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Stenocereus gummosus

    Stenocereus gummosus  ( ) ( ) Cactaceae This is a large sprawling cactus, the stems often arching and leaning, forming thickets of impenetrably spiny tangles commonly 2 to 3 m tall. It occurs throughout much of Baja California, on San Esteban and Tiburon Islands, and along the Sonoran coast from the vicinity of El Desemboque southward nearly to Cerro Prieto near the north end of Kino Bay. It somewhat resembles Stenocereus alamoensis ; however, the geographic ranges of the two species do not overlap and the flowers and fruit are very different. The stems and fruit are covered with very sharp and brittle twisted spines. The large whitish flowers are nocturnal. The fruit is about the size of a small orange. When it is ripe the spines tend to fall away. Throughout most of its range the fruit is red when ripe, although in the vicinity of El Desemboque the Seri know of plants which bear yellowish fruit. Flowering and fruiting generally begin later than the other large-fruit...
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Pachycereus pringlei

    Pachycereus pringlei  ( cardon ) ( cardón ) Cactaceae Cardon is the largest cactus in the Sonoran Desert, and one of the most striking features of the landscape in the Gulf of California region. It is common throughout most of Baja California, the Sonoran coast from Guaymas northward to Puerto Lobos and on most of the islands in the Gulf, including Tiburon and San Esteban. The geographic distribution of cardon in Sonora closely approximates the original area of occupation of the various Seri groups. The large white flowers usually appear in April and early May, and the fruit ripens in early summer. Fully ripe fruit often splits open to reveal the fleshy pulp and seeds. Spine length and color of the fruit pulp is variable, although an individual plant bears fruit of only one color and general spine length. Four types of fruit were classified according to color of the pulp:  red or red-purple, red the most common color white light yellow-orange pinkish-white  ...
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Lophocereus schottii

   Lophocereus schottii  ( ) ( ) Cactaceae L. schottii is widespread in the lowlands of Tiburon Island and the mainland in the Seri region. Flowering and fruiting occur in hot weather from late spring to fall, although peak flwering and fruiting tend to be in early summer. The Seri reported that L. schottii  in to areas - one near the cnter of Tiburon Island and the other on the mainland near Punta Sargento - flower and fruit twice a year. The spineless fruit is 2 to 3 cm in diameter and becomes red when ripe. Food: the fruit was eaten fresh, although generally not harvested as a "crop". However, the people who lived in the interior of Tiburon Island ate much of the fruit. Since the fruit is mostly within easy reach, no pole was needed to collect it. Sometimes a fruit-bearing limb would be cut but not entirely severed, so that it swung down, allowing fruit in the center of the plant to be more accessible. Games: boys played a game called hasahcápoj pte cjeaatim "hitt...
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Tiquilia palmeri

   Tiquilia palmeri  ( ) ( ) Ehretiaceae It generally grows in sandy, gravelly soils and has long, thick, black roots. Medicine: tea made from the thickened portion of the root was taken as a remedy for stomachache or a cold. "People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians".
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Funastrum heterophyllum

  Funastrum heterophyllum  ( ) ( ) Sarcostemma cynanchoides Apocynaceae This is one of the few common vines in the Seri region. It is often encountered sprawiling over shrubs in floodplains, arroyos, and canyons. Flowers may be produced at various times of the year. Food: the flowers were picked and eaten fresh, often as a snack while walking through the desert. The flavor is faintly onion-like. Medicine: to cure a severe headache, the head was washed in a decoction of the branches and leaves. Tea made by brewing stems and leaves was taken for the bite of a black widow spider. Eye drops were made by cooking the roots in water. "People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians".
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Asclepias albicans

      Asclepias albicans  ( ) ( ) Asclepiadaceae The Seri did not distinguish between this and A. subulata. A. albicans generally occurs on more arid sites than does A. subulata. A. subulata is the common reed-stem milkweed in the lowlands of the mainland and on Tiburon Islands; it is absent from San Esteban Island. A. albicans is infrequently encountered, and is usually found on exposed mountain slopes; however, it is common on San Esteban Island. A. albicans is taller than A. subulata   and there are significant floral differences. The stems of both species are slender, erect, and essentially leafless when mature. Adornment: the stems, with the bark removed, were cut into pieces approximately 1 cm in lenght. These pieces were stained blue or red, left natural, or toasted black in a pan filled with sand, sometimes with animal fat added to aid in the toasting. The beads were then strung for necklaces, often with Olivella shells. A special necklace pattern m...
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Tidestromia lanuginosa

     Tidestromia lanuginosa  ( ) ( ) Amaranthaceae This summer-fall ephemereal is common through most of the Seri region. The plant has a silvery, speckled look, due to dense pubescence of branched hairs, and thus was said to cause dandruff. Medicine:   to relieve aching feet, the herbage was heated and placed under the feet. An infusion of the leaves was used for drawing out a thorn. The twigs were cooked and used as shampoo to cure a headache . “People of the Desert and Sea, Ethnobotany of the Seri Indians. Richard Stephen Felger and Mary Beck Moser”
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