202 USES OF PLANTS BY INDIANS [eth. ann.33 



Rhamnaceap; 



CEANOTHrs AMERicANUS L. Red Root. Indian Tea. 



Tal't-hi (Omiiha-Ponca). 



The leiive-s were used Ijy all the tribes to make a drink like tea. 

 Tlu' taste is something like that of the Asiatic tea and is much better 

 tlian that of tlie South American verba mate. On the butialo hunt, 

 when timber was scarce, the great gnarled woody roots of this shrub, 

 often much larger than the part above ground, were used for fuel. 



\'irA(KAE. 



Vms ciNKiiEA Engelm. and V. vt-LPiNA L. Wild Grape. 



[la«ta''ha"ka (Dakota); Teton dialect Cha" toiyap<\ The Teton 

 name simi)ly means vine {ch/i", tree; tdyape, twine, tree-twiner). 



Ilazl (Omaha-Ponca). Grape vine, hazi-hi. 



Ilapfiintsh ( Winnebago) . 



Kisiits (Pawnee). 



The fruit was used for food, either fi-esh or dried for winter use. 



A Pawnee said he had seen people tap large grapevines in spring 



and ctillect the sap to drink fresh. He said it tasted like grape juice. 



PAitTiiEXOCi.s.sus QuiNgi KtoLiA ( T^. ) Pliuicli. Virginia Creeper, 



False Grape. 



/"(jtha hazi Ita'i (Omaha-Ponca). ghost grapes (hazi. grapes). 



C'EI.ASTliACEAE 



EuoNTMr.s ATROPrBPrREA Jaccj. Burning Brush. 



Wana"fki-/-7)w''thl'' (Omaha-Ponca), ''ghost walking-stick." 



A Winnebago medicine-man said women drink a decoction of the 



iiiniT bark for uterine trouble. 



L'elastrus scaxdexs L. Bitter-sweet. 



ZuzicJut.-ta-wotc (Dakota), "snake-food " (2i/2('r7i^/, snake; irofe. 



food: ta. genitive sign). 

 An Oglala called it snake-food and held the notion that it is 

 poisonous. 



Tii.iaceae 



TiLIA amehkana L. (PI. 19, h.) 



Hi'ta-cha" (Dakota). 



Uinde-hi (Omaha-Ponca). 



Hi'sM-c (Winnebago). 



The inner bark fiber was used by tlie Omaha and Ponca for making 

 cordage and ropes. The T^awnee say it was employed also for spin- 

 ning cordage and weaving matting. 



