potato, indian
Pediomelum esculentum
Psoralidium lanceolatum
1. hicenii? ; 2. cee’ei’i
2. ‘they are round’
Pediomelum esculentum
Food: staple. Hayden identifies the plant with name #1 above as this plant.
Psoralidium lanceolatum
Drug: cough/throat medicine; dermatological aid; analgesic. Among the uses listed there are: chewing the root for hoarseness; rub the leaves on the skin to counteract dryness; mix the leaves with Dugaldia hoopesii (Helenium hoopesii) to form an inhalant used to cure headaches; the leaves are used to make a tea for curing headaches; Nickerson confirms the identity of this plant and its use by the Arapaho. He does not give an Arapaho name however. The name above is that used for modern ‘potato’ and may have been used for this plant. However, contemporary Arapahos say that cee’ei’i roots were eaten, similarly to potatoes, while the above species seems to have been used primarily medicinally.