Tinder gathering

I was out by the St Johns river the other day and finally got around to gathering some cottonwood inner bark. This is from a dead standing tree. Even still, its moist because of all the dew and frost lately. I spread it out in a soda flat to dry next to the fireplace. This stuff is great for flint and steel with char cloth. It takes flame quickly. I shred it fine and I hear if you powder it you can get a glowing coal from a ferro cerium rod. Some folks have made cordage from the live inner bark. I can see how that would work, this stuff being so fibrous. Carvers look for the thick bark, 2-6" thick, for carving material. A small chunk of bark makes a very good hand hold for bow drill fire making. I have one that is at least 10 years old and has no wear but a nice shiny polish where the spindle fits.
I like to store up nice, dry tinder for my trips into the boonies. I have those little snack size zip locks with birch bark, cottonwood inner bark, cedar/juniper inner bark, and some other natural tinders I've gathered. I throw two or three of these into my pack and no matter what the conditions, I have dry tinder.

Another tinder I gathered at the same place is a half dozen shelf fungus from a dead cottonwood log. These are polypore fungus but I don't know what species. I've been told they are good for catching spark. I can't wait till they are bone dry and I can experiment. They were dead and dry when I found them but they still have some moisture from the damp weather. They, too, are drying by the fireplace. I'll post my results with this experiment and any further information I discover.

Primitive bone knife in use

Here are a few shots of the bone knife I recently made in action. These will explain how I split the stinging nettle stalk for rendering the fiber.

Blade inserted after pinching stalk to split it. I use two pieces of wood slat to pinch the stalk.

starting the split

Halfway up the stalk.See how nice and even the stalk halves are? This will save a lot of fiber

A nice bundle of raw fiber. After it dries, I'll twist it into cordage. The skin falls off during this process. This is from 6 stalks.

This is what you're left with. The inside of the stalk in sections.

Close up of the blade.

Another close up.

The slats used for pinching the stalks. Just something thrown together.

Primitive bone knife

Here's a nice little bone knife I threw together. I made it from bone for the purpose of helping me split those huge nettle stalks lengthwise. Doing it with just the hands was a bit of a task. I squeeze the stalks between two pieces of wooden slat. And then I use the bone blade to split them from base to tip. It works just fine and unlike a metal knife, the fibers aren't cut by the blade. The handle is a piece of cottonwood and the cordage is good old artificial sinew. I cheated and used some of my brand new Elmers Glue All Max which is Elmers answer to Gorilla Glue. That stuff is great! It set up over night and I couldn't budge the bone one bit. I like making primitive stuff but if I have modern materials like artificial sinew and modern glues, so be it. To me, its still primitive if only half of the stuff is stoneage. I could have used hide glue and some real sinew, but I save stuff like that for the really serious, showy things.

Blade is 2 1/2" total length 4 3/4"

made from a section of deer leg bone

project took about 30 minutes

My nettle patch-primitive cordage and healthy food.

 These are photos of one patch of stinging nettles, Urtica dioica, I have been watching. Stinging nettle is one of the premier cordage plants. These are on the average 10 to 12 feet tall. They are the benefit of a very wet spring and early summer. I want to harvest just a few for summer cordage experiments, but the majority will be harvested after the first frost. According to most folks who know nettles and my own experience, the fiber is better after the frost. It should be harvested before it rains because nettle is prone to deteriorate quickly when wet. I have never tried retting it but it has been done and the smell is something else, so I hear. The young leaves near the top of the plant are edible, but they must be cooked because the stinging mechanism contains formic acid and only heat will neutralize it. The stinger is like a tiny syringe made of glass, in the nettles case it is a natural glass called silica. When the "glass" is broken by something rubbing up against it, the formic acid, which is somewhat under pressure, and from capillary action, enters the body and stings like mad! Formic acid is what ants carry in their stingers and fire ants have the most potent brew.
Here's a good site for more info on the edibility of nettles.
http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Plants.Folder/Nettle.html

Amazingly tall nettles-12+ feet

A nice patch of nettles in the background. Very tall and healthy.

Knives and nettle cordage

We have had a few frosts and its the perfect time of the year to gather up some nettle. Its one of my favorite cordage plants. I find the plant still has plenty of sting left but a good pair of heavy leather gloves makes harvesting a breeze. It will give me a chance to work with a few of my knives and see who works best for what. I'll post some photos in an article after I harvest some.

A new cordage plant

A few years back I wrote an article on cordage from wild plants. Here: http://ronsprimitiveskills.blogspot.com/2008/09/cordage-in-north-america.html It was posted at a few websites and I got a lot of good comments from readers asking more about certain species and their use. I enjoy making cordage. Its a hobby with me like most other primitive skills. I recently received an email from a lady in Missouri. Her name is Martha and she asked me if I knew about rattlesnake master, Eryngium yuccifolium . Its also known as button snakeroot. The name itself speaks of cordage. Yuccifolium = "like yucca leaves". Which, if you look at the picture at the top of this article, they do look similar. This is a photo taken of her back yard. It shows both rattlesnake master and blazing star, the purple flowers. Both of these are prairie habitat plants. She was so kind as to send me a package of the plant, but, I have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to work with any yet. The ethno-botanical literature makes no mention of its use for cordage but several references for medicine, especially Native American Ethnobotany by Moerman. Martha uses it for basketry and I hope to find references as to how often its used. Its an interesting plant and as soon as I finish playing with it I'll post the results.

More paracord information

Here's some useful information on paracord from Wikipedia.

US Military issue paracord is specified by MIL-C-5040H in six types: I, IA, II, IIA, III, IV.^[2] Types IA and IIA are composed solely of a sheath without a core. Type III, a type commonly found in use, is nominally rated with a minimum breaking strength of 550 pounds, thus the sobriquet "550 cord".

The US military specification for paracord outlines a number of parameters to which the final product must conform. Although it contains specific denier figures for the sheath strands and inner yarns, there are no overall diameter requirements for the cord itself. Below is a table of selected elements from the specification.

Type	Minimum breaking strength	Minimum elongation	Minimum length per pound	Core yarns	Sheath structure
I	95 lb (43 kg)	30%	950 ft (290 m)	4 to 7	32/1 or 16/2
IA	100 lb (45 kg)	30%	1050 ft (320 m)		16/1
II	400 lb (181 kg)	30%	265 ft (81 m)	4 to 7	32/1 or 36/1
IIA	225 lb (102 kg)	30%	495 ft (151 m)		32/1 or 36/1
III	550 lb (249 kg)	30%	225 ft (69 m)	7 to 9	32/1 or 36/1
IV	750 lb (340 kg)	30%	165 ft (50 m)	11	32/1, 36/1, or 44/1

Types of cordage

This is about some the different types of cordage available. In the first photo are several different varieties both synthetic fibers and natural. Top left row, 1 & 2, is military boot laces. These are made of heavy duty synthetic, probably nylon. These work great for a fire drill bow. These are usually 3 to 4 feet long. They come in handy for other chores too. Left row #3 is a braided nylon cord about 3 feet long. Its good for some minor chores and I believe it came off of one of those 5 in 1 survival whistles. Its cheaply made just like the whistle. You wouldn't believe how many broken pieces of these things I've found around camp sites. Left row #4 is a roll of artificial sinew. I love this stuff! Its great for sewing leather, already comes with a wax coating. A lot of the artsy fartsy types use this for Indian style jewelry and to make primitive tools. Its strong stuff, made from nylon.
Right row #1 is a band of black dyed cotton. It was tied around a blanket and thrown away after you opened the blanket. Its about 4 feet long. The white band beneath it is the same story. Seems a bit wasteful. Of course, being the consummate pack rat, I didn't let these get away. Next is a bundle of braided nylon rope I've used for a clothes line in camp for years. Its braided nylon shell with a nylon fiber center. Very strong stuff. The last item at the bottom is a roll of masons line. Its very strong nylon. I use this to make nets, I used to find it in red and blue, also.


Below is a photo of paracord. The real deal. I love this stuff, too. I carry about 200 feet in my survival bag. I've taken the center strands out and used them for fishing line, sewing heavy fabric, netting, and myriad other bushcrafty uses. The braided shell is useful too. I consider it too valuable to use for everyday type cordage. Theres cheaper stuff that fills the bill. Its just too valuable to waste.


This next photo shows a variety of paracord wanna be's. Its good for clothes line, shelter construction, and any use where a paracord type cordage is called for. Top is a big bundle I paid $1.00 for at a sporting goods outlet. Next is a hank of similar quality except its black. I use this piece for my "bear bag", a canvas sack that I put all my food in when camping in the Sierra Nevada's. I toss one end over a branch about 10 to 15 feet up and hoist the bag out of reach. Simple and it works. At the bottom is a hank still in its original package. I found this at a thrift store in the 25 cent bin. All of it is good general purpose cordage.

Here's a shot of the big bundle by itself. Notice how it looks like the real deal with that nice braided shell exterior. A lot of unscrupulous dealers try to pass this stuff off for the more expensive original product. Buyer beware!

This is a closeup of the inner strands unsheathed and unfurled. Definitely not real 7 strand paracord.


All of these are useful for different jobs. You cant beat the sturdiness and durability of man made fiber cordage. There's going to be a lot of man made material around for a long, long time after any type of collapse or severe disaster. If such a thing happens I believe people will treat stuff that can no longer be manufactured with a lot more respect and take good care of it.

Another thing I carry in my trunk bag is a pair of fencing pliers. I use these to work with wire I find out in the wilds. I was told there's still a lot of old telegraph wire hanging around in the mountains from the days of heavy logging. Its very tough steel wire and its still usable. Some of the old mine sites have lots of good wire and cable laying around rusting. Useful stuff in an emergency.

Cordage in North America

I did this article in 2006. Its been posted at Survival Blog, Paleo Planet and Primitive Ways websites. I post it here for anyone who hasn't seen it.

CORDAGE IN NORTH AMERICA
By Ron Layton

This article is about cordage, one of the most used and necessary items for day to day life. Other than sinew, catgut, and rawhide, early man made his rope and string from more readily available plant material. Certain plant fibers were able to stand up to water immersion and made excellent nets and fishing line. Animal fibers, such as sinew and catgut, would stretch or unravel when wet and were more difficult to procure. Plant fibers were so much more abundant and easier to process; this left sinew and catgut for sewing, bow backing, arrow making and other arts requiring a strong, longer lasting material.

Another difference between plant and animal fibers is the strength comparison of a string made of sinew and a string of plant fiber. The plant fiber string, in most cases, would have to be twice the diameter of the sinew string to be of the same strength. Thus, for certain applications where weight and mass are important (such as arrow making) the thinner sinew would be the best choice. Sinew, catgut, and rawhide were not available in all areas since it usually comes from large animals. There aren't very many places in North America where a decent cordage fiber plant isn't available.
Cordage can be made from bark, branches, roots, stems, and leaves. In some rare cases the seed fluff from whorled milkweed and cottonwood was wound into cordage. This would be very labor intensive and was used mostly for ceremonial objects.

Trees can supply cordage by use of the bark, roots, and in a few cases, limbs. In the North, the roots of the spruce tree are used to make good, strong cordage. In the Great Lakes area, the Indians use this root for sewing the birch bark together on their canoes. The roots of the junipers, walnut, butternut, wild cherry, and osage orange are used too. Roots that grow in fine or sandy soil are the most favored as they are usually straighter and have fewer deformities. They are split in two or more sections and sometimes the outer bark is rubbed off. This is accomplished by rubbing the root section back and forth over a limb with somewhat rough bark, as if you were sawing it. Some bark and root binding materials tend to get a little brittle as they dry, so they are often soaked in water for a while before use. From my experience, roots make the best bow drill string of all. Always try to take only a few roots from several different trees. This doesn't kill the tree and insures a future supply of roots.

The best bark cordage comes from small limbs. The bark is thinner, and this process wont harm the tree. The inner bark of juniper, elm, cottonwood, aspen, basswood, moosewood, maple, willow, and desert willow are the most often used. Basswood is one of the better sources of fine bark cordage. The limbs-and in the case of a freshly fallen tree, the trunk-are stripped of their bark. This bark is held submerged for a few weeks until the inner bark starts to come loose in layers. These strips are then dried and stored for future use. When some cordage is needed, they're soaked for a while before braiding or twisting. Slippery elm and willow bark make good, strong cordage. Most barks are best gathered May thru August because the bark comes off a lot easier. Out of season, the bark can still be loosened and removed by pounding the limbs gently with a wood maul or mallet made from a branch about 3 in diameter. Another piece of thick branch should be used as an anvil. Both anvil and mallet should be made smooth as possible to deter ruining the bark. If you decide to use a rock for an anvil, the bark may be damaged beyond use. Pounding works well on such barks as pawpaw, hickory, elm, maple, willow, and poplar. Ive used slippery elm with the outer bark removed, and it made very strong rope for a wickiup shelter I was building. Many shrubs such as sagebrush, cliffrose, and flannelbush have usable bark as well. As an aside, most of these barks are used in basketry too.

Most grass stems and leaves used for cordage, such as sweetgrass, dunegrass, and the reeds are used whole without much further processing. Cattail leaves when used whole are usually braided into a somewhat usable rope. When shredded lengthwise, they make stronger cordage after they've been twisted together. The leaves of agave, yucca, and iris must be processed in some way to get the fibers. Agave has a sharp point at the end of the leaf that is hard and dense. This needle can be carefully pulled downward towards the base of the leaf and several fibers will remain attached. This can be used as is for sewing. To get the most fibers from an agave leaf, it is usually gently pounded or retted-that is, soaked in water until the fleshy part of the leaf rots away. One should use caution when working with agave, as the fresh leaf contains chemicals which cause dermatitis.

I prefer working with yucca; it is a very versatile plant to work with. In Paul Campbells book Survival Skills of Native California, there are several photos and references to articles made from yucca cordage. It was used by Indian tribes throughout the West to make nets, bow strings, and many other items. You can use the leaves green or dry. I prefer to process the green leaves by retting. After I gather a good sized bunch, I put them in a 5 gallon bucket, fill it with water, and let it set for a few days. When I check them, I hope to find most of the fleshy material is rotted or beginning to rot (you can tell the retting process is working by the terrible smell!). If the leaves are really mushy, they have retted long enough to work the fibers free. I do this by laying the leaves a few at a time on a board and running an old wood rolling pin over them to squeeze out the plant material; then the leaf remains are swooshed around in a bucket of clean water and the fibers are fairly cleaned of plant material. I then wring the bundles of fiber out and give them another rinse. This loosens even more plant material and the shorter, unusable fibers. These hanks of fiber are hung up to dry and put away till I need to make some cordage. This is the easiest way I have found to process yucca. In the wilds you could do the same by putting them in a stream or pool and weighing them down.

If you use the dry yucca leaves, you will have to pound them with the mallet and anvil technique. The pounded bundles are then rubbed between the hands to loosen any plant material. Ive heard of some folks who use a dull knife or stone flake to scrape the leaves and expose the fibers. I have tried this, but with limited success. I once cooked some yucca leaves to see if this would make them easier to work, but found the resulting fibers were a bit too stiff and hash, unlike the smooth, soft fibers from the retting process. Iris leaves have only two usable fiber strands per leaf. The average iris leaf is only one or two feet long. These fibers were highly valued considering the amount of labor it took to get a usable amount. The leaves are split lengthwise with the thumbnail. Sometimes an artificial thumbnail is used. Its made from a mussel shell attached to the thumb with a bit of cordage. The two leaf halves are then scraped on both sides with the mussel shell thumbnail. This exposes a silky white fiber. The iris was mostly used in the Pacific Northwest and the fibers were twisted into cordage for fishing line, netting, snares and many other items.

The stem sections of many different plants hold useful cordage fibers. Plants such as nettle, dogbane, velvet leaf, milkweed, prairie flax, thistle, and fireweed are valued for their quality fibers. I have processed many hundreds of feet of stinging nettle, dogbane, and milkweed cordage. These stems are hollow or have a pith core. They are collected in the fall after the last leaves have fallen off, usually after the first frost. The stems are left to dry in a warm place and then they are checked for brittleness. I then split them lengthwise, usually into four sections. These sections are easier to work with. Each section is carefully snapped every few inches, beginning at the bottom. As I snap each small section, I carefully peel the fiber bearing bark loose. Hopefully, Ill end up with a section of bark the full length of the stem. Short sections of bark are still useful as the fibers can be spliced onto longer sections of cordage. As I twist the sections into cordage, the dry brittle bark falls off leaving nice silky fiber. Sometimes the cord has to be twisted back and forth several times to loosen stubborn bark fragments. Some folks use a knife to scrape the bark off the stem before sectioning it but I prefer to just let it fall off while twisting. If you re not careful, you can scrape too deep and ruin the fiber.
Vines and branches are used as cordage. Grapevine, greenbrier, and hazelnut are just a few of the many different plants used in this fashion. Most vines are used for light weight tasks as they aren't very strong. Hazelnut withes are used to tie bundles of fire wood, and a strong cord with tumpline is tied to the bundle for transportation. These withes can be bent double and are also used as handles on stone axes and hammers.

Knowing the plants and techniques for making rope and cordage is only a small part of the many skills needed to survive. It is important to have a working knowledge of such skills as fire making, tool making, trapping, shelter construction, and others; these complement each other in the art of primitive survival. Several of the books in the bibliography illustrate the technique of turning fiber into cordage. Also, there are several sites on the Internet that illustrate the process of twisting fiber into cordage. If you are interested, do a Google search for cordage and primitive skills.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at micron327@yahoo.net

Bibliography:
Survival Skills of Native California - Paul Campbell
Primitive Wilderness Living & Survival Skills Vol. 1 & 2 - John & Geri McPherson
Bushcraft - Mors Kochanski
Any of the Peterson Field Guides on flowering plants, trees and shrubs; these guides are well illustrated and there are different guides for both the Eastern and Western United States.

CORDAGE FROM PLANTS (North American)

Abutilon abutilon=Velvet Leaf,Indian Mallow (stem)

Acer glabrum=Rocky Mountain Maple (bark)

Acer macrophyllum=Bigleaf maple (bark)
Acorus calamus=Sweetflag (leaves)
Agave americana=American Century Plant (leaves)
Agave deserti=Desert Agave (leaves)
Agave lechuguilla=Lechuguilla (leaves)
Agave parryi= Parry Agave (leaves)

Agave schottii= Schott Agave (leaves)

Agave toumeyana =Toumey Agave (leaves)

Agave utahensis=Century Plant (leaves)

Althaea officinalis=Marsh Mallow (stem)

Amelanchier alnifolia=Saskatoon Serviceberry (branch's)

Apocynum androsaemifolium=Dogbane (stem)

Apocynum cannabinum= Dogbane,Black Indian
Hemp,Armyroot (stem)

Arctium lapa= Burdock (stem)

Argentina anserina=Silverweed Cinquefoil (runners)

Artemisia tridentata=Sagebrush (bark)

Asclepias asperula=Antelope Horns Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias eriocarpa=Woolypod Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias fascicularis=Mexican Whorled Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias hallii=Purple Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias incarnata=Swamp Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias lanceolata=Narrow Leaved Purple Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias ovalifolia=Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias pulchra=Hairy Milkweed,White Indian Hemp (stem)

Asclepias pumila=Low Milkweed (stem)
Asclepias purpurascens=Purple Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias quadrifolia=Fourleaf Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias rubra=Red Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias speciosa=Showy Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias subverticillata=Whorled Milkweed (seed hair)

Asclepias syriaca=Common Milkweed (stem)

Asclepias tuberosa=Butterfly Weed,Pleurisy Root (stem)

Asclepias viridiflora=Green Milkweed (stem)

Asimina triloba=Pawpaw (bark & root)

Boehmeria cylindrica=False Nettle (stem)

Carex barbarae=Santa Barbara Sedge (root)

Carya =Hickory (bark & root)

Cedrus =Cedar (bark & root)

Cercis canadensis= California Redbud (bark)

Chamaecyparis nootkatensis=Alaska Cedar (bark)

Chamerion angustifolium=Fireweed (stem)

Chilopsis linearis=Desert Willow (bark)

Cirsium arvense=Canadian Thistle (stem)

Cirsium edule= Edible Thistle (stem)

Cirsium vulgare=Bull Thistle (stem)

Clematis ligusticifolia=Western White Clematis (stem)

Convolvulus arvensis=Field Bindweed (stem)

Cornus sericea=Redosier Dogwood (bark)

Corylus cornuta var. californica=California Hazelnut (twigs)

Corylus cornuta var. cornuta=Beaked Hazelnut (twigs)

Cowania mexicana=Cliffrose (bark)

Dirca palustris=Moosewood,Leatherwood (bark)

Elaeagnus commutata=Silverberry (bark)

Fraxinus =Ash (bark)

Fremontodendron californicum= California Flannelbush (bark)

Geranium atropurpureum=Western Purple Cranesbill (stem)

Glyceria Canadensis =Sweetgrass (stem)

Gossypium hirsutum=Upland Cotton (fuzz)

Hoita macrostachya=Large Leatherroot (root)

Iris douglasiana=Western Iris (leaves)

Iris innominata=Del Norte County Iris (leaves & root)

Iris macrosiphon=Bowltube Iris (leaves)

Iris tenax=Klamath Iris (leaves)

Juglans cinerea=Butternut (bark)

Juglans nigra =Black Walnut (bark & root)

Juncus effusus =Common Rush (stem)

Juncus tenuis =Poverty Rush (stem)

Juniperus californica =California Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus communis =Common Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus deppiana = Alligator Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus horizontalis =Creeping Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus monosperma= Oneseed Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus occidentalis =Western Juniper (bark & root)

Juniperus osteosperma =Utah Juniper (bark & root)

Laportea canadensis=Canadian Woodnettle (stem)

Larix laricina=Tamarack (root)

Leymus mollis=American Dunegrass (leaves)

Linaria linaria=Toad Flax (stem)

Linum lewisii=Prairie Flax (root & stem)

Liriodendron tulipifera= Tulip Tree (bark)

Lonicera ciliosa=Orange Honeysuckle (stem)

Lupinus arboreus=Bush Lupine (root)

Maclura pomifera=Osage Orange (root)

Morus alba= White Mulberry (root)

Morus microphylla=Texas Mulberry (root)

Morus rubra= Red Mulberry (root)

Nereocystis luetkeana=Bull Whip Kelp (stem)

Nolina microcarpa=Sacahuista (Agavaceae) (leaves)

Oenothera biennis=Evening Primrose (stem)

Phragmites communis=Reed Grass (stem & leaves)

Picea engelmannii =Engelmanns Spruce (root & limb)

Picea glauca=White Spruce (root)

Picea mariana=Black Spruce (root)

Picea sitchensis=Sitka Spruce (root)

Populus balsamifera=Brayshaw Black Cottonwood (bark)

Populus deltoides=Eastern Cottonwood (bark)

Populus fremontii=Fremonts Cottonwood (bark)

Populus tremuloides= Quaking Aspen (bark)

Potamogeton diversifolius=Waterthread Pondweed (stem)

Prosopis glandulosa=Honey Mesquite (bark)

Prunus emarginata =Bitter Cherry (bark & root)

Psoralea macrostachya= (stem)

Psoralidium lanceolatum= Lemon Scurfpea (root)

Quercus =Oak (bark & root)

Ribes divaricatum=Spreading Gooseberry (root)

Ribes lacustre=Prickly Currant (root)

Ribes lobbii=Gummy Gooseberry (root)

Robinia pseudoacacia = Black Locust (root)

Salix bebbiana= Beb Willow (bark)

Salix discolor=Pussy Willow (bark)

Salix exigua= Sandbar Willow (bark)

Salix laevigata=Red Willow (bark)

Salix lasiolepis= Arroyo Willow (bark)

Salix lucida= Pacific Willow (bark)

Salix lutea=Yellow Willow (bark)

Salix melanopsis= Dusky Willow (bark)

Salix scouleriana= Scoulers Willow (bark)

Salix sitchensis= Sitka Willow (bark)

Salvia =Sage (root)

Scirpus acutus =Beetle Hardstem Bulrush (root & stem)

Sesbania macrocarpa=Wild Hemp (stem)

Serenoa repens=Saw Palmetto (leaves)

Smilax =Greenbrier (vine)

Taxodium distichum=Baldcypress (bark)

Thuja plicata=Western Redcedar (bark & limbs)

Tilia americana =Basswood
(bark)
Tillandsia usneoides=Spanish Moss (stem)

Tsuga canadensis=Eastern Hemlock(root)

Typha latifolia=Broad-leaved Cattail (leaves)

Typha angustifolia=Narrow-leaved Cattail (leaves)

Typha domingensis=Southern Cattail (leaves)

Ulmus rubra =Slippery Elm (bark & root)

Urtica dioica=Stinging Nettle (stem)

Urtica dioica ssp. holosericea=Stinging Nettle (stem)

Urtica dioica ssp. gracilis=California Nettle (stem)

Vicia americana=American Vetch (root)

Vitis aestivalis=Summer Grape (vine)

Vitis californica=California Wild Grape (vine)

Yucca angustissima=Narrowleaf Yucca (leaves)

Yucca baccata=Banana Yucca (leaves)

Yucca baileyi=Navajo Yucca (leaves)

Yucca brevifolia=Joshua Tree (leaves)

Yucca elata=Soaptree Yucca (leaves)

Yucca glauca=Small Soapweed (leaves)

Yucca harrimaniae =Spanish Bayonet (leaves)

Yucca shidigera=Mojave Yucca (leaves)

Yucca schottii =Schott Yucca (leaves)

Yucca Whipplei= Chaparral Yucca (leaves)

"Not a public domain piece. Originally posted at www.survivalBlog.com"

Dogbane Cordage

This first photo shows a few hanks of rendered dogbane fiber. The red is from plants harvested in late September. The white fibers are from plants harvested in mid December after the first frost. The light red colored (hanks bottom middle and bottom left) was harvested in between these months. The large hank shown represents more than 200 plants. It weighs about 1/4 pound. These were harvested in 2004 along an outlet that flows into the Colorado river in Grand Junction, Colorado. Some believe that the longer the plant is exposed to the harshness of winter, the weaker the fibers. This is true in most cases. However, the white fibers (hank at lower right), when twisted into cordage has as much strength as the red, fresher, fibers. I figure that one or two frosts won't damage the fibers that much,but they should be harvested as soon as possible to prevent further damage. I harvested some plants the following spring and the fiber was so weak that a heavy piece of cordage would break very easily. Also, the fibers didn't come off the plant in long sections like the fall harvest.



Here is a photo of some finished cordage. All of them are z twist, two ply. The top cords are around five feet long. The rolled ones at lower left are a foot or so long and I made these for Paiute figure four traps.The two at lower right are the thinest I made and I used these for strength tests, planning to make a fishing line in the future.



Heres a link to an in depth article I did on cordage for Survival Blog and Primitive Ways.

Heres the link to Primitive Ways:

www.primitiveways.com/cordage_in_North_America.html

Thanks for reading my blog and I enjoy and post all your comments. Take care....Ron