Plants and People Project

People around the world have used plants for many purposes. You know that people have eaten many plants. Some plants have been used as dyes and preservatives. Some are used to make fabrics. Others have been used to make containers, tools and modes of transportation. Many plants have been used as a source of healing medicines or for spiritual rituals.

This site will explore plants found in North America and some of their uses. This list is by no means complete.

Warning: Some of the plants in this list are harmful. Some are poisonous. These web pages are only meant to serve as historical information. The author of this site does not suggest, endorse nor do I recommend the use of any of these plants as medicines.

Visiting from The Birchbark House Projects? Take the tour by following the green arrow path. Next

Use the index to look up a specific plant.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z / Resources

A

Acer rubrum - Red Maple

Acer saccharum - Sugar Maple

Achillea millefolium - Yarrow

Amelanchier canadensis - Juneberry

American Planetree - Plantanus occidentalis

Asarum canadense - Wild Ginger off site

Asclepias syrica - Common Milkweed

Ash, White - Fraxinus americana - offsite

Ash, Green Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.

Asimina triloba - Pawpaw

Aspen - Populus

Aster - Asteraceae

B

Bean - Phaseolus vulgaris

Bergamot - Beebalm Monarda

Betula Nigra - River Birch

Birch, Sweet - Betula lenta

Blackberry - Rubus L.

Black-eyed Susan - Rudbeckia hirta offsite

Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia

Black Tupelo Nyssa sylvatica off site

Bloodroot - Sanguinaria canadensis

Blueberry - Vaccinium augustifolium

Boneset - Eupatorium perfoliatum

Butter-and-Eggs - Linaria vulgaris

C

Cardinal Flower - Lobelia cardinalis

Carolina allspice - Calycanthus floridus

Catalpa, Northern Catalpa speciosa - off site

Cattail - Typha latifolia L.

Cedar - Eastern Redcedar

Celtis occindentalis - Hackberry

Cercis canadensis - Redbud

Cherry, Wild - Prunus serotina

Cherry Sargent - Prunus sargentii

Chokecherry - Prunus virginiana

Columbine - Aquilegia

Coneflower, Green Headed - Rudbeckia laciniata

Corn - Zea mays L

Cotton - off site

Cranberry - Vaccinium macrocarpon

Cucurbita peop L - pumpkin

Curley Dock - Rumex crispus off site

D

Digitalis - Foxglove

Dogwood - Cornus florida

Dogtooth Violet - Erythronium americanum

E

Early Meadowrue - Thalictrum dioicum

Echinacea (Coneflower)

Elderberry - Sambucus candensis L.

Eupatorium maculatum - Joe-Pye Weed

Eupatorium perfoliatum - Boneset

F

Foxglove - Digitalis

Fragaria - Strawberry

G

Gaultheria procumbens - Wintergreen

Goldenrod - Solidago off site

Grapes - Vitis cordifolia

Green Tea off this site link

H

Hackberry - Celtis occindentalis

Hamamelis virginiana - Witch Hazel

Hemlock, Eastern - Tsuga candensis

Hickory - Carya.

Holly - Ilex opaca

I

Ilex Verticulata - Winterberry

Indigo - of fsite

J

Jack in the Pulpit - Arisaema triphyllum

Spotted Jewelweed - Impatiens capensis

Juneberry - Amelanchier canadensis

Juniperus virginiana - Eastern Redcedar

K

Kalmia latifolia - Mountain Laurel

L

Lindera benzoin - Spicebush

Liquidambar styraciflua - Sweetgum offsite

Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia

M

Magnolia

Maple, Red

Maple, Sugar

Mayapple - Podophyllum peltatum

Mentha - Mint

Milkweed, Common - Asclepias syrica

Mistletoe - off site

Monarda fistulosa - Beebalm

Mountain Ash - Sorbus americana

Mountain Laurel - Kalmia latifolia

Mulberry - Morus

Mullein - Verbascum blattaria off site

N

Ninebark - Physocarpus opulifolius

O

Oaks - Quercus

P

Pawpaw - Asimina triloba

Physocarpus opulifolius - Ninebark

Pinus - Pines

Platanus occidentalis - Sycamore

Pleurisy Root - Asclepias tuberosa, l.

Populus - Aspen

Pumpkin - Curcurbita peop

Purple Coneflower - Echinacea

Q

Queen Anne's Lace - wild carrot Daucus carota off site

Quercus - Oaks

R

Redbud - Cercis canadensis

Redcedar - Eastern

Resources

Rice, Wild - off site

Rudbeckia laciniata - Coneflower, Green Headed

Running Cedar - Lycopodium digitatum offsite

S

Salix - Willow

Sambucus candensis L. - Elderberry

Sassafras - Sassafras albidum

Skunk Cabbage - Symplocarpus Foetidus

Solomon's-Seal - Polygonatum

Spicebush - Lindera benzoin

Strawberry - Fragaria

Sumacs - Rhus

Sweetgum - Liquidambar styraciflua offsite

Sycamore - Platanus occidentalis

T

Tea - Green off this site link

Thalictrum dioicum - Early Meadowrue

Trout Lily - Erythronium americanum

Tulip Poplar - Liriodendron tulipifera

Turkey Tail - Trametes versicolor offsite

Turtlehead - Chelone lyoni

Typha latifolia L. - Cattail

U

V

Vaccinium augustifolium - Blueberry

Vaccinium macrocarpon - Cranberry

Violets - Viola

Virginia Bluebells - Mertensia virginica

Vitis - Grape

W

Walnut, Black - Juglans nigra

White Cushion Moss - Leucobryum glaucum offsite

White Pine

Wild Carrot - Daucus carota off site

Willow - Salix

Winterberry - Ilex Verticulata

Wintergreen - Gaultheria procumbens

Witch Hazel - Hamamelis virginiana

X

Y

Yarrow - Achillea millefolium

Z

Zea mays L - Corn

Zizania aquatica - Wild Rice off site

 

How Plants Are Named