Native Plant and Ethnobotanical Garden at Jackson Guard
Jacobs Engineering Group, OTIE Fence to Fence Eglin Cultural Resources Support, and Cultural Resources Office
Ethnobotany is the study of how cultures of a particular region have made use of indigenous plants for food, medicine, construction, and religious purposes throughout history.
Persimmon tree location
Persimmon Tree
(Diospyros virginiana)
The persimmon tree native to Florida is a long-lived perennial that produces a white flower and an orange colored fruit that ripens in fall. The fall leaves turn a bright reddish-orange and the tree is hurricane wind resistant. The fruits are edible and quite pleasant after ripening but are extremely astringent prior to ripening. Native Americans consumed the fruits in a variety of ways including dried and made into a bread. The astringency of the fruit made it a valuable antiseptic. During the 19th century early Americans brewed persimmon beer, wine, and brandy. The bark of the persimmon tree is dark and alligator-like, and the wood is very hard and nearly black being in the same family as ebony.
Eastern Red Cedar
(Juniperus virginiana)
Eastern Red Cedar location
The Eastern Red Cedar is an evergreen that produces blue-colored berries providing a food source to many species of birds. This plant has long been used for medicinal purposes by many cultures and has been officially listed as a reagent in the U.S. Pharmacopoeia since 1916. Native American Tribes have used berries, needles, twigs, and roots to treat a variety of ailments. The wood of the tree is very durable and was used for lance shafts, bows, flutes, and other items. The inner bark was used to create mats, rugs, and cradleboards.
Long Leaf and Slash Pine
Longleaf pine tree location
(Pinus palustris and Pinus elliotti)
Longleaf and slash pine have been used similarly by people. Both have a hard heartwood that is favored for southern and indigenous architecture. Native Americans used these trees for dugout canoe construction. The needles were processed and used to make beautiful baskets. Resins were harvested from the trees by slashing the bark and collecting it in cups to be processed into compounds like turpentine, rosin, and tar.
Yaupon
(Ilex vomitoria)
Yaupon location
Yaupon is an evergreen shrub with slightly serrated leaves. It produces small red berries throughout the winter making it an important winter food source for several species of bird. Yaupon has the highest caffeine content of any plant in North America and was consumed by Native Americans as a primary ingredient in the “Black Drink”. A yaupon tea was consumed by U.S. pioneers in the southeast and can still be purchased today. The drink “cassina” was made from Ilex cassine and contains no caffeine. Native to South America, Ilex paraguariensis, also known as Yerba Mate, is consumed worldwide.
From left to right: Yaupon shrub; Yaupon leaves and berries; Yaupon leaves processed for tea; Le Moyne, 1564 heliotype showing preparation and consumption of Black Drink & last image; Lightening Whelk carved cup used for Black Drink
Spanish Moss location
Spanish Moss
(Tillandsia usneoides)
Contrary to it’s name, Spanish Moss is neither Spanish in origin nor a moss. It is a flowering plant of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae). It is not parasitic, it has no roots, and gains its nutrients from rain and airborne detritus. 3,000 years ago Native Americans used Spanish Moss in fiber-tempered pottery. The black inner fiber was used for making rope. This black filament later became the stuffing for early automobile seat cushions and mattresses. Commercial mills operated in Louisiana and Florida, ginning from 1900 until 1975 when synthetic fibers replaced natural ones.
From right to left: Spanish Moss in a Live Oak tree; black inner fiber of Spanish Moss; fiber-tempered pottery; & bales of ginned moss being loaded onto a truck,1928, Florida Memory
Mockernut Hickory
Mocknut Hickory location
(Carya tomentosa)
The Mockernut Hickory is a large deciduous tree that takes 25 years before producing the edible nut but can continue producing for 200 years. The trunk is straight and the wood is strong, mostly white, and used to make various items. The tree hosts several species of moths and butterflies, including the Hickory Horned Devil. The Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar is the size of a hotdog and becomes the Regal Moth. The nuts are consumed by a wide range of wildlife. The nuts have been an important food source for people for their high-calorie content and longevity.
From right to left: Mockernut Hickory tree; Mockernut Hickory leaves; Mockernut Hickory nuts; Hickory Horned Devil caterpillar; & Regal Moth
Sweet Gum location
Sweet Gum
(Liquidambar styraciflua)
Sweet Gum is a large deciduous tree with aromatic star shaped leaves and a distinctive spiky fruit. It displays colorful fall foliage. Sweet Gum gets it’s name for the aromatic resin it produces. The medicinal properties found in this resin have long been recognized by Southeastern Tribes and in the late 19th and 20th centuries European settlers began to utilize the resin. Today a balsam called Storax obtained from resin is sold commercially and used in many pharmaceutical products such as stimulants, antiseptics, and expectorants. It is also used as a flavoring agent in chewing gum, soda, and candy.
Left to right: Sweet Gum tree with fall foliage; Sweet Gum tree leaves and gumballs
Chickasaw Plum location
Chickasaw Plum
(Prunus angustifiola)
The Chickasaw Plum is a wild native plum that is bushy and grows in thickets. The thickets provide good cover for birds and mammals as well as being a food and nectar source. The tree produces beautiful blossoms in March-April and produces fruit in June-August. These wild plums were consumed by Native Americans as fresh fruit and dried for stores for the winter. The fruit is used for making wines, jams, and jellies.
From right to left: Chickasaw Plum tree; Chickasaw Plum fruit; & Chickasaw Plum flowers
Prickly Pear Cactus location
Prickly Pear Cactus
(Opuntia stricta)
The Prickly Pear Cactus is a drought-tolerant plant with showy flowers and fruit. The paddles, fruit, and blossoms of this plant are edible and the plant has been used for medicinal purposes. While native to Florida, this plant has become a problematic invasive species in Australia and Africa. It was first brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors from Central America at the beginning of the 16th century. In the 1950s a biological control agent, the Cactus Moth, was released to control it. The moth has reached the Prickly Pear’s native ecosystem and now threatens the native populations of the cactus here in Florida.
From right to left: Prickly Pear Cactus plant; Prickly Pear Cactus plant fruit; & Prickly Pear Cactus plant flowers
Live Oak
(Quercas virginiana)
Live Oak location
The Live Oak is an evergreen tree that can live for centuries. Live oaks are of the “white oak” group having less bitter acorns than “red oak”. Archaeological evidence indicates that acorns have been used as a food source throughout prehistory in Northwest Florida. The acorn meat can be processed into a flour-like meal for cooking. Acorns are a source of fat, carbohydrates, protein, and manganese. The wood was valued in the early 1800s for ship building by the U.S. Navy for their thick curved limbs for ship hulls. Oak galls, a growth caused by an insect, are the chief source tannic acid used in tanning and dyeing.
From right to left: Live Oak tree; Live Oak leaves and acorns; Live Oak gall; Live Oak acorns
Red Maple location
Red Maple
(Acer rubrum)
The Red Maple gets its name for its fall color. Historically tannin was extracted from the bark to make reddish brown and black dyes and ink. The sap was used for producing small quantities of maple syrup and collected and produced in the same manner. It only has about half of the sugar of the Sugar Maple but still tastes good. Medicinal accounts relate its use by Native Americans and settlers for liver and skin disorders, as well as ophthalmic uses. The fine-grained wood has been used in basketry, building material, cookware, ox yokes, and other uses.
From left to right: Red Maple tree; Red Maple leaves; Red Maple bark; Red Maple fall foliage
Coontie
(Zamia floridana)
Coontie location
Spanish accounts from the 16th century report the Timucuan and Calusa people processed the Coontie’s large storage root to extract an edible starch and remove a toxic chemical known as cycasin. This was a vital food store used to make a bread and sustained them throughout much of the year. The Seminole later learned this technique. Around 1825 settlers learned this technique from the Seminole and by the 1880s several mills were in operation around Miami. By WWI the Coontie starch was known as Florida Arrowroot and one mill in Miami was producing 18 tons a day for military purchase.
From left to right: Coontie plant; Coontie root; Coontie starch mill circa 1890, Florida Memory; Florida Arrow Root Starch parade 1912, Florida Memory
American Beautyberry location
American Beautyberry
(Callicarpa americana)
American Beautyberry roots, leaves, and branches were used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes to treat malarial fevers and rheumatism. The roots were used to treat dizziness, stomachaches, and dysentery. In the early 20th century farmers would crush the leaves and place them under harnesses of horses and mules to repel mosquitos. The farmers rubbed the crushed leaves on themselves as insect repellent. Research has shown that two compounds found in American Beautyberry– callicarpenal and intermedeol– are responsible for the insect-repellant quality of the plant.
From right to left: American Beautyberry plant; American Beautyberry with purple drupe; American Beautyberry with white drupe
Southern Bayberry/ Wax Myrtle
(Myrica cerifera; previous Morella cerifera)
Southern Bayberry/ Wax Myrtle location
The Southern Bayberry, also known as Wax Myrtle, is an evergreen tree. The light olive leaves have a toothed margin and produce a spicy aromatic odor when crushed. It produces clusters of small bluish-white fruit through the winter. Historically the waxy coating of this fruit was removed by boiling it to make bayberry candles. Bay is one of the major plants used for medicine by Southeastern Tribes as a fever reducer, antidiarrheal, laxative, nausea, anti-nausea, and as gastrointestinal aid. Introduced to settlers in the 1700s, the wax was used as an ingredient in surgeon’s soap, shaving lather, and sealing wax. It was planted around homes to keep fleas away and placed in closets to deter cockroaches.
From left to right: Bayberry tree; Bayberry fruit; Bayberry candles; Bayberry shaving cream
Saw Palmetto location
Saw Palmetto
(Serenoa repens)
Saw palmetto featured prominently in the material culture of Southeastern Tribes. Fronds were used for thatching, fans, baskets, fiber, rope, and more. The palmetto fruit was consumed as a subsistence food in the fall and the base of new leaf stalks were eaten raw or cooked. The fruit was used as medicine by early settlers to treat reproductive diseases, aid digestion, and combat colds, bronchitis, and asthma. Today an extract from the fruit is used to improve symptoms of enlarged prostate. Florida is the largest producer of saw palmetto products with about 2000 tons harvested from south Florida annually. Unfortunately poaching the fruit has become a problem for this keystone species that provides food and cover for over 211 species of wildlife.
From left to right: Saw Palmetto plant; Saw Palmetto fruit; making a palmetto frond basket, Florida Memory; Saw Palmetto thatching on a Chickee 1950, Florida Memory
Cypress Tree location
Cypress
(Taxodium sp.)
Geologists believe that cypress trees have been growing in Florida for about 6500 years. Its use for dugout canoes makes it one of Florida’s most important plants. Dugout canoes were a vital form of transportation and connection for Native Americans. Cypress heartwood has a special oil (cypressene) that is resistant to rot and water damage. Some canoes could be up to 30 feet in length and date back over 6000 years. Seminole canoes have an upswept stern and pointed bow to cut through sawgrass and used a pole to push through the shallower water. Cypress was also important for American settlers for use as shingles, siding, piers, and cisterns because it did not rot. Not much old growth remains in Florida due to logging in the first half of the 20th century so modern canoes are shorter.
From left to right: Cypress trees; Cypress tree needles; 1590 DeBry engraving of dugout canoe construction; Seminole dugout canoe 1912, Florida Memory; Miccosukee cypress canoe 1943, Florida Memory; 2017 Seminole launch of dugout canoe
Cabbage/Sabal Palm location
Cabbage/Sabal Palm
(Sabal palmetto)
The Cabbage Palm is the Florida state tree and is also known as swamp cabbage. The white, crisp palm hearts can be eaten either raw or cooked by boiling or steaming. The leaf buds are said to taste like cabbage. Southeastern Tribes, early settlers, and people today eat cabbage palm. There is an annual Swamp Cabbage Festival in LaBelle Florida. The fruit was used by Native Americans as medicine for headaches and lowering fevers. Cabbage palm trunks were used in construction of Seminole homes, fronds were used for lashing and basketry, and the stiff midriffs were used to make ball sticks or racquets.
From left to right: Cabbage Palm tree; Cabbage Palm fruit; harvesting Swamp Cabbage 1950, Florida Memory; Seminole-made palm frond basket 1985, Florida Memory; cooking Swamp Cabbage 1983, Florida Memory; Swamp Cabbage Festival poster
Download the Ethnobotanical Garden PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/a06n2n1vh1kp9kz/EGL_TRIFOLD_9_191.pdf?dl=0
REFERENCES:
Persimmon:
Eastern Red Cedar:
Long Leaf Pine:
Yaupon:
Spanish Moss:
Mockernut Hickory:
Sweet Gum:
Yucca:
Black Cherry:
Chickasaw Plum:
Prickly Pear:
Live Oak:
Red Maple:
Coontie:
American Beautyberry:
Southern Bayberry:
Saw Palmetto:
Cypress:
Cabbage Palm:
General References: