94 PLANTS USED BY THE KLAMATH INDIANS. 



SALIC ACE AE. 

 Populus balsamifera L. 



Kn-osh'. — The so-called "cottonwood" of the region, properly known 

 as the balm of gilead poplar. A long time ago the bark of this tree, 

 when peeled and split, was used in the manufacture of an Indian cloth. 



Populus tremuloides Michx. 



Vo'-liil. — The aspen, more commonly known in the region as quaking 

 asp. In former times its bark was peeled off and used to make hats. 



Salix sp. 



Yds. — A general name for willow, several species of which occur on 

 the Klamath Reservation. The frames of snowshoes are usually made 

 of willow wood. The mesh in old times was commonly made of the 

 Rocky Mountain flax, Linum leicisii, less commonly of nettle fiber, 

 Urtica brewer 4, 



The young shoots of willow, called ya'-yak, usually stripped of their 

 bark, are commonly used as a material for pack baskets. 



BETULACEAE. 



Alnus tenuifolia Nutt. 



Wip'-lam. — The characteristic alder of the region, common along 

 streams and the margins of bodies of fresh water. The bark is taken 

 from the tree in the spring by peeling, at other seasons by whittling, 

 and in either a fresh or dry state is boiled in water for use as a dye. 

 The color, described as a bright reddish yellow, is doubtless orange, 

 and before the advent of the dyes of civilization was in common use in 

 coloring horsehair ropes, cinches, etc. Along the stream at old Fort 

 Klamath in the latter part of August, 1896, I saw an alder tree which 

 had been stripped of its bark only a few days previously, doubtless by 

 one of the Indian women who live in the vicinity. 



FAGACEAE. 



Castanopsis chrysophylla minor (Hook.) A. DC. 



The so-called chinquapin of the region, a shrub of the higher moun- 

 tains, seldom more than a meter in height and often forming dense 

 thickets, its nuts borne in burs similar to those of the chestnut, but 

 smaller. The nuts are sometimes gathered by the Indians for food. 



Corylus californica (DC.) Rose. 



The hazelnut of the Northwest Coast. ' The nuts of this plant, which 

 iu the form of a small shrub penetrates the Cascades from the west 

 through the valley of Klamath River as far as Pelican Ray, on Klamath 

 Lake, are occasionally used for food by the Indians. 



