| Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii Cactus Apple USDA OPENE |
Diegueno Food, Vegetable Pads boiled like cabbage or string beans with tomatoes, onions and peppers, like a stew. Hedges, Ken, 1986, Santa Ysabel Ethnobotany, San Diego Museum of Man Ethnic Technology Notes, No. 20, page 27 |
| Opuntia engelmannii var. engelmannii Cactus Apple USDA OPENE |
Diegueno Other, Lubricant Pad juice used to lubricate oxcart wheels. Hedges, Ken, 1986, Santa Ysabel Ethnobotany, San Diego Museum of Man Ethnic Technology Notes, No. 20, page 27 |
| Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (Engelm.) Parfitt & Pinkava Texas Pricklypear USDA OPENL |
Keresan Food, Unspecified Plant, with thorns burned off, roasted in damp sand and eaten with chili. White, Leslie A, 1945, Notes on the Ethnobotany of the Keres, Papers of the Michigan Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters 30:557-568, page 560 |
| Opuntia engelmannii var. lindheimeri (Engelm.) Parfitt & Pinkava Texas Pricklypear USDA OPENL |
Sia Food, Unspecified Roasted in damp sand and eaten with chili. White, Leslie A., 1962, The Pueblo of Sia, New Mexico, XXX SI-BAE Bulletin #, page 107 |
| Opuntia erinacea Engelm. & Bigelow ex Engelm. Grizzlybear Pricklypear USDA OPERE |
Yavapai Food, Fruit Raw fruit used for food. Gifford, E. W., 1936, Northeastern and Western Yavapai, University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 34:247-345, page 257 |
| Opuntia erinacea var. hystricina (Engelm. & Bigelow) L. Benson Grizzlybear Pricklypear USDA OPERH |
Hopi Food, Fruit Fruits cooked, freed from thorns and served with cornmeal boiled bread. Nequatewa, Edmund, 1943, Some Hopi Recipes for the Preparation of Wild Plant Foods, Plateau 18:18-20, page 18 |
| Opuntia erinacea var. hystricina (Engelm. & Bigelow) L. Benson Grizzlybear Pricklypear USDA OPERH |
Hopi Food, Unspecified Joints boiled, dipped into syrup and eaten after thorn removal. Whiting, Alfred F., 1939, Ethnobotany of the Hopi, Museum of Northern Arizona Bulletin #15, page 85 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Drug, Cathartic Boiled fruit used as a purgative. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Drug, Dermatological Aid Plugs made from the plant and inserted into wounds as healing agents. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Drug, Laxative Boiled fruit used for constipation. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Dried Food Buds dried for future use. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Dried Food Diced pads dried and stored for later use. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Fruit Peeled, cool fruit eaten as a refreshing early morning meal. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Staple Berries and stems were an important and dependable food source. 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 49 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Unspecified Buds eaten fresh. 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 96 |
| Opuntia ficus-indica (L.) P. Mill. Tuna Cactus USDA OPFI |
Cahuilla Food, Unspecified Diced pads boiled and eaten. 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 96 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Drug, Dermatological Aid Poultice of flesh applied to skin sores and infections. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Drug, Diuretic Flesh eaten to cause urination. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Food, Soup Flesh and fat boiled into a soup. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Food, Unspecified Flesh pit cooked or roasted and eaten. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Other, Hunting & Fishing Item Spines used to make fish hooks. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Okanagan-Colville Other, Season Indicator Blooms indicated saskatoon berries ready to be picked. Turner, Nancy J., R. Bouchard and Dorothy I.D. Kennedy, 1980, Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 92 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Shuswap Drug, Dermatological Aid Poultice of heated quills applied to cuts, sores and boils. Palmer, Gary, 1975, Shuswap Indian Ethnobotany, Syesis 8:29-51, page 60 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Shuswap Drug, Throat Aid Poultice of heated quills applied to swollen throats. Palmer, Gary, 1975, Shuswap Indian Ethnobotany, Syesis 8:29-51, page 60 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Shuswap Food, Unspecified Stems used for food. Palmer, Gary, 1975, Shuswap Indian Ethnobotany, Syesis 8:29-51, page 60 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Thompson Food, Dessert Stems roasted over a fire, peeled and eaten as dessert by children. 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 194 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Thompson Food, Starvation Food Stems used for food during times of famine. The stems were used for food during times of famine because they could be harvested even during the winter and early spring when few other foods were available. 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 194 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Thompson Food, Unspecified Stems steam cooked in pits, the outer, spiny skin peeled off and the insides used for food. The stems could also be baked in hot coals until the spines were singed off and then squeezed until the fleshy centers popped out. The inside part was eaten and considered quite tasty. In recent years, some people mixed cactus stems with fruit cakes, but traditionally, it was eaten with northern black currants or other types of berries. 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 194 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Thompson Food, Winter Use Food Stems mixed with berry juice and canned for future use. 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 194 |
| Opuntia fragilis (Nutt.) Haw. Brittle Pricklypear USDA OPFRF |
Thompson Other, Fasteners Mucilaginous material from cut stems used for glue by some people, but not considered very good. 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 194 |
| Opuntia fulgida Engelm. Jumping Cholla USDA OPFUF |
Papago Food, Staple Pit baked buds, fruits and joints considered a staple food. Castetter, Edward F. and Willis H. Bell, 1942, Pima and Papago Indian Agriculture, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. First Edition., page 59 |
| Opuntia fulgida Engelm. Jumping Cholla USDA OPFUF |
Papago Food, Vegetable Young shoots and buds eaten as greens in summer. Castetter, Edward F. and Ruth M. Underhill, 1935, Ethnobiological Studies in the American Southwest II. The Ethnobiology of the Papago Indians, University of New Mexico Bulletin 4(3):1-84, page 14 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Drug, Dermatological Aid Poultice of peeled stems bound on wounds. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Dye, Mordant Mucilaginous stem juice used to fix the colors painted on hides or receptacles made from hides. Freshly peeled stems were rubbed over the painted object to fix the color. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Dried Food Fruit dried for winter use. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1913, Some Native Nebraska Plants With Their Uses by the Dakota, Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society 17:358-70, page 366 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Dried Food Fruits, with bristles removed, dried for winter use. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Fruit Fruit eaten raw or stewed. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1913, Some Native Nebraska Plants With Their Uses by the Dakota, Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society 17:358-70, page 366 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Fruit Fruits, with bristles removed, eaten fresh and raw or stewed. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Starvation Food Stems, cleared of spines, roasted and used for food in times of scarcity. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1913, Some Native Nebraska Plants With Their Uses by the Dakota, Collections of the Nebraska State Historical Society 17:358-70, page 366 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Food, Starvation Food Stems, with spines removed, roasted during food scarcities. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Dakota Other, Toys & Games Plant used by small boys in playing games. The 'cactus game' was played on the prairie where the cactus abounded. One boy was chosen to be 'it' and he would take a stick, place a cactus plant upon it and hold it up it the air. The other boys would attempt to shoot at it with their bows and arrows and the target holder would run after the boy who hit the target and strike him with the spiny cactus making him 'it'. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Lakota Drug, Snake Bite Remedy Cut stems used for rattlesnake bites. Kraft, Shelly Katheren, 1990, Recent Changes in the Ethnobotany of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, University of North Dakota, M.A. Thesis, page 32 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Lakota Food, Beverage Fruit 'insides' eaten for thirst. Kraft, Shelly Katheren, 1990, Recent Changes in the Ethnobotany of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, University of North Dakota, M.A. Thesis, page 32 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Lakota Food, Dried Food Fruits dried and stored for winter use food. Kraft, Shelly Katheren, 1990, Recent Changes in the Ethnobotany of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, University of North Dakota, M.A. Thesis, page 32 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Lakota Food, Fruit Fruits eaten fresh. Kraft, Shelly Katheren, 1990, Recent Changes in the Ethnobotany of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, University of North Dakota, M.A. Thesis, page 32 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Lakota Food, Fruit Fruits stewed and used for food. Kraft, Shelly Katheren, 1990, Recent Changes in the Ethnobotany of Standing Rock Indian Reservation, University of North Dakota, M.A. Thesis, page 32 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Nanticoke Drug, Dermatological Aid Juice of fruit rubbed on warts. Tantaquidgeon, Gladys, 1942, A Study of Delaware Indian Medicine Practice and Folk Beliefs, Harrisburg. Pennsylvania Historical Commission, page 56, 84 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Pawnee Drug, Dermatological Aid Poultice of peeled stems bound on wounds. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Pawnee Dye, Mordant Mucilaginous stem juice used to fix the colors painted on hides or receptacles made from hides. Freshly peeled stems were rubbed over the painted object to fix the color. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |
| Opuntia humifusa (Raf.) Raf. Pricklypear USDA OPHUH |
Pawnee Food, Dried Food Fruits, with bristles removed, dried for winter use. Gilmore, Melvin R., 1919, Uses of Plants by the Indians of the Missouri River Region, SI-BAE Annual Report #33, page 104 |