Ethnographic Uses of Native Plants of North Table Mountain Vicinity, Golden, Colorado
Meg Van Ness* May 2001This table provides a sampling of the ethnographic uses of several of the plants found in the vicinity of North Table Mountain. The purpose of this list is to give the user a general idea of the wide range of uses of many different plants and plant parts. These plants were used for many purposes in addition to those listed here, and there are many plants that are not on this list that are found in the ethnographic records. It is strongly recommended that the reader do additional research before using any of these plants.
Forbs
| Latin Name | Common Name | Use | Comments / Fun Facts | References |
| Achillea lanulosa | Yarrow | · LEAVES: tea made from the leaves could cure many ills; fresh leaves were crushed and used as a poultice for wounds and pains | Moore 1979 | |
| Allium spp. | Wild Onion | · BULBS: eaten raw or boiled · LEAVES: edible, rubbed on the skin as a bug repellent · IN GENERAL: several medicinal uses for colds, digestive problems, or as an emetic | · Probably one of the first fresh plant foods available in the early spring. | Chamberlin 1911 Yanovsky 1936 Steward 1938 Zigmond 1981 Cushing 1920 Densmore 1974 |
| Amaranthus spp. | Pigweed | · PLANTS: when young, eaten fresh or cooked · SEEDS: raw or cooked, whole or ground · IN GENERAL: used as a mild astringent or brewed as a tea for stomach disorders. | · Tends to be very weedy. Many of the species in Colorado today are introduced from Europe or Asia. · This is one of the heroes of prehistory - nutritious, abundant, widespread, and easy to harvest. · Pigweed is one of the first plants used in horticulture in the New World. · See Goosefoot (Chenopodium) for an ecological and economic twin. | Castetter 1935 Robbins et al. 1916 Palmer 1878 Stevenson 1915 Moore 1979 |
| Argemone spp. | Prickle Poppy | · SEEDS: roasted and mashed and applied like a salve on burns, some accounts note them as providing a "physic" experience, others say they are poisonous · IN GENERAL: many medicinal uses | · Large white flowers, common along roadsides. | Zigmond 1981 Train et al. 1957 Moore 1979 Steward 1933 Steward 1938 |
| Asclepias speciosa | Showy Milkweed | · PLANT TOPS: the Cheyenne used a strained decoction of plant as an eye medicine. · PODS: edible when very young · ROOTS: the Flathead would chew or dry the roots, then pulverize and boil them to be used for stomachache; poultice of mashed roots applied for rheumatism. · LATEX: rubbed on skin sores; plant applied to warts | · There are many species of milkweed in Colorado, and the Asclepias genus, with its beautiful unique flowers, is the only member of the Asclepiadaceae Family. · Some cookbooks from the 1930s and 1940s have pickling recipes for the young pods. | Hart 1992 Turner et al. 1980 Barrett and Gifford 1933 |
| Artemisia frigida | Pasture Sage | · LEAVES: used to mask greasy smell from dried meats, chewed leaves applied to wounds | · Although the plant smells like the herb sage, it is not related. This sage is in the Compositae (Sunflower) Family, and the herb sage is in the Mint Family (along with many of our herbs). | Stubbendieck et. al 1982 |
| Artemisia ludoviciana | Prairie Sage | · IN GENERAL: burned by the Lakota to "induce the presence of good influences"; many medicinal uses, internal and external; purification purposes | Stubbendieck et. al 1982 Kindscher 1987 | |
| Astragalus adsurgens | Standing Milkvetch Locoweed | · LEAVES: ground leaves and stems applied to skin affected by poison ivy (Cheyenne); leaves used by Navajo as a ceremonial emetic | Grinnell 1905 Vestal 1952 | |
| Astragalus crassicarpus | Ground Plum Locoweed | · ROOT: compound infusion or decoction of root taken for "fits" (Chippewa); used on bleeding wounds; decoction of root, mixed with other ingredients, taken as a stimulant. · FRUIT: pods eaten · IN GENERAL: plant sometimes eaten raw and fresh. | · The rather large plum-like fruits lay in clusters close to the ground and have an uncanny knack for sounding like a rattlesnake when dried out in the late summer. | Densmore 1974 Gilmore 1913 Rogers 1980 |
| Callirrhoe involucrata | Purple Mallow | · IN GENERAL: used in smoke bath; brewed as a tea to treat numerous ailments. | Gilmore 1977 | |
| Calochortus gunnisonii | Mariposa Lily Sego Lily | · BULBS: edible, resembles a hazelnut, could be eaten fresh or stored for winter use | · This is a beautiful lily that is often found scattered in Pinon/Juniper stands. · State flower of Utah. | Kindscher 1987 |
| Castilleja integra | Indian Paintbrush | · LEAVES: infusion of crushed leaves taken for stomach troubles (Navajo) · ROOT: compound decoction of root used to "clean out the blood" after internal injury (Navajo); root bark mixed with other substances to color animal skins, especially deer skin (Apache and Zuni). · IN GENERAL: the Navajo used the plant to sooth burns | Hocking 1956 Reagan 1929 Elmore 1944 Stevenson 1915 | |
| Chenopodium spp. | Goosefoot Lambsquarters | · SEEDS: edible, whole or ground · PLANT: eating the plant raw as a green or cooked as a potherb; used as a green dye · FLOWERS: the flowers of some species are also edible · LEAVES: chewing leaves; inhaling of a vapor made from the steeped leaves as a cure for headaches · ROOTS: used to make soap · IN GENERAL: application as a poultice or as a tea for rheumatism | · Top plant remain, as far as quantity and distribution, from archaeological sites in Colorado. · Ethnographer Frank Cushing noted that goosefoot "... is probably the richest and most delicious ever known either to the ancient or modern Zuni..." . · Tends to be very weedy, many of the species in Colorado today are introduced from Europe or Asia. · This is one of the heroes of prehistory - nutritious, abundant, widespread, and easy to harvest. · Goosefoot was one of the first plants used in horticulture in the New World. · See Pigweed (Amaranthus) for an ecological and economic twin. | Bye 1972:97 Bye 1979 Gilmore 1913 Gilmore 1977 Harrington1967 Rogers 1980 Yanovsky 1936 Steward 1933 Zigmond 1981 Johnston 1970 |
| Circium undulatum | Wavyleaf Thistle | · ROOTS: edible; cold infusion of root used as a wash for humans with eye diseases. · SEEDS: edible · STEMS: stems used for food (Gosiute); young, summer stalks eaten like asparagus and greens · FLOWERS: edible (like artichokes) · LEAVES: edible (cooked) · IN GENERAL: cold infusion of plant taken when one "feels bad all over." | · Most of the plant, although spine covered, is edible. · One of the few native thistles. | Kindscher 1987 Vestal 1952 Chamberlin 1911 Blankinship 1905 |
| Cleome serrulata (purple flower) Cleome lutea (yellow flower) | Beeweed | · PLANT: cooked and eaten as a potherb · SEEDS: edible · IN GENERAL: various parts of the plant have medicinal properties; used as paint - a dark paint or dye was extracted from the plant and was commonly used to decorate pottery | · Flowers and pods have a distinctive tar-like aroma. · Although both species are found in Colorado, the purple variety is more common. · Ethnographic reports indicate that beeweed was an important food source and was cultivated in several regions. · Beeweed plants are related to capers. | Robbins et al. 1916 Rogers 1980 Vestal 1952 Whiting 1939 Harrington 1967 Johnston 1970 Murphy 1959 |
| Compositae Asteraceae | Sunflower Family Composite Family | · SEEDS: many species have edible seeds which are eaten whole or ground, raw or parched · IN GENERAL: several species have medicinal uses as a poultice or brewed as a tea · ROOTS: some species are edible. | · This plant family, along with six other families, has two names. The old names do not end in an "…aceae", as do all the other plant families. So, a second name ending in "aceae" was assigned. Mustards, Peas, and Umbels (carrots), are in similar dysfunctional families. · "Compositae" refers to the fact that each "flower" is really a composite of two types of flowers: disk flowers (the center part) and ray flowers (petals). Each segment of the center of the flower, and each petal, is a separate flower with it’s own reproductive parts. When you hold a lone daisy you are actually holding a lovely bouquet. · The flowers of this family are very simple with few extraneous parts. There is great debate whether this represents a very advanced adaptation or a very primitive relic. | Whiting 1939 Rogers 1980 Vestal 1952 Bye 1972 Gilmore 1977 Densmore 1974 Moore 1979 Steward 1933 Steward 1938 |
| Erigeron divergens | Spreading Fleabane | · IN GENERAL: infusion of plant taken by women as an aid for deliverance (Navajo); plant used as a snuff for headaches; cold compound infusion of plant used as an eyewash; compound used for snake bites; plant considered an omen of good fortune and brought into the home (Kiowa). | · A small white daisy that is common throughout the Plains and Foothills | Elmore 1944 Wyman and Harris 1951 Vestal and Schultes 1939 |
| Eriogonum flavum | Yellow Sulfurflower | · ROOTS: used for food (Blackfoot) | Johnston 1987 | |
| Erodium cicutarium | Stork’s Bill Filaree | · ROOTS: brewed as a tea for after childbirth · LEAVES: brewed as a tea for after childbirth; used as a poultice | · A member of the Geranium Family. · Not considered very potent. · The name "Stork’s Bill" refers to the shape of the fruit. | Moore 1979 |
| Gaillardia aristata | Blanket Flower | · PETALS: tea for medicinal uses | · The domesticated version of this plant is common in gardens along the Front Range. | |
| Grindelia squarrosa | Curlycup Gumweed | · LEAVES: tea for several ills · FLOWERS: tea for several ills - stomach aches in particular; decoction of flowering tops applied to skin diseases, scabs and sores (Cheyenne). · ROOTS: decoction of roots taken for liver troubles (Blackfoot); cough medicine (Gosiute). · IN GENERAL: decoction of plant given to children for colic (Dakota); infusion used as a disinfectant wash and poultice of plants applied to cuts; decoction of plant said to be a good expectorant and cough medicine; poultice of boiled plant applied to swellings (Shoshoni) | · Although in the Sunflower (Composite) Family, this species has disk flowers (the center part) but no ray flowers (the petals). See comments under Sunflower Family. · The flowers are sticky to the touch, and thus the name "gumweed". | Moore 1979 Gilmore 1913b Gilmore 1977 Johnston 1987 Hart 1981 Gilmore 1919 Chamberlin 1911 Train et al. 1941 |
| Helianthus spp. | Sunflower | · SEEDS: eaten whole or ground, raw or cooked; were sometimes brewed; crushed seeds given to nursing mothers; used to make a purple dye · FLOWERS: used to cure chest pain or pulimonary problems; used for a yellow dye · LEAVES: an extraction of the leaves cues feaver; a leaf poultice was applied to snake bites · ROOTS: when mixed with other roots it was used to cure snake bites; roots were made into a liquid and used as a wash to cure rheumatism | · Many species grow in the western United States - many of which tend to be weedy. | Cushing 1920 Newberry 1887 Steward 1938 Yanovsky 1936 |
| Lappula sp. | Stickseed | · SEEDS: eaten · ROOTS: may have been eaten · IN GENERAL: used for nose bleed; a lotion made from the plant cures sores, swellings, and colds | · A close, personal friend of your socks as the seeds like to ride along. · Only limited mention in ethnographic and archaeological records. | Kelly 1964 Steward 1938 Hocking 1956 Vestal 1952 |
| Leucocrinum montanum | Sand Lily Sage Lily | · ROOTS: poultice of pulverized roots applied to sores or swellings (Paiute); used as food (Crow) | · Low growing white flower which is one of the first blossoms of spring. | Train et al. 1941 Blackinship 1905 |
| Linum lewsii | Blue Flax | · SEEDS: edible | · Members of the Flax Family provide flax fibers and linseed oil. | Kindscher 1987 |
| Lomatium orientale | Biscuitroot Salt and Pepper | · ROOTS: eaten; infusion of roots and leaves used by children and adults for bowel pain and diarrhea (Cheyenne) | · One of the first plants to bloom on the Plains in the early Spring, this plant with its edible root was a welcome sight to native peoples and early settlers. | Grinnell 1905 Rogers 1980 |
| Orabanche multiflora | Broomrape | · IN GENERAL: the whole plant is edible | · This is a pinkish-white parasitic plant, which is often found in sagebrush or rabbitbrush communities. | Kindscher 1987 |
| Oxytropis lambertii | · IN GENERAL: used to make a mush or parched for food; plant used for constipation (Navajo). | · Many sources note that this plant is deadly to livestock. | Wyman and Harris 1951 | |
| Penstemon secundiflorus | Penstemon | · IN GENERAL: a salve can be made from the crushed plants | · A relative of the snap dragon. | Moore 1979 |
| Portulaca sp. | Purslane | · SEEDS: eaten whole or ground, raw or parched · PLANTS: eaten as greens or cooked as a pot herb | · A close relative of the beautiful garden plant Moss Rose. · Most of the purslane found in Colorado today is the introduced species, Portulaca oleracea. · A bitter enemy of the gardener, the introduced species is very weedy and averages 72,000 tiny black seeds per plant (who counted?). · Sold in groceries in the southwest and Mexico as a salad green. | Castetter 1935 Cushing 1920 Harrington 1967 Hocking 1956 Palmer 1871 Vestal 1952 Whiting 1939 |
| Potentilla sp. | Cinquefoil | · IN GENERAL: astringent; brewed as a multi-use medicinal tea · LEAVES: brewed into a calcium-rich tea | · There is both a herbaceous and a shrubby species of cinquefoil. | Elmore 1976 |
| Psoralea tenuiflora | Scurfpea | · ROOT: boiled and taken for consumption | Gilmore 1977 | |
| Sphaeralcea coccinea | Scarlet Globe Mallow | · LEAVES: crushed leaves applied to skin inflammations; brewed as a medicinal tea · FLOWERS: brewed as a medicinal tea | · Relative of the Hollyhock. · I’ve tried putting crushed leaves on poison ivy and it was very soothing. | Moore 1979 Johnston 1979 Rogers 1980 Vestal 1952 Whiting 1939 |
| Tragopogon dubius | Salsify Oyster Plant | · ROOT: edible, suppose to taste like oysters · IN GENERAL: several medicinal uses | · The root tasted like woody dirt to me. · When in seed, resembles a dandelion on steroids. | Harrington 1967 Vestal 1952 |
| Tradescantia occidentalis | Spiderwort | · STEMS: edible, raw or cooked · LEAVES: edible, raw or cooked · FLOWERS: edible, raw · IN GENERAL: used as a love charm by the Dakota who would sing songs to the spiderwort as if it was the young lady they wished to charm | · The famous botanist George Washington Carver referred to it as "rich flavored". · The flowers bloom for only a day and then wilt into a slimy blob. | Weber 1976 Kindscher 1987 |
Grasses / Grass-like Plants
| Latin Name | Common Name | Use | Comments / Fun Facts | References |
| Carex spp. | Sedges | · SHOOTS: when young, the shoots are edible · IN GENERAL: many medicinal uses | · Sedges have edges… | Craighead et al. 1963 Rogers 1980 Vestal 1952 |
| Elymus canadensis | Canada Rye | · SEEDS: eaten by the Gosiute Indians of Utah | · One of the tallest grasses found in Colorado. | Kindscher 1987 |
| Equisetum spp. | Horsetail | · IN GENERAL: used for urinary track disorders; can be a mild hypnotic, but too much is toxic; can be used as a scouring brush | · Very primitive plant. · In the Horsetail Family which is also known as the Joint Fir Family. · Usually found in marshy areas. | Moore 1979 |
| Oryzopsis hymenoides | Indian Ricegrass | · SEEDS: edible | · The seeds are large for grass seeds and are frequently found in archaeological sites. | |
| Poaceae Gramineae | Grass Family | · SEEDS: many types of grass seed were eaten whole or ground, raw or cooked · SHOOTS: edible, tender young shoots may be nibbled, cooked, or made into broth. · ROOTS: edible, several grasses have creeping rhizomes or runners that were dried and ground into flour · IN GENERAL: Various grasses have healing properties and some grasses were used in basketry construction | · See note concerning plant family names under "Sunflower Family". | Densmore 1974 Kelly 1964 Steward 1933 Steward 1938 Vestal 1952 Whiting 1939 Niethammer 1974 Rogers 1980 Whiting 1939 Vestal 1952 |
| Sporabolus cryptandrus | Sand Dropseed | · SEEDS: eaten whole or ground. (Sporabolus seeds do not have seed coats and so do not need to be ground to absorb the nutritional value). · IN GENERAL: unpecified medicinal use | · Palmer mentions that the grass seeds were heavily used by the Paiutes and "It is healthful, nutritious, and more agreeable in flavor than buckwheat". · Whiting notes that "The grain, which falls free from the chaff when ripe, was collected in quantity for food, particularly in times of famine". · Considered by the Navajo to be one of the "first foods" given to them. | Castetter 1935 Hocking 1956 Kelly 1964 Palmer 1878 Whiting 1939 |
| Typha sp. | Cattail | · SHOOTS: the young shoots were eaten, raw or cooked, in the spring · FLOWER STALKS: edible · POLLEN: edible · DOWN: used as stuffing · STEMS: used in construction | · The pollen can be used as one would corn meal (but tends to make results very dry). · The base of the stalks is delicious. | Harrington 1967 Densmore 1974 Vestal 1952 |
Cactus / Yucca
| Latin Name | Common Name | Use | Comments / Fun Facts | References |
| Echinocereus viridiflorus | Hedgehog Cactus | · SEEDS: edible · FRUITS: edible | · Seeds are often found in archaeological sites - never abundant but widespread. | |
| Opuntia polyacantha | Prickly Pear | · FRUITS: edible, and can also be stored for future use · PADS: edible; pulp from the pads was applied to wounds to lesson the pain and speed healing · FLOWER BUDS: edible · SEEDS: raw or parched were crushed and added to other ingredients to make a mush · SPINES: clusters were rubbed into warts and moles, spines were stuck into wounds and ignited - the spines which "sputtered and sparked the most were thought to do the most good" | · The spines were removed by putting the pad or fruit on a stick and roasting them as with a marshmallow, or by rolling the pads or fruit along the ground. · As evident by prehistoric human coprolite studies, the spines were sometimes eaten. · When ripe, the fruits are very sweet and can be eaten whole, seeds and all. | Balls 1962 Kelly 1964 Castetter 1935 Harrington 1967 Johnston 1970 Rogers 1980 Gilmore 1977 |
| Yucca glauca | Yucca | · ROOTS: used as a tea for inflammations; can be made into a sudsing agent, various medicinal uses · FLOWER STALKS: when young, can be eaten like asparagus · FRUITS: edible when young · PETALS: eaten uncooked · LEAVES: woven for sandals, mats, and other objects | Moore 1979 Kindscher 1987 |
Shrubs
| Latin Name | Common Name | Use | Comments / Fun Facts | References |
| Amelanchier alnifolia | Serviceberry | · BERRIES: edible, used to make pemmican · LEAVES: brewed for tea | · "Although men never helped with household duties, it was no disgrace for them to pick serviceberries, as there was always the danger of bears in the berry patches. So the men acted as escorts and sometimes helped pick the berries" (refering to the Assiniboin). | Kindscher 1987 |
| Artemisia spp. | Sages | · LEAVES: made into a tea for stomach troubles, tea also to inhibit roundworm and pinworm | · This geneus is named after Artemisia, the sister and wife of Mausolus, the King of Caria in the 4th Century BC. She was a well known herbalist and built her husband a monumental tomb (the first mausoleum). · These sages are in the Sunflower (Composite) Family and are not related to the sage herb (think Thanksgiving stuffing) which is in the Mint Family. | Moore 1979 Kinscher 1987 |
| Atriplex spp. | Saltbrush Four-wing Saltbush Shadscale | · SEEDS: edible · TWIGS: used to make a yellow dye · LEAVES: used to make a yellow dye, used in bread making · STEMS: used as a flavoring · FRUITS: edible | · Two species in particular, A. canescens and A. confertifolia, are shrubby and fairly common. Many other species of Atriplex are more herbaceous. | Castetter 1935 Bye 1972 Elmore 1976 Harrington 1967 |
| Cercocarpus montanus | Mountain Mahogany | · WOOD: many utilitarian uses because it is so heavy and hard · IN GENERAL: used by the Navajo to make reddish dye · TWIGS: brewed as a tea as a laxative · BRANCHES: put under bed to repel bugs | · A favorite food of deer. · The seeds grow feather plume-like tails which twist in the wind and help to screw the seed into the ground. | Elmore 1976 Moore 1979 |
| Chrysothamnus nauseosus | Rabbitbrush | · BRANCHES: the Hopi would strip the bark off and use the young branches to make baskets · IN GENERAL: used as tea; cough syrup; yellow dye; and for chest pains | · Rabbitbrush has a small commercial use for rubber extraction. · With pollen grains resembling a cross between a soccer ball and a porcupine, this plant is a true enemy of hay fever suffers. | Stubbendieck et. al 1982 Elmore 1976 |
| Crataegus sp. | Hawthorn | · FRUITS: edible · IN GENERAL: several medicinal and utilitarian uses | · The fruits are very high in vitamin C. · Referred to as "haws" by Lewis and Clark. · See comments under Choke Cherry. | Densmore 1974 Johnston 1970 Palmer 1871 |
| Gutierrezia sarothrae | Snakeweed | · LEAVES: chewed leaf juice taken for and rubbed on rattlesnake bites (Acoma, Laguna, Navajo) · ROOTS: roots placed in boiling water and steam inhaled for respiratory ailments (Blackfoot); decoction of root taken for stomachache (Navajo) · FLOWERS: poultice or infusion of flowers and leaves applied to red ant bite and bee sting (Navajo); used to make a yellow dye; infusion of blossoms taken to "make one strong in the limbs and muscles." · IN GENERAL: strong, black infusion of crushed plant used as a rub for rheumatism; decoction of plant taken for coughs, colds and dizziness (Lakota); plant ashes rubbed on the body for headaches; poultice of chewed plant applied to ant, bee and wasp stings swellings; used as prayer stick decorations. | · Often mistaken for rabbitbrush, snakeweed is smaller, not as woody, and not as freely branching. · There are few plants that are known to have as many medicinal and ceremonial uses as snakeweed - many parts were used many ways to cure or sooth many external and internal maladies. | Swank 1932 Johnston 1987 Rogers 1980 Elmore 1944 Vestal 1952 Stevenson 1915 Whiting 1939 |
| Prunus virginiana | Chokecherry | · FRUITS: edible, used to make pemmican; staple for several tribes; could be dried and stored for future use · BARK: brewed as a tea used for diarrhea | · The Dakota refer to the month of July, when the chokcherries are ripe, as "Black cherry moon". · William Wood wrote in 1746 "The cherrie trees yeeld great store of cheries which grow in clusters like grapes; they be much smaller than our English Cherrie, nothing neere so good; if they be not very ripe, they so furre the mouth that the tongue will cleve to the roofe; and the throat wax horse with swallowing those red Bullies (as I may call them) being little better taste". · Clark, of Lewis and Clark fame, wrote in 1805: "…nothing to eat but Choke Cherries & red haws, which act in different ways so as to make us sick". · The leaves have Prussic acid in them and the seeds have cyanide. | Kindscher 1987 Gilmore 1977 |
| Quercus sp. | Scrub Oak | · FRUITS: the acorns were eaten, often after the tannic acid was leached from them · BARK: brewed as a tea · LEAVES: crushed and used as a poultice · IN GENERAL: used as an astringent | Moore 1979 Elmore 1976 | |
| Rosa sp. | Rose | · FLOWERS: brewed as a medicinal tea · BUDS: brewed as a medicinal tea, used to make an eye wash · HIPS (FRUITS): brewed as a medicinal tea · SEEDS: used to make necklaces · ROOTS: brewed as a tea · PETAL: edible · YOUNG SHOOTS: edible | · "We Hidatsa raise corn, beans, sunflower seeds, and good squashes to eat. We are not starving that we must eat rose berries… Now, the Crow Indians like to eat rose berries, and gather them to dry for winter as we dry squashes. We Hidatsa eat rose berries sometimes, but we never dry them for winter. We think they are food for wild men." · The Cheyenne infrequently ate the fruit and petals but said that you should not eat too many rose hips because they cause "itchy buttocks". | Kindscher 1987 Moore 1979 |
| Rhus trilobata | Skunk Brush | · BERRIES: edible, taste like lemons · STEMS: used in basket making | · Skunk brush is in the same family as cashew, mango, poison ivy, and pistachio. | Elmore 1976 |
Trees
| Latin Name | Common Name | Use | Comments / Fun Facts | References |
| Acer negundo | Box Elder | · SAP: used as syrup | · Actually not a boxwood or an elder, but a maple. · Eastern variety is also found in the region. · Was first cultivated in 1688. | Elmore 1976 |
| Celtis reticulatus | Hackberry | · BERRIES: edible · WOOD: used for various utilitarian purposes | · The berries are unusually sweet and have a slight grainy taste. · The galls that are found on most hackberry trees look bad but generally don’t harm the tree. · This is a small tree (rarely over 30’ tall), but it is one of the few native deciduous trees in the region. | Castetter 1935 Gilmore 1977 Robbins et al. 1916 Rogers 1980 |
| Juniperus monosperma Juniperus osteosperma Juniperus scopulorum | One-seed Juniper Utah Juniper Rocky Mountain Juniper | · BERRY: edible, used for flavoring - stirred not shaken; used as a cure for headaches · SEEDS: used as decorations, particularly strung together as a necklace · BARK: inner bark was sometimes chewed to ward off starvation · TWIGS: brewed with pine resin to make a tea as a cold remedy; applied to bruises, sprains, and swelled areas · WOOD: many utilitarian uses · IN GENERAL: many utilitarian uses | · The Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) is similar but bluish, generally near water, and has a droopy look about it. | Elmore 1976 Castetter 1935 Hocking 1956 Robbins et al. 1916 Balls 1962 Stevenson 1915 Whiting 1939 |
| Populus angustifolia | Narrowleaf Cottonwood | · BARK: brewed to make a medicinal tea used to reduce fever and as an anti-inflammatory · BUDS: can be made into a salve · SHOOTS: when young, can be used to make baskets · BARK: inner bark used to prevent scurvy | Elmore 1976 Moore 1979 | |
| Pinus edulis | Pinon Pine | · SEEDS: eaten raw or roasted, used as decorations · NEEDLES: made into a tea · RESIN: chewed to sooth a sore throat; combined with other ingredients and brewed as a tea for several ailments · WOOD: many utilitarian uses, including fuel | Chamberlin 1911 Cowen 1967 Cushing 1920 Steward 1933, 1938 Newberry 1887 Stevenson 1915 | |
| Pinus ponderosa | Ponderosa Pine | · NEEDLES: brewed for tea · INNER BARK: cambium, edible, considered a starvation food by some · SEEDS: edible | Moore 1979 Elmore 1976 | |
| Populus sargentii | Plains Cottonwood | · BUDS: edible when young, can also be made into a salve; used to make yellow dye · ROOTS: used to make kachina dolls and drums · BARK: brewed to make a medicinal tea used to reduce fever and as an anti-inflammatory | · This cottonwood has heart-shaped leaves and is the more common of the two cottonwoods in Colorado. · The cottonwoods represent some of the rare deciduous trees on the Plains, but there is debate as to how long they have been in the state. | Gilmore 1913a Gilmore 1977 Johnston 1970 Moore 1979 Elmore 1976 |
*Colorado Historical Society - Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
References Cited