Buffalo Grass or púppau, is the Crow name for great basin wild rye which is also known as giant wild rye. As Grant Bulltail explains, this grass has numerous uses for both animals and people. Birds and small animals make nests and homes out of it. The Crow made children’s toys, mats for the tipi and even fly-swatters.
Penstemon is the largest genus of flowering plants in North America. The common name beardtongue is inspired by the appearance of the flower – which looks like an open mouth with a fuzzy tongue protruding.
The Navajo use a poultice made from the leaves and applied to the back of the head as a remedy for headaches.
Astragalus is a large genus of plants belonging to the legume family. Over 60 species of Astragalus are found on the Navajo reservation. Some varieties are selenium concentrators, which make them deadly for grazing animals and give them the common name of locoweed.
The genus Thelesperma is in the cosmos tribe within the sunflower family. Members of this genus are commonly used by several southwestern Native American tribes as an herbal tea. One species commonly used in Navajo tea – Thelesperma subnudum – is easily confused with similar looking plants. Unfortunately, this can have deadly consequences. Extreme care should always be used when foraging for food. Try nothing unless you are positive of its identity.
Also known as Green Stem tea, Mormon tea, Brigham Tea.
Green Ephedra (Ephedra viridis) is a fleshy shrub that grows best in desert habitat types especially sandy soils derived from sandstone exposures known as slickrock where plants in general are scarce due to extremes of heat, dryness and limited soil fertility.
Commonly known as Mormon tea, it has been used by native people and early settlers (who learned of it from their indigenous neighbors) as a mild stimulant. It contains no caffeine so people with any aversions to coffee or black tea can feel it’s benefits without side-effects.
As an antiseptic its been used for centuries to treat syphilis and urinary tract infections as well as a topical dressing for wounds. It’s extremely high levels of calcium and phosphorus make the fresh tea useful for mood enhancement as well as helping osteoporosis, many skin conditions and allergic reactions.
Navajos, Paiutes and other tribes have used the mature crushed stems for a yellowish green dye.
Today it is a favorite among many tea drinkers for its subtle but distinctive character and pleasant energetic effect.
Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a predominate shrub of the West and a multi-use plant for Native Americans with different species having their individual uses. The leaves of Big Sagebrush are boiled to use as an inhalant or drank as a tea to treat colds. It can be used as a dye plant giving a greenish-grey color. It is also very good as a food for sheep and goats, imparting a unique sage flavor to the meat.
Bundles of sage are burned as a smug used as a blessing and an effective fumigant to disinfect your environment.
Harvesting Big Sagebrush occurs once a year in the late spring/early summer. Darrah Perez speaks of the importance of being spiritually rooted for this gathering. Plants are treated with respect and harvested through cuttings, while leaving the roots intact. Never take more than what is needed and respect the spirit of each plant. As Darrah Perez says, “All plants have spirit.” This truth is expressed by how the planted is treated.
Pale Wolfberry (Lycium pallium) is a sand desert shrub. The Navajo know this plant as ‘Haash Che dah’ which translates as ‘plant of the Holy People’. The orange berries from this plant are mixed with clay and made into a pudding which is eaten during the Vigil of the God’s part of the Night Way Chant ceremony.
The plants are often found in colonies which suggests that they were transplanted by ancient peoples.
Indian Rice Grass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) is a common grass of the American West. It’s small seeds are parched before grinding into flour. The curling ends of its leaves are a distinctive characteristic. Most of the Desert Southwest grasses have edible seeds, but Indian Rice Grass is the dominant grass growing with sagebrush.
San Juan Onion (Allium macropetalum) is member of the onion family which is easily recognizable by its smell. Many plants have similar visual characteristics and are sometimes difficult to identify. The first specimen in this video is actually a Calochortus, which can be a toxic. Luckily the Allium has its distinctive onion smell!
The wild onion is an important food which is used in the same ways as its grocery story relative; eaten raw or as a cooked additive to soups and stews.
Bulbous Biscuitroot (Cymopterus bulbosa) is a member of the parsley family. It is one of several varieties that are found throughout the Desert Southwest. The Cymopterus bulbosa is notable for its pale green leaves with a blue tinge. In early spring, the purple/pink flowers emerge through white papery bracts. Other Cymopterus species have yellow flowers.
Biscuitroot is a multi-use plant. As a spice, before it flowers, the leaves can be dried and crumbled to be used as a spice like parsley. When the flowers fruit, the winged fruit can be eaten as a medicine. The roots are edible – eaten fresh like a carrot or dried to be ground into flour. The bark of the root can be striped and boiled to make a yellow dye.
Widely distributed and often found in large quantities, biscuitroot was a widely used food source for many Native peoples.
