Blackfoot names for flowers
Sik-a-pis-chis. White Flower. Aster commutatus.
Ota-kap-is-chis-kit-sima. Yellow Flower. Clasping-leaved Arnica. Arnica amplexifolia.
A-pis-is-kit-sa-wa. Tomato-Flower. Red Rose. Rosa Sayi.
Ot-ska-a-pis-is-kit-sa. Blue Flower. Oblong-leaved Gentian. Gentiana affinis.
A-sa-po-pin-ats. Looks-like-a-plume. Round-Fruited Anemone. Anemone globosa. Its name was derived from the appearance of the flower when it turns into cotton and resembles a soft, downy feather. [[326]]
A-po-no-kau-ki. Paper-Leaves. Arrow-leaved Balsam-Root. Balsamorrhiza sagittata. In the hot weather its large leaves become very dry and resemble paper.
Sto-o-kat-sis. Ghost’s Lariat. Columbian Virgin’s-Bower. Atragene columbiana. A vine, with a beautiful light blue flower, that trails along the ground and also climbs trees. The Blackfoot have named it Ghost’s Lariat because it catches people and trips them up unexpectedly. [[327]] [[329]]
[1] Published in Zeitschrift für Ethnologie, Berlin, Heft 2. 1909. [↑]