I. Ethnobotany A. Definition: Study of how people use plants.
I. Ethnobotany B. Plant Use Categories: 1. Structure & wood 2. Medicine 3. Food from seeds, fruit, flowers, stems & buds
I. Ethnobotany B. Plant Use Categories: 4. Fiber 5. Beverages 6. Gums, resins, and glues 7. Dyes
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Indigenous peoples referred to the mesquite as the tree of: LIFE Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Structure & wood: Ramadas Corrals Carvings Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Food from seeds & fruit Blossoms Honey Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Food from seeds & fruit Blossoms Honey Green pods Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Food from seeds & fruit Ripe pods (flour) Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Fiber from the inner bark: rope baskets Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Gums, resins, and glues: Mesquite sap Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Dyes: Mesquite pitch paint Mesquite sap Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Firewood: high quality, burns slowly and is smokeless Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants A. Mesquite 1. Uses for this plant include Medicine: leaves, flowers, pods, and bark Internal: inhibit diarrhea & other G.I. inflammations External: pods made into eyewash Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants B. Ironwood 1. Structure & wood a. A cubic foot of iron wood weighs 60 – 65 lbs. , and would sink in your swimming pool . Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants B. Ironwood 1. Structure & wood b. Natives used thoroughly dried wood for: 1) High quality firewood 2) Carvings 3) Arrow heads/ spear tips 4) Tool handles Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants B. Ironwood 1. Structure & wood c. Seeds: high in protein, taste like peanuts when roasted Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 1. The saguaro cactus is considered a Keystone species in the Sonoran Desert. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 2. Uses of this plant include: Lath on Ramada Structure & wood Harvesting poles Saguaro Rib Fence Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 2. Uses of this plant include: Food (a reliable source) Fruit Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 2. Uses of this plant include: Food (a reliable source) Seeds Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 2. Uses of this plant include: Food (a reliable source) Syrup Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants C. Saguaro cactus 2. Uses of this plant include: Beverages Ceremonial wine, non-alcoholic punch ( from the fruit) Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 1. The ability to distinguish flowering agaves from non-flowering agaves & bitter species from non-bitter species was (and still is) difficult and requires great skills on the part of the harvester. 2. Of the approximately 300 species of agave that exist, 50 are in the Sonoran Desert region. There are over 125 species in Mexico, and a mere 12 species in Arizona. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Food: Roasted hearts – called cabeza or corazon Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Tequila & Mezcal Beverages: alcoholic & non-alcoholic Tequila Blanco Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Syrup: Blue agave nectar Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Fiber: Cordage (rope) Brooms Sandals Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Fiber: Clothing Nets Blankets Baskets Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Instruments: Didgeridoo, From the flowering Stalk. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Other: Soap Ceremonial purposes Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants D. Agave 3. Uses of this plant include: Medicine: leaf tincture: Good for indigestion & as a diuretic. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants E. Jojoba 1. Oil (liquid wax) – molecularly similar to sperm whale oil. 2. Used for : hydrogenated wax, pharmaceuticals, lubricants, cosmetics, hair restoration. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants E. Jojoba 3. Medicine: tea from leaves is a remedy for asthma & emphysema. 4. At one time during the 1970’s, Arizona had 40,000 acres of Jojoba in commercial production. 5. Political changes in the early 1980’s removed the tax incentives for growing the plant and the industry collapsed. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants F. Prickly Pear Cactus 1. Fruits: jams, jellies, syrup, candy and rich in calcium. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants F. Prickly Pear Cactus 2. Young “pads” – napolitos: Used as food in soups, salads, and stews. Daily meals of “pads” fed to healthy, obese & diabetic individuals significantly lowers total cholesterol and glycemia in all groups studied, stabilizing blood sugar and insulin. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants G. Chiles Active ingredient is: capsaicin 1. Among the 23 species of wild growing chilies, the chiltipines provide a genetic base for the 2000-3000 species of milder domestic varieties. 2. Harvesters pick an estimated 30 tons of chiltipines a year for salsa, insect and bear sprays and medicines for the treatment of indigestion, arthritis and mouth cancer. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants G. Chiles Active ingredient is: capsaicin 4. Chiltipines are 75 to 1000 times “hotter” than the jalapeno, ranking them the 3 rd hottest chile behind the habanera and the Bahamian pepper. 5. Chiltipines have been used for 8000 years. Incas, Aztecs and Mayans cherished chiles, using them to spice food. Their women rubbed Chiltipine powder on their nipples to wean babies, and the Incas burned chiles to create a noxious smoke to try to deter European invaders. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants H. Creosote 1. Extracts from the leaves are removed by alcohol i.e. vodka, filtered and made into a tincture. 2. This tincture is used to relieve arthritis and rheumatism. It is also a good antifungal agent. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants I. Brittlebush 1. At selective times of the year the brittlebush secretes a sticky gum/resin that was used to patch pottery, chewed as gum, and used by the early Spanish padres as incense. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants I. Brittlebush 2. A tea from the leaves was used in Northern Mexico to relieve arthritis while the gum was applied to the throat and neck to loosen up thick mucus that lingers from bronchitis. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants J. Desert Spoon 1. Fiber for baskets . Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants J. Desert Spoon 1. Fiber for baskets . 2. Edible buds – swollen stems. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants J. Desert Spoon (Sotol) 1. Fiber for baskets . 2. Edible buds – swollen stems. 3. Alcoholic beverage Sotol . Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants K. Yucca 1. Fiber for baskets & brushes Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants K. Yucca 1. Fiber for baskets & brushes. 2. Edible flowers and buds. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants K. Yucca 1. Fiber for baskets & brushes. 2. Edible flowers and buds. 3. “Soap-like” extractions from the roots. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants K. Yucca 1. Fiber for baskets & brushes. 2. Edible flowers and buds. 3. “Soap-like” extractions from the roots. 4. A tea from the roots is used for joint inflammation. Ethnobotany
II. Specific Plants L. Bear Grass 1. Fiber for baskets. Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
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