Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine

History, literature, and botany meet in this charming tour of how humans have relied on plants to nourish, shelter, heal, clothe, and even entertain us. Did you know that during World War II, the US Navy paid kids to collect milkweed's fluffy white floss, which was then used as filling for life preservers? And Native Americans in the deserts of the Southwest traditionally crafted tattoo needles from prickly pear cactus spines. These are just two of the dozens of tidbits that Tammi Hartung highlights in the tales of 43 native North American flowers, herbs, and trees that have rescued and delighted us for centuries. With curious facts and engaging visuals, Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine explores 43 North American plants that have helped shape our culture and traditions.
Tammi Hartung is the author of Cattail Moonshine & Milkweed Medicine, Homegrown Herbs, and The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener. She has been growing and working with herbs for more than 40 years and is a frequent teacher and lecturer. She and her husband cultivate more than 1800 varieties of herbs, heirloom food plants, and perennial seed crops on their organic farm in Colorado.

Panayoti Kelaidis represents Denver Botanic Gardens in educational, professional, and promotional endeavors as an expert in horticulture, science, and art. He has traveled to South Africa on seven occasions over the last twenty years. He is the recipient of the American Horticultural Society's 2009 Liberty Hyde Bailey Medal and the 2000 Arthur Hoyt Scott Medal from Swarthmore College.

Some Ordinary Plants with Extraordinary Stories

The plants in your backyard have amazing stories to tell and fascinating uses you've never known about. For millennia, we humans have relied on these plants to nourish, shelter, heal, and clothe us. Through captivating tales and images that illuminate our lost wisdom, Tammi Hartung reveals the untold histories of 43 native North American plants and celebrates their modern versatility. Foreword

Preface

The Wonder of Plants

Meet Our Plant Allies

Agave

Alder

Amaranth

Blueberry

California Bay

California Poppy

Cattail

Cottonwood

Cranberry

Echinacea

Elderberry

Gooseberry & Currants

Hawthorn

Hibiscus

Hickory

Horse Chestnut/Buckeye

Horsetail

Maple

Mesquite

Mexican Cacao/Chocolate Tree

Milkweed

Nettles

North American Mint

Oak

Panic Grass

Passionflower

Persimmon

Pine

Prickly Pear & Cholla

Raspberry & Blackberry

Saw Palmetto

Spruce

Squash

Sunflower

Valerian

Walnut

Wild Rice

Wild Rose

Wild Yam

Willow

Witch Hazel

Yew

Yucca

Credits

Index.