Having native plants in your yard is more than good horticultural sense – it links you to the heritage of Colorado. And the plants provide some nutritional treats.
Imagine the experiences of those who discovered the uses of these plants while tasting tangy serviceberry juice. Or brew some pine needle tea while your Indian Ricegrass muffins are baking in the sun. Stir up some yucca fruit jam to go with the muffins and make sure you get some sunflower seeds before the birds eat them all. If you plant this grouping in your yard, you won’t have to go far to fill your picnic basket. Ancient people in this region gathered plants as a primary food source before crops were planted. Cliff dwellers of Mesa Verde used these plants 1,000 years ago, and Lewis and Clark documented their use by American Indians in the West 200 years ago.
Native plants still are viable sources of nutrition, and since they are adapted to our environmental conditions, help maintain the biodiversity of Colorado.
Ponderosa pines can grow on windswept, rocky outcroppings in our semi-arid climate or in more sheltered areas. The needles can be steeped for a tea rich in vitamins A and C, and the seeds in the cones are edible raw, roasted or ground. The sap can be chewed or used as waterproofing. Get close to the bark to smell vanilla aromas on a warm day.
If survival depends on it, the inner bark also can be eaten. native in Colorado, this evergreen was named Montana’s state tree. Usually this slow-growing tree will reach more than 45 feet tall for future generations to enjoy.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) provides a nice native alternative to blueberries, which don’t like our mostly alkaline soils. Ancient Colorado inhabitants ate them fresh or dried through the year, and leaves were brewed for tea. Young wood was used to create baskets; older wood was fashioned into bows, arrows or digging sticks.
Denver Water has recommended this Xeriscape plant since 1989 for its white flowers, purple berries and red-orange fall color. It grows slowly to 10 feet, but the variety “Regent” is compact with flavorful berries. Birds, deer and elk enjoy indulging tooextra for them.
It will do well in the shade, but full sun will give you more fruit. A botanical member of the rose family, the berry is technically a pome, or miniature apple.
All parts of the Yucca (spp.) have historic uses. The soaked leaves were woven into sandals and baskets, and used individually for brushes to paint geometric designs on pottery. Young buds can be eaten like asparagus, but then you’ll miss the tall, elegant stalks of creamy white flowers with edible petals.
More patience will yield fruit that makes a wonderful jam. The common name of soapweed is evident when you swish the pounded root or leaves in water to make suds. Yucca is considered a perennial and is a member of the lily family, not a cactus.
The large seeds of Indian Ricegrass (Oryzopsis hymenoides) were ground into flour long before corn was cultivated. Native to dry plains, ricegrass is a cool-season bunch grass that turns a rich straw color in the summer heat. This delicate, lacy grass, 12-24 inches tall, dances in the wind. If you don’t want to harvest the seeds to make your own bread, leave them for the birds.
Sunflowers (Helianthus sp.) were so important to ancient cultures, since the vitamin B and protein-rich seeds were good raw, roasted or ground into flour. Seeds also provided cooking oil, much as we use it today.
Various parts of the flower yield different colors of dyes to decorate clothes or baskets. There are varieties of sunflowers to suite your preferences from short pumolis (8-29 inches tall) to tall maxamillile (5-10 feet). Other edible native perennials used for seed and oil includes wild onion (Allium cernuum), and blue flax (Linum lewsii named in honor of Meriwether Lewis).
This grouping is adaptable for elevations of 5,000 to 6,500 feet, with well-drained soil and natural precipitation once the plants are established.
For more information, contact a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension office or visit ext.colostate.edu.
Pam McGivern is a Colorado State University Cooperative Extension master gardener in Adams County.
