Herba Cana - Northeastern Illinois University

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© 2004 by CRC Press 478 Florida Ethnobotany unkun (English? a name unexplained by Millspaugh 1892) When Wunderlin (1998) published his Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida, he used the long-established genus Senecio, based on the Latin name of a plant used by Pliny. The name alludes to the white pubescence of many species or to the white hairs of the pappus. Later, Wunderlin and Hanson (2002) accepted several changes in the genera of Asteraceae and began using the genus Packera for a group of 60 to 65 species, mostly in North America, with 16 in Mexico, and others in Siberia. Kartesz (1994) continued using Senecio in the broad sense, so both options are given here. Regardless of the name, the species contain potent pyrrolizidine alkaloids (e.g., senecionine), which cause liver damage if ingested (Lewis and Elvin-Lewis 1977, Lampe and McCann 1985). That damage occurs through acute venous occlusions in the liver (Budd- Chiari syndrome), and can lead to cirrhosis and, in some cases, death (Lampe and McCann 1985, Foster and Duke 1990). In spite of their toxic properties, some species were still being used externally in Europe in the 1970s as poultices for wounds and abscesses (OED 1971). Bown (1995) found that P. aurea still is grown in Belorussia, central Russia, and the Ukraine for the pharmaceutical industry. Plants in this group of Asteraceae have been used by people for thousands of years in both hemispheres. Famous species in Europe are S. cineraria, S. jacobaea, and S. vulgaris (Polunin 1969). Vickery (1995) found people still applying S. vulgaris to cuts, treating ague with it, and using it as a laxative. Senecio jabocaea was associated with witches and fairies in the British Isles and is known in Gaelic as buadhghallan buidhe [buaghallan, boholàun, boholàun buidhe] (buadh, virtuous, ghallan, branch, buidhe, yellow). In the Americas, the Catawba used P. anonyma to treat consumption (Moerman 1998). The Cherokee used P. aurea as a contraceptive and for heart trouble (Hamel and Chiltoskey 1975). The Iroquois used P. aureus for the blood, as a diaphoretic, to reduce fever in children, and to treat broken bones (Moerman 1998). Porcher (1863) wrote, ‘‘It is said by [David] Schoepf to have been a favorite vulnerary with the Indians; the juice of the plant in honey, or the seeds in substance, are employed.’’ Millspaugh (1892) knew that the plants had been used by indigenous people to stop bleeding, as an abortivant, and a vulnerary. It was recommended for controlling bleeding in the lungs, for uterine problems, as a diuretic, pectoral, diaphoretic, and tonic. Bown (1995) still maintained that P. aurea is a bitter, astringent herb that is diuretic, stimulates the uterus, and controls bleeding. However, she added that it should be used by ‘‘qualified practitioners only,’’ and that it is subject to legal restrictions in some countries. Duke et al. (2002), who typically give levelheaded recommendations, list P. aurea as ‘‘XXX’’*/ not to be used (think of each X ‘‘as a skull and crossbones’’). Hocking (1997) noted that P. anonyma has been said to have antitumor properties, but gives no reference. Moerman (1998) found ten other species of Senecio and Packera being used by different tribes within North America. Thus, it would be surprising if other species (P. glabella, P. obovata, and P. paupercula) had not been used by indigenous tribes. However, of these, P. glabella has an enormous range in North America and no records have been found of anyone using it. Panicum (From the classical Latin name of bread, panis, or millet, panus; related to Akkadian panu, Italian pane, bread) cockspur (originally the spur on a cock or male chicken, used since at least the 1590s; awns on some grasses led to the comparison with the fowl) Hirse (German) millet (from Latin millium, having a thousand grains, French); miglio (Italian); milho (Portuguese) Panicum hemitomon (halved, from the somewhat one-sided spikes) cintha:câ:bî (snake tail replica, Mikasuki); cintha:cî (snake tail, Mikasuki) maiden-cane [maidencane] (perhaps meaning ‘‘grass resembling harvest maiden,’’ from the old tradition of forming the last handful of wheat into the shape of a woman; harvest maiden also known as kirn-baby and kirn-doll, from the 1770s but surely much older as ‘‘kirn’’ dates to the 1300s, USA) pahitoɬ piɬ î (pahi, grass, toɬ piɬ l, knees, Mikasuki); [pahitóɬ piɬ ó:cî] pahitórpiró:cî (pahi, grass, toɬ piɬ l, knees, oci, small, Mikasuki)
© 2004 by CRC Press The Ethnobotany 479 Panicum hemitomon. From Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Panicum laxiflorum (loosely flowered) (as P. xalapense) ( /Dichanthelium laxiflorum) open-flower witch-grass [openflower witchgrass] (Florida) soft-tufted panic-grass [soft-tufted panicgrass] Panicum strigosum (with appressed hairs) (as P. polycaulon) ( /Dichanthelium strigosum) cofimássi (cufe, rabbit, em, its, vsse, dried leaves, Creek); cokfimasí (cokfí, rabbit, im, its, híssi, leaves, Koasati); cokfímpatâ:kî [tcokfwimpataki] (rabbit’s bed, Mikasuki) cushion-tufted panic-grass [cushion-tufted panicgrass] rough-hair witch-grass [roughhair witchgrass] (Florida) Hogan (1978) found pollen of Panicum hemitomon in the coprolites of the Glades people that she studied. As they were living beside vast stands of the windpollinated plants, that is no clear indication that they used the grass. However, being in a pre-Columbian context and having historical documentation of use is provocative. The Seminoles too know these formerly abundant grasses (Sturtevant 1955), and at least use them to the extent of ‘‘reading’’ the landscape. Where there is pahitóɬ piɬ ó:cî, they know that the water remains near a certain depth. That constitutes part of their knowledge of the landscape. Because of doubtful identifications, Moerman (1998) placed all the grasses used by the Creeks, Natchez, and Seminoles under Panicum sp. However, the species recorded by Sturtevant (1955) are reliably known. Since Sturtevant (1955) indicated that a third species was similarly used, perhaps others were used by the Seminoles’ relatives, the Creeks. The Creeks and Natchez used a Panicum leaf infusion for fevers, especially malaria (Swanton 1928a, Taylor 1940). Symptoms of those diseases are close enough to the Seminole malady called ‘‘Gopher Tortoise Sickness’’ (cough, dry throat, noisy chest) to suggest that the Creeks and Natchez used the same grasses. The Seminoles also used cokfímpatâ:kî for ‘‘Rabbit Sickness’’ (muscle cramps) (Sturtevant 1955). The Cherokee used some Panicum, possibly more than one species, for padding inside their moccasins (Hamel and Chiltoskey 1975). Parietaria (Linnaeus based this on Latin parietis, a wall, in reference to its frequent occurrence there) bartram [bertram] (an English corruption of Greek pyrethrum, from pyros, fire; the name was originally given to Anacyclus pyrethrum or pellitory of Spain by at least 1578 with Henry Lyte’s translation of Dodoens’s Cruydeboek of 1554; later the name became secondarily applied to Parietaria, because both were called pellitory) blidnesle (gentle nettle, Norwegian) Glaskraut (glass herb, German) lus a’ bhalla (wall herb, Gaelic) parietaria (from Latin parietis, Italian, Spanish); parietária (Portuguese); pariétarie (French); pellitory (from Latin parietis) Parietaria floridana (from Florida) herbe à murailles (wall herb, Haiti) herbe gras (fat herb, Haiti) paille à terre (country straw, Haiti)
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Herba Cana - Northeastern Illinois University

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