Indian Tobacco

At some point in school you probably studied Oregon's indigenous people. Depending on where you lived, you may have heard about the "sweat houses" used mostly in Southern Oregon. No, these weren't your everyday fitness places, rather they were places of social gathering, at least for the men:  a place for a Happy Hour of sorts!

Usually, after the evening meal, men would gather in the sweat house, smoke and pass around a pipe which contained "Indian tobacco." The Indian Tobacco plant is native to the western states and was used extensively by tribes in southern Oregon and northern California. This reference has a nice summary of its use: http://archive.tobacco.org/History/indiantobcalif.html

Lewis and Clark collected samples of Indian Tobacco (Nicotiana quadrivalvis) on October 12, 1804 along the Grand River in South Dakota. Also of note, these plants are named after Jean Nicot de Villemain (1530 - 1600), who is credited with introducing tobacco plants to France in the 16th century.

Smoking tobacco may date back to 5000 - 3000 BC, when South American natives began to cultivate tobacco. It was probably burned by accident at first and then intentionally until wooden pipes were developed for direct inhaling. The smoking of tobacco and various hallucinogenic drugs was used to achieve trances and to come into contact with the spirit world. 

For the super curious, Wikipedia has extensive articles on the history of smoking and on nicotine.

Back here in the present, I found three distinct species of these native tobacco plants growing in Oregon, but could not determine for sure which one we found growing along the banks of the Rogue River in Grants Pass. Most likely they are Nicotiana attenuata. They were about two feet tall, and each blossom measured 1 to 1.5 in. across. (6/21/2013).

The Indian Tobacco is seen at the lower right in this photo.

One Hundred Posts

Break out the champagne Honey, it's time for a celebration! When I first started this journal, I thought it would take until the end of summer to reach a hundred posts. Of course it's not about numbers, but I'm pleasantly surprised to find how fun and easy it has been to keep this journal. I suppose that's because it involves doing the things I enjoy: being outdoors, taking pictures, writing, searching for hidden treasures, and sharing. Of course, being retired from a day-to-day job helps too!

Well, don't get all misty eyed just yet, there are still a couple of months left for more blooms to emerge. As summer marches on, I'm expecting to go for higher ground to find more flora. Time to break out the mountain hiking boots and extra batteries!

To commemorate this milestone, here are a few of my favorite photos from the treks...

Cheers! 7-31-2013.

Field Morning Glory at Jackson Bottom Wetlands

Tree Swallows surround me at Jackson Bottom Wetlands (early July)

Birdsfoot Trefoil and Stinking Chamomile at Jackson Bottom Wetlands in June

One of the many Fritillary butterflies on Mary's Peak

Bear Grass on the Silver Star Mountain trail.

A couple of Ctenucha mutifaria moths on Tansy Ragwort at the coast.

Crystal Clear feeder creek at Diamond Lake (June)

Dense Flowered Willow Herb

So far, every time I visit Jackson Bottom Wetlands, I find at least one new wildflower blooming! I know this can't go on for too much longer as the area is really starting to dry out. We have had no rain at all for the entire month of July, so the wetland bonanza is waning!

Nevertheless, one of the new plants in bloom now is the Dense Flowered Willow Herb (Epilobium densiflorum). It is native to western North America from British Columbia to Baja California, where it is found in a variety of habitats. There are more than 160 species in the Epilobium genus, so many similar plants are called "willowherb." A previous posting covered Fireweed, which is also a member of this genus.

These were growing along the Bobcat path at Jackson Bottom and are about 18 inches tall (7/18/2013).

Common Evening Primrose

There are many "Evening Primrose" plants growing all over Oregon in distinct elevations and climates. None are members of the true Primrose (Primula) family, so once again we find common names cause confusion with identification!

Be that as it may, the Common Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) bright yellow flowers usually stay open at night so the nocturnal Hawk moth can pollinate it, hence the "evening" part of the name. This non-native is thought to have originated in Mexico or Central America.

If you look up Oenothera, you'll find all kinds of ways this plant was used in the past and present. There are 125 species of Oenothera, so it may take some "digging" to find a particular species.

The Cherokee, Iroquois, Ojibwas, and Potawatomi were among several Native American tribes that used common evening-primrose for both food and for medicinal purposes. The roots were boiled and eaten like potatoes. The young leaves were cooked and served as greens. The shoots were eaten raw. A tea was made from the plant and used as a dietary aid or stimulant to treat laziness and "overfatness." A hot poultice made from the pounded roots was applied externally to treat piles and boils. A poultice made from the entire plant was used to treat bruises. The roots were chewed and rubbed onto the muscles to improve strength. The plant was used to treat pain associated with menstruation as well as bowel pain. A few still use the plant today, both medicinally and for food.

You'll find this plant growing in disturbed areas at lower elevations. We spotted these growing in a beach parking area near Seaside (7/27/2013).

 

Pennyroyal

My initial impression on finding Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) was, "bottle brush." These odd looking plants have blue-purple bristle-like flowers arranged in small tufts, up and down the stem. They are fairly short, about 10 inches tall at most, but they grow in clusters as seen below. Pennyroyal is native to Europe and was introduced for culinary and medicinal purposes. However, as with many introduced species, it has become a weedy pest in Northwest gardens.

Pennyroyal is a member of the Mint (Mentha) genus and as such has a strong spearmint aroma. On the downside though, it also contains pulegone, which is poisonous to humans! Nevertheless, Pennyroyal has a rich past of herbal uses. It has been used in aromatherapy and other culinary applications. Today it is mainly used in dried floral arrangements. The aroma is thought to repel fleas and mosquitoes. For more details, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mentha_pulegium.

Pennyroyal seems to prefer marsh areas or other seasonally wet, disturbed areas. We found these growing along the service road at Jackson Bottom Wetlands (7/30/2013).

Note the bumblebee for size. 

Most were growing in clumps like this one.

Detail of tiny blossoms.

Spotted Coralroot

And now for something completely different: an orchid! The Spotted Coral Root (Corallorrhiza maculate) is fairly common in dense forests with a great deal of conifer needles on the ground. It does not need much light as it lacks chlorophyll. Instead, it draws nutrients from fungus in the soil.

Several Native American groups historically used the orchid's stems dried and brewed as a tea for such maladies as colds, pneumonia, and skin irritation. It is also called Western Coralroot and Summer Coralroot.

It blooms in early summer and then produces berry-like seed pods with copious amounts of seeds. We found about four of these growing along the woodland trail at Cooper Mountain Nature Park. 6/04/2013. They are about a foot tall. Last photo shows the berries about six weeks later.

The green leaves are not part of the Spotted Coralroot.

Seed Pods on 7/16/2013

Tansy

About a month ago I posted about the toxic weed, Tansy Ragwort. In this current post, we are looking at the related, Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), also known as Common Tansy, Bitter Buttons, Cow Bitter, Mugwort, or Golden Buttons.

Both Tansy and Tansy Ragwort are in the Sunflower (Asteraceae) family, and the leaves are similar looking. However, the flowers are strikingly different. Tansy flowers have no petals, just bright yellow discs that almost look artificial!

Tansy has a scent, especially when crushed, which is similar to that of camphor with hints of rosemary. The leaves and flowers are toxic if consumed in large quantities; the volatile oil contains toxic compounds including thujone, which can cause convulsions and liver and brain damage.

There are hundreds of Tansy plants blooming now at Rooster Rock State Park, in the Columbia River Gorge (7/23/2013).