Plants!
- Salix alaxensis - Alaska Willow. Feltleaf Willow. Northern Canada and Alaska. Food for animals. Many Uses.
- Salix amygdaloides - Peachleaf Willow. Same range as the Bison as of 1830.
- Salix arbusculoides - Littletree Willow. Alaska through central Canada. Important food for animals. Many uses.
- Salix arctica - Arctic Willow. Grows all around the Arctic Circle. Important food for animals. Many uses.
- Salix arizonica - Arizona Willow. Arizon, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado.
- Salix barclayi - PNW US, Western Canada.
- Salix barrattiana - Barratt's Willow. Alaska, Canada, with a disjunct population in Wyoming/Montana. Threatened by climate change.
- Salix bebbiana - Beaked Willow, Long-beaked Willow, Gray Willow, and Bebb's Willow. Sometimes called Red Willow by First Nations in Canada, but the should not be confused with the Salix laevigata or Cornus sericea (C. stolonifera).
- Salix bonplandiana - Ahuejote. SW & Southern Mexico through Guatemala. Disjunct region in Arizona. Same range as Salix Taxifolia.
- Salix brachycarpa - Alaska, West and Northern Canada, Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada. Many uses. Important for Moose.
- Salix breweri - Brewer's Willow. California coast (serpentine soils).
- Salix candida - Sageleaf Willow. Northern US and Canada.
- Salix caroliniana - SE US, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean.
- Salix delnortensis - Del Norte Willow. Northwestern California and Southwestern Oregon.
- Salix discolor - American Pussy Willow. Southern Canada to Northern US.
- Salix drummondiana - Drummond Willow. Important for moose and beavers. Yukon and Northwestern Territories south through California and New Mexico.
- Salix eastwoodiae - Califronia, Nevada, PNW.
- Salix exigua - Known as Sandbar Willow, Narrowleaf Willow, or Coyote Willow. Many uses.
- Salix fuscescens - Occurs in the northern most areas.
- Salix geyeriana
- Salix glauca
- Salix glaucosericea
- Salix gooddingii
- Salix hastata
- Salix herbacea
- Salix hookeriana
- Salix humboldtiana
- Salix jepsonii
- Salix laevigata - Red Willow or Polished Willow. Called mukwuʔk in Ktunaxa (Kootenai).
- Salix lasiolepis - Arroyo Willow. Mostly Oregon, California, Baja Califonia. Extends further, too. Many uses.
- Salix lemmonii
- Salix ligulifolia
- Salix lucida
- Salix lutea
- Salix melanopsis
- Salix monticola
- Salix myrtillifolia
- Salix nigra
- Salix orestera
- Salix planifolia
- Salix polaris - Polar Willow. Circumpolar distribution. Sometimes further south.
- Salix prolixa
- Salix pulchra - Diamondleaf Willow, Tealeaf Willow, Thin Red Willow. Alaska, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut. Many uses.
- Salix reticulata
- Salix richardsonii
- Salix scouleriana
- Salix sericea
- Salix serissima
- Salix sessilifolia
- Salix sitchensis
- Salix taxifolia - Yewleaf, Yew-leaf Willow. Southern Mexico to Gautemala. Occurs intermittently to the north where S. bonplandiana is found.
- Willow Water - Contains rooting hormones: indolebutyric acid and salicylic acid.
Betulacae - Familiy
Alders are part of the same family of trees as Birch, Hazel, and Hornbeams (Betulaceae). They have interesting properties. They can be used as Nitrogren fixers. They are also medicinal. Red Alder, alond with Birch contains Betulin and Lupeol (useful for fighting tumors). Just as Birch and Willow do, it contains salicin. It is used in some cultures as part of a sacred mixture used for praying with the pipe.
- Alnus acuminata
- Alnus alnobetula
- Alnus incana
- Alnus jorullensis
- Alnus maritima
- Alnus oblongifolia
- Alnus rhombifolia
- Alnus rubra
- Alnus serrulata
- Alnus viridis
- Corylus americana and this
- Corylus cornuta and this
These are very hard woods.
- Prunus serotina - Black Cherry, capolcuahuitl(Nahuatl).
- Prunus virginiana - Chokecherry, Buffalo Berries, do'icabui(N. Paiute), toshəbui(N. Paiute), cuiwap(Pit River), dewich'käsh(Klamath), dsamchit(Washoe), canpasapa(Lakota), nopa-zhinga(Ponca & Omaha), nahaapi nakaaruts(Pawnee), puckkeep(Blackfoot), monotse(Cheyenne), malupwa(Crow), schlascha(Flathead), ohpanaigaw(Kiowa), champa(Assiniboin), goonpa(Osage) (see: The Chokecherry)
Known in drink preparations:
- Ilex paraguariensis (Yerba Mate) - Traditionally prepared as a tea throughout Central and South America. Has many potential health benefits. Found in Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay, SW Brazil, and the Chaco region.
- Ilex vomitoria (Yopún [Catawban], Cassina [Timucua]) - The Latin name is a misnomer from Europeans who thought it caused vomitting during ceremonies, but that was from other emitc compounds in the drink. Simlar to Yerba Mate. Used by some tribes for male only purification rituals in the "black drink". It is documented that certain "female chiefs" were sometimes allowed to make the drink amoung the Timucua. Also see Black drink. Many birds eat the fruit; a few mammals eat the fruit; foilage and twigs are used by the white-tailed deer. Found in USA: OK, AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, VA, TX; MX: Veracruz, Chiapas. Also see Here's The Buzz On America's Forgotten Native 'Tea' Plant.
- Ilex guayusa - Traditionally used for a medicinal drink. Was discovered in a medicine man's tomb in Bolivia c. 500 CE, presumably far beyond the range of the plant. Found in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, & Bolivia.
- Ilex tarapotina - Found only in Peru. Said to be used to make "té o’ maté".
- Ilex verticillata:
Canada holly or winterberry is a familiar native Nova Scotian shrub. At one time, tea brewed from its bark was considered a tonic, as well as a treatment for fevers; externally, the bark was applied as a poultice to skin eruptions. The berries were taken as a cathartic and to expel intestinal worms. These folk remedies have been superceded by better, safer medicines.Used by Objibwe and Haudenosaunee. Also see Wikipedia. - Ilex mucronata - Also see Nemopanthus mucronatus - (L.)Trel. and Bog Plants: Mountain Holly. Aparently the root is diuretic, used for sand-like kidney stones; decoction of small branches, reduced to syrup, is used as tonic. Found in Canada: New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec; United States: CT, IN, ME, MA, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, VT, WV, IL, MN, WI, DE, MD.
- Ilex cassine - Known as Dahoon. Found in USA: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, VA; MX: Veracruz; Bahamas; Cuba; Puerto Rico. The Seminole use a preparation of this as soap. The Tsalagi (Cherokee) have used it as Ilex Mucronata as above.
Not known to be used for human consumption:
- Theobroma cacao - Chocolate!
- Cucurbita okeechobeensis - Gourd native to both Florida, USA and Veracruz, MX. It is an endangered species and needs to be saved. It should be cultivated and used for shot glasses the whole world over. ;-) Also see Taxonomic Rank and Rarity of Cucurbita okeechobeensis
- Cucurbita maxima - Originated from South America and wandered its way to North America some 4000 years ago. Has many varieties:
- Arikara squash - Heirloom, grows from 4 to 11 pounds. Cultivated by the Arikira. Predates European settlement.
- Candy Roaster squash - Landrace, developed by the Tsalagi (Cherokee). Grows from 10 to 250+ lbs
- Lakota squash - Grown by the Lakota.
- Nanticoke squash - Heirloom. Grown by the Nanticoke people.
- Cucurbita pepo - Most of the squash you know about, including pumpkins, comes from this species.
- A good resource on gourds is the Spanish Wikipedia page Calabaza.
- Psoralea esculenta - Timpsula, prarie turnip. One of two edible Psoralea species. Throughout the Midwest of Canada and USA.
- Pediomelum hypogaeum - Little Indian breadroot, subterranean Indian breadroot. One of two edible Psoralea species. USA: Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana.
- Solanum jamesii - Edible variety of potato, should be eaten with clay gravy. Four corners area of USA: Utah, Colorado, Arizon, New Mexico. USA: Texas, Iowa. Central Mexico.
- Solanum stoloniferum - Edible variety of potato, should be eaten with clay gravy. Less frost tollerant. USA: Arzona, New Mexica, Texas. Mexico: Baja California, Central states through Oaxaca. Identifying photos.
Annonaceae - Family
- Asimina triloba - Pawpaw, assimin/rassimin (Miami-Illinois language), Appalachian banana, chirimoyo de la Florida, banano de montaña. Found in eastern Canada and USA with a concetration in central eastern states of the USA. Relies on native polinators attracted to its flowers' rotting meat like scent. Largest native fruit in north america. Alsos read: The Pawpaw, or the Appalachian Banana, is the Lifeblood Fruit of Ancestors Past
- Annona squamosa - sugar-apple, sweetsop, custard apple, ate (name from Mexico), anón, ates, riñón, anona, saramuyo - Native to the tropics and carribean.
- Annona muricata - Guanábana, Soursop. Native to tropical regions. Many Asian resturants will serve a green candy with this flavor.
- Annona cherimola - Chirimuya (Quechua), Cherimoya, Custard apple. Found from the southern tip of America all the way up through Mexico and even in Florida, USA.
- Annona reticulata - Annon (Taino), nona roja, anona corazón, corazón de buey, mamán, cachimán, candón, mamón, anona de Cuba, quauhtzapotl de México, chirimoyo de Cuba, anona lisa de la Guayana, matzapotl de México, wild-sweetsop, bull's heart, bullock's-heart, or ox-heart. Found from Brazil through Veracruz, MX.
- Rollinia deliciosa - biribá, wild sugar-apple, aratiku. Tastes like lemon meringue.
- Smilax aristolochiifolia - gray sarsaparilla, Mexican sarsaparilla, sarsaparilla.
- Smilax auriculata - earleaf greenbrier, wild-bamboo.
- Smilax biltmoreana - Biltmore's carrionflower.
- Smilax bona-nox - saw greenbrier, zarzaparrilla, catbrier, bullbrier, chinabrier, tramp's trouble. Medicinal, Food, leaves for cigarette wrapper.
- Smilax californica - California greenbriar.
- Smilax ecirrhata - upright carrionflower.
- Smilax glauca - cat greenbriar, catbriar.
- Smilax havanensis
- Smilax herbacea - smooth carrionflower, smooth herbaceous greenbrier. Leaves are applied topically for skin and eye conditions.
- Smilax hugeri
- Smilax illinoensis
- Smilax jamesii
- Smilax lasioneura
- Smilax laurifolia - laurel greenbrier, laurelleaf greenbrier, bamboo vine, blaspheme vine. Some food and medicinal value.
- Smilax maritima
- Smilax melastomifolia
- Smilax moranensis - zarzaparilla. expectorant, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, type II diabetes.
- Smilax ornata - sarsaparilla, Honduran sarsaparilla, and Jamaican sarsaparilla, zarzaparrilla. Medicinal. Flavor for root beer.
- Smilax pseudochina - bamboo vine, false chinaroot.
- Smilax pulverulenta
- Smilax pumila
- Smilax rotundifolia - oundleaf greenbrier, common greenbrier. Young shoots prepared like asparagus. Young leaves and tendrils can be used like spinach. Roots contain a gelling agent which can used as a thickener.
- Smilax tamnoides
- Smilax walteri
Araliaceae (Ivy) - Family
This family contains a wide variety of plants, including Eulethro and Ginseng, with many potent effects see Eleutherococcus gracilistylus.
- Oplopanax horridus - Devil's club, devil's walking stick, Alaskan Ginseng. Not an adaptogen, but medicinal. Potential to be overharvested by colonizers.
- Panax quinquefolius - American ginseng. Medicinal. Becoming endagered from over harvesting.
- Panax trifolius - Dwarf ginseng. Medicinal.
Aralia - Spikenard
- Aralia californica - elk clover, California aralia, California spikenard. Medicinal.
- Aralia nudicaulis - wild sarsaparilla, false sarsaparilla, shot bush, small spikenard, wild liquorice, rabbit root.
- Aralia racemosa - American spikenard, small spikenard, Indian root, spice berry, spignet, life-of-man, petty morel. Medicinal.
- Aralia spinosa - devil's walkingstick, Angelica-tree. Confusingly: Hercules' club, prickly ash, prickly elder. Very young leaves can be eaten.
Camas, quamash, Indian hyacinth, camash, wild hyacinth, xapi(ktunaxa). Food.
- Camassia angusta — prairie camas
- Camassia cusickii — Steroidal saponins. Not used for food and also easily confused with deathcamas.
- Camassia howellii — Food.
- Camassia leichtlinii — Food.
- Camassia quamash — Common camas. Food. White flowers could be confused with deathcamas.
- Camassia scilloides — Food.
- Chlorogalum angustifolium — narrowleaf soap plant. Crushed bulbs can be used as soap.
- Chlorogalum grandiflorum — Red Hills soap plant. This should probably be protected since it only only grows in one location.
- Chlorogalum parviflorum — smallflower soap plant
- Chlorogalum pomeridianum — wavy-leafed soap plant, California soaproot, amole, shlā. Soap. If cooked properly can be eaten, but most animals can't handle the saponins. Medicinal uses, too.
- [Chlorogalum purpureum] — Federally threatened.
- Fique — Multipurpose.
- Furcraea foetida — Fibers.
- Furcraea niquivilensis — Fibers.
Desert lilly, Ajo lilly. Bulbs can be eaten.
- Triteleia grandiflora — Appears to be edible.
- Triteleia laxa — Ithuriel's spear, common triteleia, grassnut. Edible.
- Chenopodium album
- Chenopodium atrovirens
- Chenopodium berlandieri
- Chenopodium cycloides
- Chenopodium desiccatum
- Chenopodium fremontii
- Chenopodium leptophyllum
- Chenopodium littoreum
- Chenopodium nuttalliae - huauzontle
- Chenopodium oahuense
- Chenopodium pallidicaule - qañiwa
- Chenopodium pratericola
- Chenopodium quinoa - quinoa
- Suaeda calceoliformis
- Suaeda esteroa
- Suaeda maritima
- Suaeda nigra
- Suaeda mexicana
- Suaeda pulvinata
- Suaeda taxifolia
- Suaeda vera
- Halogeton sativus - used as a saltwort for soda ash
- Halogeton glomeratus - up to 30% oxylate, might be useful in certain chemical preparations
- Kali turgidum - Invasive. When burned can make soda ash with up 30% sodium carbonate (and for a brief overview of how this changed to other things see the Solvay process).
- Kali tragus - Invasive. Prickly Russian thistle, windwitch, or common saltwort. Very pointy tumble weed in the midwest. Can also be used for phytoremiadiation and phytomining. When burned can make soda ash with up 30% sodium carbonate.
- Kali paulsenii - Invasive, very simlar to the above plant.
- Allenrolfea occidentalis - iodinebush
- Allenrolfea patagonica
- Allenrolfea vaginata
- Arthrocnemum subterminale - Parish's glasswort. Photos.
- Heterostachys olivascens
- Heterostachys ritteriana
- Salicornia europaea
- Salicornia bigelovii - Moves selenium from soil to air. Biodeisel? Seeds are edible.
- Salicornia virginica - Biofuel?
- Salicornia rubra
- Sarcocornia ambigua
- Sarcocornia andina
- arcocornia magellanica
- Sarcocornia neei
- Sarcocornia pacifica
- Sarcocornia pulvinata
- Sarcocornia utahensis - Pictures. Range.