The Americas

This chapter focuses on Native American ethnobotany, with a smaller amount of information on the European Diaspora that dominates the Americas today. The Americas can be separated into the following regions: North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean islands. Many farming tribes were known for cultivating the “three sisters” companion crops: squash (Cucurbita spp.), maize (Zea mays L.), and beans (several genera in Fabaceae). Mounds of maize were planted first. The three sisters were a staple throughout North America. Archaic period archeological sites throughout southern Mexico contain evidence of domesticated maize, squash, and beans. San Pedro cactus, and the Peruvian torch contain mescaline and were used as hallucinogens throughout South America. Fruits from the sorcerers' tree were used by Mapuche medicine men in Chile to induce delirium and hallucinations for medicinal purposes; hyoscyamine and scopolamine are responsible for the observed effects.