REF: historical info on native irises
- To: i*@onelist.com
- Subject: REF: historical info on native irises
- From: D* K*
- Date: Fri, 22 Oct 1999 20:18:47 -0400
From: Dennis Kramb <dkramb@badbear.com>
I just bought a book called "The History and Folklore of North American
Wildflowers" by Timothy Coffey. It is choc full o' wild & crazy things!
For example...
"Iris cristata: the roots of this species when chewed are very remarkable;
they at first occasion have a pleasant sweet taste, which in a few minutes
turns to a burning sensation, by far more pungent than capsicum. The
hunters of Virginia, not withstanding these properties, use it very
frequently to alleviate thirst (Pursh, 1814)."
The book goes on to describe how Iris douglasiana and Iris tenax were used
by indigenous peoples to make ropes. And how Iris missouriensis was used
for toothaches! And Iris versicolor and Iris pseudacorus were used for
various ailments.
Very interesting stuff! Of course this book has far more info than just
irises. If any of you are into wildflowers, you'll spend hours reading
about the folklore of your garden plants. The book covers hundreds of
species and is about 325 pages.
Dennis Kramb; dkramb@badbear.com
Cincinnati, Ohio USA; USDA Zone 6; AIS Region 6
member of AIS, ASI, HIPS, SIGNA, SLI, & Miami Valley Iris Society
primary interests: ABs, REBs, LAs, Native SPEC and SPEC-X hybrids
(my gardening URL: http://www.badbear.com/dkramb/home.html)
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