Apocynum cannabinum

Native American Names

There were no Omaha names listed. The Blackfeet name is "nuxapis," meaning "Little blanket." The Lakota name is "nape'oi'lekiyapi," which means, "to burn it in the hand. The Kiowa name is "ghola," which doesn't translate. Other common names are Black Hemp, Black indian hemp, Canadian hemp, American hemp, amy-root, bowman's root, bitterroot, Indian-physic, and Wild cotton. The hemp portion of its common name comes from the fact that Indians used fiber from the bark for making rope.

 

Description It is a stout perennial with woody stems, growing about 3 to 5 feet tall and undivided at the base but becomes much-branched in it's upper half. It can be identified by its leaves which are oval to lance-shaped in opposite pairs and grow to 2 to 6 inches long Each plant contains 2 leaves per node. Its greenish-white flowers are clustered at the end of the branches. Slender pods, 5-8 inches long, contain silky, tufted seeds and grow in pairs. All parts of the plants produce a bitter milky sap when cut, broken, or crushed. Hemp Dogbane flowers are small, bell-shaped, greenish-white, 5-petaled, and arranged in dense clusters. Flower clusters are located at the ends of main stems and principle branches.

Location and Habitat

The Hemp Dogbane's habitats are usually prairies, open and wooded waterways, lake shores, disturbed roadsides, fields, sparsely wooded slopes, wastelands, and pastures. The Hemp Dogbane is a native of North America, but is mostly found it counties of Ohio. The species prefers gravelly soil and it often grows in moist habitats. Dogbane is common all over the reservation. We found it north of Senior Circle, east of the school, and by the Pow-wow grounds. This plant belongs to the Dogbane family.

Uses The Blackfeet boiled dogbane roots in water to make a tea that they drank as a laxative. They also used it as a wash to prevent hair loss. North American Indians made a tea from the boiled root for use as an oral contraceptive. Dogbane was used extensively in folk medicine. The Kiowa's made a chewing gum by allowing the milky latex of the sap to hard in a few hours or overnight. The fiborous stems and and roots of the Hemp dogbane were used by Nativa Americans to make rope and clothing. They used the tough bark-like hemp in basket making.

This Page was last update: Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 11:02:13 AM
This page was originally posted: 11/21/07; 10:30:28 AM.
Copyright 2008 Plants of the Omaha Indian Reservation

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