English
Sweet Fern
Latin
Comptonia peregrina
Anishinaabemowin
Gilmore: kba'agne-mins; Smith: gibaime'nuna 'gwus, gibaime 'nunagwus
Physical Description
Sweet fern is a low-growing plant (less than 3 feet high) that spreads in thickets. It grows in sandy and gravelly soil in open areas. The fern like, alternate leaves are long and narrow with lobes. Sweet fern flowers bloom in April and May, with the male flowers in catkin-type clusters at the branch tips, and the female flowers in round, bristly clusters. The fruit is round and about 1 inch in diameter. The root nodules can fix atmospheric nitrogen, which enables sweet fern to colonize waste habitats.
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
Uses & Preparation
Traditionally, the burned, dried leaves were used in religious ceremonies, an infusion of leaves was used for fevers, and a decoction or infusion of leaves was used to cure stomach cramps.
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
(Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa)
Sources
Plants used by the Great Lakes Ojibwa, Meeker, Elias and Heim, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Odanah, WI, 1993