Southern California Culture

Southern California Ethnobotany

Common Name	Scientific Name	Use	Comment
Anderson's Wolfberry	Lycium andersonii Gray	Food	Berries eaten fresh, boiled into mush, or dried and ground into flour
Arizona Popcornflower	Plagiobothrys arizonicus (Gray) Greene ex Gray	Dye	Red coating on outside leaves and lower stems used to paint the body and face
Arrowweed	Pluchea sericea (Nutt.) Coville	Food	Roots roasted and eaten
		Building	Used for thatching
		Weapons	Used to make arrow shafts

Bailey's Buckwheat	Eriogonum baileyi S. Wats.	Drink	Seeds ground into meal and mixed with water
		Food	Seeds ground and eaten raw or made into mush or cakes
Basket Rush	Juncus textilis Buch.	Basketry	Rushes made into baskets used for collecting foods, leeching acorn meal, and for finely woven baskets
Beavertail Pricklypear	Opuntia basilaris Engelm. & Bigelow	Food	Fruit eaten fresh or dried for later use, seeds ground into mush, buds cooked and eaten, joints boiled and eaten as greens
Belaperone	Justicia californica (Benth.) D. Gibson	Food	Flower sucked for the nectar
Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany	Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber (S. Wats.) F.L. Martin	Tools	Used to make digging sticks
		Weapons	Used to make bows, arrows, and clubs
Bigberry Manzanita	Arctostaphylos glauca Lindl.	Drink	Mashed fruit mixed with water
		Food	Berries eaten fresh, dried and stored, ground into mush
Bigelow's Nolina	Nolina bigelovii (Torr.) S. Wats.	Food	Stalk baked in pit and eaten
Birdfoot Cliffbrake	Pellaea mucronata (D.C. Eat.) D.C. Eat.	Drink	Fronds used to make a tea
Black Sage	Salvia mellifera Greene	Food	Seeds used for food
Black Willow	Salix nigra Marsh.	Medicine	Various aspirin uses
		Basketry	Used as a foundation in coiled basketry and rodent proof graineries
Bladderpod Spiderflower	Cleome isomeris Greene	Food	Seeds and flowers used
Blue Elderberry	Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis (L.) R. Bolli	Food	Berries eaten fresh, dried for later use, made into jams, jellies, sauces
		Medicinal	Numerous
		Basketry	Stems, bark, leaves used to make 4 colors of dye
		Music	Stems used to make clapper sticks and whistles
		Weapons	Stems used to make arrows
Branched Pencil Cholla	Opuntia ramosissima Engelm.	Food	Fruit eaten fresh or dried, stalks with thorns removed boiled into soup or dried for later use
Broadleaf Cattail	Typha latifolia L.	Food	Roots and young shoots eaten raw, roots dried and ground into a meal, pollen used to make cakes and mush, stems peeled and eaten, roots and inner stalks baked in ashes and eaten,
		Housing	Stalks used for matting material and bedding, leaves used for thatch
		Ceremony	Stalks used in making ceremonial bundles
Browneye's	Camissonia claviformis ssp. claviformis	Food	Leaves used for greens
Brownspined Pricklypear	Opuntia californica var. parkeri (Coult.) Pinkava	Food	Berries an stems important food source
Blue Paloverde	Parkinsonia florida (Benth. ex Gray) S. Wats.	Food	Dried beans ground into flour and used to make mush or cakes
Buckhorn Cholla	Opuntia acanthocarpa Engelm. & Bigelow	Food	Fruit eaten fresh or dried for later use, seeds ground into mush, buds cooked and eaten
Bulrush	Scirpus sp.	Food	Roots ground to make flour, pollen used to make cakes, seeds eaten raw or ground into mush, tender young shoots eaten raw, tubers eaten as snack food mostly by children,
		Building	Stalks used for roofing and thatching
		Misc.	Stalks used for bedding, mats, and weaving materials
		Ceremony	Used to make ceremonial bundles for image burning ceremony
		Toys	Plant used by children to make whips
California Barrelcactus	Ferocactus cylindraceus var. cylindraceus	Drink	Plant used to obtain water, blossoms soaked in water to make refreshing drink
		Food	Buds/flowers eaten fresh, parboiled, or baked in a pit, berries and stems eaten
		Tool	Body of plant used as a cooking vessel
California Blackberry	Rubus ursinus Cham. & Schlecht.	Food	Berries eaten fresh and dried
California Black Oak	Quercus kelloggii Newberry	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
California Buckeye	Aesculus californica (Spach) Nutt.	Poison	Ground seeds used to kill fish
		Famine food	Ground seeds leached, cooked, eaten
California Fan Palm	Washingtonia filifera (L. Linden) H. Wendl.	Drink	Fruit soaked in water
		Food	Fruit eaten fresh, dried for later use to be ground into mush, made into jelly,
		Housing	Fronds used for thatching
California Flannelbush or Fremontia	Fremontodendron californicum (Torr.) Coville	Cordage	Barks used for tying acorn graineries, making netting, etc.
		Tools	Wood used to make cradle boards
California Goldfields	Lasthenia californica DC. ex Lindl.	Food	Parched seeds ground into flour to make mush
California Goosefoot	Chenopodium californicum (S. Wats.) S. Wats.	Food	Milky sap made into chewing gum, ground seeds made into flour, boiled shoots and leaves eaten as greens
California Juniper	Juniperus californica Carr.	Food	Berries eaten fresh, dried and ground or saved for future use, boiled (important famine food)
		Medicine	Numerous uses
		Weapons	Bows made from wood
California Live Oak	Quercus agrifolia Née	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
California Peony	Paeonia californica Nutt.	Food	Leaves cooked as greens, buds cooked
California Poppy	Eschscholzia californica Cham.	Food	Leaves used as greens
California Sagebrush	Artemisia californica Less.	Medicine	Numerous uses
California Scrub Oak	Quercus dumosa Nutt.	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
California Strawberry	Fragaria vesca ssp. californica (Cham. & Schlecht.) Staudt	Food	Berries eaten fresh
California Sycamore	Platanus racemosa Nutt.	Housing	Limbs used in building
Canyon Live Oak	Quercus chrysolepis Liebm.	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
Catclaw Acacia	Acacia greggii Gray	Food	Pods eaten fresh or dried, ground into flour to make mush or cakes

Chia	Salvia columbariae Benth.	Drink	Seeds mixed into water
		Food	Seeds eaten raw, ground into flour to make mush or cakes, seeds eaten on long journeys
		Medicine	Several uses
Cholla	Opuntia bigelovii Engelm.	Food	Buds, fruit, and stems eaten
Cleveland's Tobacco	Nicotiana clevelandii Gray	Ceremony	Tobacco leaves smoked or chewed as part of almost all ceremonies, including by shamans
Clustered Tarweed	Hemizonia fasciculata (DC.) Torr. & Gray	Famine Food	Entire plant, including seeds, used
Common Deerweed	Lotus scoparius (Nutt.) Ottley	Cleaner	Roots used for soap
Common Chamise	Adenostoma fasciculatum Hook. & Arn.	Weapons	Wood used for bows and arrows, gum used to attach arrowheads and feathers to shaft
Common Goldenstars	Bloomeria crocea var. aurea (Kellogg) Ingram	Food	Bulb eaten
Common Reed	Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud.	Music	Used to make flutes
Common Sunflower	Helianthus annuus L.	Food	Seeds dried and eaten or ground into flour with other seeds
Conjested Snakelily	Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum	Food	Corms eaten raw or cooked
Cooper's Broomrape	Orobanche cooperi ssp. cooperi	Food	Root peeled and eaten
Cottontop Cactus	Echinocactus polycephalus Engelm. & Bigelow	Food	Berries and stems were an important and reliable food source
Coulter Pine	Pinus coulteri D. Don	Basketry	Needles used in basketry
		Food	Nuts eaten raw, roasted, or stored for later use
Coyote Mint	Monardella villosa Benth.	Medicine	Several uses
Creosotebush	Larrea tridentata var. tridentata	Medicine	Numerous uses
Cuman Ragweed	Ambrosia psilostachya DC.	Cleaner	Concoction of stems and leaves used after hair wash for dandruff
Curlleaf Mountain Mahogany	Cercocarpus ledifolius Nutt.	Tools	Used to make digging sticks
		Weapons	Used to make bows, arrows, clubs
Datura or Jimson Weed or Sacred Thornapple	Datura wrightii Regel	Medicine	Numerous Uses
		Ceremony	Hallucinogen (Deadly poisonous)
Deer Grass	Muhlenbergia rigens (Benth.) A.S. Hitchc.	Basketry	Stalks used as the foundation in coiled baskets
Desert Agave	Agave deserti Engelm.	Food	Leaves and stalks baked and eaten or dried for future use
		Dye	Burned stalks burned and used for tattoos
		Misc.	Dried leaves pounded and made into carrying bags, sandals, cordage, nets, women's skirts, bow strings, snares,
		Tools	Thorns used as awls in basket weaving and for tattooing
Desert Almond	Prunus fasciculata (Torr.) Gray	Food	Fruit eaten
		Weapons	Wood used in making arrow fore shafts
Desert Dandilion	Malacothrix californica DC.	Food	Seeds used for food
Desert Ironwood	Olneya tesota Gray	Food	Seeds and pods ground into flour
		Tools	Extremely hard wood used for digging sticks
		Weapons	Extremely hard wood used for making clubs and throwing sticks
Desert Lily	Hesperocallis undulata Gray	Food	Bulb eaten raw or oven pit baked
Desert Panicgrass	Panicum urvilleanum Kunth	Food	Singed seeds boiled and made into gruel
Desert Tobacco	Nicotiana obtusifolia var. obtusifolia	Ceremony	Tobacco leaves smoked or chewed as part of almost all ceremonies, including by shamans
Desert Willow	Chilopsis linearis (Cav.) Sweet	Food	Seed pods and blossoms used for food
		Weapons	Wood used to make bows
		Misc.	Bark used to make shirts, breach cloths, nets
Devilshorn	Proboscidea althaeifolia (Benth.) Dcne.	Tools	Hooked horns used as a tool for mending basketry and pottery
		Food	Seeds used
Doubleclaw	Proboscidea parviflora (Woot.) Woot. & Standl.	Basketry	Used extensively in basket weaving
Eastern Mojave Buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum Benth.	Medicine	Numerous uses
Eastwood's Manzanita	Arctostaphylos glandulosa Eastw.	Food	Berries eaten fresh or dried, ground into flour to make mush, seeds ground into a meal to make mush
		Drink	Mash fruit mixed with water and strained into a drink
Englemann's Oak	Quercus engelmannii Greene	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
Fremont's Cottonwood	Populus fremontii S. Wats.	Famine Food	Inner bark eaten
		Tender	Dried inner bark used with flint to start fires
		Tools	Wood used to make mortars
Fremont's Desertthorn	Lycium fremontii Gray	Food	Berries eaten fresh, boiled into mush, or dried and ground into flour
Fremont's Goosefoot	Chenopodium fremontii S. Wats.	Food	Boiled shoots and leaves eaten as greens
Fringed Ameranth	Amaranthus fimbriatus (Torr.) Benth. ex S. Wats.	Food	Parched seeds ground into flour the make mush, boiled leaves eaten as greens or used a potherbs
Giantreed	Arundo donax L.	Music	Used to make flutes, usually played by men
Giant Wildrye	Leymus condensatus (J. Presl) A. Löve	Weapons	Fire hardened stems used to make arrows
Goldenbowl Mariposa Lily	Calochortus concolor (Baker) Purdy	Food	Bulbs roasted in hot ash pits or steamed prior to eating
Hairy Yerbasanta	Eriodictyon trichocalyx Heller	Medicine	Numerous uses
		Drink	Dried or fresh leaves boiled to make tea
Hartweg's Twinevine	Funastrum cynanchoides ssp. heterophyllum (Vail) Kartesz	Food	Plant eaten raw with salt
Hollyleaf Cherry	Prunus americana Marsh.	Food	Fruit eaten fresh
		Famine food	Seed cracked, ground, leached, cooked, eaten
Hollyleaf Redberry	Rhamnus ilicifolia Kellogg	Medicine	Numerous uses
Honey Mesquite	Prosopis glandulosa Torr.	Food	Beans eaten raw, roasted, ground into flour and made into cakes
		Drink	Green beans mixed with water
		Drink	Blossoms used to make tea
		Netting	Bark pounded into carrying net for pottery
Incense Cedar	Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin	Building	Bark used to make temporary shelters, wood used in construction
Indianhemp	Apocynum cannabinum L.	Clothing	Bark fiber made into twine to make women's aprons
		Cordage	Inner bark made into twine to make fishing and hunting nets and carrying sacks
		Weapons	Inner bark used to make bow strings and slings
Iodinebush	Allenrolfea occidentalis (S. Wats.) Kuntze	Food	Ground seed flour made into mush or dampened, shaped, dried, and eaten as a cookie
		Drink	Ground seed flour and water made into a drink
Indian Tea	Ephedra viridis Coville	Food	Seeds eaten
		Drink	Leafless needles boiled into tea
Interior Live Oak	Quercus wislizeni A. DC.	Food	Acorns stored up to one year, ground, leached, cooked into mush, soup, cakes, bread
Jeffrey Pine	Pinus jeffreyi Grev. & Balf.	Basketry	Pine needles used to make baskets
Jojoba	Simmondsia chinensis (Link) Schneid.	Drink	Ground nuts made into coffee-like drink
		Food	Nuts eaten
Joshua Tree	Yucca brevifolia Engelm.	Food	Immature fruits and pods used for food
		Dye	Roots used as dye
		Basketry	Roots
Large Leatherroot	Hoita macrostachya (DC.) Rydb.	Dye	Leaves boiled with basket weeds as a yellow dye
Lemonade Sumac	Rhus integrifolia (Nutt.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Brewer & S. Wats.	Drink	Berries soaked in water for beverage
Leopold's Rush	Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii (Parl.) Snog.	Basketry	Rushes made into baskets used for collecting foods, leeching acorn meal, and for finely woven baskets
Littleleaf Mountain Mahogany	Cercocarpus intricatus S. Wats.	Tools	Used to make digging sticks
		Weapons	Used to make bows, arrows, clubs
Little Hogweed	Portulaca oleracea L.	Food	Plant used for greens
Marshland Goosefoot	Chenopodium humile Hook.	Food	Boiled shoots and leaves eaten as greens
Mertens' Rush	Juncus mertensianus Bong.	Basketry	Rushes used to make coiled and twined baskets
Miner's Lettuce	Claytonia perfoliata ssp. perfoliata	Food	Leaves eaten fresh or boiled as greens
Missouri Gourd	Cucurbita foetidissima Kunth	Cleaner	Ground shell used as shampoo, root and pepo (fruit) used as a soap and bleach
		Medicine	Numerous uses
		Food	Seeds ground into flour to make mush
		Tools	Dried gourds used to make ladles
		Music	Dried gourds used to make rattles
Mojave Yucca	Yucca schidigera Roezl ex Ortgies	Food	Unopened flowers boiled and eaten; open flowers eaten raw or cooked stem eaten raw or pit baked
		Clothing	Dried leaved pounded into cloth or material for making sandals
		Basketry	Leaves and root stock used
Mustang Mounainbalm	Monardella lanceolata Gray	Drink	Plant used to make tea
Naked Buckwheat	Eriogonum nudum var. pubiflorum Benth.	Utensil	Hollow stems used as straws
Nettleleaf Goosefoot	Chenopodium murale L.	Food	Boiled shoots and leaves eaten as greens
Nevada Jointfir	Ephedra nevadensis S. Wats.	Drink	Fresh or dried twigs used to make tea
Ocotillo	Fouquieria splendens Engelm.	Food	Fresh blossoms eaten, parched seed ground into flour to make mush or cakes
		Drink	Fresh blossoms soaked in water to make summer drink
One-Leaf Pinon Pine or Singleleaf Pine	Pinus monophylla Torr. & Frém.	Food	Nuts eaten raw, roasted, boiled, ground into flour or stored for future use, used as baby food, pitch chewed as chewing gum
		Drink	Ground nuts mixed with water
		Cooking	Nuts used to improve taste of meat
		Basketry	Needles and roots in making baskets, pitch used to waterproof baskets
		Housing	Bark used for roofing material