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Medicinal Plants - Parkland

On this page you will find a listing of all the plants studied in the parkland. The links to the plant pages will open in a new window. The letter in square brackets is the accessible keyboard shortcut.

American False Hellebore [A] Veratrum viride

WARNING: American False Hellebore roots are very poisionous and if ingested can cause death. American False Hellebore, which we call "Corn Lily", grows from its thick root up to 1-2 metres tall in low wooded areas with moist soil. It gets its name because it has leaves covered with fine hairs that grow up the stalk of the plant just like a corn stalk....

Fireberry Hawthorn [F] Crataegus chrysocarpa Ashe

The Fireberry Hawthorn has dark green leaves with jagged edges. It bursts into flower in May and June, producing clusters of little white 5-petalled flowers. Those flowers change into round red berries filled with seeds later in the summer. It grows in open woodland, coulees and at the edge of poplar groves. It needs to be in a place with a good amount of moisture....

Hookedspur Violet [H] Viola adunca

WARNING: Violet leaves may be poisonous if a lot is ingested. Roots may cause vomiting! The Hookedspur Violet has 5 small(1.5 cm), hairy petals of bluish purple arranged three on the top and two on the bottom, the same way pansies are, with heart-shaped leaves at the base that are 4-6 cm wide. They like shady areas and moisture, so you may find them growing along the edges of aspen poplar groves, sloughs and bogs....

Larkspur [L] Delphinium bicolor Nutt.

WARNING: Can be poisonous in large quantities! The most poisonous part is the seed. Our elders knew how to use poisonous plants for healing. They knew what part of the plant was safe and how much of the plant they could use safely. Unless you learn how to make these medicines from an elder, do not use this plant because you may get really sick....

Poplar [P] Populus sp.

The Poplar Tree grows in our foothills. It is a deciduous tree that reaches up to 25 m tall. Its branches make a large crown to collect the sunlight. The leaves are heart-shaped and are a darker green on the top and yellow green underneath. Its bark gets more furrowed with age, just like a human face does. The Poplar Tree gives us medicine, materials to build with and wood for fire....

Puffball [P] Lycoperdaceae sp.

Puffballs are actually fungus that grow throughout the prairie in damp,shaded spots. They are a light brown globe shape about 2 to 5 cm across and they grow together in patches. When they are ripe, there is a tiny hole at the top of the globe. They are so much fun to stomp on when they are ripe because the spores come out in a cloud or puff, like smoke....

Quaking Aspen [Q] Populus tremuloides

The Quaking Aspen gives its new buds to us to make a tea. When you put a drop of the tea in your eyes, it helps you with snow-blindness and sore eyes. The tea smells sweet and when you boil it down, you can use it as a perfume for yourself or your things. When our elders were very hungry and had little food to eat, the soft inner bark was eaten raw or roasted over a fire....

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Selfheal [S] Prunella vulgaris

Selfheal, also known as Woundwart or Heal All, belongs to the mint family. It grows in moist places at the edge of woody areas, scrubby patches, and near bodies of water. The plants grow to 10-30 cm tall. In July and August violet/purple/blue flowers, sometimes with white streaks, bloom. The flowers are together in 10-15 mm spikes at the top of the plant....

Sticky Geranium [S] Geranium viscosissimum Fisch. & C.A. Mey. ex C.A.

Sticky Geranium is a hairy and sticky plant that grows 30-60 cm tall in the moist areas of our open prairie and on south-facing slopes in the woodlands. The flowers in this area are a deep lavender pink, 3-4 cm across, and have five petals. They bloom in June to July. The leaves look like little palms. They are medium green and about 4-10 cm wide....

Thimbleberry [T] Rubus parviflorus Nutt.

Thimbleberries can be eaten fresh and taste good. They are a cousin to raspberries but thimbleberries have no thorns so they are easy to get! Dried leaves also make a delicious tea that is full of vitamins and minerals. Our elders made a tea of the berries and leaves for chest pains. You can use the berries to make quivers stiff and stronger. The berries make a good dye for tanned hide....

Wild Bergamot [W] Monarda fistulosa L.

Wild Bergamot, also known as Horse Mint or Bee Balm, has fuzzy little pink or lilac flowers in July and August that are 2-4 cm long and bunch together to make a globe shape. The globe sits on top of a stem with triangular gray green leaves that are also fuzzy. Wild Bergamot grows 30-100 cm tall on the edges of scrubby patches and aspen poplar groves....

Wild Licorice [W] Glycyrrhiza lepidota

The roots of the wild licorice plant can be chewed as a treat, like candy. The roots also have medicine to heal us. Elder Carolla Calf Robe told us that chewing the root is like sucking a cough drop; it works in the same way. A tea of the roots helps with toothaches, sore stomachs, diarrhea, coughs, fever, sore throats and earaches. Carolla explained that the tea works as a general tonic and that it cleanses your blood....

Wild Strawberry [W] Fragaria sp.

You can look for Wild Strawberry plants in moist, scrubby patches, aspen poplar groves, roadside ditches and wooded ravines. Before the berries come, the plant has white five-petalled flowers with a yellow center. The flowers are about 2 cm across and appear in May and June. The leaves are dark green and egg-shaped, about 7 cm wide and are grouped around the stems....

Yampa [Y] Perideridia gairdneri (Hook. & Arn.) Mathias

Yampa is a plant that grows on the moist edges of open hillsides, meadows and woodlands. It grows to be about 30-60 cm high and there are white flowers at the top of the plant. If you walk by it, you might think that the bunch of flowers look like upside down umbrellas. The root of the plant is the really important part and when you dig it up it looks like two little peanuts....

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