Paleo Foraging

Oxalis violacea L.

Synonym: = Ionoxalis violacea

Common name: Violet woodsorrel

Apache: itadnkodje – “sour weed” (Castetter and Opler 1936:62)

Omaha-Ponca: ḣade-sath – “sour herb” (Gilmore 1977:46)

Pawnee: skidadihorit – “sour like salt” (Gilmore 1977:46)

Tewa: ʼoǥohepʽeʼñæҌì – “sour weed” (Robbins et al. 1916:56)

Location in Texas: E & C TX; rare in Travis Co.

Form: herb; perennial.

Flowers: Apr-Oct (white, pink, green, purple, violet).

Food

Leaves, flowers, stems, & bulbs – eaten raw or cooked by the Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache (Castetter and Opler 1936:47), Pawnee, Omaha, and Ponca (Gilmore 1977:47). Often the leaves were mixed with other leaves to be cooked as greens (Castetter and Opler 1936:47).

Notes – bulbs were pounded and fed to horses to make them fast by the Pawnee, Omaha, and Ponca (Gilmore 1977:46).