# Domesticated crops from North America **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107 "2023-05-16T02:44:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/1 "2023-05-16T02:44:06Z")
Important note: For the purposes of this thread, North America means North America north of Mexico. That is, Canada and the United States. So don’t be suggesting maize or Capsicum or other Central American crops. I got to wondering what crops originated in North America. By “originated” I mean the plant was native to North America and the domestication occured somewhere on that continent. After some research, I found that the experts think there are four: 1. sunflower (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) 2. squash (Cucurbita pepo ssp. ovifera) 3. marshelder (Iva annua var. macrocarpa) 4. goosefoot (Chenopodium berlandieri) However, these experts were only thinking of crops domesticated by Native Americans before Columbus. Also note that only two of those (sunflower and squash) are still in cultivation. It occured to me that plant domestication did not stop just because some guy took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and ended up in the West Indies. So I did some more research and concluded there are a number of others. There seem to be four main ones: 1. cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Cape Cod, early 1800s, 2. Concord grape (Vitis labrusca) Concord MA, 1849 3. pecan (Carya illinoinensis) Louisiana, early 1840s - 1880s 4. blueberry (Vaccinium section Cyanococcus) New Jersey early 1900s Plus several minor ones whose cultivation status is not always clear: 1. western serviceberry (saskatoon berry) (Amelanchier alnifolia) 2. wild rice ([manoomin](https://www.saveur.com/true-story-wild-rice-north-americas-most-misunderstood-grain/)) (Zizania palustris) 3. paw paw (Asimina triloba) 4. scuppernong (Vitis rotundifolia) cultivar of muscadine 5. American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) 6. Texan persimmon (Diospyros texana) Did I miss any? Or are any of the above an error? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/2 "2023-05-16T03:00:37Z")
I thought both tobacco and potatoes qualified? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/3 "2023-05-16T03:03:07Z")
Potatoes originated in South America. As far as tobacco, I was thinking of food crops, which I see I forgot to mention. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/4 "2023-05-16T03:04:22Z")
Though strawberries are not unique to the Americas, a strawberry from the [eastern seaboard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragaria_virginiana) and one from the [western seaboard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fragaria_chiloensis) were the key to the dominant variety being [domesticated in Europe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strawberry). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/5 "2023-05-16T08:25:45Z")
There are arguments that PNW natives had established gardens focusing on bulbs/roots, stuff like camas and lilies, and so could be considered another locus of agriculture. [Here’s a dissertation from 2000 making that argument.](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/217405575.pdf) But that’s not quite what you’re looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/6 "2023-05-16T09:01:31Z")
I’m wondering how you define “crops” here. Do you mean something deliberately planted, bred, and harvest within a year? But wait - you mentioned pecans, that requires an orchard of sorts. If you extend “crops” to encouraging the conditions for a particular plant even if not strictly speaking domesticated consider that Natives often used controlled fire to modify landscapes, particularly in areas of the West where acorns were a major food source. Oaks have a very long life cycle, so they aren’t crops in the sense of sunflowers, but the Natives did encourage conditions to favor them. You also missed dragonfruit, which is native to the Sonoran Desert which extends into California and Arizona, and thus qualifies for your list. You also missed prickly-pear cactus, sometimes called nopales, which are also native to the desert/arid regions of the American Southwest and West. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/7 "2023-05-16T09:15:18Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > Important note: For the purposes of this thread, North America means North America north of Mexico. That is, Canada and the United States. That’s not what “North America” means, but please proceed, governor. > **[North America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_America)** > > North America is a continent\[b\] in the Northern and Western Hemispheres.\[c\] North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the west and south by the Pacific Ocean. The region includes Bermuda, Canada, the Caribbean, Central America, Greenland, Mexico, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States. > North America covers an area of about 24,709,000 square kilometers (9,540,000 squa... ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/8 "2023-05-16T09:28:40Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > That’s not what “North America” means The term is very often used in the sense of the OP. You cited Wikipedia to prove your point; I could just as easily cite its sister project [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/North_America) to prove mine: > Proper noun > > **[North](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/north#English) [America](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/America#English)** > > 1. The [continent](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/continent) that is the northern part of the [Americas](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Americas); that part east of the [Pacific Ocean](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean), west of the [Atlantic Ocean](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean), north of [South America](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/South_America) and south of the [Arctic Ocean](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Arctic_Ocean). quotations ▼ > 2. ([US](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States), [Canada](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada)) Canada and the United States as a unit to the exclusion of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean nations, and Greenland; roughly equivalent to [Northern America](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Northern_America). Often used to describe things in a context that includes only the US and Canada. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/9 "2023-05-16T10:49:29Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > There are arguments that PNW natives had established gardens focusing on bulbs/roots, stuff like camas and lilies, and so could be considered another locus of agriculture. [Here’s a dissertation from 2000 making that argument.](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/217405575.pdf) That paper convinced me. I guess I’ll add Pacific silverweed (_Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica_) and springbank clover (_Trifolium wormskjoldit_) to the list. I haven’t read the entire paper, but based on the Table of Contents, it doesn’t look like he discusses camas in any detail. But I’ve long wondered about it. From what I’ve read elsewhere, it seems like camas was very close to being cultivated and it could be argued that it actually was cultivated. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m wondering how you define “crops” here. Do you mean something deliberately planted, bred, and harvest within a year? But wait - you mentioned pecans, that requires an orchard of sorts. I also listed a couple species of grapes, which generally take a couple-three years to grow big enough to bear fruit. So no, there’s no requirement that domesticated crops be harvested within a year. > [@Broomstick](#): > > You also missed dragonfruit, which is native to the Sonoran Desert which extends into California and Arizona, and thus qualifies for your list. This [page](https://news.softpedia.com/news/Domesticated-Cactus-Tracked-Back-to-the-Wild-153346.shtml) says that the domestication of the dragonfruit (pitaya) occured in the Tehuacan Valley of Mexico. > [@Broomstick](#): > > You also missed prickly-pear cactus, sometimes called nopales, which are also native to the desert/arid regions of the American Southwest and West. It not only has to be native to North America† but also domesticated there. I couldn’t find who domesticated the prickly-pear, but my guess it was most likely in Mexico. † I defined North America _for this thread_ as Canada & the US. Let’s stop the hijack about that definition. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/10 "2023-05-16T11:06:10Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > I haven’t read the entire paper, but based on the Table of Contents, it doesn’t look like he discusses camas in any detail. He does, look at the “Ownership” section, for instance, starting pg 50. This specifically discusses ownership patterns for camas plots. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/11 "2023-05-16T11:09:22Z")
What about corn on the cob and rhubarb? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/12 "2023-05-16T11:40:37Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > What about corn on the cob and rhubarb?. I already excluded maize (corn to Americans) in the OP. Rhubarb appears to be a plant of Asian origin. ---
**Author:** ![Ynnad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4491bb/32.png) [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/13 "2023-05-16T11:47:05Z")
What about the Black Walnut (_Juglans nigra_)? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/14 "2023-05-16T12:08:48Z")
I once read Jerusalem artichoke originated in North America. How about sugar maple? ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/15 "2023-05-16T12:36:48Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m wondering how you define “crops” here. Do you mean something deliberately planted, bred, and harvest within a year? But wait - you mentioned pecans, that requires an orchard of sorts. I’ve always thought a domesticated plant or animal was one that had changed in significant ways from its wild forebears, through artificial selection. Otherwise, it’s just tamed. If we don’t insist on that, i thonk acorns would have to be on the list, as groups in many parts of the US, most notably California, certainly deliberately encouraged oak trees to grow and acorns were the main staple. But they didn’t develop a new variety with say, less tanin. This is really different from say, wild almonds, which are toxic, and domeatic almonds, which are not. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/16 "2023-05-16T19:50:53Z")
Boysenberries. Just because it’s a cross between 4 other berries shouldn’t disqualify it, based on the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/17 "2023-05-16T20:19:28Z")
> [@dtilque](#): > > † I defined North America _for this thread_ as Canada & the US. Let’s stop the hijack about that definition. Not hijacking, just discussing. The link you provide seems to define “pitaya” as _all_ cactus fruit regardless of species, but the specific species referred to in the article is _Stenocereus pruinosus_. The species of the commercially produced dragonfruit is _Selenicereus undatus_. Same genera, different species. As I noted, _Selenicereus undatus_ grows wild in the Sonoran Desert which does extend into the US. Nopales/prickly pear cacti were extensively used by the Pima people, whose territory extends into the southern US, as well as the Navajo, the Pueblo builders like the Hopi. I agree that these could have been domesticated in Mexico but I argue that there is also a strong possibility of one or more of them could have been domesticated in the US. And I’ll leave it at that. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/18 "2023-05-16T20:50:18Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > the specific species referred to in the article is _Stenocereus pruinosus_. The species of the commercially produced dragonfruit is _Selenicereus undatus_. Same genera, different species. _Stenocereus_ and _Selenicereus_ are not the same genus. You can tell because they’re spelled differently. Both genera are members of the subfamily Cactoideae. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/19 "2023-05-16T21:04:46Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Boysenberries. Just because it’s a cross between 4 other berries shouldn’t disqualify it, based on the OP. Interesting coincidence there. I thought about boysenberries a few weeks ago for some random reason and realized I hadn’t seen or heard about them for years. Despite the year round availability of many berry varieties nowadays. A little wiki-ing explained that they were pretty much a one-farm invention in the 1960s that has since largely gone out of cultivation due to low efficiency. I knew of them as a kid because Mr. Boysen’s farm was only a few miles from my house. Up until just recently I’d assumed they were at least a national crop, if a minority one. Sorta like kumquats maybe. I was wrong. Anyhow, as applied to this thread, they certainly were developed in North America. And were commercially grown on a few farms in Southern California for a few years 50+ years ago. But if they’re little more than a hobbyist curiosity now, are they a “crop” for the OP’s purposes? A resounding “maybe, but probably not.” IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2023, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107/20 "2023-05-16T21:06:19Z")
My thoughts were Wild Rice and Paw Paw. You’ve already got them both. Pemmican was traditionally made with serviceberry but…you’ve got that, too… I found this: > **[Category:Flora of North America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Flora_of_North_America)** > > This category has the following 34 subcategories, out of 34 total. > The following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 1,500 total. This list may not reflect recent changes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/domesticated-crops-from-north-america/984107.md?page=2)