in The Eiteljorg Gardens* What is Ethnobotany? Ethnobotany is the study of how people use and relate to plants. Plants are used around the world. Plants can be used for > Medicine > Clothing > Food > Housing > Much, much more If you have on jeans or a t-shirt, you re wearing something made from a plant. If you eat fruits or vegetables, you re eating foods that come from plants. If you put aloe on a cut or sunburn, you re using medicine that comes from a plant. As you explore the garden, you will discover where the plants live and how they are used. Most of them are native to Indiana. They were growing here before Europeans came to America. Become an Ethnobotanist as you use these cards. Each card will guide you on your exploration. Learn about past and present Native American uses of plants and then think about how you use plants every day. Let the adventure begin! (Be sure to come back each season for a new set of adventures.) Remember that you should never taste, touch, or pick a plant without permission. Some plants can make you very, very sick. Please don t pick or damage the plants. We want future visitors to enjoy the garden, too. Support for garden programming is provided by the Indianapolis Garden Club. *Ron and Susie Dollens Discovery Garden; Christel DeHaan Family Terrace; Kincannon Family Learning Circle
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30 Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia fulgida var. speciosa Where do I live? In dry open woods with lots of sun or perhaps just a bit of shade Look for: Yellow-orange petals around a black, cone-shaped center from late July through early September. Plant Use: The Potawatomi made a yellow-orange dye from a variety of this plant. The ray flowers (petals) were boiled with rushes, plants that look similar to grasses and grow near water, giving them a yellow color. The rushes were woven into mats which covered the outside of homes. you The common name for this plant, Black-eyed Susan, know? may have come from a popular song written in England around 1720. In the song, a young woman called Black-eyed Susan is searching for her sweet William among a ship s crew. Why do you think this plant is called Blackeyed Susan?
17 Blue Wild Indigo Baptisia australis Where do I live? In a grassy land with lots of sun Look for: Large, showy blue flowers in tall spikes distinguish the blue wild indigo from white wild indigo, but you can also look at their seed pods. The pods of the blue wild indigo are longer and skinnier than the pods of the white wild indigo. Plant Use: Dyes can be made from many parts of a plant. Tree bark, nuts, leaves, roots and flowers of certain plants are used to make colored dyes. Can you guess what color dye is made from blue wild indigo? TRY Visit the Resource Center to learn more about plant THIS! dyes. Then, explore the weaving discovery box and try weaving on a small loom. Imagine you used plants to dye your yarn. Which plants would you use?
16 Butterfly Weed Asclepias tuberosa Where do I live? In a grassy land with lots of sun Look for: A short plant with clusters of bright orange flowers. If you are lucky, you might see a monarch caterpillar or butterfly. Plant Use: Pioneers and Native Americans, including the Cherokee, Delaware and Omaha, called this plant pleurisy root because the root of the plant was used to treat lung diseases known as pleurisy. It has also been used to treat many other illnesses including stomach aches (Cherokee), snakebites (Rappahannock) and influenza (Ramah-Navajo). you Butterfly weed is a type of milkweed. It is very important know? for monarch butterflies. They will only lay eggs on milkweeds, and the caterpillars will only eat milkweed leaves. The plant has chemicals that are poisonous to other animals but not to the monarch. When the monarch eats the milkweed, it becomes poisonous to animals that might try to eat it. The bright orange and black pattern on its wings warns other animals to keep away!
25 Cardinal Flower Lobelia cardinalis Where do I live? In a wet, grassy land with lots of sun Look for: Large, showy red flowers blooming on the upper half of the stalk in late summer or early fall. Each flower has a bottom lip made of three joined petals. Two more petals flap out on either side. Do they remind you of bird wings? Plant Use: Roses are red, and this flower is too. Cardinal flowers have been used by the Meskwaki in love charms, and were sometimes put in food to stop quarrels. you Flowers have a sugary liquid called nectar that is food know? for many animals. Hummingbirds like to drink nectar from the cardinal flower. Can you think of another animal that drinks nectar?
11 Oakleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea quercifolia Native to Mississippi and Alabama Where do I live? In the woods Look for: Big showy clusters of both small and large white flowers. Each flower has four papery-thin petals. The flowers may turn pink as they get old. Plant Use: The Cherokee used the scraped bark from a variety of this plant as a burn dressing. What would you put on a burn? TRY THIS! Find an oak tree nearby and look at a leaf. Compare the leaf to a hydrangea leaf. Why do you think this plant is called Oakleaf Hydrangea?
29 Mountain Mint Pycnanthemum virginianum Where do I live? In a grassy land with lots of sun Look for: Little white flowers with tiny purple spots arranged in small, dense clusters. The clusters form at the ends of the upper stems. Plant Use: The Ojibwa (Chippewa) used the buds and flowers from this plant to season meat or broth. Several plants have leaves that taste minty. Those are used to flavor everything from chewing gum and toothpaste to teas and ice cream. Can you think of other things flavored with mint? you The damaged leaves of this plant release a strong mint know? fragrance. Although we find the scent pleasant, most herbivores and leaf-munching insects don t like the smell and won t bother this plant.
14 Nodding Wild Onion Allium cernuum Where do I live? In a grassy land with lots of sun Look for: A ball of small white flowers sitting on top of a green stem. The stem holding the flowers may be bent like a hook. Do you think the flowers look like they are nodding? Plant Use: If you ve ever had an onion, you ve eaten a variety of this plant. Native Americans dug up onion bulbs in the spring or early summer. The bulbs were cooked in soups or eaten raw. Many people still use these plants for food. The Miami, Blackfeet (Montana) and Cherokee also used juice from a variety of this plant as a medicine for earaches. you When you eat an onion you, you are eating a bulb. The know? bulb is the part of the onion plant that grows beneath the ground. It stores nutrients and food the plant will use to grow in the spring. Can you name other foods that grow underground?
23 Purple Coneflower Echinacea purpurea Where do I live? In a grassy land with lots of sun Look for: The spiky round head surrounded by purple petals. The flower s purple color helps attract bees and butterflies that will pollinate it. Plant Use: Have you ever been stung by a bee? Ouch! You can rub the liquid or paste from crushed purple coneflower roots on your skin to relieve the stinging or itching of insect bites, cuts and burns. Many tribes, including the Winnebago/Ho-Chunk, Ponca, Dakota and Pawnee used juice from a variety of this plant as a wash for pain and burns. you know? Scientists have given this plant the name Echinacea (Eh-kih-NAY-Shuh). It comes from a Latin word for hedgehog. Can you see why?
9 Red Chokeberry Aronia arbutifolia Brilliantissima Native to the eastern United States and into southern Canada Where do I live? In wet areas with lots of sun or some shade Look for: Dense clusters of green berries beginning to turn red. The berries will ripen in the fall and remain on the shrub through the winter. Look closely the green, glossy, oval-shaped leaves have tiny dark hairs on the upper surface of the leaf along the midrib. In autumn, the leaves will turn bright red. Plant Use: Birds readily eat the berries, which are edible but extremely tart and bitter to humans. Because they are high in Vitamin C and antioxidants, they are sometimes used to make juices, jams and jellies. The Potawatomi also ate the berries from a variety of this plant and used them to treat colds. you In the seventeenth century, nuns at missions in Quebec know? introduced European beadwork floral motifs to young Iroquois and Huron girls. After this contact, some Great Lakes tribes began incorporating floral and plant based designs on their clothing, shoes and bags using small beads. Visit the Native American Galleries on the 2nd floor and look for beaded flowers, leaves and berries.
3 Heritage River Birch Betula nigra Heritage Where do I live? Near rivers and streams Look for: A tree with papery, peeling bark. As the new bark grows, the old layers die and peel away. Plant Use: Because the peeling bark of this tree is waterproof, many Native Americans in the Eastern Woodlands, including the Ojibwa (Chippewa), Potawatomi and Woodlands Cree used it to make containers for gathering and storing food. Scraps of bark were also used to kindle or light fires. Can you find it? Visit the Mihtohseenionki gallery on the 2nd floor. Can you find something made from birch bark?