirpus validus (roots and shoots) Sambucus spp. (flowers) Smilacina racemosa (leaves) Tilia americana (flowers) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Typha latifolia (shoots and immature flowers) Typha latifolia (pollen) Ulmus rubra (bark) Urtica spp. (leaves) Urtica spp. (leaves) Vitis spp. (leaves) Vitis spp. (leaves)

July August

Allium spp. (bulbs) Acer saccharum (fruit) Apios americana (seeds) Allium spp. (bulbs) Asclepias syriaca (flowers) Apios americana (seeds) Fragaria spp. (fruit) Asclepias syriaca (flowers, pods) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs, fruit) Asimina triloba (fruit) Morus rubra (fruit) Corylus americana (nut) Nymphaea odorata (seeds) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs, fruit) Portulaca oleracea (aboveground parts) Nelumbo lutea (seeds) Ribes spp. (fruit) Nymphaea odorata (seeds) Rubus spp. (fruit) Opuntia humifusa (fruit, seeds) Sambucus spp. (flowers) Podophyllum peltatum (fruit) Tilia americana (flowers) Portulaca oleracea (aboveground parts) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Prunus americana (fruit) Typha latifolia (pollen, new shoots) Prunus serotina (fruit) Urtica spp. (leaves) Rhus spp. (fruit) Ribes spp. (fruit) Rubus spp. (fruit) Sambucus spp. (flowers) Tilia americana (flowers) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Typha latifolia (new shoots) Urtica spp. (leaves) Vitis spp. (fruit)

160

September October

Acer saccharum (seeds) Apios americana (tuber) Apios americana (seeds) Arisaema triphyllum (tuber) Asimina triloba (fruit) Asimina triloba (fruit) Carya illinoinensis(fruit) Carya illinoinensis (fruit) Corylus americana (fruit) Diospyros virginiana (fruit) Juglans spp. (fruit) Fagus grandifolia (fruit) Lindera benzoin (leaves, twigs, fruit) Juglans spp. (fruit) Nelumbo lutea (seeds) Nelumbo lutea (roor) Nymphaea odorata (seeds) Nymphaea odorata (root) Opuntia humifusa (fruit, seeds) Opuntia humifusa (fruit, seeds) Podophyllum peltatum (fruit) Prunus americana (fruit) Portulaca oleracea (aboveground parts) Quercus spp. (fruit) Prunus americana (fruit) Sambucus spp. (flowers) Prunus serotina (fruit) Scirpus validus (roots) Quercus spp. (fruit) Symplocarpus foetidus (roots) Rhus spp. (fruit) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Ribes spp. (fruit) Typha latifolia (new shoots) Rubus spp. (fruit) Vaccinium spp. (fruit) Sambucus spp. (flowers) Vitis spp. (fruit) Scirpus validus (roots) Zizania aquatica (seed) Trifolium spp. (flowers) Typha latifolia (new shoots) Vitis spp. (fruit) Zizania aquatica (seed)

November December

Apios americana (tuber) Apios americana (tuber) Arisaema triphyllum (tuber) Arisaema triphyllum (tuber) Carya illinoinensis (fruit) Helianthus tuberosus (root) Diospyros virginiana (fruit) Nelumbo lutea (roor) Helianthus tuberosus (root) Nymphaea odorata (root) Juglans spp. (fruit) Symplocarpus foetidus (roots) Nelumbo lutea (roor) Typha latifolia (roots) Nymphaea odorata (root) Scirpus validus (roots) Symplocarpus foetidus (roots) Typha latifolia (roots) Vaccinium spp. (fruit)

161

Miami Language Sources

There are a number of documents written by outside observers dealing with Miami language.

These documents range in age from the late seventeenth century through the early 1960s. These documents vary considerably in content and accuracy, but nonetheless contain a vast amount of information about

Miami language and culture. One thing that is often lost is a traditional knowledge of the use (and in some

cases even the recognition) of plants. Fortunately, several of these documents make references to plants.

As Charlotte Erichsen-Brown says in the preface to her book Medicinal and Other Uses of North American

Plants, “the knowledge hides, like some rare orchids, in unexpected and inaccessible places.” The goal of

the Myaamia Project is to make that information more accessible. These language documents served as my

principle sources for Miami plant use information, with clarification of some uses by tribal members.

The earliest records of the Miami-Illinois language were recorded by French missionaries from the

late seventeenth century through the mid-eighteenth century. Many of the early translations were

prayerbooks or religious texts. The earliest reference to plants is by Father Jacques Gravier, a missionary

among the Illinois from 1689 to 1705. An Illinois-to-French dictionary is attributed to him, and contains

about 22,000 Illinois words and phrases. Father Antoine-Robert Le Boullenger, a missionary to the Illinois

from 1719 to 1744, wrote a French-to-Illinois dictionary with thousands if Illinois words. He also wrote

several religious texts. The next reference to plants was made by William Thornton in the early 1800s.

Thomas Jefferson commissioned Thornton to make a wordlist to supplement earlier works. Charles

Trowbridge worked for the Indian department of the Great Lakes, and did extensive ethnological work

among the Menominee, Delaware, Shawnee, and Miami. He worked with the Miami during the winter of

1824-5 and compiled a set of words, sentences and paradigms. The most extensive documentation of the

Miami-Illinois language after the missionary period is the work of Albert Gatschet. He was employed by

the Bureau of American Ethnology and studied the Miami language from 1895 to 1902. He did his work

with speakers mostly in Oklahoma. Shortly after Gatschet came Jacob Dunn, who worked with the Miami on and off from 1906 until his death in 1924. He was not a linguist but rather a lawyer and writer from

Indiana. He wanted to see the Miami language documented for posterity, and attempted to re-elicit older

162

documents from speakers. Charles Hockett conducted fieldwork with the Miami in 1938, and created a short but high quality wordlist. The final notes on the Miami language were taken by Herbert Bussard in the early 1960s. These make some references to plants, and contain some interesting documentation of language obsolescence phenomena.

Below are the most important sources pertaining to the information presented in this thesis.

Dunn, Jacob P. 1919. Indiana and Indianans. Chicago: American Historical Society.

Dunn, Jacob P. n.d. Miami file card dictionary. Manuscript, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis.

Dunn, Jacob P. n.d. Various notes on Miami. Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis.

Gatschet, Albert n.d. Peoria and Miami-English Dictionary. Manuscript 2481, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington.

Gatschet, Albert n.d. Peoria and Miami-English Dictionary. Manuscript 2483, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington.

Trowbridge, Charles C. 1938. Meearmeear Traditions. Vernon Kinietz, ed. University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology Occasional Contributions 7, Ann Arbor.

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Other References:

The information on Miami history came mostly from Native American encyclopedias, although this information was somewhat inaccurate. The discrepancies and mistakes were amended by the Myaamia

Project Director. Written botanical descriptions of each species were compiled from several botanical field guides. Most plants are found in both Indiana and northeast Oklahoma, although this corner of Oklahoma is the westernmost limit for many of the species. To supplement the information given by the Miami language documents, I consulted a variety of sources. These included field guides to wild edible plants, wild plant cookbooks and comparative ethnobotanical studies. The Miami share many cultural and language traits with their neighboring tribes. They also shared knowledge of plants and plant usage. Some uses of plants are conserved among tribes, particularly in regards to wild edible plants. Medicinal uses are sometimes conserved, but these references should be treated with skepticism. Knowledge of plant medicine was (and still is) highly valuable, so it is understandable how tribes would carefully guard this information.

Bailey, C.H. and E.Z. Bailey. 1976. Hortus Third. Macmillan Publishing Co., New York, NY.

Davis, Mary B., editor. 1994. Native America in the Twentieth Century: an encyclopedia. Garland Publishing, Inc.: New York.. 337-338.

Gleason, Henry A. and Arthur Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second edition. New York Botanical Garden Press: Bronx, NY.

Harris, Ben Charles. 1969. Eat the Weeds. Keats Publishing, Inc.: New Canaan, CT.

Harter, Jim, editor. 1988. [Plant Kingdom Compendium] Plants: 2400 Copyright-Free Illustrations of Flowers, Trees, Fruits and Vegetables. Dover Publications, Inc.: Mineola, New York.

Heiser, C.B. Jr. 1969. Nightshades: the Paradoxical Plants. W.H. Freeman and Co., San Francisco.

Holmgren, Noel H. et al. 1997. The Illustrated Companion to Gleason and Cronquist’s Manual: Illustrations of the Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. New York Botanical Garden Press: Bronx, NY.

Kavasch, Barrie. 1977. Native Harvests: Recipies and Botanicals of the American Indian. Vintage Books, a division of Random House: New York.

164

Kindscher, Kelly. 1987. Edible Wild Plants of the Prairie: an ethnobotanical guide. University Press of Kansas: Lawrence, KS.

Little, Elbert L. 1980. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees: Eastern Region.” Alfred A. Knopf: New York.

Malinowski, Shannon, Anna Sheets, et. al., editors. 1998. The Gale Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Volume 1. Gale Research, Inc.: Detroit. 128-133.

McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. 1977. Wild Food Plants of Indiana and Adjacent States. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, IN.

Meeker, James E., Joan E. Elias and John A, Heim. 1993. Plants Used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa. Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission: Odanah, WI.

Moerman, Daniel E. 1986. Medicinal Plants of Native America. Volume 1. University of Michigan Museum of Anthropology: Ann Arbor, MI.

Newcomb, Lawrence. 1977. Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide. Little, Brown and Co.: Boston.

Peterson, Lee Allen. 1977. Edible Wild Plants: Of Eastern/Central North America. The Peterson Field Guide series. Houghton Mifflin Co.: Boston.

Petrides, George A. 1972. A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs. Second edition. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Houghton Mifflin Co.: Boston.

Thieret, John W., William A. Niering and Nance C. Olmstead. 2001. National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers: Eastern Region. Revised edition. Alfred A. Knopf: New York.

Waldman, Carl. 1999. The Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Revised edition. Checkmark Books: New York. 136-137.

165

Plants Used by the Miami as Food or Drink (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

9 Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Acer saccharum Sugar Maple ahsenaamiši 15 Allium canadense Wild Garlic wiinhsihsia 17 Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 18 Allium stellatum Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 19 Allium vineale Field Garlic wiinhsihsia 20 Apios americana Common Groundnut eepiikanita 28 Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. leninši 32 Asimina triloba Pawpaw mihsiimišaahkwi 35 Carya illinoinensis Pecan kaanseenseemini (nut) 45 Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon pyaakimišaahkwi 49 Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 50 Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 56 Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke oonsaapeehkateeki 64 Lindera benzoin Spicebush wiinaahkatwi 68 Morchella esculenta Common Morel minohsakayi 69 Morus rubra Red Mulberry mihtekwapimiši 71 Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily poohkhšikwalia 75 Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. mahkohpena 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 92 Prunus americana American Plum ateehseemišaahkwa 94 Prunus serotina Black Cherry katoohwakimišaahkwi 98 Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. mihšiinkweemiši 109 Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry makiinkweemina 111 Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry meenkaalakiinkweemina 113 Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry neepaleeteemina 121 Sassafras albidum Sassafras mankiišaahkwi 147 Vitis labrusca Fox Grape waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 145 Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. kiišiipitoonisinki

166

Plants Used by the Miami as Food or Drink (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

109 Blackberry, Common Rubus allegheniensis makiinkweemina 94 Cherry, Black Prunus serotina katoohwakimišaahkwi 111 Dewberry, Northern Rubus flagellaris meenkaalakiinkweemina 19 Garlic, Field Allium vineale wiinhsihsia 15 Garlic, Wild Allium canadense wiinhsihsia 147 Grape, Fox Vitis labrusca waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 145 Grape, Pigeon Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 145 Grape, Summer Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 20 Groundnut, Common Apios americana eepiikanita 56 Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus oonsaapeehkateeki 71 Lotus, American Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 9 Maple, Silver Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 9 Maple, Soft Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Maple, Sugar Acer saccharum ahsenaamiši 28 Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca leninši 28 Milkweed, Purple Asclepias syriaca leninši 68 Morel, Common Morchella esculenta minohsakayi 69 Mulberry, Red Morus rubra mihtekwapimiši 98 Oak, Bur Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši 98 Oak, Mossycup Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši 17 Onion, Nodding Wild Allium cernuum wiinhsihsia 18 Onion, Wild Allium stellatum wiinhsihsia 32 Pawpaw Asimina triloba mihsiimišaahkwi 35 Pecan Carya illinoinensis kaanseenseemini (nut) 45 Persimmon, Common Diospyros virginiana pyaakimišaahkwi 92 Plum, American Prunus americana ateehseemišaahkwa 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 113 Raspberry, Black Rubus occidentalis neepaleeteemina 121 Sassafras Sassafras albidum mankiišaahkwi 64 Spicebush Lindera benzoin wiinaahkatwi 50 Strawberry, Common Fragaria virginiana ateehimini (fruit) 49 Strawberry, Wood Fragaria vesca ateehimini (fruit) 71 Water Chinquapin Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 75 Water Lily, Fragrant Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 75 Water Lily, White Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 71 Water Lily, Yellow Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia

167

Plants Used by the Miami as Food or Drink (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

11 ahsenaamiši Acer saccharum Sugar Maple 49 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry 50 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry 92 ateehseemišaahkwa Prunus americana American Plum 20 eepiikanita Apios americana Common Groundnut 35 kaanseenseemini (nut) Carya illinoinensis Pecan 94 katoohwakimišaahkwi Prunus serotina Black Cherry 145 kiišiipitoonisinki Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. 28 leninši Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 75 mahkohpena Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. 109 makiinkweemina Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry 121 mankiišaahkwi Sassafras albidum Sassafras 111 meenkaalakiinkweemina Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry 32 mihsiimišaahkwi Asimina triloba Pawpaw 98 mihšiinkweemiši Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. 69 mihtekwapimiši Morus rubra Red Mulberry 68 minohsakayi Morchella esculenta Common Morel 113 neepaleeteemina Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry 56 oonsaapeehkateeki Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke 71 poohkhšikwalia Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily 45 pyaakimišaahkwi Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon 147 waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* Vitis labrusca Fox Grape 9 wiikapaahkwaahkaniša Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. 64 wiinaahkatwi Lindera benzoin Spicebush 15 wiinhsihsia Allium canadense Wild Garlic 17 wiinhsihsia Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion 18 wiinhsihsia Allium stellatum Wild Onion 19 wiinhsihsia Allium vineale Field Garlic

168

Plants Used by the Miami Industrially (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

9 Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 22 Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp ahsapa 37 Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry pakamaakaniši 40 Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 52 Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. peepihkwilakiki* 60 Juglans nigra Black Walnut ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 62 Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar šiinkwaahkwa 69 Morus rubra Red Mulberry mihtekwapimiši 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 82 Planera aquatica* Water Elm apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 108 Robinia pseudo-acacia Black Locust, Yellow L. unknown 123 Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush alaansooni 129 Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar unknown 131 Tilia americana Basswood wiikapimišii 135 Typha latifolia Common Cattail apahkwaya 137 Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. ašaahšikopa 139 Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle ašošaawia*

Plants Used by the Miami Industrially (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

52 Ash, Basket Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 52 Ash, Black Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 131 Basswood Tilia americana wiikapimišii 123 Bulrush, Softstem Scirpus validus alaansooni 135 Cattail, Common Typha latifolia apahkwaya 62 Cedar, Eastern Red Juniperus virginiana šiinkwaahkwa 129 Cedar, Northern White Thuja occidentalis unknown 22 Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 40 Dogwood, Flowering Cornus florida akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 137 Elm, Red Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Soft Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 82 Elm, Water Planera aquatica* apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 37 Hackberry, Northern Celtis occidentalis pakamaakaniši 22 Indian Hemp Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 108 Locust, Black Robinia pseudo-acacia unknown 108 Locust, Yellow Robinia pseudo-acacia unknown 9 Maple, Silver Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 9 Maple, Soft Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 69 Mulberry, Red Morus rubra mihtekwapimiši 139 Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica* ašošaawia* 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 60 Walnut, Black Juglans nigra ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea)

169

Plants Used by the Miami Industrially (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

22 ahsapa Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp 40 akanteemiši (M) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 123 alaansooni Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush 82 apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi Planera aquatica* Water Elm 135 apahkwaya Typha latifolia Common Cattail 137 ašaahšikopa Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. 139 ašošaawia* Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle 60 ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 40 iihkalomiši (P) Cornus florida Dogwood 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 69 mihtekwapimiši Morus rubra Red Mulberry 60 myaalweehki (Wea) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 37 pakamaakaniši Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry 52 peepihkwilakiki* Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. 62 šiinkwaahkwa Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar 108 unknown Robinia pseudo-acacia Black Locust, Yellow L. 129 unknown Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar 9 wiikapaahkwaahkaniša Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. 131 wiikapimišii Tilia americana Basswood

170

Plants Used by the Miami Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

14 Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye mihsihkiišikomiši 42 Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood neehpikaahkwi 62 Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar šiinkwaahkwa 73 Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco ahseema 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 82 Planera aquatica* Water Elm apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 115 Rudbeckia hirta* Blackeyed Susan meehkateewi ciipihki 125 Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard kahkiitiaahkwi*

Plants Used by the Miami Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

115 Blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta* meehkateewi ciipihki 14 Buckeye, Ohio Aesculus glabra mihsihkiišikomiši 62 Cedar, Eastern Red Juniperus virginiana šiinkwaahkwa 42 Dogwood, Red Osier Cornus sericea neehpikaahkwi 82 Elm, Water Planera aquatica* apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 125 False Solomon’s Seal Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi* 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 73 Tobacco, Wild Nicotiana rustica ahseema 125 Wild Spikenard Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi*

Plants Used by the Miami Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

73 ahseema Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco 82 apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi Planera aquatica* Water Elm 125 kahkiitiaahkwi* Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 115 meehkateewi ciipihki Rudbeckia hirta* Blackeyed Susan 14 mihsihkiišikomiši Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye 42 neehpikaahkwi Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood 62 šiinkwaahkwa Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar

171

Plants Used by Other Groups as Food or Drink (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

8 Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple šiišiikweehkihsi 9 Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Acer saccharum Sugar Maple ahsenaamiši 15 Allium canadense Wild Garlic wiinhsihsia 17 Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 18 Allium stellatum Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 19 Allium vineale Field Garlic wiinhsihsia 20 Apios americana Common Groundnut eepiikanita 24 Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla maahkwana* 26 Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip wiikopayiisia* 28 Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. leninši 32 Asimina triloba Pawpaw mihsiimišaahkwi 35 Carya illinoinensis Pecan kaanseenseemini (nut) 37 Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry pakamaakaniši 38 Cercis canadensis Redbud eeyoonsaaweekiša 43 Corylus americana American Hazelnut paahkiteensaahkwi 45 Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon pyaakimišaahkwi 47 Fagus grandifolia Beech sansakamiši* 49 Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 50 Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 54 Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust akaawinšaahkwa 56 Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke oonsaapeehkateeki 58 Juglans cinerea Butternut kiinošiši 60 Juglans nigra Black Walnut ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 64 Lindera benzoin Spicebush wiinaahkatwi 68 Morchella esculenta Common Morel minohsakayi 69 Morus rubra Red Mulberry mihtekwapimiši 71 Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily poohkhšikwalia 75 Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. mahkohpena 77 Opuntia humifusa Eastern Prickly Pear ilenoonkwia 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 84 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree kaakihšaahkatwi 86 Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” kahkiteemišaahkwi 90 Portulaca oleracea Common Purslane koohkooša awiilawi 92 Prunus americana American Plum ateehseemišaahkwa 94 Prunus serotina Black Cherry katoohwakimišaahkwi 96 Quercus alba White Oak waawaapinkwaahkatwi 98 Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. mihšiinkweemiši 100 Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak maamhkatiaahkatwi 102 Rhus copallina Winged Sumac, Shining S., Dwarf S. ciiciinkweemiši 103 Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. mahkomiši 105 Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. eehsipanimini 107 Ribes cynosbati Pasture Gooseberry, Dogberry kaayomišaahkwi 109 Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry makiinkweemina 111 Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry meenkaalakiinkweemina 113 Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry neepaleeteemina 117 Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 119 Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 121 Sassafras albidum Sassafras mankiišaahkwi 123 Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush alaansooni 125 Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard kahkiitiaahkwi* 127 Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage šikaakwainši

172

131 Tilia americana Basswood wiikapimišii 133 Trifolium pratense Red Clover neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Trifolium repens White Clover neehsopaki 135 Typha latifolia Common Cattail apahkwaya 137 Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. ašaahšikopa 139 Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle ašošaawia* 142 Vaccinium macrocarpon Large Cranberry neehpikicia 143 Vaccinium oxycoccos Small Cranberry neehpikicia 144 Viburnum prunifolium Smooth Black-haw papaakimišaahkwi 145 Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. kiišiipitoonisinki 147 Vitis labrusca Fox Grape waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 152 Zizania aquatica Wild rice naloomini

173

Plants Used by Other Groups as Food or Drink (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

131 Basswood Tilia americana wiikapimišii 47 Beech Fagus grandifolia sansakamiši* 109 Blackberry, Common Rubus allegheniensis makiinkweemina 144 Black-haw, Smooth Viburnum prunifolium papaakimišaahkwi 8 Box-elder Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 123 Bulrush, Softstem Scirpus validus alaansooni 58 Butternut Juglans cinerea kiinošiši 84 Button-ball Tree Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 84 Buttonwood Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 135 Cattail, Common Typha latifolia apahkwaya 94 Cherry, Black Prunus serotina katoohwakimišaahkwi 133 Clover, Red Trifolium pratense neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Clover, White Trifolium repens neehsopaki 142 Cranberry, Large Vaccinium macrocarpon neehpikicia 143 Cranberry, Small Vaccinium oxycoccos neehpikicia 105 Currant, American Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 105 Currant, Eastern Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 111 Dewberry, Northern Rubus flagellaris meenkaalakiinkweemina 107 Dogberry Ribes cynosbati kaayomišaahkwi 117 Elderberry, Common Sambucus canadensis wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 119 Elderberry, Red Sambucus racemosa wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 137 Elm, Red Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Soft Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 125 False Solomon’s Seal Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi* 19 Garlic, Field Allium vineale wiinhsihsia 15 Garlic, Wild Allium canadense wiinhsihsia 107 Gooseberry, Pasture Ribes cynosbati kaayomišaahkwi 147 Grape, Fox Vitis labrusca waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 145 Grape, Pigeon Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 145 Grape, Summer Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 20 Groundnut, Common Apios americana eepiikanita 37 Hackberry, Northern Celtis occidentalis pakamaakaniši 43 Hazelnut, American Corylus americana paahkiteensaahkwi 26 Indian Turnip Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 26 Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 56 Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus oonsaapeehkateeki 54 Locust, Honey Gleditsia triacanthos akaawinšaahkwa 71 Lotus, American Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 86 Mandrake Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 8 Maple, Ashleaf Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 9 Maple, Silver Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 9 Maple, Soft Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Maple, Sugar Acer saccharum ahsenaamiši 86 Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 28 Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca leninši 28 Milkweed, Purple Asclepias syriaca leninši 68 Morel, Common Morchella esculenta minohsakayi 69 Mulberry, Red Morus rubra mihtekwapimiši 139 Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica* ašošaawia* 98 Oak, Bur Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši 98 Oak, Mossycup Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši

174

100 Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra maamhkatiaahkatwi 96 Oak, White Quercus alba waawaapinkwaahkatwi 17 Onion, Nodding Wild Allium cernuum wiinhsihsia 18 Onion, Wild Allium stellatum wiinhsihsia 32 Pawpaw Asimina triloba mihsiimišaahkwi 35 Pecan Carya illinoinensis kaanseenseemini (nut) 45 Persimmon, Common Diospyros virginiana pyaakimišaahkwi 92 Plum, American Prunus americana ateehseemišaahkwa 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 77 Prickly Pear, Eastern Opuntia humifusa ilenoonkwia 90 Purslane, Common Portulaca oleracea koohkooša awiilawi 113 Raspberry, Black Rubus occidentalis neepaleeteemina 38 Redbud Cercis canadensis eeyoonsaaweekiša 152 Rice, Wild Zizania aquatica naloomini 24 Sarsaparilla, Wild Aralia nudicaulis maahkwana* 121 Sassafras Sassafras albidum mankiišaahkwi 127 Skunk Cabbage Symolocarpus foetidus šikaakwainši 64 Spicebush Lindera benzoin wiinaahkatwi 125 Spikenard, Wild Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi* 50 Strawberry, Common Fragaria virginiana ateehimini (fruit) 49 Strawberry, Wood Fragaria vesca ateehimini (fruit) 103 Sumac, Common Rhus glabra mahkomiši 102 Sumac, Dwarf Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 102 Sumac, Shining Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 103 Sumac, Smooth Rhus glabra mahkomiši 102 Sumac, Winged Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 84 Sycamore Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 60 Walnut, Black Juglans nigra ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 71 Water Chinquapin Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 75 Water Lily, Fragrant Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 75 Water Lily, White Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 71 Water Lily, Yellow Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia

175

Plants Used by Other Groups as Food or Drink (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

11 ahsenaamiši Acer saccharum Sugar Maple 54 akaawinšaahkwa Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 123 alaansooni Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush 135 apahkwaya Typha latifolia Common Cattail 137 ašaahšikopa Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. 139 ašošaawia* Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle 49 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry 50 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry 92 ateehseemišaahkwa Prunus americana American Plum 60 ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 102 ciiciinkweemiši Rhus copallina Winged Sumac, Shining S., Dwarf S. 105 eehsipanimini Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. 20 eepiikanita Apios americana Common Groundnut 38 eeyoonsaaweekiša Cercis canadensis Redbud 77 ilenoonkwia Opuntia humifusa Eastern Prickly Pear 84 kaakihšaahkatwi Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree 35 kaanseenseemini (nut) Carya illinoinensis Pecan 107 kaayomišaahkwi Ribes cynosbati Pasture Gooseberry, Dogberry 125 kahkiitiaahkwi* Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard 86 kahkiteemišaahkwi Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” 94 katoohwakimišaahkwi Prunus serotina Black Cherry 58 kiinošiši Juglans cinerea Butternut 145 kiišiipitoonisinki Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. 113 kikalosa* Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry 117 kikalosa* Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry 90 koohkooša awiilawi Portulaca oleracea Common Purslane 28 leninši Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. 24 maahkwana* Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla 100 maamhkatiaahkatwi Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 75 mahkohpena Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. 103 mahkomiši Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. 109 makiinkweemina Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry 121 mankiišaahkwi Sassafras albidum Sassafras 111 meenkaalakiinkweemina Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry 32 mihsiimišaahkwi Asimina triloba Pawpaw 98 mihšiinkweemiši Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. 69 mihtekwapimiši Morus rubra Red Mulberry 68 minohsakayi Morchella esculenta Common Morel 60 myaalweehki (Wea) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 152 naloomini Zizania aquatica Wild rice 142 neehpikicia Vaccinium macrocarpon Large Cranberry 143 neehpikicia Vaccinium oxycoccos Small Cranberry 134 neehsopaki Trifolium repens White Clover 133 neehsopaki eensiwatoonki Trifolium pratense Red Clover 113 neepaleeteemina Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry 56 oonsaapeehkateeki Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke 43 paahkiteensaahkwi Corylus americana American Hazelnut 37 pakamaakaniši Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry 144 papaakimišaahkwi Viburnum prunifolium Smooth Black-haw 71 poohkhšikwalia Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily 45 pyaakimišaahkwi Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon

176

47 sansakamiši* Fagus grandifolia Beech 8 šiišiikweehkihsi Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple 127 šikaakwainši Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage 96 waawaapinkwaahkatwi Quercus alba White Oak 147 waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* Vitis labrusca Fox Grape 9 wiikapaahkwaahkaniša Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. 131 wiikapimišii Tilia americana Basswood 117 wiikooloomphsa* Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry 119 wiikooloomphsa* Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry 26 wiikopayiisia* Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip 64 wiinaahkatwi Lindera benzoin Spicebush 15 wiinhsihsia Allium canadense Wild Garlic 17 wiinhsihsia Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion 18 wiinhsihsia Allium stellatum Wild Onion 19 wiinhsihsia Allium vineale Field Garlic

177

Plants Used by Other Groups Industrially (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

14 Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye mihsihkiišikomiši 15 Allium canadense Wild Garlic wiinhsihsia 17 Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 18 Allium stellatum Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 19 Allium vineale Field Garlic wiinhsihsia 22 Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp ahsapa 32 Asimina triloba Pawpaw mihsiimišaahkwi 38 Cercis canadensis Redbud eeyoonsaaweekiša 40 Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood neehpikaahkwi 52 Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. peepihkwilakiki* 58 Juglans cinerea Butternut kiinošiši 60 Juglans nigra Black Walnut ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 62 Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar šiinkwaahkwa 66 Liriodendron tulipifera Tuliptree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip P. oonseentiaahkwi 67 Maclura pomifera Osage Orange, Bodark oonsaawaahkwa 69 Morus rubra Red Mulberry mihtekwapimiši 73 Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco ahseema 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 84 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree kaakihšaahkatwi 86 Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” kahkiteemišaahkwi 92 Prunus americana American Plum ateehseemišaahkwa 103 Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. mahkomiši 120 Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot oonsaalemooni 121 Sassafras albidum Sassafras mankiišaahkwi 127 Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage šikaakwainši 129 Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar unknown 131 Tilia americana Basswood wiikapimišii 133 Trifolium pratense Red Clover neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Trifolium repens White Clover neehsopaki 135 Typha latifolia Common Cattail apahkwaya 137 Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. ašaahšikopa 139 Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle ašošaawia*

178

Plants Used by Other Groups Industrially (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

52 Ash, Black Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 52 Ash, Basket Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 131 Basswood Tilia americana wiikapimišii 120 Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis oonsaalemooni 14 Buckeye, Ohio Aesculus glabra mihsihkiišikomiši 58 Butternut Juglans cinerea kiinošiši 135 Cattail, Common Typha latifolia apahkwaya 62 Cedar, Eastern Red Juniperus virginiana šiinkwaahkwa 129 Cedar, Northern White Thuja occidentalis unknown 133 Clover, Red Trifolium pratense neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Clover, White Trifolium repens neehsopaki 22 Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 22 Indian Hemp Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 40 Dogwood, Flowering Cornus florida akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Dogwood, Red Osier Cornus sericea neehpikaahkwi 137 Elm, Red Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Soft Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 19 Garlic, Field Allium vineale wiinhsihsia 15 Garlic, Wild Allium canadense wiinhsihsia 86 Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 86 Mandrake Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 69 Mulberry, Red Morus rubra mihtekwapimiši 139 Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica* ašošaawia* 17 Onion, Nodding Wild Allium cernuum wiinhsihsia 18 Onion, Wild Allium stellatum wiinhsihsia 67 Osage Orange Maclura pomifera oonsaawaahkwa 67 Bodark Maclura pomifera oonsaawaahkwa 32 Pawpaw Asimina triloba mihsiimišaahkwi 92 Plum, American Prunus americana ateehseemišaahkwa 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 38 Redbud Cercis canadensis eeyoonsaaweekiša 121 Sassafras Sassafras albidum mankiišaahkwi 127 Skunk Cabbage Symolocarpus foetidus šikaakwainši 103 Sumac, Smooth Rhus glabra mahkomiši 103 Sumac, Common Rhus glabra mahkomiši 84 Sycamore Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 84 Buttonwood Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 84 Button-ball Tree Platanus occidentali kaakihšaahkatwi 73 Tobacco, Wild Nicotiana rustica ahseema 66 Tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 66 Poplar, Yellow Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 66 Poplar, Tulip Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 60 Walnut, Black Juglans nigra ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea)

179

Plants Used by Other Groups Industrially (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

22 ahsapa Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp 73 ahseema Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco 40 akanteemiši (M) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 135 apahkwaya Typha latifolia Common Cattail 137 ašaahšikopa Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. 139 ašošaawia* Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle 92 ateehseemišaahkwa Prunus americana American Plum 60 ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 38 eeyoonsaaweekiša Cercis canadensis Redbud 40 iihkalomiši (P) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 84 kaakihšaahkatwi Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree 86 kahkiteemišaahkwi Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” 58 kiinošiši Juglans cinerea Butternut 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 103 mahkomiši Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. 121 mankiišaahkwi Sassafras albidum Sassafras 14 mihsihkiišikomiši Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye 32 mihsiimišaahkwi Asimina triloba Pawpaw 69 mihtekwapimiši Morus rubra Red Mulberry 60 myaalweehki (Wea) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 42 neehpikaahkwi Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood 134 neehsopaki Trifolium repens White Clover 133 neehsopaki eensiwatoonki Trifolium pratense Red Clover 120 oonsaalemooni Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot 67 oonsaawaahkwa Maclura pomifera Osage Orange, Bodark 66 oonseentiaahkwi Liriodendron tulipifera Tuliptree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip P. 52 peepihkwilakiki* Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. 62 šiinkwaahkwa Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar 127 šikaakwainši Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage 129 unknown Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar 131 wiikapimišii Tilia americana Basswood 15 wiinhsihsia Allium canadense Wild Garlic 17 wiinhsihsia Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion 18 wiinhsihsia Allium stellatum Wild Onion 19 wiinhsihsia Allium vineale Field Garlic

180

Plants Used by Other Groups Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

8 Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple šiišiikweehkihsi 15 Allium canadense Wild Garlic wiinhsihsia 17 Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 18 Allium stellatum Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 19 Allium vineale Field Garlic wiinhsihsia 22 Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp ahsapa 24 Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla maahkwana* 26 Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip wiikopayiisia* 28 Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. leninši 35 Carya illinoinensis Pecan kaanseenseemini (nut) 38 Cercis canadensis Redbud eeyoonsaaweekiša 40 Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood neehpikaahkwi 58 Juglans cinerea Butternut kiinošiši 60 Juglans nigra Black Walnut ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 62 Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar šiinkwaahkwa 73 Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco ahseema 78 Panax quinquefolius American Ginseng piloohsa 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 86 Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” kahkiteemišaahkwi 88 Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood waapaahkoonseentia 89 Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen siipiomeekwa* 92 Prunus americana American Plum ateehseemišaahkwa 94 Prunus serotina Black Cherry katoohwakimišaahkwi 100 Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak maamhkatiaahkatwi 103 Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. mahkomiši 105 Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. eehsipanimini 120 Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot oonsaalemooni 121 Sassafras albidum Sassafras mankiišaahkwi 131 Tilia americana Basswood wiikapimišii 135 Typha latifolia Common Cattail apahkwaya 137 Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. ašaahšikopa 139 Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle ašošaawia* 150 Zanthoxylum americanum Northern Prickly Ash, Common Prickly A. seenankašia*

181

Plants Used by Other Groups Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

150 Ash, Common Prickly Zanthoxylum americanum seenankašia* 150 Ash, Northern Prickly Zanthoxylum americanum seenankašia* 89 Aspen, Quaking Populus tremuloides siipiomeekwa* 131 Basswood Tilia americana wiikapimišii 120 Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis oonsaalemooni 8 Box-elder Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 58 Butternut Juglans cinerea kiinošiši 135 Cattail, Common Typha latifolia apahkwaya 94 Cherry, Black Prunus serotina katoohwakimišaahkwi 88 Cottonwood, Eastern Populus deltoides waapaahkoonseentia 105 Currant, American Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 105 Currant, Eastern Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 22 Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 40 Dogwood, Flowering Cornus florida akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Dogwood, Red Osier Cornus sericea neehpikaahkwi 137 Elm, Red Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Soft Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 19 Garlic, Field Allium vineale wiinhsihsia 15 Garlic, Wild Allium canadense wiinhsihsia 78 Ginseng, American Panax quinquefolius piloohsa 22 Indian Hemp Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 26 Indian Turnip Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 26 Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 86 Mandrake Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 8 Maple, Ashleaf Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 86 Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 28 Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca leninši 28 Milkweed, Purple Asclepias syriaca leninši 139 Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica* ašošaawia* 100 Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra maamhkatiaahkatwi 17 Onion, Nodding Wild Allium cernuum wiinhsihsia 18 Onion, Wild Allium stellatum wiinhsihsia 35 Pecan Carya illinoinensis kaanseenseemini (nut) 92 Plum, American Prunus americana ateehseemišaahkwa 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 62 Red Cedar, Eastern Juniperus virginiana šiinkwaahkwa 38 Redbud Cercis canadensis eeyoonsaaweekiša 24 Sarsaparilla, Wild Aralia nudicaulis maahkwana* 121 Sassafras Sassafras albidum mankiišaahkwi 103 Sumac, Common Rhus glabra mahkomiši 103 Sumac, Smooth Rhus glabra mahkomiši 73 Tobacco, Wild Nicotiana rustica ahseema 60 Walnut, Black Juglans nigra ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea)

182

Plants Used by Other Groups Medicinally or Ceremonially (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

8 šiišiikweehkihsi Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple 22 ahsapa Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp 73 ahseema Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco 40 akanteemiši (M) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 135 apahkwaya Typha latifolia Common Cattail 137 ašaahšikopa Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. 139 ašošaawia* Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle 92 ateehseemišaahkwa Prunus americana American Plum 60 ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 105 eehsipanimini Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. 38 eeyoonsaaweekiša Cercis canadensis Redbud 40 iihkalomiši (P) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 35 kaanseenseemini (nut) Carya illinoinensis Pecan 86 kahkiteemišaahkwi Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” 94 katoohwakimišaahkwi Prunus serotina Black Cherry 58 kiinošiši Juglans cinerea Butternut 28 leninši Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. 24 maahkwana* Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla 100 maamhkatiaahkatwi Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 103 mahkomiši Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. 121 mankiišaahkwi Sassafras albidum Sassafras 60 myaalweehki (Wea) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 42 neehpikaahkwi Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood 120 oonsaalemooni Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot 78 piloohsa Panax quinquefolius American Ginseng 150 seenankašia* Zanthoxylum americanum Northern Prickly Ash, Common Prickly A. 62 šiinkwaahkwa Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar 89 siipiomeekwa* Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen 8 šiišiikweehkihsi Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple 88 waapaahkoonseentia Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood 131 wiikapimišii Tilia americana Basswood 26 wiikopayiisia* Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip 15 wiinhsihsia Allium canadense Wild Garlic 17 wiinhsihsia Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion 18 wiinhsihsia Allium stellatum Wild Onion 19 wiinhsihsia Allium vineale Field Garlic

183

Index to All Plants (by Scientific name)

page Scientific name Common name Miami name

8 Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple šiišiikweehkihsi 9 Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Acer saccharum Sugar Maple ahsenaamiši 14 Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye mihsihkiišikomiši 15 Allium canadense Wild Garlic wiinhsihsia 17 Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 18 Allium stellatum Wild Onion wiinhsihsia 19 Allium vineale Field Garlic wiinhsihsia 20 Apios americana Common Groundnut eepiikanita 22 Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp ahsapa 24 Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla maahkwana* 26 Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip wiikopayiisia* 28 Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. leninši 31 Asclepias variegata White Milkweed alemontehsa 32 Asimina triloba Pawpaw mihsiimišaahkwi 34 Carpinus caroliniana Ironwood, Musclewood, Hornbeam myaalwamiši 35 Carya illinoinensis Pecan kaanseenseemini (nut) 37 Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry pakamaakaniši 38 Cercis canadensis Redbud eeyoonsaaweekiša 40 Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood neehpikaahkwi 43 Corylus americana American Hazelnut paahkiteensaahkwi 45 Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon pyaakimišaahkwi 47 Fagus grandifolia Beech sansakamiši* 49 Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 50 Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry ateehimini (fruit) 52 Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. peepihkwilakiki* 54 Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust akaawinšaahkwa 56 Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke oonsaapeehkateeki 58 Juglans cinerea Butternut kiinošiši 60 Juglans nigra Black Walnut ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 62 Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar šiinkwaahkwa 64 Lindera benzoin Spicebush wiinaahkatwi 66 Liriodendron tulipifera Tuliptree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip P. oonseentiaahkwi 67 Maclura pomifera Osage Orange, Bodark oonsaawaahkwa 68 Morchella esculenta Common Morel minohsakayi 69 Morus rubra Red Mulberry mihtekwapimiši 71 Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily poohkhšikwalia 73 Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco ahseema 75 Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. mahkohpena 77 Opuntia humifusa Eastern Prickly Pear ilenoonkwia 78 Panax quinquefolius American Ginseng piloohsa 80 Phytolacca americana Pokeweed maamilaneewiaahkwia 82 Planera aquatica* Water Elm apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 84 Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree kaakihšaahkatwi 86 Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” kahkiteemišaahkwi 88 Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood waapaahkoonseentia 89 Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen siipiomeekwa* 90 Portulaca oleracea Common Purslane koohkooša awiilawi 92 Prunus americana American Plum ateehseemišaahkwa 94 Prunus serotina Black Cherry katoohwakimišaahkwi 96 Quercus alba White Oak waawaapinkwaahkatwi

184

98 Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. mihšiinkweemiši 100 Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak maamhkatiaahkatwi 102 Rhus copallina Winged Sumac, Shining S., Dwarf S. ciiciinkweemiši 103 Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. mahkomiši 105 Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. eehsipanimini 107 Ribes cynosbati Pasture Gooseberry, Dogberry kaayomišaahkwi 108 Robinia pseudo-acacia Black Locust, Yellow L. unknown 109 Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry makiinkweemina 111 Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry meenkaalakiinkweemina 113 Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry neepaleeteemina 115 Rudbeckia hirta* Blackeyed Susan meehkateewi ciipihki 116 Salix babylonica Weeping Willow niipiaahkatwi 117 Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 119 Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 120 Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot oonsaalemooni 121 Sassafras albidum Sassafras mankiišaahkwi 123 Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush alaansooni 125 Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard kahkiitiaahkwi* 127 Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage šikaakwainši 129 Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar unknown 131 Tilia americana Basswood wiikapimišii 133 Trifolium pratense Red Clover neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Trifolium repens White Clover neehsopaki 135 Typha latifolia Common Cattail apahkwaya 137 Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. ašaahšikopa 139 Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle ašošaawia* 142 Vaccinium macrocarpon Large Cranberry neehpikicia 143 Vaccinium oxycoccos Small Cranberry neehpikicia 144 Viburnum prunifolium Smooth Black-haw papaakimišaahkwi 145 Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. kiišiipitoonisinki 147 Vitis labrusca Fox Grape waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 149 Xanthium strumarium Common Cocklebur sakinteepwa 150 Zanthoxylum americanum Northern Prickly Ash, Common Prickly A. seenankašia* 152 Zizania aquatica Wild rice naloomini

185

Index to All Plants (by Common name)

page Common name Scientific name Miami name

52 Ash, Basket Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 52 Ash, Black Fraxinus nigra peepihkwilakiki* 150 Ash, Common Prickly Zanthoxylum americanum seenankašia* 150 Ash, Northern Prickly Zanthoxylum americanum seenankašia* 89 Aspen, Quaking Populus tremuloides siipiomeekwa* 131 Basswood Tilia americana wiikapimišii 47 Beech Fagus grandifolia sansakamiši* 109 Blackberry, Common Rubus allegheniensis makiinkweemina 115 Blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta* meehkateewi ciipihki 144 Black-haw, Smooth Viburnum prunifolium papaakimišaahkwi 120 Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis oonsaalemooni 67 Bodark Maclura pomifera oonsaawaahkwa 8 Box-elder Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 14 Buckeye, Ohio Aesculus glabra mihsihkiišikomiši 123 Bulrush, Softstem Scirpus validus alaansooni 58 Butternut Juglans cinerea kiinošiši 84 Button-ball Tree Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 84 Buttonwood Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 135 Cattail, Common Typha latifolia apahkwaya 62 Cedar, Eastern Red Juniperus virginiana šiinkwaahkwa 129 Cedar, Northern White Thuja occidentalis unknown 94 Cherry, Black Prunus serotina katoohwakimišaahkwi 133 Clover, Red Trifolium pratense neehsopaki eensiwatoonki 134 Clover, White Trifolium repens neehsopaki 149 Cocklebur, Common Xanthium strumarium sakinteepwa 88 Cottonwood, Eastern Populus deltoides waapaahkoonseentia 142 Cranberry, Large Vaccinium macrocarpon neehpikicia 143 Cranberry, Small Vaccinium oxycoccos neehpikicia 105 Currant, American Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 105 Currant, Eastern Black Ribes americanum eehsipanimini 111 Dewberry, Northern Rubus flagellaris meenkaalakiinkweemina 22 Dogbane Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 107 Dogberry Ribes cynosbati kaayomišaahkwi 40 Dogwood, Flowering Cornus florida akanteemiši (M), iihkalomiši (P) 42 Dogwood, Red Osier Cornus sericea neehpikaahkwi 117 Elderberry, Common Sambucus canadensis wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 119 Elderberry, Red Sambucus racemosa wiikooloomphsa*, kikalosa* 137 Elm, Red Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 137 Elm, Soft Ulmus rubra ašaahšikopa 82 Elm, Water Planera aquatica* apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi 125 False Solomon’s Seal Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi* 19 Garlic, Field Allium vineale wiinhsihsia 15 Garlic, Wild Allium canadense wiinhsihsia 78 Ginseng, American Panax quinquefolius piloohsa 107 Gooseberry, Pasture Ribes cynosbati kaayomišaahkwi 147 Grape, Fox Vitis labrusca waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* 145 Grape, Pigeon Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 145 Grape, Summer Vitis aestivalis kiišiipitoonisinki 20 Groundnut, Common Apios americana eepiikanita 37 Hackberry, Northern Celtis occidentalis pakamaakaniši 43 Hazelnut, American Corylus americana paahkiteensaahkwi

186

34 Hornbeam Carpinus caroliniana myaalwamiši 22 Indian Hemp Apocynum cannabinum ahsapa 26 Indian Turnip Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 34 Ironwood Carpinus caroliniana myaalwamiši 26 Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum wiikopayiisia* 56 Jerusalem Artichoke Helianthus tuberosus oonsaapeehkateeki 108 Locust, Black Robinia pseudo-acacia unknown 54 Locust, Honey Gleditsia triacanthos akaawinšaahkwa 108 Locust, Yellow Robinia pseudo-acacia unknown 71 Lotus, American Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 86 Mandrake Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 8 Maple, Ashleaf Acer negundo šiišiikweehkihsi 9 Maple, Silver Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 9 Maple, Soft Acer sacchararinum wiikapaahkwaahkaniša 11 Maple, Sugar Acer saccharum ahsenaamiši 86 Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum kahkiteemišaahkwi 28 Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca leninši 28 Milkweed, Purple Asclepias syriaca leninši 31 Milkweed, White Asclepias variegata alemontehsa 68 Morel, Common Morchella esculenta minohsakayi 69 Mulberry, Red Morus rubra mihtekwapimiši 34 Musclewood Carpinus caroliniana myaalwamiši 139 Nettle, Stinging Urtica dioica* ašošaawia* 98 Oak, Bur Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši 98 Oak, Mossycup Quercus macrocarpa mihšiinkweemiši 100 Oak, Northern Red Quercus rubra maamhkatiaahkatwi 96 Oak, White Quercus alba waawaapinkwaahkatwi 17 Onion, Nodding Wild Allium cernuum wiinhsihsia 18 Onion, Wild Allium stellatum wiinhsihsia 67 Osage Orange Maclura pomifera oonsaawaahkwa 32 Pawpaw Asimina triloba mihsiimišaahkwi 35 Pecan Carya illinoinensis kaanseenseemini (nut) 45 Persimmon, Common Diospyros virginiana pyaakimišaahkwi 92 Plum, American Prunus americana ateehseemišaahkwa 80 Pokeweed Phytolacca americana maamilaneewiaahkwia 66 Poplar, Tulip Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 66 Poplar, Yellow Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 77 Prickly Pear, Eastern Opuntia humifusa ilenoonkwia 90 Purslane, Common Portulaca oleracea koohkooša awiilawi 113 Raspberry, Black Rubus occidentalis neepaleeteemina 38 Redbud Cercis canadensis eeyoonsaaweekiša 152 Rice, Wild Zizania aquatica naloomini 24 Sarsaparilla, Wild Aralia nudicaulis maahkwana* 121 Sassafras Sassafras albidum mankiišaahkwi 127 Skunk Cabbage Symolocarpus foetidus šikaakwainši 64 Spicebush Lindera benzoin wiinaahkatwi 125 Spikenard, Wild Smilacina racemosa kahkiitiaahkwi* 50 Strawberry, Common Fragaria virginiana ateehimini (fruit) 49 Strawberry, Wood Fragaria vesca ateehimini (fruit) 103 Sumac, Common Rhus glabra mahkomiši 102 Sumac, Dwarf Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 102 Sumac, Shining Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 103 Sumac, Smooth Rhus glabra mahkomiši 102 Sumac, Winged Rhus copallina ciiciinkweemiši 84 Sycamore Platanus occidentalis kaakihšaahkatwi 73 Tobacco, Wild Nicotiana rustica ahseema 66 Tuliptree Liriodendron tulipifera oonseentiaahkwi 60 Walnut, Black Juglans nigra ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P), myaalweehki (Wea) 71 Water Chinquapin Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia

187

75 Water Lily, Fragrant Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 75 Water Lily, White Nymphaea odorata mahkohpena 71 Water Lily, Yellow Nelumbo lutea poohkhšikwalia 116 Willow, Weeping Salix babylonica niipiaahkatwi

Index to All Plants (by Miami name)

page Miami name Scientific name Common name

22 ahsapa Apocynum cannabinum Dogbane, Indian Hemp 73 ahseema Nicotiana rustica Wild Tobacco 11 ahsenaamiši Acer saccharum Sugar Maple 54 akaawinšaahkwa Gleditsia triacanthos Honey Locust 40 akanteemiši (M) Cornus florida Dogwood 123 alaansooni Scirpus validus Softstem Bulrush 31 alemontehsa Asclepias variegata White Milkweed 82 apahkoohkwaniši siipiomeekwi Planera aquatica* Water Elm 135 apahkwaya Typha latifolia Common Cattail 137 ašaahšikopa Ulmus rubra Slippery Elm, Red E., Soft E. 139 ašošaawia* Urtica dioica* Stinging nettle 49 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria vesca Wood Strawberry 50 ateehimini (fruit) Fragaria virginiana Common Strawberry 92 ateehseemišaahkwa Prunus americana American Plum 60 ayoonseekaahkwi (M, P) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 102 ciiciinkweemiši Rhus copallina Winged Sumac, Shining S., Dwarf S. 105 eehsipanimini Ribes americanum American Black Currant, Eastern B. C. 20 eepiikanita Apios americana Common Groundnut 38 eeyoonsaaweekiša Cercis canadensis Redbud 40 iihkalomiši (P) Cornus florida Flowering Dogwood 77 ilenoonkwia Opuntia humifusa Eastern Prickly Pear 84 kaakihšaahkatwi Platanus occidentalis Sycamore, Buttonwood, Button-ball Tree 35 kaanseenseemini (nut) Carya illinoinensis Pecan 107 kaayomišaahkwi Ribes cynosbati Pasture Gooseberry, Dogberry 125 kahkiitiaahkwi* Smilacina racemosa False Solomon’s Seal, Wild Spikenard 86 kahkiteemišaahkwi Podophyllum peltatum Mayapple, “Mandrake” 94 katoohwakimišaahkwi Prunus serotina Black Cherry 58 kiinošiši Juglans cinerea Butternut 145 kiišiipitoonisinki Vitis aestivalis Summer Grape, Pigeon G. 117 kikalosa* Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry 119 kikalosa* Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry 90 koohkooša awiilawi Portulaca oleracea Common Purslane 28 leninši Asclepias syriaca Common Milkweed, Purple M. 24 maahkwana* Aralia nudicaulis Wild Sarsaparilla 100 maamhkatiaahkatwi Quercus rubra Northern Red Oak 80 maamilaneewiaahkwia Phytolacca americana Pokeweed 75 mahkohpena Nymphaea odorata White Water Lily, Fragrant W. L. 103 mahkomiši Rhus glabra Smooth Sumac, Common S. 109 makiinkweemina Rubus allegheniensis Common Blackberry 121 mankiišaahkwi Sassafras albidum Sassafras 115 meehkateewi ciipihki Rudbeckia hirta* Blackeyed Susan 111 meenkaalakiinkweemina Rubus flagellaris Northern Dewberry 14 mihsihkiišikomiši Aesculus glabra Ohio Buckeye 32 mihsiimišaahkwi Asimina triloba Pawpaw

188

98 mihšiinkweemiši Quercus macrocarpa Bur Oak, Mossycup O. 69 mihtekwapimiši Morus rubra Red Mulberry 68 minohsakayi Morchella esculenta Common Morel 34 myaalwamiši Carpinus caroliniana Ironwood, Musclewood, Hornbeam 60 myaalweehki (Wea) Juglans nigra Black Walnut 152 naloomini Zizania aquatica Wild rice 42 neehpikaahkwi Cornus sericea Red Osier Dogwood 142 neehpikicia Vaccinium macrocarpon Large Cranberry 143 neehpikicia Vaccinium oxycoccos Small Cranberry 134 neehsopaki Trifolium repens White Clover 133 neehsopaki eensiwatoonki Trifolium pratense Red Clover 113 neepaleeteemina Rubus occidentalis Black Raspberry 116 niipiaahkatwi Salix babylonica Weeping Willow 120 oonsaalemooni Sanguinaria canadensis Bloodroot 56 oonsaapeehkateeki Helianthus tuberosus Jerusalem Artichoke 67 oonsaawaahkwa Maclura pomifera Osage Orange, Bodark 66 oonseentiaahkwi Liriodendron tulipifera Tuliptree, Yellow Poplar, Tulip P. 43 paahkiteensaahkwi Corylus americana American Hazelnut 37 pakamaakaniši Celtis occidentalis Northern Hackberry 144 papaakimišaahkwi Viburnum prunifolium Smooth Black-haw 52 peepihkwilakiki* Fraxinus nigra Black Ash, Basket A. 78 piloohsa Panax quinquefolius American Ginseng 71 poohkhšikwalia Nelumbo lutea American Lotus, Water Chinquapin, Yellow Water Lily 45 pyaakimišaahkwi Diospyros virginiana Common Persimmon 149 sakinteepwa Xanthium strumarium Common Cocklebur 47 sansakamiši* Fagus grandifolia Beech 150 seenankašia* Zanthoxylum americanum Northern Prickly Ash, Common Prickly A. 62 šiinkwaahkwa Juniperus virginiana Eastern Red Cedar 89 siipiomeekwa* Populus tremuloides Quaking Aspen 8 šiišiikweehkihsi Acer negundo Box-elder, Ashleaf Maple 127 šikaakwainši Symolocarpus foetidus Skunk Cabbage 108 unknown Robinia pseudo-acacia Black Locust, Yellow L. 129 unknown Thuja occidentalis Northern White Cedar 88 waapaahkoonseentia Populus deltoides Eastern Cottonwood 96 waawaapinkwaahkatwi Quercus alba White Oak 147 waawipinkwaki ahsantepakwa* Vitis labrusca Fox Grape 9 wiikapaahkwaahkaniša Acer sacchararinum Soft Maple, Silver M. 131 wiikapimišii Tilia americana Basswood 117 wiikooloomphsa* Sambucus canadensis Common Elderberry 119 wiikooloomphsa* Sambucus racemosa Red Elderberry 26 wiikopayiisia* Arisaema triphyllum Jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian Turnip 64 wiinaahkatwi Lindera benzoin Spicebush 15 wiinhsihsia Allium canadense Wild Garlic 17 wiinhsihsia Allium cernuum Nodding Wild Onion 18 wiinhsihsia Allium stellatum Wild Onion 19 wiinhsihsia Allium vineale Field Garlic