Maya Creek

Education in Sustainability

Native Plants

An analysis of the 310 acres of land in Missouri during October of 1990 by the Nature Conservancy found the following plant species. By no means is this a complete list of the plant species on the property although it does cover most of the predominant ones. There are numerous more types of fungii and mushroom as well as some kinds of blackberry which are not listed here.

The plants are organized into their basic types. Pictures and potential uses are listed with them, click on a picture to enlarge.


Trees

Basswood

Basswood

Tilia americana

Sometimes called a Linden tree, it is a medium to large size deciduous tree, growing to be between 60-120′ tall with a 3-4′ diameter trunk. The roots are large, deep, and spread widely. It is often found in assocation with Sugar Maples.

Its flowers provide abundant nectar for insects. Bees produce excellent honey from its blossoms. The seeds are eaten by chipmunks, mice and squirrels. Rabbits and voles eat the bark, sometimes girdling young trees.

It is often planted on the windward side of an orchard as a protection to young and delicate trees. The foliage and flowers are both edible, though many prefer only to eat the tender young leaves. It is a beneficial species for attracting pollinators as well. The wood is especially good for wood-carving. The inner bark is very tough and fibrous, used in the past for making ropes.

Basswoord flowers are used to treat colds, cough, fever, infections, inflammation, high blood pressure, headache (particularly migraine), as a diuretic (increases urine production), antispasmodic (reduces smooth muscle spasm along the digestive tract), and sedative. The flowers were added to baths to quell hysteria, and steeped as a tea to relieve anxiety-related indigestion, irregular heartbeat, and vomiting. The leaves are used to promote sweating to reduce fevers. The wood is used for liver and gallbladder disorders and cellulitis (inflammation of the skin and surrounding soft tissue). That wood burned to charcoal is ingested to treat intestinal disorders and used topically to treat edema or infection, such as cellulitis or ulcers of the lower leg.

This species is particularly susceptible to adult Japanese beetles (an invasive species in the species’ range) feeding on its leaves. They grow rapidly in a rich soil, but are subject to the attacks of many insect enemies.


Eastern Red Cedar

Eastern Red Cedar

Juniperus virginiana

This cedar is common on the property and is easily found around the edges of the fields. It is clearly a 1st succession tree and its wood is highly valued because of its beauty, durability, and workability. It provides cedarwood oil for fragrance compounds, food and shelter for wildlife, and protective vegetation for fragile soils.

A decoction of berries was used by Native Americans to get rid of worms. The berries were also chewed for canker sores and a decoction of the berries and the leaves was taken for coughs. The smoke from burned twigs was inhaled as a cold remedy. Some used the berries as a spice for soups, meats, and stews and others ate it outright. The barks was used to build house and make wigwams and wickiups.


Flowering Dogwood

Flowering Dogwood

Cornus florida

The flowers on this small tree are usually white but some cultivars have pink flowers. In the past this trees has been used for the production of scarlet inks and a substitute for quinine, a medicine used to fight malaria, reduce fevers, and as a pain killer. Perhaps that is why Native Americans chewed the bark to relieve headaches. Infusions of the roots and bark was used to treat measles and worms. Root bark poultices were used on ulcers and wounds as an antiseptic. Infusions of the flower were taken to “sweat off” the flu.

Flowering Dogwood is a dynamic accumulator meaning that mulch from leaves and wood has a large number of micronutrients usually mined from the subsoil. They also grow on mostly acidic soil. The wood is hard and dense and has been used for golf club heads, mallets, wooden rake teeth, and tool handles.


Bitternut Hickory

Bitternut Hickory

Carya cordiformis

The wood of the bitternut is dense and is highly shock resistant so make excellent tool handles and furniture. The wood burns intensley and leaves little ash. It is an excellent wood for smoking meat.

The nuts it produces are not edible because of their high tannin content, however early settlers extracted oil from the nuts for lamps and the oil was also believed to help rheumatism. Native Americans used the oil to mix with food for flavoring and also used the mashed nuts in bread and other foods.


Mockernut Hickory

Mockernut Hickory

Carya tomentosa

These trees can live to be over 500 years old. The wood is very hard yet flexible, and makes excellent fuelwood. It is also used for smoking meat, particularly ham.

The nuts of this species are edible, but are small. They are a preferred food of squirrels, black bear, foxes, rabbits, and beavers. Ducks, quail and turkey are also known to eat the nuts.

Medicinally, the Native Americans used the inner bark for dressing cuts. The bark could be eaten to purge the stomach and the inner bark chewed for a sore mouth. Scattering the leaves around keeps away fleas.


Shagbark Hickory

Shagbark Hickory

Carya ovata

The bark peels off in thin sections, curling at the ends while attached in the middle. The wood is hard and has nice color variations for making furniture or hardwood floors. The wood also adds great flavor to smoked meats.

The nuts of this species are edible. Native Americans stored the nuts for winter use and mashed them to mix with bread, and other foods. Native Americans made cooking oil from the nuts, the oil could also be used to repel mosquiotes. The sap can be turned into syrup.

Medicinally, the Native Americans would steam fresh young shoots and inhale it to treat headaches. Decoction and poultices of the bark were used on arthritis.

The wood was also used by Native Americans to make bows and arrows.


Hackberry

Hackberry

Celtis occidentalis

The hackberry tree has wood that is soft and rots easily. The berries are edible and the taste has been related to that of a date. Native Americans used the berries both as food by simply eating it or pounding it into a mash, molding it on a stick and cooking it over a fire. They also used the berries to season meat. A decoction of the bark was used to cause abortion, regulate menstruation, and treat venereal diseases

Hackberry has been used as a windbreak control and it’s deep roots prevent soil erosion. Wild turkey, ring-necked pheasant, quail, grouse, robins and other birds eat the hackberries. It’s also provides good cover for those birds as well as deer and small mammals.


Pawpaw

Pawpaw

Asimina triloba

The delicious fruit of the Pawpaw is the largest native fruit in North America. The fruit is said to taste similar to both a banana and mango, it has also been likened to custard. Native Americans mashed the fruit into cakes and dried them for future use. The inner bark was also used to make strong ropes and string.


Eastern Redbud

Eastern Redbud

Cercis canadensis

This is a quick growing small tree with showy magenta flowers. It attracts hummingbirds and it’s leaves are colorful in the fall.

The tree flowers from May through June and the flowers are edible. They have an acid taste and are high in vitamin C and are commonly added to salads. The seeds can be roasted in ashes and eaten.

Native Americans used an infusion of the root and inner bark for fever, congestion, whooping cough, and to stop vomiting. The wood and bark was used in basket weaving and to make bows.


Serviceberry

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea

Also known as the Shadbush or Shadberry, this is a small flowering tree that produces edible berries. The berries are said to have a flavor similar to blueberries and are often used in jams, jellies, and pies. The berries were given to native american women after childbirth for afterpains and hemorrhages. The berries attract over 40 different kinds of birds.

The flowers are fragrant and attract bees but the droopy nature of the flowers are indicative that they may be pollinated by bats as well.

The of this small tree is one of the densest in North America. Infusions of the bark have been used to treat gonorrhea. Compound infusions have also been used to treat worms and diarrhea.


Sugar Maple

Sugar Maple

Acer saccharum

All maples can be used to produce syrup however sugar maples produce what is considered the highest quality maple syrup. The wood is one of the hardest and densest of the maples, and is prized for furniture and flooring.


Chinkapin Oak

Chinkapin Oak

Quercus muhlenbergii

The name Chinkpain comes from its leaves resemblance to Chestnut(also known as Chinkapin) leaves. It is typically found on calcareous soils and rocky slopes. Chinkapin oak has a gray, flaky bark very similar to white oak but with a more yellow-brown tint to it.

The Chinkapin Oak is especially known for its sweet acorns. The acorns have a thin shell and are among the sweetest of any oak. They even taste excellent when eatern raw. The acorns provide an excellent source of food for both wildlife and people. Like the other members of the white oak family, the wood is a durable hardwood prized for many types of construction.


Black Oak

Black Oak

Quercus velutina

Usually found in dry well draining upland soils. They are slow-growing and can grow to be between 65′-140′ tall and hybridize with red oak. Their acorns are small and are as wide as they are long. The caps cover about half of the acorn.

The bark is darker in color than other oaks, hence “Black” oak. The inner bark contains a yellow pigment called quercitron that was sold in Europe until the mid 1900’s. The wood quality is lower than that of red oak, but the uses are similar for each.

Native Americans used the bark for a variety of things. They used it to treat chronic dysentery and it was chewed for mouth sores. An infusion of bark was applied to chapped skin as well as as an antiseptic.


Bur Oak

Bur Oak

Quercus macrocarpa

The Bur Oak is one of the most massive oaks with a trunk diameter of up to 10 feet. Macrocarpa translates as “large carpel”, referring to the very large acorn which are .8-2″ long and .8-1.5″ broad with a large cup that wraps much of the way around the nut. The acorns are the largest of any North American oak, and are an important wildlife food; American Black Bears sometimes tear off branches to get them. Other wildlife, such as deer and porcupine, eat the leaves, twigs and bark.

The wood is high quality and is almost always marketed as “white oak”.

Native Americans made a decoction of root or inner bark for cramps and an infusion of bark chips was taken to treat diarrhea. The acorns were also eaten but they were either boiled or leached with ashes to remove the bitter tannins.


Northern Red Oak

Northern Red Oak

Quercus rubra

Also known as the Champion Oak, it prefers good slightly acidic soil and well-drained borders of streams. In forests they grow to be 115-140′ tall and are one of the most rapidly growing and vigorous types of oak. It is easy to recognize by its bark, which feature bark ridges that appear to have shiny stripes down the center. A few other oaks have bark with this kind of appearance in the upper tree, but the northern red oak is the only tree with the striping all the way down the trunk.

It produces a high number of large brown acorns with a flat saucer-like cap. The acorns are an important food for squirrels deer, turkey, mice, voles, and other mammals and birds.

It is a high value wood and an important tree for timber production. Its grain is so open that smoke can be blown through it from end-grain to end-grain on a flatsawn board.


Shumard Oak

Shumard Oak

Quercus shumardii

Also known as the Spotted Oak or Swamp Red Oak is one of the largest oaks in the red oak group. They typically reach heights of 75′-100′ tall. The bark is light grey, smooth, and reflective with occasional white splotches.

Shumard Oaks produce large acorns about 1.2″ in diameter. The acorns of the Shumard Oak provide food for various song birds, game birds such as wild turkey and quail, waterfowl, white-tail deer, feral hogs, and various rodents such as squirrels. The leaves and twigs can also provide browse for white-tail deer.

The lumber is grouped with other red oak types and used for flooring, furniture, paneling, and cabinetry.


White Oak

White Oak

Quercus alba

This is a very long-living tree with some trees living over 600 years. They can grow to be very tall in a forest situation with the tallest being 144 feet. White bark is unusual with most of the trees having ashen grey bark. It is sometimes confused with the Bur Oak. A very distinguishing feature of this tree is that a little over half way up the tree the bark tends to become platy, that is that it looks sort of like overlapping scales that are easy to see and make this tree easy to identify.

The wood is relatively rot resistant. The wood is valued for its density, strength, resiliency and relatively low chance of splintering if broken by an impact. The acorns are much less bitter than the acorns of red oaks. They are small relative to most oaks, but are a valuable wildlife food, notably for turkeys, wood ducks, pheasants, grackles, jays, nuthatches, thrushes, woodpeckers, rabbits, squirrels and deer. They were also used by Native Americans as a food. They also chewed the bark for mouth sores and used an infusion of the bark for sore throats.

Woodworkers should beware that ferrous metal hardware reacts with oak, causing corrosion and staining the wood. Brass or stainless steel fittings should be used instead.


Sassafras

Sassafras

Sassafras albidum

Sassafras is a medium sized deciduous tree growing to 45-100′ tall. The bark on trunk of mature trees is thick, dark red-brown, and deeply furrowed. It can spread by suckering and often forms thickets. It grows rapidly and needs full sunlight except when it is still a seedling.

All parts of the plant are aromatic and spicy. The roots are thick and fleshy, and frequently produce root sprouts which can develop into new trees. The fruit is eaten by birds. The wood is durable especially when in contact with soil making it excellent for fence posts.

An essential oil, called sassafras oil, is distilled from the root bark or the fruit. It was used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps, food (sassafras tea and candy flavoring) and for aromatherapy. The smell of sassafras oil is said to make an excellent repellent for mosquitoes and other insects, which makes it a nice garden plant. Acids can be extracted from bark for manufacturing perfumes. The essential oil was used as a pain killer as well as an antiseptic in dentistry. The pith is used in the U.S. to soothe eye inflammation and ease catarrh.

A yellow dye is obtained from the wood. The shoots were used to make root beer, a traditional soft drink beverage carbonated with yeast, which owed its characteristic odor and flavor to the sassafras extract. In some deep rural regions it was a popular additive to moonshine. The dried and ground leaves are known as filé powder. Filé is still used for thickening sauces and soups in Cajun, Creole, and other Louisiana cooking, notably in gumbo.

Native Americans has numerous uses for the tree. Infusions of bark were taken for worms, root bark was taken as an antidiarrheal, for colds, venereal diseases, the measles, and to thin the blood. The roots were chewed to get rid of bad breath. The leaves were used as a poultice for wounds, cuts and bruises and a wash was used for sore eyes and cataracts.


American Sycamore

American Sycamore

Platanus occidentalis

A sycamore tree is easily recognized by its mottled exfoliating bark. The bark of the trunk and larger limbs flakes off in great irregular masses, leaving the surface mottled, and greenish-white, gray and brown. This is a quick growing deciduous tree which can grow to be 75′ to 90′ tall and 60′ to 70′ in diameter. The trunk can attain the largest diameter of any of the Eastern U.S. hardwoods.

The sycamore tree is often divided near the ground into several secondary trunks, very free from branches. Spreading limbs at the top make an irregular, open head. Roots are fibrous. The trunks of large trees are often hollow. The wood is hard and almost impossible to split, so it has been used for butcher blocks for many years. Other uses include flooring and handles, boxes (especially those for holding food), pallets and fruit and vegetable baskets. Its applications do not typically include outside uses, because the wood is susceptible to decay and insects.

The pioneer cut trunks of great dimension into cross-sections which he then bored through the center, to make primitive solid wheels for his ox cart. If the trunk was hollow, as it often was, he sawed it in lengths of three to four feet, nailed a bottom in it and so had a stout hogs-head for grain.

Other early uses included barber poles, wooden washing machines, lard pails, Saratoga trunks, piano and organ cases and phonograph boxes, according to Culross Peattie. The wood was also used for broad paneling in Pullman train cars.

An infusion of the inner bark was taken by Native Americans to treat dysentary, cough, and measles.


Shrubs

American Bladdernut

American Bladdernut

Staphylea trifoliata

It can grow to be 6-12′ tall in semi-share or full sun but does require moist soil, it is typically found along streams and the borders of woods. It flowers best in years that follow hot summers.

The seeds are edible cooked or raw and are eaten much like a pistachio. The shrub flowers from May through June and the seeds are ripe September through November. A sweet edible oil can also be extracted from the seeds. The plants also have dense underground root systems that are of some value in erosion control.

The flowers attract honeybees, bumblebees, other bees, Syrphid flies, Dance flies, and the Giant Bee Fly. Apparently, White-Tailed Deer are less likely to browse on Bladdernut than other woody shrubs, although the reasons for this preference are unclear.


Rusty Blackhaw

Rusty Blackhaw

Viburnum rufidulum

The shrub sometimes called a “Royal Guard” is easily identified by its glossy leathery leaves and buds covered in rust-colored hairs.

The edible fruits are sweet and relished by birds and small mammals. They are said to taste similar to raisins however the fruit is mostly seed. The fruit is also said to taste better after a frost. The bark is antispasmodic and has been used in the treatment of cramps, urinary tract infections, malaria and colic. The tea made from the bar also was believed to increase urine flow.

The wood is fine-grained, heavy, hard, strong, but smells bad.


Coralberry

Coralberry

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

This deciduous shrub grows to be 2-5′ tall and 5-8′ around. It attracts birds and has showy pinkish white flowers and purple fruit. It blooms from June through July.

Although the fruit is edible it is rarely eaten. It is likely to contain saponins which are toxic at high levels, but can be removed by cooking. A decoction of the inner bark or leaves has been used as a wash in the treatment of inflamed or sore eyes. A cold decoction of the root bark has also been used as an eye wash to treat sore eyes.

Plants can be grown as a hedge and they are very tolerant of trimming. They have an extensive root system and also spread through suckering. They can be used for soil stabilization.


Missouri Gooseberry

Missouri Gooseberry

Ribes missouriense

This woody shrub grows to be 2-4′ tall with 2 different kinds of thorns on the branches. It prefers partial sun and slightly dry conditions in loamy to rocky soil.

The flowers are white and the berries have a smooth surface which differentiates it from other kinds of gooseberry. The fruit is edible to humans and is also occasionally eaten by some songbirds, including the Catbird, Robin, Brown Thrasher, and Cedar Waxwing as well as by some mammals, including the Red Fox, Eastern Skunk, Raccoon, Red Squirrel, Deer Mouse, and White-Footed Mouse.

Native Americans would also dry the fruit to eat throughout the winter.


Fragrant Sumac

Fragrant Sumac

Rhus aromatica

A deciduous shrub that grows slowly to be 2-6′ tall and 6-10′ around. It can spread through seeds or suckering. It can be very colorful, blooming yellow flowers in late March and then the females form red fruits in August. It prefers acidic well-drained soil although it is adaptable. It has velvety twigs with the lower branches turning up at the tips.

The leaves of certain sumacs yield tannin which can be used to tan hides. Leather tanned with sumac is flexible, light in weight, and light in color, even bordering on being white. The fruits can be brewed into a tea or pounded and eaten as Native Americans did.

Native Americans also used a poultice made from the roots to treat boils. The Lakota mixed the leaves with tobacco and smoked them. The bark and berries were used for other medicinal purposes but it’s unknown what exactly.


Vines

Bristly Greenbrier

Bristly Greenbrier

Smilax tamnoides

A woody vine that grows to be 10-15′ long and climbs on shrubs and lower tree branches using tendrils. The lower stems typically have spines and bristles while the new growth has few if any. The stems are round and green but the spines and bristles turn brown and black with age. It flowers in May and June and requires moist soil. The flowers are yellowish to green and the fruits are smooth dark blue berries.

Various bees and flies visit the flowers for nectar or pollen. The berries are eaten by both upland gamebirds and various songbirds during the fall and winter. Black Bears, Raccoons, and other mammals also eat the berries. White-Tailed Deer occasionally browse on the foliage and stems.

The root is edible if cooked and is rich in starch. It can be dried and ground into powder as well. Medicinally, the wilted leaves are applied as a poultice to boils. A tea made from the leaves and stems has been used in the treatment of rheumatism and stomach problems. Reports that the roots contain the hormone testosterone have not been confirmed, they might contain steroid precursors, however.


Poison Ivy

Poison Ivy

Rhus radicans

Although not a true ivy, Poison Ivy is a deciduous vine that can grow 50′ tall when attached to a tree or other structure. Leaves generally come in threes and are serrated with the middle leaf attached to an extended stem. The leaves turn red in fall and are very showy. It spreads through suckering and the seeds of a white fruit it produces.

The vine also produces a chemical called urushiol which is a skin irritant and causes and itching rash for most people. Urushiol binds to the skin on contact, where it causes severe itching that develops into reddish colored inflammation or non-colored bumps, and then blistering. In severe cases clear fluids ooze from open sores but the fluid does not spread the poison and corticosteroids should be used for treatment. If poison ivy is burned and the smoke then inhaled, this rash will appear on the lining of the lungs, causing extreme pain and possibly fatal respiratory difficulty. If poison ivy is eaten, the digestive tract, airway, kidneys or other organs can be damaged. An untreated rash can last up to four weeks.

The fruit of poison ivy is a favorite of some birds but are just as poisonous as the rest of the plant. Washing with soap containing oil can actually spread the poison while oil-less helps prevent the rash. The best way to prevent the rash is to rub juice from the broken stem of jewelweed on the affected area.

The worst thing to do with poison ivy is burning it. The smoke carries the oil producing a rash coving the entire body and can cause a serious reaction inside the lungs.

One of the best ways to get rid of poison ivy is by allowing a pigs to root it up and eat it. Otherwise the plant is very difficult to eradicate.


Herbs

Adam & Eve

Adam & Eve

Aplectrum hyemale

Also known as putty root by early American settlers as the sticky substance squeezed from the tubers was used to repair broken pottery. Native Americans pounded and powdered the root for head pains and boils. The plant was also given to children to enow them with the “gift of eloquence” and to make them fat.

Adam & Eve is a reference to the growth habit of the bulbs as the leaf and flower arise from the current seasons growth (Eve) while last years bulb (Adam), from which forth sprang Eve, is still present. This plant is actually an orchid and has solitary leaf that stays green all winter.


Downy Agrimony

Downy Agrimony

Agrimonia pubescens

This small herb has a soft downy hairs and the plant also forms bristled inedible fruit which can attach itself to clothing and fur. The plant has been used for wounds, warts, snake bites, eye ailments, and liver disease. The NIH has done research and suggest that suggest that chemicals in the plant may stimulate Cytokines which are protiens that stimulate the immune system.


Arrow-Leaved Aster

Arrow-Leaved Aster

Aster sagittifolius

Similar to Drummond’s Aster, except that the stems and leaves have evenly distributed hairs while Arrow-Leaved Aster has lines of hairs on its stems and its leaves have very little hair.

The flower attracts bees, flies, and butterflies. Wild Turkeys eat the seeds and young foliage to some extent.


Drummond's Aster

Drummond’s Aster

Aster drummondii

Similar to the Many-Rayed Aster, the flower heads are somewhat smaller and have fewer florets. Like the Many-Rayed it is a good nectary plant.


cutleaf-toothwort

Cutleaf Toothwort

Cardamine concatenata

Native Americans used the root in poultices for headaches. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and supposedly stimulate appetite.


Late Purple Aster

Late Purple Aster

Aster patens

A good nectary plant and attracts butterflies. Blooms late into the fall, hence “late”. The stems of this flower are hairier than regular aster.


Many-rayed Aster

Many-Rayed Aster

Aster anomalus

This flower blooms July through November. It’s flowers attract butterflies and it is usually found on acidic soil.


RedPurple Beebalm

RedPurple Beebalm

Monarda russeliana

The redpurple beebalm develops like a shrub. This plant in the summer assumes a purple colouring; it is medium in size and can reach 6 feet high. It keeps its leaves in the winter and blooms from July through August. They develop a round-shape shrub. They favor deep well drained soil. Although it’s common name is Redpurple Beebalm I have also seen it called Russell’s Beebalm and it has a white flower.

An infusion of the entire plant was sometimes used to induce perspiration. An infusion of the roots was given to children to treat headaches and constipation. An infusion of the seed heads was sometimes used as an appetizer.


Blue Cardinal Flower

Blue Cardinal Flower

Lobelia siphilitica

This flower is found mainly in wet areas and can grow to be 2-3 feet tall. The flowers attract bumblebees and occasionally humming birds and butterflies. Deer sometimes browse on this plant.

Native Americans took an infusion of the root for worms and rheumatism. An infusion of the leaves were taken for colds and to treat fever and headaches. The plant was also used to treat syphilis hence it’s name. It should be noted that the plant contains several dangerous alkaloids and can be toxic in large amounts.


Christmas Fern

Christmas Fern

Polystichum acrostichoides

It is one of the most common ferns in eastern North America and is an evergreen which grows in part to full shade. It likes dry to medium wet soil. The fiddleheads are edible and a poultice of smashed roots has been used to treat arthritis.

It has been noted that this fern can serve a soil conservation function on steep slopes. The fronds are semi-erect until the first hard frost, after which they recline to be flat on the ground, effectively holding in place fallen leaves so that they become soil on the slope.


Maidenhair Fern

Maidenhair Fern

Adiantum pedatum

This fern has medicinal uses. A tea can be made from the plant and is used for nasal congestion, asthma, and sore throats. A decoction of the root is used to massage into rheumatic joints. The Native Americans chewed the fronds and then applied them to wounds to stop bleeding. Infusions have also been used for fever.

Other uses include using the plant as a hair conditioner.


Feverwort

Feverwort

Triosteum perfoliatum

This plant is a relative of honeysuckle and grows to height of 2-4′. It is also known as “Wild Coffee” and “Tinker’s-weed”. It flowers from May through July and grows mainly in dry open woods and thickets. Many flying insects are attracted to the tubular flowers.

The dried and toasted berries were considered by some of the Germans of Pennsylvania an excellent substitute for coffee.

Native Americans used a poultice of the root and applied it to old, raw sores and to snakebites. An infusion of the root has been used to treat severe colds, pneumonia, irregular or profuse menses, painful urination, stomach problems and constipation.


Canadian Goldenrod

Canadian Goldenrod

Solidago altissima

This tall species of goldenrod grows to be over 6′ tall. It has yellow blooms that are food for bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, beetles, and other insect species. Praying mantises often lay their eggs on goldenrod, no doubt attracted by the abundant insects upon which praying mantises feed. Stands of Canadian Goldenrods provide cover for birds and small mammals.

The Chippewa used the flower in a tea to relieve cramps. Native Americans made a poultice for boils by grinding and moistening the root. A poultice of moistened, dry flowers was applied to ulcers. The flowers were commonly used to dye wool, silk, and other fabrics.


Elm-leaved Goldenrod

Elm-leaved Goldenrod

Solidago altissima

This is a 1-3′ perennial with yellow flowers occurring at the top. Its lower leaves are coarsely serrated and resemble the leaves of the American Elm, but more smooth and thin-textured.

The flowers attract various kinds of bees, wasps, butterflies and flies. These insects drink the nectar and bees also collect pollen. Some upland gamebirds, such as the Greater Prairie Chicken and Ruffed Grouse, eat the foliage to a limited extent. The seeds of Goldenrods are a minor source of food to some granivorous songbirds, including the Eastern Goldfinch and Swamp Sparrow. The Cottontail Rabbit and White-Tailed Deer browse on the foliage occasionally.

Native Americans would use smoke of a smudged plant directed up nostrils to revive an unconscious patient.


Wild Licorice

Wild Licorice

Galium circaezans

This plant flowers May to July. The fruits have burs that may stick to clothing and fur.

Medicinally the plant was taken for coughs and hoarseness.


Pointed-leaved Tick Trefoil

Pointed-leaved Tick Trefoil

Desmodium glutinosum

This herb is a nitrogen fixer and an invertebrate shelter. It is also very dispersive and can be invasive. It flowers July through September and then bears fruit which are pods that stick to almost any kind of fabric. Bees collect pollen from the flower.

The plant likely gives off some kind of chemicals to repel insects and could potentially be used for a green manure as it fixes nitrogen. The only medicinal use is that an infusion of the plant can cause vomiting in the case of a bad lung cold, not sure how that helps.


Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil

Naked-flowered Tick Trefoil

Desmodium nudiflorum

Similar to the Pointed-leaved Tick Trefoil, the difference being that there are no leaves on the flower stem.

All of the other attributes of this plant are the same as the Pointed-leaved Tick Trefoil, see above.


virginia-knotweed

Virginia Knotweed

Polygonum virginianum

The leaves and seeds can be eaten raw or cooked.   The seeds can pop when dry and this plant has also been called “jumpseed”.  A hot infusion of leaves and honey locust bark has been used to treat whooping cough.


Pussytoes

Pussytoes

Antennaria plantaginifolia

These plants are good nectaries and provide shelter for invertebrates.

Medicinally, Native Americans gave infusions of the entire plant to children for “bowel complaint”. Infusions are taken for excessive discharge in a monthly period. Decoction of the plant has been used as a mouth wash for toothaches. Infusions of leaves can be taken after childbirth to prevent sickness. It has also been used to treat snake bites.


Scouring Rush Horsetail

Scouring Rush Horsetail

Equisetum hymenale

It got it’s name from it’s early use scrubbing pots, but it was also used for bathing by Native Americans. It can also be used for polishing. Teething babies were also given the raw stems to chew on.

Young shoots and the black edible nodules on the roots can be used for food. The plant has also been used for kidney problems and also used as a medicine for horses.


Silky Wild Rye

Silky Wild Rye

Elymus villosus

It is a short-lived, clumping perennial grass with a large nodding flower and hairy stem. Grows to be about 3 feet tall and possibly has edible seeds. It is the food plant of the northern pearly eye butterfly.


Shining Bedstraw

Shining Bedstraw

Galium concinnum

The perennial herb is very easy to identify because of its delicate appearance and whorls of 6 thin leaves per node. This is a common species, especially in the Ozarks, where it can be found growing along the sides of most upland ridges. An infusion of the entire plant was used by Native Americans to treat kidney and bladder problems as well as to treat the swelling of soft tissue due to excessive water.


Black Snakeroot

Black Snakeroot

Sanicula canadensis

This plant grows to 1-2′ tall has occasional branching and is in the same family as carrots and parsnips. It prefers light shade and moist to slightly dry loamy soil. It can be identified by its fruits, which have bristles in distinct vertical rows. It flowers from May through July.

Natives used the powdered fibrous root to make a tea which treated kidney ailments fevers, rheumatism, and menstrual irregularities. A decoction of the root is said to actually stop periods. A hot decoction of the root was taken for heart trouble. Snakebites were also treated with the crushed root of the plant.

The flowers attract few insect pollinators, although occasionally they are visited by Halictid bees, Masked bees, and Syrphid flies, which suck nectar. The bitter foliage is avoided by grazing livestock and probably other mammalian herbivores as well. The small burs cling to the feathers of birds, fur of mammals, and clothing of humans.


White Snakeroot

White Snakeroot

Eupatorium rugosum

This species is very toxic if eaten in quantity as it contains barium sulphate. Cows which graze on the plant produce poisonous milk and this was the cause of death for a number of pioneers in this country. American Indians used a tea made from the roots to help diarrhea, painful urination, fevers, and kidney stones. The same tea was also used as a stimulant and tonic. The plant was also burned and the smoke used to revive unconscious patients. An infusion of the plant would be given to horses to stop them from sweating, however it is also used in herbal sweatbaths. The root can be chewed and held in the mouth for toothaches.

The plant flowers from July to October.


Hairy Sunflower

Hairy Sunflower

Helianthus hirsutus

This flower blooms from mid-summer and continues into mid-fall. There are from ten to fifteen rays which are pointed and loose. The stem is rough and hairy, hence “hairy” sunflower. It usually grows in dry areas in the woods and out in the open. It’s a perennial and can grow to be 7 feet tall. It is a favorite food of white-tailed deer and is a food source for butterflies and songbirds.


Tall Thimbleweed

Tall Thimbleweed

Anenome virginiana

Flowers from April through August. The smoke from roasting seeds was used by Native Americans to revive the unconscious by blowing the smoke into the nostrils. Infusions of the roots were taken to cure whooping cough. Cold decoction of the roots was used to cure diarrhea and tuberculosis. An infusion of stems and roots was also used as a love medicine for either sex, whatever that means.


Wild Ginger

Wild Ginger

Asarum canadense

There are pages and pages on uses for the root of this plant, but be warned the leaves are poisonous if ingested, however the fresh leaves can be applied as a poultice to wounds and inflammations, and a decoction or salve can be applied to sores.

Also known as Snake Root, it is used in the treatment of chronic chest complaints, asthma, coughs, colds, dropsy, painful spasms of the bowels and stomach, scant or painful menstruation, and infantile convulsions. The root contains antibiotic substances effective against broad-spectrum bacteria and fungi. It also contains aristolochic acid, which has antitumor activity. The root and rhizome were slowly boiled in a small quantity of water for a long time and the resulting liquid drunk as a contraceptive by the women of one N. American Indian tribe.


Wingstem

Wingstem

Verbesina alternifolia

This perennial flower grows to 3-9′ tall near streams, ditches, thickets, and roadsides. The plant is easy to identify because of its winged stems. The flowers are visited primarily by long-tongued bees, especially bumblebees. Some short-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers also visit the flowers. Because of the bitterness of the leaves, Wingstem isn’t consumed by deer, rabbits, and other herbivores to the same extent as many other plants.


Grasses

River Oats

River Oats

Chasmanthium latifolium

This perennial grass grows to be 2-5′ tall and is easily identified by the spiklets at the end of each blade. It thrives in full sun or partial shade on rich, moisture-retentive soils sheltered from strong winds.

The seeds are edible and could be dried and stored for later use or ground and made into mush.


Bottlebrush Grass

Bottlebrush Grass

Elymus hystrix

The bottlebrush-shape of the floral spike makes it easy to identify. This grass is a wild rye. The preference is partial sunlight to light shade, moist to slightly dry conditions, and soil that is loamy or rocky.

The caterpillars of the butterfly Enodia anthedon (Northern Pearly Eye) feed on Bottlebrush Grass, as do the caterpillars of the moths Cosmiotes illectella (a leaf-miner moth), and Leucania pseudargyria (False Wainscot). The caterpillars of the latter moth transfer to other species of plants when they become larger. The awned spikelets of mature plants can cause mechanical injury to livestock, otherwise the foliage is edible.

A decoction of leaves and reed grass rootstocks was used as medicine to soak corn seeds before planting, possibly for ceremonial purposes.


Fungii

Reindeer Lichen

Reindeer Lichen

Cladina subtenuis

It’s only listed uses are as a fiber and sometimes as a packing material for fragile items.


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