| Iris macrosiphon Torr. Bowltube Iris USDA IRMA |
Karok Fiber, Cordage Used to make rope. Schenck, Sara M. and E. W. Gifford, 1952, Karok Ethnobotany, Anthropological Records 13(6):377-392, page 381 |
| Iris sp. Broad Flag |
Wintoon Fiber, Cordage Used to make cord for fish nets. Merriam, C. Hart, 1966, Ethnographic Notes on California Indian Tribes, University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley, page 264 |
| Iris tenax ssp. klamathensis Lenz Klamath Iris USDA IRTEK2 |
Tolowa Fiber, Cordage Used to make cordage. Baker, Marc A., 1981, The Ethnobotany of the Yurok, Tolowa and Karok Indians of Northwest California, Humboldt State University, M.A. Thesis, page 33 |
| Juncus effusus L. Common Rush USDA JUEFE2 |
Cherokee Fiber, Cordage Used to make string to bind up dough in oak leaves for cooking bread. Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co., page 53 |
| Juncus effusus L. Common Rush USDA JUEFE2 |
Hesquiat Fiber, Cordage Tough, round stems dried, twisted or braided and used for tying and binding. Turner, Nancy J. and Barbara S. Efrat, 1982, Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 54 |
| Juncus effusus L. Common Rush USDA JUEFE2 |
Mendocino Indian Fiber, Cordage Wiry stalks used for tying. Chestnut, V. K., 1902, Plants Used by the Indians of Mendocino County, California, Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 7:295-408., page 318 |
| Juncus effusus L. Common Rush USDA JUEFE2 |
Snuqualmie Fiber, Cordage Stalks used for tying things. Gunther, Erna, 1973, Ethnobotany of Western Washington, Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition, page 23 |
| Juncus sp. Rush |
Costanoan Fiber, Cordage Stems and leaves used as cordage. Bocek, Barbara R., 1984, Ethnobotany of Costanoan Indians, California, Based on Collections by John P. Harrington, Economic Botany 38(2):240-255, page 255 |
| Juncus tenuis Willd. Poverty Rush USDA JUTE |
Cherokee Fiber, Cordage Used to make string to bind up dough in oak leaves for cooking bread. Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co., page 53 |
| Laportea canadensis (L.) Weddell Canadian Woodnettle USDA LACA3 |
Chippewa Fiber, Cordage Used for twine. Densmore, Frances, 1928, Uses of Plants by the Chippewa Indians, SI-BAE Annual Report #44:273-379, page 378 |
| Laportea canadensis (L.) Weddell Canadian Woodnettle USDA LACA3 |
Meskwaki Fiber, Cordage Inner bark braided to make cords. Smith, Huron H., 1928, Ethnobotany of the Meskwaki Indians, Bulletin of the Public Museum of the City of Milwaukee 4:175-326, page 270 |
| Leymus mollis ssp. mollis American Dunegrass USDA LEMOM2 |
Eskimo, Alaska Fiber, Cordage Dried, brown leaves woven into ropes for hanging herring and other fish. Ager, Thomas A. and Lynn Price Ager, 1980, Ethnobotany of The Eskimos of Nelson Island, Alaska, Arctic Anthropology 27:26-48, page 34 |
| Linum lewisii Pursh Prairie Flax USDA LIPE2 |
Great Basin Indian Fiber, Cordage Roots and stems used to make string. Nickerson, Gifford S., 1966, Some Data on Plains and Great Basin Indian Uses of Certain Native Plants, Tebiwa 9(1):45-51, page 48 |
| Linum lewisii Pursh Prairie Flax USDA LIPE2 |
Klamath Fiber, Cordage Stems fiber used to make strings and cords. Coville, Frederick V., 1897, Notes On The Plants Used By The Klamath Indians Of Oregon., Contributions from the U.S. National Herbarium 5(2):87-110, page 99 |
| Linum lewisii Pursh Prairie Flax USDA LIPE2 |
Montana Indian Fiber, Cordage Bark fibers used for cordage. Blankinship, J. W., 1905, Native Economic Plants of Montana, Bozeman. Montana Agricultural College Experimental Station, Bulletin 56, page 14 |
| Lonicera ciliosa (Pursh) Poir. ex DC. Orange Honeysuckle USDA LOCI3 |
Thompson Fiber, Cordage Fiber obtained from stems used as twine. Steedman, E.V., 1928, The Ethnobotany of the Thompson Indians of British Columbia, SI-BAE Annual Report #45:441-522, page 499 |
| Lupinus arboreus Sims Bush Lupine USDA LUAR |
Pomo Fiber, Cordage Root fibers used for string. Gifford, E. W., 1967, Ethnographic Notes on the Southwestern Pomo, Anthropological Records 25:10-15, page 13 |
| Lupinus arboreus Sims Bush Lupine USDA LUAR |
Pomo, Kashaya Fiber, Cordage Root fibers used to make string for fish nets, deer and rabbit nets, gill nets and carrying nets. Goodrich, Jennie and Claudia Lawson, 1980, Kashaya Pomo Plants, Los Angeles. American Indian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles, page 65 |
| Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. & Rupr. Giant Kelp |
Hesquiat Fiber, Cordage Long stipes used to make fishing lines and anchor ropes. Long stipes were dried, then soaked in dogfish or whale oil so they would not lose their flexibility. Kelp ropes were very strong and could be plaited or spliced together to make them longer. Turner, Nancy J. and Barbara S. Efrat, 1982, Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 25 |
| Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. & Rupr. Giant Kelp |
Makah Fiber, Cordage Solid stipes used for tying. Gill, Steven J., 1983, Ethnobotany of the Makah and Ozette People, Olympic Peninsula, Washington (USA), Washington State University, Ph.D. Thesis, page 206 |
| Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. & Rupr. Giant Kelp |
Nitinaht Fiber, Cordage Lower stipes used for ropes and fishing lines. Gill, Steven J., 1983, Ethnobotany of the Makah and Ozette People, Olympic Peninsula, Washington (USA), Washington State University, Ph.D. Thesis, page 206 |
| Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. & Rupr. Giant Kelp |
Pomo, Kashaya Fiber, Cordage Dried, shredded stems used as cordage or fish line. Goodrich, Jennie and Claudia Lawson, 1980, Kashaya Pomo Plants, Los Angeles. American Indian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles, page 124 |
| Nereocystis luetkeana (Mert.) Post. & Rupr. Giant Kelp |
Pomo, Kashaya Other, Hunting & Fishing Item Dried, shredded stems used as cordage or fish line. Goodrich, Jennie and Claudia Lawson, 1980, Kashaya Pomo Plants, Los Angeles. American Indian Studies Center, University of California, Los Angeles, page 124 |
| Nolina microcarpa S. Wats. Sacahuista USDA NOMI |
Isleta Fiber, Cordage Leaf fibers used to make cords, ropes and whips. Jones, Volney H., 1931, The Ethnobotany of the Isleta Indians, University of New Mexico, M.A. Thesis, page 35 |
| Nolina microcarpa S. Wats. Sacahuista USDA NOMI |
Southwest Indians Fiber, Cordage Leaves used as tying material. Bell, Willis H and Edward F. Castetter, 1941, Ethnobiological Studies in the Southwest VII. The Utilization of of Yucca, Sotol and Beargrass by the Aborigines in the American Southwest, University of New Mexico Bulletin 5(5):1-74, page 61 |
| Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm. Engelmann's Spruce USDA PIEN |
Hoh Fiber, Cordage Limbs and roots shredded, pounded and used to make cord and rope. Reagan, Albert B., 1936, Plants Used by the Hoh and Quileute Indians, Kansas Academy of Science 37:55-70, page 59 |
| Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm. Engelmann's Spruce USDA PIEN |
Quileute Fiber, Cordage Limbs and roots shredded, pounded and used to make cord and rope. Reagan, Albert B., 1936, Plants Used by the Hoh and Quileute Indians, Kansas Academy of Science 37:55-70, page 59 |
| Picea glauca (Moench) Voss White Spruce USDA PIGL |
Eskimo, Inuktitut Fiber, Cordage Split, inner root bark or small rootlets used as fishing lines & cord for making & repairing tools. Wilson, Michael R., 1978, Notes on Ethnobotany in Inuktitut, The Western Canadian Journal of Anthropology 8:180-196, page 188 |
| Picea glauca (Moench) Voss White Spruce USDA PIGL |
Tanana, Upper Fiber, Cordage Split or whole roots used to make line. Spruce roots were dug by hand or with an axe, preferably from a tree that was not crowded by other trees. The roots of a tree growing in an open place were less likely to be entangled with the roots of other trees and were therefore easier to dig. Spruce roots in moist ground where moss grows were also easier to gather than those found in dry soil. Before using spruce roots, the Upper Tanana peeled the bark off by hand or with a knife. After peeling them, they sometimes dyed them by boiling berries and soaking the roots in the juice. Spruce roots could be dried for future use but must be soaked in water to make them pliable before being used. They could be dug anytime during the year when the ground was not frozen. Kari, Priscilla Russe, 1985, Upper Tanana Ethnobotany, Anchorage. Alaska Historical Commission, page 2 |
| Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Black Spruce USDA PIMA |
Cree, Woodlands Fiber, Cordage Roots used to tie and secure the arched roof trees of the shelter for storing moss. Leighton, Anna L., 1985, Wild Plant Use by the Woods Cree (Nihithawak) of East-Central Saskatchewan, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 49 |
| Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Black Spruce USDA PIMA |
Cree, Woodlands Fiber, Cordage Roots used to tie and secure the ends of a birch bark dish. Leighton, Anna L., 1985, Wild Plant Use by the Woods Cree (Nihithawak) of East-Central Saskatchewan, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 49 |
| Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Black Spruce USDA PIMA |
Cree, Woodlands Fiber, Cordage Roots used to tie and secure the stick and bundle game made from black spruce boughs. Leighton, Anna L., 1985, Wild Plant Use by the Woods Cree (Nihithawak) of East-Central Saskatchewan, Ottawa. National Museums of Canada. Mercury Series, page 49 |
| Picea mariana (P. Mill.) B.S.P. Black Spruce USDA PIMA |
Eskimo, Inuktitut Fiber, Cordage Split, inner root bark or small rootlets used as fishing lines & cord for making & repairing tools. Wilson, Michael R., 1978, Notes on Ethnobotany in Inuktitut, The Western Canadian Journal of Anthropology 8:180-196, page 188 |
| Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. Sitka Spruce USDA PISI |
Hoh Fiber, Cordage Limbs and roots shredded, pounded and used to make cord and rope. Reagan, Albert B., 1936, Plants Used by the Hoh and Quileute Indians, Kansas Academy of Science 37:55-70, page 59 |
| Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. Sitka Spruce USDA PISI |
Kwakiutl, Southern Fiber, Cordage Roots burned over a fire, freed from rootbark, dried, split and used to make ropes. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1973, The Ethnobotany of the Southern Kwakiutl Indians of British Columbia, Economic Botany 27:257-310, page 269 |
| Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. Sitka Spruce USDA PISI |
Quileute Fiber, Cordage Limbs and roots shredded, pounded and used to make cord and rope. Reagan, Albert B., 1936, Plants Used by the Hoh and Quileute Indians, Kansas Academy of Science 37:55-70, page 59 |
| Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw Black Cottonwood USDA POBAT |
Nitinaht Fiber, Cordage Fibers, dog hair and nettles used to make stronger ropes. Gill, Steven J., 1983, Ethnobotany of the Makah and Ozette People, Olympic Peninsula, Washington (USA), Washington State University, Ph.D. Thesis, page 241 |
| Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw Black Cottonwood USDA POBAT |
Nitinaht Fiber, Cordage Inner bark shredded, spun together with red or yellow cedar inner bark and used as twine. Turner, Nancy J., John Thomas, Barry F. Carlson and Robert T. Ogilvie, 1983, Ethnobotany of the Nitinaht Indians of Vancouver Island, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 126 |
| Populus balsamifera ssp. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw Black Cottonwood USDA POBAT |
Squaxin Fiber, Cordage Young shoots used as lashings or tying thongs. Gunther, Erna, 1973, Ethnobotany of Western Washington, Seattle. University of Washington Press. Revised edition, page 26 |
| Populus tremuloides Michx. Quaking Aspen USDA POTR5 |
Montana Indian Fiber, Cordage Bark sometimes employed as cordage. Blankinship, J. W., 1905, Native Economic Plants of Montana, Bozeman. Montana Agricultural College Experimental Station, Bulletin 56, page 19 |
| Potamogeton diversifolius Raf. Waterthread Pondweed USDA PODI |
Kawaiisu Fiber, Cordage Dried stem fibers used to make a strong cord. Zigmond, Maurice L., 1981, Kawaiisu Ethnobotany, Salt Lake City. University of Utah Press, page 53 |
| Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa Honey Mesquite USDA PRGLG |
Seri Fiber, Cordage Outer root tissues pounded, split, worked between the hand and the mouth and twisted into cords. Dawson, E. Yale, 1944, Some Ethnobotanical Notes on the Seri Indians, Desert Plant Life 9:133-138, page 134 |
| Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana (L. Benson) M.C. Johnston Western Honey Mesquite USDA PRGLT |
Cahuilla Fiber, Cordage Pounded, rubbed and pulled bark used as a soft fiber to make a carrying net for pottery. Bean, Lowell John and Katherine Siva Saubel, 1972, Temalpakh (From the Earth); Cahuilla Indian Knowledge and Usage of Plants, Banning, CA. Malki Museum Press, page 107 |
| Prunus emarginata (Dougl. ex Hook.) D. Dietr. Bitter Cherry USDA PREME |
Thompson Fiber, Cordage Bark used to make twine. Turner, Nancy J., Laurence C. Thompson and M. Terry Thompson et al., 1990, Thompson Ethnobotany: Knowledge and Usage of Plants by the Thompson Indians of British Columbia, Victoria. Royal British Columbia Museum, page 263 |
| Psoralidium lanceolatum (Pursh) Rydb. Lemon Scurfpea USDA PSLA3 |
Great Basin Indian Fiber, Cordage Roots used to make string and nets. Nickerson, Gifford S., 1966, Some Data on Plains and Great Basin Indian Uses of Certain Native Plants, Tebiwa 9(1):45-51, page 48 |
| Ribes divaricatum Dougl. Spreading Gooseberry USDA RIDID |
Cowichan Fiber, Cordage Roots boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1971, The Ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island, I and II, Economic Botany 25(1):63-104, 335-339, page 84 |
| Ribes divaricatum Dougl. Spreading Gooseberry USDA RIDID |
Saanich Fiber, Cordage Roots boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1971, The Ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island, I and II, Economic Botany 25(1):63-104, 335-339, page 84 |
| Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir. Prickly Currant USDA RILA |
Cowichan Fiber, Cordage Roots boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1971, The Ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island, I and II, Economic Botany 25(1):63-104, 335-339, page 84 |
| Ribes lacustre (Pers.) Poir. Prickly Currant USDA RILA |
Saanich Fiber, Cordage Roots boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1971, The Ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island, I and II, Economic Botany 25(1):63-104, 335-339, page 84 |
| Ribes lobbii Gray Gummy Gooseberry USDA RILO |
Cowichan Fiber, Cordage Roots boiled with cedar and wild rose roots, pounded and woven into rope. Turner, Nancy Chapman and Marcus A. M. Bell, 1971, The Ethnobotany of the Coast Salish Indians of Vancouver Island, I and II, Economic Botany 25(1):63-104, 335-339, page 84 |