John Schmol, Jack Outlaw, Megan Sutherland, Michael Wallen, Hannah Saia, Ryan Ward, Vanu Bagga, Bryan Wyman

Transcription

1 John Schmol, Jack Outlaw, Megan Sutherland, Michael Wallen, Hannah Saia, Ryan Ward, Vanu Bagga, Bryan Wyman

2 Ethnobotany Ethnobotany is a study of the practical uses of plants and plant products including food, medicine, fiber, building materials, etc. Study Ozark ethnobotany gives us an appreciation for the pioneers who were dependent upon native plants for their everyday needs. This project is designed to enrich the knowledge of students and residents of Northwest Arkansas by providing garden boxes with plants used as medicine, food, and as wildlife habitat.

3 Statement of Objectives The objective of the Ethnobotany Project is to construct two planter boxes in the NWACC Nature Area. One box is for medicinal plants native to the Ozarks, the second box is for edible plants native to the Ozarks. Targeted Community NWACC Students Area School Children NWA Residents

4 Technology & Tools Used Computers Internet Books Power Point Shovels Trowels Rakes Hammers Landscape Fabric Soil Landscape Timbers Seedlings Mulch Drills

5 Skills Developed Knowledge of Ozark native plant species Construction/landscape skills Teamwork between members Communication skills Research skills Personal responsibility

6 Methodology Conduct research via books and internet to find Ozark native medicinal and edible plants. Design and construct planter boxes. Fill planter boxes with landscape fabric, soil, and plant seedlings. Lay mulch around planter boxes to create a sidewalk that will help prevent weeds.

7 Personnel & Division of Labor Bryan Wyman: plant research, manual labor, power point slides Hannah Saia: plant research, power point slides Jack Outlaw: plant research, manual labor, power point slides, photography John Schmoll: physical Labor Megan Sutherland: plant research, manual labor, power point slides Michael Wallen: plant research, manual labor, power point slides, photography Ryan Ward: plant research, manual labor, power point slides

8 Future Project Ideas Maintain the planter boxes. Add more native medicinal and edible plants to the planter boxes. Create a pamphlet or brochure for school aged children to use in class or on field trips

9 Cardinal flower Although relatively common, overpicking this handsome wildflower has resulted in its scarcity in some areas. Since most insects find it difficult to navigate the long tubular flowers, Cardinal Flower depends on hummingbirds, which feed on the nectar, for pollination. Its common name alludes to the bright red robes worn by Roman Catholic cardinals. In southern Arizona, Sierra Madre Lobelia (L. laxiflora) is also found; its corolla is red with yellow lobes or all yellow. Lobelia cardinalis L.

10 Uses for the Cardinal Flower Amerindians used root tea for stomach aches, syphilis, typhoid, worms. Leaf tea used for colds, croup, nosebleeds, fevers, headaches, rheumatism. Poisonous. (Foster & Duke) Roots, finely ground, placed in food said to be an aphrodisiac. Native Habitat: Open, deciduous woods; woodland edges; oak savannahs; mesic or dry prairies; roadsides. POISONOUS PARTS: All parts. Toxic only if eaten in large quantities. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, salivation, exhaustion and weakness, dilation of pupils, convulsions, and coma. Toxic Principle: Alkaloids lobelamine, lobeline, and others, plus a volatile oil.

11 New Jersey Tea New Jersey-tea is a low, upright, deciduous shrub that grows to only 3 ft. tall. Pubescent leaves give the entire plant a grayish cast. Small white flowers occur in 2 in., branch-tip clusters. A low shrub with tiny white flowers in oval clusters rising from the leaf axils on the new shoots. The base is woody, while the upper portion of the plant is made up of herbaceous, spreading branches. Ceanothus americanus L

12 New Jersey Tea Ceanothus americanus L. The dried leaves of this nitrogenfixing shrub make an excellent tea that was very popular during the Revolutionary War period. ranges from Manitoba and western Quebec to western Maine, south to western Georgia, west to Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas. Butterflies use flowers. Turkeys and quail consume seeds. Use Food: The dried leaves of this nitrogen-fixing shrub make an excellent tea that was very popular during the Revolutionary War period.

13 Arkansas Wild Strawberry Grows near woodland borders, in meadows, in open fields and slopes near roadsides and fences. These edible wild plants in Arkansas are red like strawberries purchased in the grocery store or at farmer's markets; however, they are much smaller, ranging from a half an inch to an inch and a half

14 Ripens in late spring or early summer. Much smaller than commercial strawberries, but tastes much better. Can be use on cereal, in pancakes, oatmeal, fruit salad, sauces, or other desserts. Herbaceous plant with small, white, 5-petaled flower, 3-parted leaf, and familiar fruit. There are no poisonous plants that resemble strawberries. T There's a related edible plant called the wood strawberry with yellow flowers, and a similar fruit surrounded by hairy sepals (modified leaves), that has no flavor

15 Butterfly Weed in Arkansas Asclepiadaceae (Milkweed Family) bushy, 1 1/2-2 ft. perennial is prized for its large, flat-topped clusters of bright-orange flowers. Leaves are mostly alternate, 1 1/2 2 1/4 inches long, pointed, and smooth on the edge. Yellow-orange to bright orange flower clusters, 2 5 inches across, are at the top of the flowering stem. Abundance of stiff, lance-shaped foliage provides a dark-green backdrop for the showy flower heads.

16 BENEFITS OF THE BUTTERFLY WEED Its tough root was chewed by First Nations People as a cure for pleurisy and other pulmonary ailments explaining its other common name, pleurisy root. (Niering) Fresh root chewed for bronchitis and other respiratory complaints. Tea of root for diarrhea. POISONOUS PARTS: Roots, plant sap from all parts. Not edible. Toxic only if eaten in large quantities. Symptoms include vomiting, stupor, weakness, spasms.

17 Echinacea Echinacea species are herbaceous, droughttolerant perennial flowering plants in the daisy family, growing up to 140 cm in height. They have straight long stems that in most species are branchless. Both the basal and cauline leaves are arranged alternately. The leaves are normally hairy with a rough texture. The basal leaves and the lower stem leaves have petioles and as the leaves progress up the stem the petioles often are shorter in length. The leaf blades in different species may have one, three or five nerves.

18 Medical Echinacea is popularly believed to be an stimulator to the body's non-specific immune system and warding off infections and also being utilized as a laxative. A 2007 study by the University of Connecticut combined findings from 14 previously reported trials examining Echinacea and concluded that Echinacea can cut the chances of catching a cold by more than half, and shorten the duration of a cold by an average of 1.4 days. Habitat Echinacea are common to eastern and central North America, where they are found growing in moist to dry and open wooded areas. They have large, showy heads of composite flowers, blooming from early to late summer.

19 Solomon s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum) Solomon's Seal is a close relative of the Lily family. The creeping root, rhizome, or underground stem, is thick and white, twisted and full of knots, with large circular scars at intervals, these scars give Solomon's Seal it's name. Stems grow to a height of from 18 inches to 2 feet. Large, light green, and broad leaves grow on the stem. The flowers are tubular, light yellowgreen, and hang in clusters of two to five, growing from the leafs axils. Flowers bloom April to June. The fruit is a small berry about the size of a pea and is a blackishblue color. This fruit is not edible, it is said to be poisonous.

20 Medical Solomon's Seal (polygonatum biflorum) is a medicinal herb that has diverse healing properties. As an alternative medicine, it gives relief, healing or mending to sports injuries and other acute injuries related to tendons, joints, ligaments, bones, bruises, connecting tissues, cartilage, osteoarthritis, etc. It also soothes and repairs gastrointestinal inflammation. Additionally, it is known to lower blood pressure, relieve dry coughs, and to increase concentration and mental clarity. Habitat Solomon s Seal is native herb found growing in moist sandy loamy or rocky woods. It prefers a light soil and a shady environment.

21 Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

22 American skullcap is native to North America, but it is now widely cultivated in Europe and other areas of the world. It has been used for more than 200 years as a mild relaxant and as a therapy for anxiety, nervous tension, and convulsion Skullcap is an herbaceous perennial mint with ridged leaves and tiny flowers that can range in color from purple and blue to pink and white. The two-lobed flowers resemble the military helmets worn by early European settlers hence the herb's name. A hardy plant, it grows 1 to 4 feet (25 cm to 1 m) high, thriving in the woods and swamplands of North America. Skullcap has been traditionally used by North American Indians as a nerve tonic and diuretic.

23 The parts used for medicinal purposes are the leaves. These are harvested in June from a 3-4 year old skullcap plant. Any of the above-ground parts of the plant, dried. Skullcap is available as an encapsulated dried herb, tea, fluid extract, and tincture. Speak to your physician to find the right form and dose for your needs. Neither American skullcap nor Chinese skullcap is recommended for children

24 American Beauty Bush (Calicarpa americana) The American Beauty Bush is a deciduous edible plant that grows well in full sun to partial shade. It grows 3 to 6 feet and has pink, purple, or white blooms. The berries are used to make wine and jam. The leaves and roots are used to make tea.

25 Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow is a deciduous plant, with medicinal properties, that grows 1 to 2 feet tall. Yarrow is used medicinally as a tea, in it s dry form, as an extract, and as a tincture to: Suppress bleeding Alleviate headaches As an antidepressant Promote wound healing Asthma treatment Stop cold symptoms As a diuretic

26 Evening primrose Oenothera biennis Onagraceae

27 This species is a perennial with a fairly short bloom period. Its flowers may be seen in May and June, with the peak being mid- May in Arkansas. The individual flowers are only around for a day or so, which is common for most members of the evening primrose family. They first open in the evening and wither the following day. In the wild, evening-primrose acts as a primary colonizer, quickly appearing wherever a patch of bare ground may be found. It tends to germinate in disturbed soil, meaning that it tends to be found in poorer environments such as dunes, roadsides, railway embankments and wasteland. It often occurs as a casual, eventually being out-competed by other species.

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29 Evening Primrose is in bloom from June to September. The entire plant is edible, gather edible roots and leaves in spring may be frozen, gather flowers, buds and young seed pods in bloom, gather entire plant in fall and dry for later herb use. Evening Primrose Oil is made from pressing oil from the tiny seeds. You can also grind the seeds of Evening Primrose and use them as you would flax seed. Native Americans ate the seeds and the young leaves can be used raw in salads or as a potherb. English settlers in America took the seeds back to the British Isles as early as 1614, and in the decades following, evening primrose was grown in both English and German gardens for its nut-flavored roots, which were boiled like parsnips. The plant returned to North America in the mid-nineteenth century as a vegetable called German rampion, a bellflower with edible roots and basal leaves. The seeds have also been used as a substitute for poppy seeds, which they resemble.

30 Ethnobotany Garden design to product X

31 Constructing Ethnobotany Gardens Raised Beds

32 Acknoweledgements Burnetta Hinterthuer: project guidance, ordering the plants Dianne Phillips: project guidance, website construction Dr. Daryl Lancaster: ordering construction materials

33 Bibliography Foster, Steven and Duke, James. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, Houghton Miflin Company, Boston, New York, Bidlack, James E. and Jansky, Shelley H. Stern s Introductory Plant Biology Edition Twelve, McGraw Hill, Inc Hunter, Carl. Wildflowers of Arkansas. Ozark Society Foundation, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Little Rock, AR 1984.