Last Updated: 5 years The Washoe Indians were hunter – gatherers from the arid Great Basin Region. The Washoe women gathered plants for food and medicinal purposes. Some were eaten as soon as they were collected. Others were prepared for winter use. Up to 70% of the Washoe diet came from wild plants. These included nearly 200 species. Some of the most common were:

Watercress
Tiger Lily Seeds
Wild Potatoes
Sand Seeds
Wild Carrots
Wild Mustard
Mountain Onions
Sego Lily
Wild Onions
Cattails
Elderberries
Tule (Cattail) Roots
Sunflower Seeds
Wild Spinach
Chokecherries
Wild Rhubarb
Buckberries
Wild Sweet Potatoes
Raspberries
Wild Celery
IndianTea
Wild Turnips
Wild Mushrooms
Sweet Elderberry Roots
Indian Rice Grass
Wild Gooseberries
Wild Strawberries
Wild Rose Tea, (high in Vitamin C)