Buffalo-berry plants have gray-green leaves and red berries in summer in this region. One location for them is along horse trails at Lewis & Clark Recreation Area near Yankton South Dakota. Buffalo-berries were abundant in the samples Joe Delvaux, seasonal ranger for the National Park Service provided in his Missouri National Recreational River talk on “Cultural Medicinal and Edible Plants of the Prairie”. Historic Omaha-Ponca Indians called buffalo-berries “gray” and Pawnees called them “red fruits”. Berries were eaten fresh and dried for winter use. Seasonal ranger for the National Park Service and Vermillion High School history teacher, Joe Delvaux talked about cultural uses of plants as a weekly topic for Missouri National Recreational River last summer. He offered buffalo-berries to taste. Seasonal ranger for the National Park Service and Vermillion High School history teacher, Joe Delvaux talked about cultural uses of plants as a weekly topic for Missouri National Recreational River last summer. Delvaux selected samples such as buffalo-berry and chokecherry because they are recognizable and important to the region. One of his sources is Uses of Plant by the Indians of the Missouri River Region by Melvin R. Gilmore. He said that ranger programs on Missouri River topics may be requested for area classrooms at Missouri National Recreational River: (605) 605.665.0209
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