The Ladybug is crawling down the branch of this plant. The plant is named Mule Fat. Why does this plant have such a funny name? Supposedly, the name came from pioneers who had mules for pulling wagons. One story says that the mules would eat the plants and stay fat. Another story says that the plant would give the mules indigestion and make them bloat and be fat.

Let's take a look at the structure of these mule fat branches. If you were a hunter, what would you make out of these long and straight branches? Did you say arrows? Then you are correct. The local tribal people in the area used mule fat branches for arrows.

Mule fat had many other uses, too. The leaves were boiled in water. The water was cooled and strained, and the liquid was used for eyewash. This same liquid was also used to make hair grow and to prevent baldness. The boiled leaves were ground into mush and used to heal scrapes and bruises. The tender, young shoots of mule fat could be eaten like bamboo shoots. What a useful plant!

What is the most important thing that plants give to huumans? Shade? Yes. Food? Yes. Did you know plants give us oxygen to breathe? That's right, plants "exhale" oxygen through their leaves and they "inhale" carbon dioxide. Humans exhale carbon dioxide and we inhale oxygen. It's a good thing we have plants, and it's a good thing plants have us.

Ethnobotany (eth no bot ah nee) is a big word that means "stories about how plants have been used by people." You might like to study ethnobotany to find out how local plants were used for medicine, tools, color dye, clothing, food, and shelter.

Look at the plants around your home. What could you make out of them?

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