i just finished (unless i find more plants to ID and photograph) something that i've wanted to do, somewhere, for about five years. i searched for as many plants as i could identify and take pics of. then i researched their edible, medicinal and other uses and tested most of them out. nothing too scientific or rigorous, and i couldn't test out all the medicinal properties (there's only so many afflictions that one can accumulate in a period of time, like swellings, bruises, burns, cuts, venereal disease, lice, etc.--i'm working on the last two... 
).
it is an amazing thing to immerse oneself in the helpful properties of local plants--makes me feel more a part of the land and more connected to all my plant relations. below is a boring list of the 76 entries i included in this Ethnobotany Manual. as soon as i confirm a few identifications, i will put the 22-page manual, complete with photos of all plants, on my website (i'll try to make it a PDF file, as with the rest of what's on my site, which will be working again on the first of the month).
i think it was very important that i personally test all of this out. unfortunately, i think too many folks that write ethnobotany books just rehash old info that gets passed down from author to author. and i wonder about the efficacy of ancient medicines. while some herbal medicines are tried and true, lots of others might not have been "on the scene" long enough to be legitimate, while others might have been hastily (or desperately) tried at the onset of the european plague that blanketed over north america 200 years ago. you know--folks probably would have tried anything to combat syphilis, small pox, or new fevers and colds.
Species List
Abies concolor--White Fir
Achillea millefolium--Yarrow
Ambrosia acanthicarpa--Sand Bur
Amelanchier utahensis--Utah Serviceberry
Antennaria rosea--Pussytoes
Arctostaphylos patula ssp platyphylla--Greenleaf Manzanita
Argemone munita--Prickly Poppy
Artemisia dracunculus--Tarragon
Artemisia ludoviciana--Mugwort
Artemisia tridentata--Great Basin Sagebrush
Castilleja applegatei--Paintbrush
Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus--Curl-Leaf Mountain Mahogany
Chenopodium sp.--Goosefoot
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus--Green Rabbitbrush
Cirsium scariosum--Stemless Thistle
Conyza canadensis--Horseweed
Descurainia sophia--Tansy Mustard
Ericameria cooperi--Goldenbush
Erigeron divergens--Spreading Fleabane
Eriogonum wrightii ssp. subscaposum , Eriogonum davidsonii, Eriogunum umbellatum, Eriogonum parishii--Buckwheat
Erysimum capitatum--Wallflower
Helenium bigelovii--Sneezeweed
Iris missouriensis--Iris
Juniperus occidentalis--Sierra Juniper
Layia glandulosa--Tidy Tips
Lepidium sp.--Peppergrass
Letharia columbiana--Wolf Lichen
Lewisia rediviva--Bitterroot
Linium lewisii--Flax
Lupinus sp.--Lupine
Melilotus alba--Sweet White Clover
Mimulus guttatus--Seep Spring Monkey Flower
Monardella linoides--Pennyroyal
Nicotiana attenuata--Coyote Tobacco
Oenothera biennis--Evening Primrose
Opuntia basilaris var. basilarus--Beavertail Cactus
Penstemon labrosus, Penstemon grinnellii , Penstemon rostriflorus--Mountain Bugler
Phoradendron juniperinum--Juniper Mistletoe
Pinus contorta--Lodgepole Pine
Pinus jeffreyi--Jeffrey Pine
Pinus monophylla-- Pinyon Pine
Polygonum arenastrum, Polygonum douglasii--Knotweed
Potentilla glandulosa--Cinquefoil
Pteridium aquilinum--Bracken Fern
Ribes cereum--Wax Currant
Rosa californica--CA Wood Rose
Salix lasiolepis--Pacific Willow
Salvia pachyphylla--Rose Sage
Sarcodes sanguinea--Snow Plant
Sisymbrium altissimum --Tumble Mustard
Solanum xanti--Blue Witch
Solidago confinus--Goldenrod
Sonchus aspera--Prickly Sow Thistle
Sphaeralcea ambigua--Globe Mallow
Sphenosciadium capitellatum--Ranger's Buttons
Stachys albens--Woodmint
Tragopogon dubius--Goatsbeard
Trifolium variegatum, Trifolium wormskioldii--Clover
Typha latifolia--Cattail
Urtica dioica--Stinging Nettle
Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Avena fatua--Wild Oats
Bouteloua gracilis--Blue Grama Grass
Bromus sp.--Brome Grass
Elymus sp. (triticoides?)--Rye Grass
Carex sp.--Sedge
Cyperus sp.--Sedge
Deschampsia sp.--Hair Grass
Eleocharis sp.--Spike Rush
Elymus elymoides--Squirrel-Tail Grass
Equisetum laevigatum--Scouring Rush
Hordeum brachyantherum ssp californicum--Wild Barley
Juncus arcticus var. balticus--Baltic Rush
Muhlenbergia filiformis--Dropseed Grass
Oryzopsis hymenoides--Indian Rice Grass
Phalaris sp.--Canary Grass
Poa sp.--Bluegrass
Stipa sp.--Needle Grass
it was a lot of fun. now what am i gonna do...
).it is an amazing thing to immerse oneself in the helpful properties of local plants--makes me feel more a part of the land and more connected to all my plant relations. below is a boring list of the 76 entries i included in this Ethnobotany Manual. as soon as i confirm a few identifications, i will put the 22-page manual, complete with photos of all plants, on my website (i'll try to make it a PDF file, as with the rest of what's on my site, which will be working again on the first of the month).
i think it was very important that i personally test all of this out. unfortunately, i think too many folks that write ethnobotany books just rehash old info that gets passed down from author to author. and i wonder about the efficacy of ancient medicines. while some herbal medicines are tried and true, lots of others might not have been "on the scene" long enough to be legitimate, while others might have been hastily (or desperately) tried at the onset of the european plague that blanketed over north america 200 years ago. you know--folks probably would have tried anything to combat syphilis, small pox, or new fevers and colds.
Species List
Abies concolor--White Fir
Achillea millefolium--Yarrow
Ambrosia acanthicarpa--Sand Bur
Amelanchier utahensis--Utah Serviceberry
Antennaria rosea--Pussytoes
Arctostaphylos patula ssp platyphylla--Greenleaf Manzanita
Argemone munita--Prickly Poppy
Artemisia dracunculus--Tarragon
Artemisia ludoviciana--Mugwort
Artemisia tridentata--Great Basin Sagebrush
Castilleja applegatei--Paintbrush
Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus--Curl-Leaf Mountain Mahogany
Chenopodium sp.--Goosefoot
Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus--Green Rabbitbrush
Cirsium scariosum--Stemless Thistle
Conyza canadensis--Horseweed
Descurainia sophia--Tansy Mustard
Ericameria cooperi--Goldenbush
Erigeron divergens--Spreading Fleabane
Eriogonum wrightii ssp. subscaposum , Eriogonum davidsonii, Eriogunum umbellatum, Eriogonum parishii--Buckwheat
Erysimum capitatum--Wallflower
Helenium bigelovii--Sneezeweed
Iris missouriensis--Iris
Juniperus occidentalis--Sierra Juniper
Layia glandulosa--Tidy Tips
Lepidium sp.--Peppergrass
Letharia columbiana--Wolf Lichen
Lewisia rediviva--Bitterroot
Linium lewisii--Flax
Lupinus sp.--Lupine
Melilotus alba--Sweet White Clover
Mimulus guttatus--Seep Spring Monkey Flower
Monardella linoides--Pennyroyal
Nicotiana attenuata--Coyote Tobacco
Oenothera biennis--Evening Primrose
Opuntia basilaris var. basilarus--Beavertail Cactus
Penstemon labrosus, Penstemon grinnellii , Penstemon rostriflorus--Mountain Bugler
Phoradendron juniperinum--Juniper Mistletoe
Pinus contorta--Lodgepole Pine
Pinus jeffreyi--Jeffrey Pine
Pinus monophylla-- Pinyon Pine
Polygonum arenastrum, Polygonum douglasii--Knotweed
Potentilla glandulosa--Cinquefoil
Pteridium aquilinum--Bracken Fern
Ribes cereum--Wax Currant
Rosa californica--CA Wood Rose
Salix lasiolepis--Pacific Willow
Salvia pachyphylla--Rose Sage
Sarcodes sanguinea--Snow Plant
Sisymbrium altissimum --Tumble Mustard
Solanum xanti--Blue Witch
Solidago confinus--Goldenrod
Sonchus aspera--Prickly Sow Thistle
Sphaeralcea ambigua--Globe Mallow
Sphenosciadium capitellatum--Ranger's Buttons
Stachys albens--Woodmint
Tragopogon dubius--Goatsbeard
Trifolium variegatum, Trifolium wormskioldii--Clover
Typha latifolia--Cattail
Urtica dioica--Stinging Nettle
Grasses, Sedges and Rushes
Avena fatua--Wild Oats
Bouteloua gracilis--Blue Grama Grass
Bromus sp.--Brome Grass
Elymus sp. (triticoides?)--Rye Grass
Carex sp.--Sedge
Cyperus sp.--Sedge
Deschampsia sp.--Hair Grass
Eleocharis sp.--Spike Rush
Elymus elymoides--Squirrel-Tail Grass
Equisetum laevigatum--Scouring Rush
Hordeum brachyantherum ssp californicum--Wild Barley
Juncus arcticus var. balticus--Baltic Rush
Muhlenbergia filiformis--Dropseed Grass
Oryzopsis hymenoides--Indian Rice Grass
Phalaris sp.--Canary Grass
Poa sp.--Bluegrass
Stipa sp.--Needle Grass
it was a lot of fun. now what am i gonna do...
