Ranunculaceae Family - "Columbine, Bells, Clucky, Honeysuckle, Jack-in-trouser, Meeting Houses, Rock Lily"

Most likely from the Latin aqua for "water" and leger for "to collect" because water can collect in the hollow spurs of the flower and canadensis meaning "of Canada".

Drooping red flowers with 5 long, curved spurs; reaches 2 feet in height and prefers rocky woods and slopes. Found from Manitoba through Quebec and southward through the US. Distinctive compound leaves divided and sub-divided into three's.

Central Plains Native American men would rub the ground seeds into their palms as a love potion before shaking hands with a loved one. It was also reported to have made them more persuasive when speaking at councils. Very small amounts of the crushed seeds were taken internally to relieve headaches.

Some tribes boiled the entire plant and used the resulting liquid as a type of shampoo or hair wash. The seeds were also rubbed into the hair to control lice. The chewed root or a weak tea made from the root was used to relieve diarrhea and stomach troubles and as a diuretic. Some cultures on the west coast boiled the roots and ate them during times of little other food.