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Native American Lavender Mythology

Lavender plants are not native to the Americas; they were brought over by Europeans, probably in the 1800's. Although Native Americans did begin using some newly arrived plants as medicine immediately, and folklore about the new plants sometimes even cropped up (dandelions are an example of this), references to "lavender" in Native American folklore and ethnographies are usually actually referring to desert lavender, a flowering shrub with some physical similarities to lavender that actually is completely unrelated to lavender. Desert lavender, also known as lavender bushmint, grows in parts of Arizona, southern California, and northern Mexico, and has long been used as a medicinal herb by Native American tribes who live there.

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Native American Legends About Lavender

Recommended Books of Lavender Stories from Native American Myth and Legend
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Plants of Power: Native American Ceremony and the Use of Sacred Plants:
    Interesting book about the meaning of American Indian lavender and other native plants to traditional spirituality.
Native Plant Stories:
    Excellent collection of Native American tales about plant spirits, by Abenaki storyteller Joseph Bruchac.
Native American Medicinal Plants:
    Comprehensive book on the names and traditional uses of herbs throughout Native North America.



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