Aceraceae Acer saccharinum L.

Silver Maple

Omaha - Dye, Black

Use documented by:
Gilmore, Melvin R., 1913, A Study in the Ethnobotany of the Omaha Indians, Nebraska State Historical Society Collections 17:314-57., page 324

View all documented uses for Acer saccharinum L.

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Scientific name: Acer saccharinum L.
USDA symbol: ACSA2 (View details at USDA PLANTS site)
Common names: Silver Maple
Family: Aceraceae
Family (APG): Sapindaceae
Native American Tribe: Omaha
Use category: Dye
Use sub-category: Black
Notes: Twigs and bark made into a black dye and used in tanning leather. The twigs and bark of new growth were boiled with water. A clay which contained iron was mixed with grease and then roasted; then it was mixed with the boiled twig and bark water. Tanned hides were soaked in this solution for two or three days to get the right color; treatment for a shorter period of time resulted in a brownish color and for a longer time resulted in black.

RECRD: 31524 id: 661

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