Paleo Foraging

Aesculus pavia L. Red buckeye, scarlet buckeye, firecracker plant Cherokee: uskwɑtʽí / uniskwɑdá / oskwadá / uniskwutú / galagEná akɑtɑ́ – “buck eye” (Banks 1953:82) Location in Texas: C, E, & SE TX; common in Travis Co. Form: small tree < 40 ft tall, usually < 15 ft in central TX. Flowers: Mar-May (red, yellow).…

Smilax spp. Greenbrier, catbrier Comanche: tsuns (Carlson and Jones 1939:529) Location in Texas: E, C, SE & NE TX; very common in Travis Co. Form: herbaceous vine, low shrub, or shrub; perennial. Food Roots – dug out from deep underground, the thin skin removed, and roasted by the Comanche (Carlson and Jones 1939:529). Notes –…

For all greenbriers, see Smilax spp. / Greenbrier Smilax rotundifolia L. Roundleaf greenbrier, bullbrier Cherokee: aniskiná unɑnesadɑ́ – “for the leg” (Blake 1953:18) Location in Texas: E & C TX; common in Travis Co. Form: vine, semi-woody / herbaceous; perennial. Food Root – starch from tuberous rootstocks used for soup and bread by the Kiowa…

Toxicodendron radicans (L.) Kuntze = Rhus radicans Eastern poison ivy Cherokee: higinàlií – “my friend” / udlɔdá / utlɑdá / utlɑdɑ́ (Banks 1953:79) Navajo: k’ic’ictjįic (Elmore 1944:60) Ojibwe: anîmîki’bûg – “cloud” (Smith 1932:354) Location in Texas: all TX except NW, further S, & further N; very common in Travis Co. Form: low shrub, shrub, vine.…

Zanthoxylum clava-herculis L. = Z. hirsutum (= Z. clava-herculis spp. fruticosum) Hercules’ club, prickly-ash, toothache tree, tickle-tongue, naranjillo Location in Texas: E, C, SE, & S TX; uncommon in Travis Co. Notes: Z. clava-herculis spp. fruticosum is “Texas Hercules’ club,” and present in C & S TX. That subspecies is named Z. hirsutum in many…

Verbascum thapsus L. Common mullein, wooly mullein Cherokee: tsɔ·liyustí dzaliyustí / unikwɔtE·nɑ́ – “tobacco-like, it has down” / tsɔ·liyustí dɑlɔ·ní – “tobacco-like, yellow” / dzuskwanɔ̀ní – “blanket” (Banks 1953:117) Flathead: chxelḱwasqis – “train’s seeds” (from their first encounters being along train tracks) (Hart 1979:292) Menominee: mêtciowä’tûk nä’nimau – “the devil’s tobacco” (Smith 1923:52) Location in…

Arundo donax L. = A. bifaria, A. glauca, A. latifolia, A. sativa, Cynodon donax, Donax arundinaceus, D. Donax, Scolochloa arundinacea, S. donax Giant reed, cane reed Cahuilla: pakhal (Bean and Saubel 1972:102) Navajo: lók’aa’tshoh – “reed, large” (Elmore 1944:24) Location in Texas: all TX; very common in Travis Co.; introduced. Material Stems – used to…

Cylindropuntia leptocaulis (DC.) F.M.Knuth = C. brittonii, C. mortolensis, Grusonia leptocaulis, Opuntia brittoni, O. frutescens, O. gracilis, O. leptocaulis, O. mortolensis, O. ramulifera, O. stipata, O. vaginata, O. virgata Christmas cactus, turkey cactus, coyote cactus, pencil cactus, tasajillo, tasajulla, garrambulo Apache: xucntsai – “crazy cactus” (Castetter and Opler 1936:59) Seri: iipxö (Felger and Moser 1985:271)…

Sarcomphalus obtusifolius (Hook. ex Torr. & A.Gray) Hauenschild = Rhamnus obtusifolia, Ziziphus lycioides, Z. obtusifolia Lotebush, white crucillo, capulín, bachata Papago: uːs tcui’tpa’t (Castetter and Underhill 1935:18) Seri: xica imám coopol – “black-fruited things” / haaca (Felger and Moser 1985:358) Location in Texas: all TX except further E & far N; not uncommon in Travis…

Avena fatua L. = A. byzantina, A. sativa var. fatua Wild oat, spring wild oat, avena Gosiute: o‘-a-tûmp (Chamberlin 1911:363), Navajo: łįi’ pitł’oh naatąa’ – “horse, his grass, corn” / łįi’ pitąa’ – “horse, his food” (Elmore 1944:25) Location in Texas: all TX except far S, far N, & far W; common in Travis Co;…