Wild, Edible, and Poisonous Plants of Alaska, Dr. Christine A. Heller

WILD, EDIBLE
AND POISONOUS
500
PLANTS OF
ALASKA
Baneberry
Actaea rubra
University of Alaska
Division of
Statewide Services
Poison Water Hemlock
Cicuta mackenzicma
COOPERATIVE
POISONOUS
EXTENSION
SERVICE
Publication
No, 40
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Many Alaskans have helped in gathering material for this publication. Their interest and help
is gratefully appreciated.
The author is also indebted to Dr, W, D.
Muenscher, Botany Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, N, Y., for his help and advice.
The bulletin was begun when the author-was
nutrition consultant with the Alaska Department
of Health. It was completed and printed by the
University of Alaska Extension Service in 1953
while the author was extension food resources
specialist. Illustrations are by Marion R. Sheehan
and Claudia Kelsey.
The research was supported, in part, by the
United States Air Force, and authorized by the
Arctic Aeromedical Laboratory, Fort Wainwright,
Alaska.
Key for plant descriptions
Esk
Hab —
Ind
Prep
.Eskimo
Habitation & Distribution
,
Indian
Collection & Preparation
COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE
University of Alaska
Extension Bulletin F-40, 1953,
Reprinted 1958, Reprinted 1962,
Revised 1966
Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home
Economics, A. S. Buswell, Director, University of Alaska
and U, S, Department of Agriculture, Cooperating.
Printed and distributed under Acts of Congress,
May 8 and June 30, 1914,
Color photographs by the Author and Anna Larson,
Aeromedical Laboratory,
Wild Edible and Poisonous Plants
of Alaska , . , Introduction
Dr. Christine A. Heller
YU7ILD edible greens, stems, roots and berries
W are still used in great quantity by many
Alaskan natives. This is as it should be for these
edibles often grow in quantity near villages. Many
native villages are not situated where gardening
would be practical, If situated where gardens are
practical, villagers have not had sufficient instruction or experience to garden successfully; nor can
they obtain comparable substitute foods at their
local stores and trading posts. Even if it were
possible to ship in fresh produce by air, most
villagers are not yet on sufficient money economy
to purchase them. Wild edible plants are, therefore, important food sources.
Another group of Alaskans who can use wild
edible plants to a good advantage are homesteaders and others who live miles away from any
grocery store. Many of these folks have not yet
been able to get their gardens and family fruit
plots into production. Wild edible plants, literally
growing in the homesteader's backyard, can help
satisfy that late winter and early spring hunger
for the taste of a fresh, raw vegetable.
It is hoped that this booklet will help those
interested in recognizing the edible plant life
around them. A section on poisonous plants has
been added for there is a rumor around that
"there are no poisonous plants in Alaska." This
is not true. There are several poisonous plants;
some plants like Cicuta, the poison water hemlock,
are deadly. Every year several lives are lost in
Alaska due to poisonous plants. It is just as important to know what not to eat as it is to know
what to eat.
Many wild edible plants are highly nutritious.
Greens are particularly rich in carotene (vitamin
A). Leafy greens, cloudberries, and rose hips are
all rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C). When
handled so as to preserve the ascorbic acid these
plants can take the place of hard-to-get oranges
and tomatoes, the dependable ascorbic acid foods
in our usual diets. Rose hip products, even syrup
and jams, when prepared according to instructions, are rich in ascorbic acid. Such foods used
daily or at least several times a week on that
morning hot cake or toast will insure adequate
intake of this valuable vitamin. Cloudberries
frozen immediately after picking and kept frozen
until ready to use will retain much of their original ascorbic acid value.
As with garden produce, the flavor and nutritive value of wild edible plants depends upon how
they are handled and how soon after picking they
are eaten or preserved for winter use. The Division of Sanitation and Engineering, Alaska Department of Health, Juneau, can give suggestions
for construction of ice cellars. Bulletins on proper
vegetable cooking, home canning and home
freezing of fruits and vegetables, home freezers
and storage cellars can be obtained from the
Cooperative Extension Service, University of
Alaska, College, Alaska,
The most common and most widely distributed
edible plants are grouped below according to that
portion normally eaten. Page numbers follow
each plant name.
Roots, Underground Stems.,.
CONTENTS
Leaves.,.
Angelica lucida (wild celery)
5
Arabis lyrata (roekeress)
6
Honckenya peploides (seabeach sandwort)
7
Barbarea orthoceras (wintereress)
8
Caltha palustris (cowslip)
9
Chenopodium album (lambsquarters)
10
Chenopodium capitatum (strawberry spinach) 11
Claytonia sibirica (spring beauty)
12
Cochharia officinalis (seurvygrass)
13
Dryopteris Austriaca (fern)
14
Epilobium angustifolium (fireweed)
15
Epilobium latifolium (dwarf
fireweed)
16
Ledwm palustre subsp, groenlandicum
(Labrador tea)
17
Ledwm decumbens (Hudson's Bay tea)
17
Ligusticum hultenii (wild celery)
18
Oxyria digyna (sourgrass)
19
Parry a nudieaulis (Parry's wallflower)
62
Petasites frigidus (coltsfoot)
20
Plantago macrocarpa (seashore plantain)
21
Plantago maritima (goosetongue)
22
Polygonum alaskanum (wild rhubarb)
23
Polygonum bistorta (pink plumes)
24
Pteridium aquilinum (brake fern)
25
Ranunculus pallasii (Pallas' buttercup)
26
Rumex arcticus (sourdock)
27
Salicornia pacifica (beach asparagus)
28
Salix pulchra (willow leaves)
29-30
Saxifraga punctata (salad greens)
31
Saxifraga spicata (spiked saxifrage)
32
Sedum roseum (roseroot)
33
Streptopus amplexifolius (wild cucumber)
34
Taraxacum (dandelion)
35
Urtica lyallii (nettles)
36
Fruits,,.
Amelanchier florida (serviceberry)
37
Arctostaphylos alpina (bearberry)
38
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
(bearberry, kinnikinnik)
38
Elaeagnus commutata (silverberry)
73
Empetrum nigrum (crowberry)
39
Fragaria chiloensis (wild strawberry)
40
Gaultheria shallon (salal)
41
Malus fusca (wild crabapple)
42
Ribes triste (currant)
43
Rosa acicularis (rose hips)
44-45
Rubus arcticus (nagoonberry)
45
Rubus chamaemorus (cloudberry)
46
Rubus idaeus (raspberry)
47
Rubus parviflorus (thimbleberry)
48
Rubus pedatus (trailing raspberry)
49
Rubus spectabilis (salmonberry)
50
Shepherdia canadensis (soapberry)
75
Streptopus amplexifolius (wild cucumber)
34
QxycoGcus microcarpus (bog cranberry)
51
Vaccinium parvifolium (red huckleberry)
Vaccinium uliginosum (blueberry)
Vaccinium vitis idaea (lowbush cranberry)
Viburnum edule (highbush cranberry)
52
53
54
55
Allium schoenoprasum (wild chives)
Claytonia acutifolia (spring beauty)
Claytonia tuberosa (spring beauty)
Dryopteris spinulosa (fern)
Fritillaria camchatcensis (Indian rice)
Hedysarum alpinum (Eskimo potato)
Nuphar polysepalum (spatterdock)
Parry a nudieaulis (Parry's wallflower)
Pedicularis lanata (lousewort)
Polygonum bistorta
Potentilla pacifica (wild sweetpotato)
Sedum roseum (roseroot)
57
58
59
14
60
61
74
62
63
24
64
33
Stems, New Shoots or Inner Bark..,
Angelica lucida (wild celery)
Care® aquatilis (water sedge)
Eriophorum angustifolium (tall cottongrass)
Heracleum lanatum (wild celery)
Hippuris vulgaris (marestail, goosegrass)
Salix alaxensis (felty willow)
Tsuga heterophylla (hemlock)
Typha latifolia (cattail)
5
65
66
67
68
29
75
69
Entire Plant (seaweeds)...
Nereocystis luetkeana (giant kelp)
Porphyra laciniata (laver)
Rhodymenia palmata (dulse)
70
71
72
Other Edible Plants
for Emergency Use . . .
Elaeagnus commutata bernh, (silverberry)
73
Geocaulon lividum (rich) fern, (commandra) 73
Lichens
73
Cetraria islandica (L) ach, (Iceland moss)
73
Cladonia rangiferina (L) web,
(reindeer moss)
73-74
Umbilicareae (rock tripe)
74
Menyanthes trifoliata L (buckbean)
74
Nuphar polysepalum engeln,
(yellow pond lily)
74-75
Sambucus racemosa L (red-berried elder)
75
Shepherdia canadensis (L) wu.it, (soapberry) 75
Tsuga heterophylla (Raf,) sarg, (hemlock) 75
Poisonous Plants...
Actaea rubra (Ait) wild,
77
(baneberry, snakeberry)
Anemone narcissi-flora L.
78
(narcissus-flowered anemone)
Cicuta maekenziana (poison water hemlock) 79
80
Hedysarum macJcenzii (wild sweetpea)
Lupinus nootkatensis down, ap, sims,
81
(nootka lupine)
82
Astragalus, oxytropis (vetch)
83
Veratrum eschscholtzii (false hellebore)
84
Zygadenus elegans pursh, (death camas)
85-89
Index
Wild Celery
Angelica lucida
LEAVES
WILD CELERY — Seacoast Angelica (Angelica
lucida L.) Esk, Ahzeeahlook (Shishraaref),
Egoosuk (Kotzebue).
Perennial, Stem erect, hollow, coarse with many
oil tubes, 1% to 4 feet high, leafy. Leaves with
groups of three leaflets on stalks with inflated
base, sheathing the stem. Leaflets thick, longer
than broad, coarsely and unevenly toothed, 1 to 3
inches long. Flowers small with five white or
greenish petals. Many flowers arranged in umbrella-like clusters at the top of the stalk. HAB.
Moist fields, roadside ditches and along the coast
throughout Southeastern Alaska, the Alaska gulf,
Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet, Matanuska, Alaska
Peninsula, Bristol Bay, Kodiak, the Aleutian
Islands, Seward Peninsula and the Arctic coast
north to Kivalina, PREP, Early summer the natives of Kodiak, Bristol Bay, the Aleutians and
Seward Peninsula gather the young stems and
tender stalks of young leaves. They are peeled
and the juicy inside is eaten raw. Its strong
flavor and odor resembles that of unbleached
celery. The leaves are also cooked as green vegetable or boiled with fish.
Beach Greens
Honckenya peploides
Kamchatka Rockeress
Arabis lyrata
KAMCHATKA ROCKCRESS. (Ambis lyrata L.)
Biennial or perennial, tufted. Stem slender,
often much branched from the base, up to 1 foot
high. Stem leaves alternate, scattered, narrow,
gradually tapering at the base but not clasping
the stem, sometimes toothed. Basal leaves lobed,
up to \Vz inches long, forming rosettes. Flowers
small, in terminal or axillary clusters, each flower
with four white petals in the shape of a cross.
Seeds in long slender pods. HAB. Found on ledges,
cliffs, gravels and sands, roadside ditch banks
throughout Southeastern Alaska, the Gulf of
Alaska coast and north to Matanuska, Talkeetna,
Chickaloon, Curry, Rapids, Copper River, McKinley Park and Healy; also on the Alaska Peninsula,
Kodiak, the Aleutian Islands, the islands of the
Bering Sea and the upper and central Yukon
River areas. PREP. The rosettes of lobed leaves
can be collected in the spring and added to tossed
salads or cooked and served as a green vegetable.
The plant has a radish flavor.
6
BEACH GREENS, Seabeach sandwort, Seapurslane,
Sea-chickweed. (Honckenya peploides L.) Esk.
Ahsahklook (Seward Pen.) Eteeahahluk (Bristol Bay).
Perennial. Stems smooth up to 2 feet long,
densely branched and rooting at the nodes. Leaves
fleshy and succulent, opposite, longer than broad,
clasping the stem. Flowers in terminal leafy
clusters or scattered in the upper leaf axil; small,
inconspicuous with 5 greenish-white petals. This
plant forms large low sprawly mats. HAB, Sandy
beaches along the coast from Southeastern Alaska,
the Gulf of Alaska, Alaska Peninsula, the Aleutian chain, the Bering Sea to the Arctic. PREP.
This plant when young, before it flowers, has succulent, juicy leaves. They can be eaten raw. The
Eskimos usually mix the leaves with other greens
or they chop and cook them in a small amount of
water and allow them to sour, after which they
sometimes mix them with reindeer fat and berries
to make "Eskimo ice cream.'' It is also eaten with
dry fish. On St. Lawrence Island a mixture of
this green with a variety of other greens is made
into a kraut. When eaten raw and fresh the
leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C.
This plant was sought for in the early days of
Arctic exploration to cure scurvy among the crew.
Wintercress
Barbarea orthoeeras
Cowslip
Caltha palustris
WINTERCRESS, Yellow rocket, (Barbarea orthoeeras Ledeb,)
Biennial herb. Stems simple or unbranehed,
erect, l/a to 3 feet high, somewhat four-angled,
smooth, often purple-tinged, Leaves smooth, the
basal leaves with 2 to 4 small lobes and one large
terminal lobe; stem leaves alternate; maybelobed
but the upper ones often just toothed or notched,
Flowers small, each with 4 yellow petals arranged
in a maltese cross; flowers arranged in clusters
in the axils of the upper leaves and at the top of
the stem. Fruit a narrow pod, % to 2 inches long.
HAB. This plant is found on banks of streams,
swamps, on wet rock, along roadsides and rocky
beaches, on cultivated or turned over land. Found
in Southeastern Alaska, inhabited places along
Gulf of Alaska coast, Alaska Peninsula, Bristol
Bay, Kodiak Island, Aleutian Islands, throughout
the Yukon River areas, the Kuskokwim area and
Seward Peninsula. PREP. The rosettes of dark
green shiny leaves . . , the first year's growth , . .
are one of the first of the available spring greens,
They have a somewhat bitter radish flavor, They
can be cooked and served as a green vegetable or
they can be served raw in a mixed salad.
8
COWSLIP, Marshmarigold, (Caltha palustris L,)
Esk. Ahklingquahk (Bristol Bay area), Tayahksungwak (Wales).
Perennial, Stems stout, hollow. Leaves large
and round or kidney shaped, about 2 to 7 inches
wide, with the margins scalloped. Most of the
leaves are basal, borne on long stalks, The flowers, bright yellow, are borne singly or in clusters.
HAB. Found in marshy wet places along creek
beds and ditches, in swamps and wet meadows,
The large plant ssp, asarifolia is abundantly
found in Southeastern Alaska, and the coastal
areas of the Gulf of Alaska westward to the Aleutians except the westernmost islands. A much
smaller and less leafy plant ssp, arctica is found
throughout the Yukon and Tanana River basins,
and along the coast from Bristol Bay, Norton
Sound, the Seward Peninsula north along the
Arctic Coast to Barrow. PREP, The leaves and
thick fleshy smooth slippery stems are best when
young and tender before the flowers appear, The
raw leaves contain a poison "helleborin," It is destroyed on cooking. In the Bristol Bay area the
natives gather the roots in spring and winter at
springs which do not freeze over. The roots are
long and white. When boiled, the usual method
of preparation, they look somewhat like sauerkraut.
Lambsquarter
Chenopodium album
Strawberry Spinach
Chenopodium capitatum
LAMBSQUARTERS, Wild spinach, Pigweed. (Chenopodium album L.)
Annual, introduced. Stems erect 1 to 4 feet
high, branched above. Leaves alternate, simple,
oval shaped; lower leaves toothed, grayish-green
and mealy textured underneath. Flowers small,
greenish, insignificant; in terminal and axillary
spikes or in clusters on upper part of stem. HAB.
Found usually where the soil has been disturbed
as in old gardens, waste places, along roadside
ditches, etc. Since it is an introduced plant it is
found only in habitable places. PREP. The young
tender leaves and stems of this plant can be collected in early summer and used as a substitute
for spinach or other greens. Cook in a small
amount of boiling water for a short time in order
to preserve color, flavor and nutritive value. The
fresh leaves when used quickly after gathering
and cooked properly should furnish significant
amounts of vitamin C and A.
10
STRAWBERRY SPINACH, Indian strawberry, Strawberry blite (Chenopodium capitatum (L)
Aschers).
Annual. Stem smooth, erect, simple or branching, 4 inches to 2 feet high. Leaves thin, longer
than wide, broadly triangular with wavy or
coarsely toothed margin. Flowers in globular
heads in leaf axils and on sides of upper part of
stem or forming a spike at the upper end of the
stem. Flower clusters become red and berry-like
in appearance in fruit, hence the name strawberry. HAB. This plant is usually found in waste
places, in turned over soil and along borders of
fields and railroad tracks. Common in Interior
Alaska, especially in the Upper and Central Yukon
River areas around Fairbanks and Fort Yukon.
It is very showy. PREP. The young tender leaves
can be collected during the summer and used in
raw salad mixture or cooked like garden spinach.
Like any succulent green leafy vegetable, when
properly prepared and eaten soon after picking it
. will be a good source of vitamin C and A,
11
Scurvy grass
Cochlearia officinalis
Siberian Spring Beauty
Claytonia sibirica
SIBERIAN SPRING BEAUTY, (Claytonia sibirica L.)
Annual. Stems few to many with a single pair
of opposite leaves and above these a many flowered
cluster. Leaves broadly ovate. Basal leaves on
long stalks that are dilated at the base; they may
be up to 2Vz inches wide. Flowers small with 5
white to rose colored petals. HAS, Coastal districts along the shores and on moist open hillsides
from Southeastern Alaska north to the Alaska
Gulf Coast and westward to the Alaska Peninsula,
Kodiak Island and throughout the Aleutians.
PREP. In spring the young tender leaves make a
welcome addition to the diet. The leaves can be
added raw to mixed salads or they can be cooked
for a short time in a small amount of water and
served as a green vegetable. If prepared properly
and eaten soon after picking it should be a good
source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A.
12
SCURVYGRASS, Spoonwort, (Cochlearia officinalis
L.)
Perennial or annual. Stems diffusely branched,
Leaves simple, succulent; lower leaves with short
stalks, spoon shaped with a broad base, up to 1
inch long, margins with or without teeth; upper
leaves without stalks. Flowers small with 4 white
petals in a cross; many flowers arranged in clusters at top of stems. Seeds in an oval shaped pod.
HAB, Frequent along the beaches of the entire
Alaska coast from Southeastern Alaska to the
Aleutian Islands and northward along the Arctic
coast. PREP. This succulent plant can be collected
in the spring and early summer. It can be eaten
raw in mixed salads or cooked the same as other
greens. This plant was one of those sought by
early explorers to cure scurvy, hence its name
"seurvygrass." The young rosettes of new plants
can be collected in the fall,
13
Spreading Wood Fern
Dryopteris austriaca
SPREADING WOOD FERN, (Dryopteris austriaca
(Jacq.) Woynar)
Stout underground stem (rhizone) covered with
old leaf stalk bases resembling a bunch of minute
bananas, The fronds or blades are upright, up to
1% feet long and borne in a dense crown, and are
broadly triangular in shape, When fern frond or
blade first appear they are curled and chaffy.
They are called croziers or fiddleneeks, The spores
are borne in "sori" on the back of the frond. The
"sori" are small, round, brown set in from the
margin of the frond. HAB. Mainly moist woodlands in Southeast Alaska, Cook Inlet, Alaska
Peninsula, Bristol Bay area, mountainous regions
in Kuskokwim Valley, PREP, The old leaf stalks
on the underground stem, resembling a bunch of
minute bananas, have been used for centuries by
the Indians of Southeast Alaska and by the Eskimos of the Bristol Bay and Lower Kuskokwim.
They are roasted, then the outer shiny brown
covering is removed and the inner portion eaten.
They are a source of energy. The young curled
fronds, called croziers or fiddleneeks, when still
only about 5 to 6 inches high are collected in the
spring. They are boiled or steamed and served
like asparagus either with butter, margarine or
cream sauce. Many Southeast Alaskans can them
for winter use.
14
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium
FIREWEED, Great willow-herb. (Epilobium angusiifolium L.)
Perennial. Stems usually simple, erect, smooth,
IVz to 8 feet high, very leafy. Leaves alternate,
narrow, smooth on the upper side, paler beneath.
Flowers large and showy in terminal spike-like
clusters; petals 4, purplish or rose colored, occasionally pink, rarely white. HAB. Recent clearings, burned woodlands; common along roadsides
and on open hillsides from Southeast Alaska north
to the Arctic and west to the Alaska Peninsula
and the Aleutian Islands, PREP. The young shoots
are often collected in the spring by natives and
old timers and mixed with other greens. Best
when young and tender. As the plant matures the
leaves become tough and somewhat bitter. The
Southeast Indians use the stems in the young
stage, They are peeled and eaten raw. Like other
young tender greens when properly prepared soon
after picking they are a good source of vitamin
C and pro-vitamin A.
15
V
/
Dwarf Fireweed
Epilobium latifolium
Labrador Tea
Ledum palustre
DWARF FIREWEED, Rock rose, River beauty, Prostrate willow-herb, Riverweed (Epilobium latifolium L,) Esk. Pahmeyuktuk.
Perennial, Stem branched from base; smooth
below, gray-hairy above, 4 to 20 inches high.
Leaves alternate, thick and fleshy, pale, whitened
with a bloom giving a gray-green appearance,
minutely hairy on both sides, up to 3% inches
long and longer than broad; edges smooth or with
only a few small teeth, Flowers perfect, large
and showy; only a few borne in the upper leaf
axils; petals 4, rose to purple, occasionally white.
HAB. Sandy or gravelly deposits along rivers and
streams and damp slopes; along ditch-banks and
roadsides. Found throughout Alaska from Southeastern and throughout the Interior to the Arctic,
as well as in the Aleutians. PREP. The young
plants are often collected in early summer by the
Eskimos of the Seward Peninsula and Bering Sea
area and mixed with other greens, Best before
the plant flowers, although the Eskimos do not
mind a few buds mixed with the greens.
16
LABRADOR TEA, Hudson's Bay tea (Ledum palustre
L, subsp, groenlandieum Oeder.)
Shrub 1 to 3% feet high, evergreen, resinous.
Leaves alternate, simple, thick-leathery, the margins smooth and rolled, the first year's leaves
gray-wooly beneath; older leaves red-wooly beneath, green above; size variable from 1 to 4
inches long. Flowers small each on a slender
stalk, in showy clusters at top of stem. HAB,
Found in profusion in muskegs and woods of
Southeastern Alaska and on the tundra and in
the woods of Interior Alaska from the Gulf of
Alaska north to Matanuska and the lowlands
throughout the Alaska Range and also throughout the Yukon River districts, Subsp, decumbens
(Ait) Hult. a much smaller plant with narrow,
linear, needlelike leaves is found on the tundra
and mountains throughout Alaska. PREP, The
strongly aromatic leaves can be used to make a
very palatable tea, Oldtimers in Alaska advise
that it not be used in too large quantities otherwise it may be cathartic and cause intestinal
disturbances.
17
Wild Celery
Ligusticum h^dtenii
Sourgrass
Oxyria digyna
Wm> CELERY, Sea lovage (Ligusticum hultenii
Fern,) Esk. Tuguyuk (Bristol Bay), Cheecheekok (Nome),
Perennial. Stem simple, up to 2% feet high.
Leaves long stalked arising from the base of the
plant; each leaf terminating in three leaflets.
Leaflets oval shaped, coarsely toothed, glossy, 1
to 3 inches long. Flowers white or pinkish in umbrella-like clusters at top of stems. Root deep and
stout. HAB, Found along the gravelly and sandy
seashores from Southeast Alaska north to Prince
William Sound, west to the Alaska Peninsula,
Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands and along the
Bering Sea and Bering Straits to Kotzebue, PREP,
The leaves and stalks are usually collected before
the plant flowers. Around Nome it is eaten raw
with seal oil or it is stored in seal oil for winter
use. It is also used in cooking fish. The leaves
and stalks can be used as a cooked vegetable or as
a substitute for celery which it somewhat resembles. The fresh leaves are a good source of vitamins A and C.
18
SOURGRASS, Mountain Sorrel (Oxyria digyna (L)
Hill). Esk. Kungoluk or Kungluk (Seward
Peninsula) Kongoliek (Barter Island).
Perennial. Tap root fleshy. Stems erect, 4
inches to 2 feet high. One to two leaves on a
stem. Leaves stalked, mostly rising from the root
stock, kidney shaped, up to \Vz inches wide.
Flowers small, greenish to crimson, clustered at
top of a tall stalk. Fruit a reddish capsule. HAB.
Common on moist alpine ground near small
streams and rivulets of the Interior; also found
at sea level in sheltered gulches on the Arctic
coast, PREP. The leaves are eaten with relish by
the Eskimos who often go long distances to find
them. The leaves are acid tasting, hence the name
"sourgrass." They are eaten fresh, raw. A good
source of vitamin C,
19
Coltsfoot
Petasites frigida
Seashore Plantain
Plantago macrocarpa,
COLTSFOOT (Petasites frigidus (L) Fries,)
Perennial, Stem creeping extensively underground. Flowers appear before the leaves expand; flowers in heads, tawny colored, not showy.
Flowering stem is stout, 4 inches to 1 foot in
height, sheathed by bracts. Leaves palmate or
somewhat triangular in shape, may be lobed,
green, shiny above, felty beneath, may become
extremely large, 9 inches across and somewhat
longer, HAB. Found on tundra, widespread
throughout the Interior and the Arctic, PREP, The
young leaves are often collected by the Eskimos
and mixed with other greens. Leaves get tough
as the plant matures. The Eskimos sometimes
use the large mature leaves to cover berries and
other greens stored in kegs for winter use,
Fernald reports that in Eurasia the young stalks
and flower heads are cooked and eaten. They are
considered good eating,
20
SEASHORE PLANTAIN (PlantagomacrocarpaCham,
& Schlect.)
Many long narrow leaves arising from the root
crown; up to 10 inches long, about 1 inch wide.
Flowers very small, densely crowded into a spike
at the end of a leafless stalk, which is usually
longer than the leaves. HAB, Along the coast,
back from the tide mark, from Ketchikan in Southeastern Alaska, north to the Gulf of Alaska coast,
and westward to the Aleutian and Commander
Islands, PREP. The young tender leaves are available in May and early June. They can be used
raw in salads or cooked as is spinach.
21
Goosetongue
Plantago martima
Wild Rhubarb
Polygonum alaskanum
GOOSETONGUE, Seaside plantain (Plantago mantima L.)
Perennial. Deep root, Stems leafless arising
from a rosette of basal leaves and usually longer
than the leaves, with a dense, blunt spike of
flowers about 4 inches long at the top. Leaves all
basal, fleshy, long and narrow tapering at the
tips, prominently ribbed. Individual flowers very
small, greenish or white, each with 4 petals more
or less united into a hairy tube, HAB. Common
along the seashore of Southeastern Alaska, the
Gulf of Alaska coa'st, the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak and reported in the Aleutians at Atka and
Unalaska Islands, PREP, Available early summer, this plant is gathered in quantity by many
Southeastern Alaskans. It is eaten fresh cooked
or canned for winter use.
22
WILD RHUBARB (Polygonum alaskanum (Small)
Wight.) Esk. Kooseemuk.
Perennial. Stem jointed, erect, branched, Zl/z to
6 feet tall. Leaves alternate, narrowly oval
shaped, tapering at the end to a gradual point, 2
to 8 inches long, may be smooth or hairy, sheaths
above the swollen joints on the stem, Flowers
small, whitish or cream colored, in a loose many
flowered pinnacle at top of stem, HAB, Mostly
along highways and river banks but also scattered
on the tundra of Interior Alaska from Mile 146
on the Richardson Highway north and throughout
the Upper, Central and Lower Yukon River areas
and westward across the tundra to the Kobuk
area and south to Kotzebue and the Seward Peninsula. PREP. The young stems are collected in
early summer, stripped of their outer skin, cut
into small pieces and used in much the same manner as domesticated rhubarb. The plant is acid
tasting. The young tender leaves are mixed with
other greens and cooked in boiling water, The
Indians of the Upper Yukon River district make
a thick pudding of flour, sugar and water and
add to it the chopped leaves and stems of the
young plant.
23
Pink Plumes
Polygonum Mstorta
PINK PLUMES, Plume flower, Mountain meadow
bistort (Polygonum bistorta L. ssp, plumosum
(Small), Esk. Eevuk (leaf); Cahuk (root).
Perennial. Thick root. Stem stiffly erect, 2
inches to 1% feet high arising from a thick, contorted underground stem base or rhizone, Leaves
usually two, basal, on long stalks, smooth above,
rough hairy beneath, 2 to 6 inches long, narrow,
rounded at the bottom, leathery texture. Flowers
pink to rose, in a showy dense spike up to 3 inches
long and about % to % inch thick. HAS, Found
abundantly on sub-alpine meadows and tundra of
the Interior and Arctic. PREP. Both the leaves
and roots of this plant are collected by the Eskimos during the summer. The leaves which are
not plentiful are usually mixed with other greens
and cooked. The root is usually boiled, mixed
with seal oil or added to stews. Fernald reports
that in northeastern Siberia the roots are eaten
raw as nuts. Roots are a source of calories; the
leaves are rich in vitamin C and pro-vitamin A.
24
Brake
Pteridium aquilinum
BRAKE, Pasture brake, Hog brake, Bracken, Western bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L) Kuhn,)
Perennial. Rootstoeks or rhizones stout, black,
creeping, branches, 3 feet or more in length, about
% inch thick, sending up scattered, erect, stout,
stiff stalks about 6 inches to 3% feet high terminating in a blade or frond (leafy portion).
Blade three forked, broadly triangular in outline,
hairy on the underside and some with a brownishcontinuous line under the folded margin. The
young uncoiled fronds, called eroziers or fiddlenecks, are also three forked. HAB. Found in open
or partly shaded woods in Southeastern Alaska.
PREP. In spring the young fiddleneeks when about
6 to 8 inches high and still covered with a rusty
scruffy material are collected. The scruffy material is peeled off and the remaining material is
boiled or steamed and served as a substitute for
asparagus. Many Southeastern Alaskans can the
fiddlenecks for winter use. The fullgrown fronds
are tough and develop a poison principle. Cattle
grazing on them become ill and among the symptoms of poisoning are hemorrhages of the various
organs.
25
Pallas Buttercup
Ranunculus pallasii
Sourdoek
Rumex arcticus
PALLAS BUTTERCUP (Ranunculus pallasii
Schlecht.) Esk. Kapugachat (Kuskokwim)
Perennial, subaquatic, underground stem, thick,
creeping, sending up leafy and flowering shoots.
Leaves dark green succulent looking, many three
cleft, others smaller, oval shaped, not cleft. Flowers 1 to 2 on a flowering stalk; petals white, 6 to
10 of them, The seeds are borne in achenes, a
roundish cluster. HAB. This pretty plant is found
growing in shallow edges of tundra lakes and
ponds in the lower Kuskokwim Valley and along
the North Bering Sea and Arctic coast from
Shishmaref and the Serpentine River north.
PBEP. The natives of the lower Kuskokwim Valley use the young tender succulent shoots which
are available in spring and autumn. These young
shoots are found growing in the saturated sphagnum moss at edges of tundra lakes and ponds.
The Eskimos cook the plant before eating. Many
members of the buttercup family contain the acrid
volatile substance anemenol, a substance known
to cause poisoning in cattle. Therefore, if this
plant is used it should be cooked to drive off the
anemenol.
SOURDOCK, Wild spinach, Arctic dock (Rumex
arcticus Trautv.) Esk. Ahlooieguk, Ahlooieruk,
Kuagtsik.
Perennial, Stems erect, usually suffused reddish-purple, Vz foot (in Arctic) to 4 feet high.
Stem leaves alternate, narrow, longer than broad;
basal leaves 2% to 10 inches long, variable in
shape either longer than broad or somewhat
heart-shaped; margins sometimes finely crisped,
margin teeth rounded. Flowers green or tinged
with purple, numerous, mostly crowded in panicled racemes. HAB. Wet marshy places along
river banks; moist places on tundra and along
roadsides. Found along Yukon River, on Seward
Peninsula from Norton Sound to Nome and Cape
Prince of Wales, along Arctic Coast and in Southeastern Alaska. PREP. The young tender leaves
available in early summer make an excellent salad
green and a good cooked vegetable; they have a
sour or acid taste. Sourdock is highly prized by
the Eskimos. When put up for winter use, dock
is cooked, chopped, and mixed with other greens,
then stored in kegs or barrels in a cold place. The
fresh green leaves are an excellent source of vitamins A and C. It is questionable whether the
winter stored dock contains much ascorbic acid.
27
Felty-leafed Willow
Salisc alasceTisis
Beach Asparagus
Salicornia pacified
BEACH ASPARAGUS, Glasswort (Salicornia pacifica
Standley.)
Perennial. Stem, smooth, fleshy, jointed, opposite branches, Leaves opposite, reduced to scales
or teeth at the joints of nodes. Flowers inconspicuous, usually three sunk into the fleshy hollow
of the thickened upper joints, HAS, Sea beaches
of Southeastern Alaska around Prince of Wales
Island and Ketchikan. PREP. Available in summer. Young plants can be used in salads or for
pickles.
28
FELTY-LEAFED WILLOW (Salix alasceTisis Cov.)
Esk. Okpik (Willow), Keeleeyuk (Bark).
Bush to small tree, sometimes up to 30 feet in
height. The leaves are large, sometimes quite narrow but usually broad, the upper surface dark
green, the lower surface densely wooly giving it a
felty feel. The young twigs are also densely
woody. Flowers borne in catkins. HAB. Found
along streams and rivers throughout Alaska from
Southeastern to the Arctic Coast. PREP. In some
areas of Alaska both the Interior Indians and the
Eskimos use the young tender leaves, but most
find the felty texture disagreeable. The young
new shoots are often eaten. The outer wooly or
felty layer is removed and the tender new shoots
are eaten raw. The Eskimos often dip these new
shoots in seal oil. In the Arctic the Eskimos also
use the inner bark as a winter tidbit, It can be
collected in winter and early spring but is thought
best at thaw time. It is eaten raw with seal oil
and sugar. The outer bark is cut and removed,
and the thin inner layer is scraped off with a
knife. This inner portion is called Keeleeyuk,
which literally means "the scrape." It is sweet
and really does not need to have sugar added. The
willow shoots and young tender leaves are excellent sources of vitamin C.
29
Willow Leaves
Salix pulchra
WILLOW LEAVES, Willow shoots (Salix pulchra
Cham,) Esk, Surah (Seward Pen, north to
Shishraaref), Churah (Bristol Bay area),
Meelukatuk (Kotzbue).
An erect freely branching shrub, the height
varying, being much smaller in arctic and alpine
areas, to 5 feet or better in the Kuskokwim Valley. The leaves are narrow, longer than broad,
tender when young but somewhat thick and leathery as they mature. Plants from the Arctic Coast
have very narrow leaves. The leaves are smooth,
without hairs, dark green above and lighter green
beneath, the margins usually smooth. The old
leaves turn brown and often persist from one
season to another. The stem is a smooth mahogany brown. The catkins are thick and large. HAB.
Arctic and alpine tundra. Found throughout the
Alaska Range, throughout the Yukon River area,
the Bering Sea and Bering Straits areas north
to the Arctic. PREP. The succulent, new tender
shoots of the willow are collected in early spring
by the Eskimos. The outer bark of the new shoots
is stripped off and the inner portion eaten raw.
This is probably the first spring source of vitamin
C. These shoots are a favorite food of the ptarmigan too. The young underground shoots of any
of the small, creeping willows found on the Arctic
tundra and on the mountains can be peeled and
eaten raw. Later the young tender leaves are
collected and eaten raw mixed with seal oil. Quantities are gathered, mixed lightly with seal oil and
stored in barrels, kegs or seal pokes and put in a
cold place for winter use. An ice cellar is probably the most satisfactory place to store them.
The leaves are slightly astringent but leave a
sweet aftertaste. Young willow leaves are one of
the richest sources of vitamin C. Totter (1947)
found them to contain 544 milligrams of ascorbic
acid per 100 grams (about Vz cup). This is 7 to
10 times richer than an orange,
30
Salad Greens
Saxifraga punctata
SALAD GREENS (Eskimos), Wild cucumber (St,
Michael's) Brook saxifrage (Saxifraga punctata L.) Esk. Ahzeeahsak (Seward Peninsula),
Ahsaycheek (Kotzebue & north).
Perennial. Flowering stalk 4 to 20 inches high,
hairy, leafless. Leaves basal, the blade circular or
kidney shaped, usually as broad as long or broader with spreading or rounded teeth, may be stickyhairy on both sides or smooth and thick with margins fringed with hairs. Flowers are small, each
with 5 white or purplish petals, in head-like or
flattened open clusters at top of stem. HAB. In
moist, rocky, shady places along rivulets, roadsides, rocky cliffs, gulches. Found throughout
Southeastern Alaska, north to the Alaska Gulf
coast and westward on the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, the Aleutians; also throughout Interior Alaska north to the Arctic Coast. Especially abundant in gulches along the Bering Sea and
Arctic coasts. PREP. The leaves are collected in
spring, before the plant flowers. It is relished
raw with seal or walrus oil by the Eskimos. These
young tender leaves can often be found late in the
season in mountain and shoreline gulches where
the snow has persisted until mid-summer. A good
source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A, if prepared and eaten soon after picking.
31
;1
Spiked Saxifrage
Saxifraga spieata
Roseroot
Sedum roseum
SPIKED SAXIFRAGE (Saxifraga spieata D, Don.)
Perennial, Leaves kidney shaped to oval, 3
inches wide, margins with gland-tipped teeth, on
stalks up to 7 inches long. Flowers in clusters at
the upper end of a long stalk. Each flower with
5 creamy or yellowish petals, HAB. Moist rocky
places along river banks and roadsides in Yukon
River area, along the Kobuk River, and on Seward
Peninsula. PREP, The tender young leaves, before
the plant flowers are sometimes used as a salad
green. The leaves toughen as the plant matures.
A fair source of vitamin C,
32
ROSEROOT, Rosewort, Stonecrop (Sedum roseum
(L) Scop,) Esk. Eveeahkluk (leaves), Ekutuk
(root).
Perennial, Rootstock thick and fleshy, rosescented when bruised. Stems numerous, 4 to 12
inches high, leafy. Leaves alternate, oblong or
oval, margins smooth or toothed, fleshy, pale
green. Flowers in dense terminal heads, up to 2
inches broad. Each flower with 4 petals, reddishpurple in color. HAB. Rocky soils, walls of cliffs,
tundra at sea level. Found scattered throughout
Alaska from Southeastern Alaska, Gulf of Alaska
coast, Matanuska, Talkeetna, Illiamna, Alaska
Range, Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Bristol
Bay, Nunivak, Unimak Island, Seward Peninsula,
Bering Sea coast north to Kotzebue, The yellow
flowered one known only from the Upper Yukon
River area. PREP, The succulent fleshy stems and
leaves are available in early summer. They can
be used raw in mixed salads or they can be cooked
as a green vegetable. They are best before the
flowers appear. On Seward Peninsula where the
plant is sometimes abundantly available, the root
is eaten.
33
Wild Cucumber
Streptopus amphxifolius
Dandelion
Taraxacum
WILD CUCUMBER, Cucumber root, clasping twisted
stalk (Streptopus amplexifolius L, (D, C,),
Perennial, Stems branched, 1 to 3% feet high.
Roots thick, fibrous. Leaves alternate, parallel
veined, longer than wide, broadest toward the
base, thin, clasping the stem, 2 to 5 inches long.
Flowers bellshaped, pinkish or greenish, hanging
from a slender stalk in the axil of the leaves.
Fruit a berry, yellowish white or orange or light
red when ripe. HAB. Found in woods, Common
along the coast from Southeastern Alaska north
to Prince William Sound and west to Alaska
Peninsula and Bristol Bay and to the Aleutian
Islands as far as Attu, the Norton Sound area
and in the Interior around Matanuska, Talkeetna,
the Alaska Range, the central Yukon River area
at Tanana Hot Springs. PREP. The young tender
shoots are relished in the spring because of their
fresh, cucumber-like flavor. They make a nice addition to a mixed salad. The berries are used by
the natives of the Bristol Bay area.
34
DANDELION (Taraxacum,).
Perennial or biennial. Stem erect and topped
with a many flowered head. Leaves in a basal
rosette; long and narrow; margins coarsely and
variously lobed or deeply toothed. Flower in a
head, bright yellow. HAB. Fields and roadsides.
Scattered throughout Alaska, Smaller plants
with narrower leaves found in Arctic and alpine
areas, PREP, The young tender leaves are available in early spring. They can be used raw or
cooked as a green vegetable. The older leaves are
extremely bitter, When raw, fresh leaves are an
excellent source of vitamin C and pro-vitamin A,
35
FRUITS
Nettle
Urtica, lyalli
Pacific Serviceberry
Amelanehier florida
NETTLE, Stinging nettles (Urtica, lyallii S, Wats.)
Perennial. Stem simple, erect, 3 to 6 feet high.
Leaves opposite; oblong or somewhat egg-shaped
with heart-shaped base; strongly veined; margins
coarsely and sharply toothed. Stem and leaf surfaces bear numerous, fine, stinging bristles. Flowers very small and green and borne in clusters in
the axils of leaves. HAB, Found in rich soil in
roadside and hillside thickets. Limited distribution in Alaska. U. lyalli is found along the coastal
hillside areas of Southeastern Alaska, the Gulf
of Alaska and Kodiak Island. U, gracillis which
has narrower leaves than U, lyalli is found in the
Interior around Tanana Hot Springs, the Upper
Yukon River area, Matanuska and Seldovia.
PREP. The leaves can be collected in the spring
and early summer. The presence of the stinging
bristles makes it necessary to wear gloves when
collecting them. If the skin should be irritated by
the plant, alcohol can be applied. The Indians of
Southeastern Alaska ease the stinging by rubbing
the irritated parts with the brown scruffy material
of fern fiddlenecks. When boiled the leaves lose
their stinging properties. They are delicious, a
good substitute for spinach and a good source of
pro-vitamin A, vitamin C and some of the
minerals.
36
PACIFIC SERVICEBERRY, Juneberry, Sarviceberry
(Amelanehier florida Lindl)
Shrub or tree, 6 to 16 feet high. Leaves alternate 1 to 2 inches long, longer than broad, thin
prominent veins, margins coarsely toothed near
the rounded top. Flowers in clusters, \Vz to 3
inches long, erect; each flower with 5 white petals.
Fruit berry-like, round, purple. HAB. Thickets
and borders of woods. Scattered in Southeastern
Alaska, Gulf of Alaska coast and throughout the
Alaska Peninsula, Amelanehier alnifolia Nutt,
the Northwestern serviceberry, is a smaller shrub
with thick firm leaves about as broad as long.
It is found scattered from Chilkat Valley and
Chitina River north to the upper and central
Yukon River areas. PREP. Available in August.
Can be eaten raw or used to make puddings, pies,
muffins. Some Alaskans dry the berries and use
them in recipes in place of raisins or currants.
37
Alpine Bearberry
Arctostaphylos alpina
Kinnikinnik
Arctostaphylos uva~ursi
Blackberry
Empetrum nigrum
ALPINE BEARBERRY (Arctostaphylos alpina, (L)
Spreng.) Esk. Kuvluk,
Subshrub, prostrate, matted, trailing. Branches
covered with papery bark. Leaves oblong with
basal end gradually tapering, edges finely toothed;
net-veined, thick, wrinkled, on short stalks. Flowers white or pinkish, bell-like, small, two or three
in a terminal cluster. Fruit a drupe, berry-like,
bluish-black or red. HAB, Arctic regions on bare
rock, gravel and dry tundra (plant with black
fruit) and in woods at lower altitudes (plant with
red berry). Found from Mt. St. Elias and Thompson Pass north over the Alaska Range and Central
Yukon River district; west to Alaska Peninsula,
Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands; also the Bering
Sea and Bering Strait districts. Arctostaphylos
uva-ursi (BEARBERRY, KINNIKINNIK) also a trailing, prostrate shrub, has small oblong leathery
leaves, bellshaped flowers and a dull orange-red,
berry-like fruit. It is found under the same growing conditions and in about the same area as
Arctostaphylos alpina, PREP. Ripe in the fall, persists on plants throughout the winter. Berry is
juicy but rather insipid in flavor. Not usually
available in large quantities. Eskimos will pick
them in poor berry years and mix them with blueberries. Flavor much improved on cooking.
38
BLACKBERRY, Crowberry, Curlewberry (Empetrum
nigrum L.) Esk, Ahzayahk (Teller), Boneruk
(Noorvik), Panak (Kotzebue, Shishmaref).
Shrub — low, trailing evergreen, forming mats.
Leaves small, narrow, needle-like. Flowers small,
inconspicuous, scattered and solitary or a few in
the axils of the leaves, purplish. Fruit, a juicy
berry-like black drupe. HAB. Found throughout
Alaska on the alpine muskegs of Southeastern
Alaska north to Yakutat and west to Kodiak,
the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands
and on the tundra throughout Interior Alaska
north to the Arctic. PREP. The berries are usually
collected in the fall of the year but if not picked
then they may persist on the plant and can be
picked in the spring. The raw berries are mealy
and tasteless. The Eskimos and Indians mix them
with other berries, especially the blueberry. Cooking enhances the flavor. They make good pie and
jelly.
39
Beach Strawberry
Fragaria chiloensis
Salal
Gaultheria shallon
BEACH STRAWBERRY (Fragaria chiloensis (L)
Duck,)
Perennial. Rootstoeks stout, thick and scaly.
Propagation by runners which root at the joints.
Leaves on long slender stalks, three leaflets with
margins sharply and deeply toothed, smooth above,
silky beneath. Flowers on long slender stalks,
each flower with 5 white petals. Fruit fleshy, pulp
juicy, ovoid and up to 1 inch long, HAB. Found
scattered throughout Southeastern Alaska, Gulf
of Alaska coast, Seward Peninsula and the Aleutians. Fragaria glauca (Wats.) Rydb,, the Yukon
strawberry is a more slender plant with smaller
berries. It is found on the dry hillsides of the
upper and central Yukon River areas of Interior
Alaska. PREP. Usually ripe in late June or July,
the fruit can be eaten raw or made in a delicious
jam. Fresh strawberries are a rich source of
vitamin C. About Vz to % cup equals an orange
in vitamin C value.
40
SALAL (Gaultheria, shallon Pursh,)
Shrub. Stem partially reclining or erect, up to
4 feet tall. Leaves oval, up to 3 inches long, with
toothed edges; evergreen; leathery in texture.
Flowers bell-shaped, glandular hairy, each on a
short stalk but many in a spike-like cluster. Fruit
purple, berry-like. HAB. Found in the woods
around old tree stumps, in the more southern part
of Southeastern Alaska. PREP. The berry-like
fruits are available in the fall of the year.
41
American Red Currant
Ribes triste Pallas
Western Crabapple
Malus fusca
WESTERN CRABAPPLE (Malus fusca (Rafin) Schneider.)
Tree or shrub 6 to 16 feet high. Young growth
is hairy. The leaves are up to 3 inches long, oval
shaped with toothed margins, the blade smooth
above and hairy on the underside. Flowers each
with 5 white petals. Fruit is small, oblong, less
than 1 inch long. HAB. Near the coast, Southeastern Alaska. PREP. Ripe in the fall. Fruit
acid. Where available can be used as a source of
pectin for jelly making.
42
AMERICAN RED CURRANT (Ribes triste Pallas.)
Shrub, Stems 1% to 5 feet high with reddishbrown shreddy bark on the twigs, no spines or
prickles; the branches straggly, often rooting
freely. Leaves 3 to 5 lobed, toothed, smooth above
and either smooth or hairy underneath. Flowers
in clusters 1 to 2 inches long borne on old wood
just below the leafy tufts, dropping, purplish.
Fruit a red, smooth, translucent berry resembling
the cultivated ones, HAB. Cool woods, swamps,
sub-alpine ravines, Found from Chilkoot and
Skagway in Southeastern Alaska east and north
to Valdez, Seward, Matanuska, Copper River, Anvik, Kuskokwim River country, Seward Peninsula,
and Kobuk River area. PREP, The red currant is
available in late summer; it can be used raw or
made into jams and jellies. Several other currants
grow in Alaska. (1) TRAILING BLACK CURRANT
(Ribes laxiflorum Pursh.) in Southeastern Alaska
north to Skagway and Yakutat, Kenai Peninsula
and central Alaska. (2) SWAMP GOOSEBERRY (Ribes
lacustre (Pers,) Poir,) That has a bristly purplish-black berry. It is edible but because of its
odor and bristliness is not used much. Found on
Alaska Peninsula and central Alaska. (3) NORTHERN BLACK CURRANT (Ribes hudsonianum Rich.)
with barely edible resin dotted black fruit. Found
in the Interior. (4) FETID CURRANT (Ribes glandulosum Grauer) a glandular-bristly plant producing red berries found throughout central Alaska.
(5) BLUE CURRANT (Ribes bracteosum Dougl)
found in cool thickets and edges of woods in
Southeastern Alaska, The natives of Southeast
Alaska mix them with salmon roe and store them
for winter use.
43
The hips should be prepared soon after collecting.
Wash, remove the "tails," partly cover with water, bring quickly to the boil and cook gently for
about 15 minutes. The juice can then be extracted,
bottled, pasteurized and stored in a dark cool place
and later mixed with other fruit juices; or it can
be used to make jellies or syrups. The pulp can
be sieved to remove the seeds and skins and then
used to make jams, marmalades and ketchups.
The flavor needs to be enhanced by combining
with a tart fruit or juice such as the low bush
cranberry. The hips may persist on the bush
throughout the winter and although very soft are
still edible. The leaves have been used to make a
tea. Rose hips are one of the richest known food
sources of vitamin C. In fact, they are so rich
that the juice, jams, or jellies when made according to direction retain enough C to be a winter
source of this vitamin.
Wild Rose
Rosa acicularis
WILD ROSE, Prickly rose (Rosa aeicularis Lindl)
Ind. Neechee. (Rose hips)
Shrub, Stem densely armed with prickles. Canes
1 to 4 feet high. Leaves alternate; leaflets 3 to 9,
usually 5, somewhat narrowly oval in shape;
smooth above; pale, downy-hairy beneath; margins toothed. Flowers solitary or a few in clusters; petals usually 5, sometimes more, rose-pink.
Fruit smooth, somewhat round and contracted to
a neck below, called "hips." HAB. Thickets, rocky
(often acid) slopes; from the Alaska Gulf coast,
the Kenai Peninsula north to Anchorage, Chickaloon and scattered throughout the Alaskan Range,
the Upper, Central and Lower Yukon River districts and the Seward Peninsula. Rosa Nutkana
PresL, the nutka rose, is found scattered from
Sitka to Juneau north to the Alaska Gulf coast,
west to the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians
as far west as Unalaska. Rosa rugosa Thumb,
with coarse dark green leaves, large white or red
flowers and the fruit up to 1 inch in diameter, has
been introduced in Southeastern Alaska, Anchorage and the Matanuska Valley. PREP. The fruit
of the rose, called rose hips or rose^haws, can be
collected in the fall, preferably after the first
frost when they are still firm but red and ripe,
44
Nagoonberry
Rubus arcticus
NAGOONBERRY, Wineberry (Rubus arcticus L.)
Perennial. Stem less than 6 inches high, erect,
arising from spreading, underground rootstock.
Each leaf with three leaflets with margins coarsely
toothed. Flowers dark rose to red. Fruit red
composed of many small druplets, HAB. Found in
damp or wet woodsy places in coastal and interior
Alaska, Rubus stellatus Smith, is a similar plant
with a similar flower and fruit, but the leaves are
lobed rather than divided into leaflets. It is found
in wet coastal districts of Southeastern Alaska,
Gulf of Alaska, Alaska Peninsula, and Bering Sea
and in the Interior north to the upper Yukon.
PREP. Available in late summer, the fruit is a
superior tasting berry of good color that makes a
superior jelly. Unfortunately not available in
large quantities.
45
American Red Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
CLOUDBERRY, Baked appleberry, Salmonberry
(Rubus chamaemorus L,) Esk, Ahtehaigpiat
(Lower Kuskokwim), Akpik (Barter Island,
Shishmaref, Kotzebue, Noorvik, Nome).
Perennial. Stems erect from a creeping rootstock, 2 to 8 inches high. Leaves 2 to 3, simple,
circular or kidney shaped with 3 to 5 rounded
lobes; edges toothed. Flowers solitary, terminal,
5 white petals. Fruit composed of 6 to 8 druplets;
red when unripe; amber-colored when mature.
HAB. Common in Alaska on moist boggy arctic
and subarctic tundra except in eastern Aleutians;
also found in bogs of Southeastern Alaska. Apparently found in greatest abundance in Kuskokwim River basin and Seward Peninsula around
Norton Sound, PREP. This fruit is collected in
quantity in the fall of the year, late August and
early September. It is highly prized by the Eskimos who store large quantities when available for
winter use. The berries are usually kept frozen
until ready to use by burying the seal poke, keg
or barrel containing them in the frozen tundra or
by storing them in ice cellars. Eskimos eat the
berries raw with sugar or seal oil or both. The
berries can be used in much the same way as
strawberries, raw with sugar and cream, as berry
shortcake, pie. The fresh berry is a very rich
source of vitamin C, the antiscorbutic vitamin.
When frozen immediately after picking and kept
frozen until ready to use, the berry retains much
of its vitamin C value. One sample of berries
kept in an ice cellar from collecting time in the
fall until April of the following year was found
to contain 178 milligrams ascorbic acid per 100
grams (about Vz cup); this is 2l/2 to 3 times that
found in an orange. When kept in a warm place
and allowed to ferment and mold as is sometimes
done, the vitamin C is completely destroyed.
46
AMERICAN RED RASPBERRY (Rubus idaeus L,)
Shrub. Canes 2 to 4 feet high, woody, brownishred, densely covered with rough and fine bristles.
Leaves of 3 to 5 leaflets, whitish-hairy beneath,
margins irregularly toothed. Flowers in clusters,
each flower with 5 white petals. Fruit red, composed of numerous small druplets. HAB. Thickets,
clearings and borders of woods from Southeastern
Alaska north to the Gulf of Alaska coast, Matanuska Valley and scattered throughout the Alaska
Range and the Yukon River districts. PREP. Collected late in the summer and early fall, the berries can be eaten raw or made into jams and jellies.
47
Trailing Raspberry
Rubus pedatus
Thimbleberry
Rubus parviflorus
THIMBLEBERRY (Rubus parviflorus Nutt.)
Shrub, Stem unarmed, with shreddy bark, IVz
to 6 feet high, much branched. Leaves large 1 to 5
inches long, resembling maple leaves in shape, 3
to 7 lobed, margins coarsely and unevenly toothed,'
the teeth gland-tipped. Flowers several on a
stalk, each flower with 5 white petals, somewhat
triangular shaped. Fruit large, flattish, red, composed of numerous small druplets. HAS. Thickets
and borders of woods along roadsides in Southeastern Alaska. PREP. These berries can be collected in late summer and early fall; insipid taste.
48
TRAILING RASPBERRY, Five-leaved bramble (Rubus
pedatus Smith.)
Perennial. Stem a slender, trailing vine, rooting at the nodes, smooth, no barbs, Leaves deeply
cleft so that appears as 5 leaflets, thin, margins
unevenly toothed. Flowers usually solitary on
short 2 to 4 leaved branches, 5 white petals.
Fruit, 1 to 6 small red druplets. HAB. Woods,
climbing over moss or logs throughout Southeastern Alaska; coastal Gulf of Alaska north to Talkeetna; west to Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay,
Kodiak, Unga Island; Upper Yukon River district. PREP. Collected in late summer, the fruit is
juicy and delicious but unfortunately rarely found
in large quantities. Makes an excellent jelly.
49
. Salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
Bog Cranberry
Oxycoccus microcarpus
BOG CRANBERRY, Swamp cranberry (Oxycoccus
microcarpus Turcz, ex Pupr.) Esk. Wingarat
(lower Kuskokwim).
SALMONBERRY (Rubus spectabilis Pursh.)
Shrub. 1% to 6% feet high. Stem woody; bark
yellowish-brown, peeling off in thin layers; may
be weakly barbed; much branched. Leaves of
three leaflets more or less- lobed, coarsely and
unevenly toothed, up to 5 inches long. Flowers
solitary on a stalk; 5 red-rose petals. Fruit varying from yellow to dark red, HAB. Found on the
woody mountainsides of Southeastern Alaska, the
Gulf of Alaska coastal area west to Kodiak, the
Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands. PREP.
Collected in late summer and early fall, the fruit
is very juicy and of good taste. Fruit can be
eaten raw or made into jams and jellies.
50
Evergreen vine. Stems very slender, creeping
through the moss and rooting at the nodes, 4 to
16 inches long. Leaves alternate, small, thick,
leathery, whitish underneath, the edges rolled
back. Flowers 1 to 4, terminal, nodding on long
thread-like stalks, petals 4, red or pink, narrow,
recurved. Fruit a translucent berry. HAB. On
boggy or peaty soil growing on top of sphagnum
moss, from Southeastern Alaska, Seward Peninsula north above the Yukon; Alaska Peninsula
west to the Aleutians; the Bering Sea and Bering
Strait districts. Look for them also on mossy
hummocks in the woods of the Interior, especially
in wet places near lakes and ponds. PREP. Available in the fall of the year. A delicious berry,
unfortunately not available in quantity. Can be
eaten raw or cooked and used in any way the
larger commercial variety can.
51
Bog Blueberry
Vaccinium uliginosum
Red Huckleberry
Vaccinium parvifolium
RED HUCKLEBERRY (Vaccinium parvifolium Smith.)
A shrub, diffusely branched, 1% to 5 feet tall.
Older stems somewhat angled and brownish;
newer branch stems green and sharply 4-angled.
Leaves alternate on the stem, up to 1 inch long,
oval-shaped, smooth margins, except those on the
basal shoots which are sharp-toothed edged. Basal
shoot leaves persist throughout the winter; other
leaves deciduous. Flowers small, bell-shaped, solitary in axils of the leaves. Fruit is red, translucent and acid. HAB. Found on brushy, rocky hillsides of Southeast Alaska. PREP. Available in the
fall, fruit makes a superior jelly.
52
BOG BLUEBERRY, Great or Bog bilberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.) Esk. Ahsayevik (Barter
Island), Soquah (Seward Peninsula), Sooguk
(Shishmaref), Chuck (Indian). See Another
Plate on Cover.
Shrub. Stems erect, branching, up to 2 feet
high; bark of branches shredding. Leaves small,
alternate, thickish, margins smooth, white bloom
on underside. Flowers bell-shaped, light pink,
arising from scaly buds on old wood. Fruit a
blueblack berry with a bloom. HAB. Common on
the tundras of the Interior, A bog and alpine
dweller in Southeastern Alaska. V, alaskensis
Howell, the ALASKA BLUEBERRY, is a tall shrub
with stout reddish twigs. The fruit is reddishblack to blue-black. It is found in thickets and
on woody slopes in Southeastern Alaska north
and west to Seward, V. ovalifolium Smith, the
EARLY BLUEBERRY, is also a tall shrub. The fruit
is round, blue with a whitish bloom. It is found
in thickets, open woods and peaty slopes in Southeastern Alaska, Gulf of Alaska, and Alaska Peninsula coasts and scattered on the Aleutian Islands.
V. membranceum Dougl, the THIN LEAVED BLUEBERRY, a tall shrub with dark purple to black
fruit, is found in Southeast Alaska. V, caespitosum Michx., the DWARF BLUEBERRY, also has a
blue berry with whitish bloom. It is found in
Central Alaska. PREP. Available early summer
to late fall, blueberries can be eaten raw or cooked
in pies, puddings, muffins, or may be frozen or
canned for winter use. A fair source of vitamin
C, blueberries often persist on the bushes throughout winter.
53
Lowbush Cranberry
Vaccinium vitis
(Shown slightly green)
Highbush Cranberry
Viburnum edule
(Shown slightly green)
LOWBUSH CRANBERRY, Mountain cranberry, Lingenberry, Partridgeberry (Vaccinium vitis
idaea L.) Esk. Keepmingyuk (Shishmaref north
to Noatak), Keepmik (Seward Peninsula),
Toomalgleet (Lower Kuskokwim), Ind. Nutlut.
Low evergreen plant up to 6 inches tall, more
or less reclining on the ground. Stems slender.
Leaves alternate, evergreen, leathery, green and
shiny above, pale and spotted beneath, Vz inch or
less long, edges slightly white, pink or rose colored. Flowers terminal either solitary or in
clusters. Fruit a berry, red, similar in appearance
to the commercial cranberry but much smaller.
HAB. Rocky or dry peaty acid soil from Southeastern Alaska north to the Arctic and westward
throughout the Aleutians. PREP. The berries are
usually available in quantity in the fall, and
should be picked preferably after the first frost.
The berries persist on the plant throughout the
winter. Eskimo children often collect handfuls of
them as soon as the snow disappears. Because
berries are acid, they are best cooked as a sauce
or can be mixed with rose hip pulp and sugar to
make a nutritious jam. The berries can be kept
without preserving by storing in a cool place.
HIGHBUSH CRANBERRY, Squashberry, Mooseberry
(Viburnum edule (Michx.) Raf.)
Shrub, straggling or erect, up to 8 feet high,
with slender gray branches. Leaves opposite, almost maple-leaf-like in shape; either shallowly
three-lobed or not lobed at all, edges coarsely
toothed. Flowers small, milk-white, broad, flattish
clusters on short branches. Fruit a drupe, red or
orange color, with flattened stone. HAB. Cool
woods and thickets or on gravelly or rocky banks.
Found throughout Southeastern Alaska north to
Skagway and Yakutat, west to Valdez, Seward
and throughout the Kenai Peninsula and Cook
Inlet, Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay, Kodiak;
north throughout the Alaska Range and the Yukon River districts, the Kuskokwim Valley and
Seward Peninsula. PREP. The ripe fruit is available in late summer and fall; it softens after the
first frost, but may persist on the plant throughout winter. The berry is used mostly in making
jelly. Some people object to the musty odor and
flavor but if picked before the first frost, just
before the true ripe stage, the fruit is more acid
and of better flavor.
54
55
Wild Chives
Allium schoenoprasum
ROOTS
WILD CHIVES (Allium schoenoprusum L.) Esk,
Teeveeteeuk (Teller), Pahteetock (Norvik),
Perennial, Reproduces by small bulbs and
seeds, Stems simple, erect, 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves
very narrow, round, hollow, up to 1 foot long.
The flowers clustered in a rose-purple umbel or
head, at top of stem, HAS. Low meadows and
pastures. Found in Interior Alaska from Talkeetna and Copper Center north to the Upper,
Central and Lower Yukon districts, westward to
Seward Peninsula and north to Kotzebue and
Kivalina. PREP, This strong-scented and pungent
plant is best in the early spring. Bulbs can be
collected in late summer and early fall. Very
strong, use sparingly.
56
57
Bering Sea
Spring Beauty
Claytonia acutifolia
Potato Plant
Claytonia tuberosa
POTATO PLANT, Spud plant, Tuberous spring
Beauty (Claytonia tuberosa Pall ex. Willd.)
Esk. Oatkuk (Wales),
BERING SEA SPRING BEAUTY (Claytonia acutifolia
Pall ex. Willd.) Esk, Keetuk (Wales).
Perennial. Several stems, each with one pair of
small, narrow opposite leaves. Basal leaves fleshy,
long and narrow arising directly from the crown
of the root. Root thick and fleshy. Flowers 2 to 5
in terminal clusters each with 5 petals, white or
pinkish, very showy. HAB. Found in wet places
near running rivulets. Limited in distribution,
Found in Alaska Range between Healy and Moody
Creek; near Kokrines in Central Yukon area;
along the Bering Sea Coast of the Seward Peninsula especially around Wales and the mountains
in back of Wales, on St. Lawrence Island, St,
Matthews Island and King Island. PREP. The root
which is thick and fleshy is collected by the Eskimos in the Wales area and eaten fresh raw or
cooked, preferably with seal oil, as a source of
calories.
58
Perennial, Stems 3 to 7 inches high, usually
one but sometimes more arising from a deeply
buried corm. The corm, less than an inch in diameter, resembles a small dwarf potato in appearance, Each stem has one pair of narrow, opposite
leaves and 1 to 3 thin, stalked basal leaves arising
directly from the corm. Flowers 2 to 7 in a terminal cluster, each flower with 5 white petals.
HAB. An alpine plant found in marshy wet places.
It has been found in the alpine regions of the
central Yukon area on Eagle Summit, Pilsbury
Dome, Birch Creek, Mission Creek and also in the
Bering Sea area on Little Diomede Island, St.
Lawrence Island, Nome, Cape Prince of Wales
and at Kotzebue, PREP, The tuberous roots or
corms which resemble small potatoes are collected
by the Eskimos on Diomede Island and at Wales
on Seward Peninsula. They are eaten cooked,
usually being added to stews. They can be roasted.
The basal leaves are also collected and added to
other greens and can be eaten raw or cooked.
The corms and almost the entire plant are usually
buried deep in the sphagnum moss with just the
white flowers peeping above. One has to dig carefully to get the "potatoes." The potato-like corms
are starchy, furnishing a few calories, The leaves
are green and when eaten fresh raw are a source
of vitamin C and vitamin A.
59
Black Lily
Fritillaria camchatcensis
BLACK LILY, Chocolate lily, Indian rice, Kamchatka lily (Fritillaria camchatcensis (L.) Ker,
Gawl)
Perennial; stem simple, 1 to 2 feet, arising from
bulbs with thick scales. Leaves in two or three
whorls, a few scattered near top, Flowers 1 to 6,
large, nodding, bell-like, dark wine color, often
almost black tinged with greenish-yellow outside;
3 petals, Bulb of large scales subtended by numerous rice-like bublets, HAB, In open coastal
meadows in Southeastern Alaska, Gulf of Alaska
coast, and north to Talkeetna, Alaska Peninsula,
Kodiak Island, Aleutian Islands, Bristol Bay area,
PREP, Bulbs are dug in fall; they are dried and
used in fish and meat stews or pounded into flour,
They are used extensively by natives of Southeastern Kodiak, and Aleutians.
60
Eskimo Potato
Hedysarum alpinum
ESKIMO POTATO, Licorice root, Bear root, Indian
potato (Hedysarum alpinum L,) Esk. Mashu,
Muhzut,
Perennial. Stems erect and branching, up to
2% feet high, Leaves compound with 9 to 21 conspicuously veined leaves. Flowers showy in spikelike clusters, rose to rose-purple in color changing
to purple with age; petals 5, arranged as in a
sweetpea with a green tube at the base (united
sepals) with five nearly equal teeth that are
shorter than the tube itself. Seed pods are flat with
3 to 5 oval joints, each joint containing one seed,
the entire pod conspicuously netveined. Roots at
maturity may be several feet long and as thick
as a carrot, and may be much branched. HAB,
Open fields, ditch and creek banks and woods,
usually in well drained places. It has wide distribution from Haines northward and throughout
Central Alaska and the Yukon River basin on the
Seward Peninsula and north to the Arctic. PREP.
Usually collected in the fall; however, those left
in the ground over winter can be collected in the
spring. This root is eaten raw, boiled or roasted
by both the Eskimos and the Interior Indians,
Note: Do not confuse with Hedysarum mackenzii whose root is reported to be poisonous; see
description in poisonous plant section.
61
Parry's Wallflower
Parrya nudicaulis
Wooly Lousewort
Pedicularis lanata
PARRY'S WALLFLOWER (Parrya, nudicaulis (L.)
Regel)
Perennial, Stem up to one foot high, bristlyglandular, Leaves all basal, 2 to 4 inches long,
including the stalk, somewhat oval in outline,
broadest toward the upper end, margins sometimes coarsely toothed, sometimes smooth. Flowers with 4 white or purplish petals arranged as
in a maltese cross, several together in terminal
clusters, showy and very fragrant. Seeds in glandular-bristly flat pod with wavy margins, about
1 to 2 inches long, tapering at both ends. Roots
at maturity a foot or more in length and sometimes as thick as a carrot, HAB. Found on gravel
and peat covered beaches or spits of the Arctic
coast, on coastal tundra hills of the Bering Sea
coast and Bristol Bay, and in the alpine areas of
the Alaska Range and Yukon River areas. PREP.
The thick root is collected by the Arctic Coastal
Eskimos, to add to fish and meat stews. Root has
a horseradish-like flavor, On Little Diomede Island
where this plant apparently grows in abundance,
the natives eat the new young leaves. The numerous small basal leaves up to 1% inches long form
tight little rosettes which resemble miniature
cabbages; hence, the natives call them "little
cabbages." They are collected from early spring
until after the first frost in the fall, and are
stored raw in seal oil for winter use.
62
WOOLY LOUSEWORT, Bumblebee plant. (Pedicularis
lanata Cham, & Schlecht.) Esk, Nahzakmeetak
(Shishmaref), Kooklingwuk (Wales).
Perennial, One to two simple stems arising
from perennial roots, hairy, up to 6 inches high,
topped by a large flower spike. Flowers in spike
are pink to rose, occasionally white. Entire plant,
except lower leaves, is densely gray wooly. Basal
leaves up to 2% inches long, on short stalks, margins toothed. Seeds in capsules. HAB, Common
on the tundras of the high mountains and in the
Bering Sea district. PREP. The flowers are collected in June by the natives around Cape Prince
of Wales and Shishmaref, Water is added and
the flower is allowed to ferment. The root is also
edible. It can be gathered in the fall and prepared
by boiling or roasting.
63
Wild Sweetpotato
Potentillu pacifica
Water Sedge
Care® agnatilis
WATER SEDGE (Carex aquatilis Wahlenb.) Esk.
Kalugkat (Bristol Bay and Lower Kuskokwim).
WILD SWEETPOTATO, Silverweed (Potentilla pmifica, HowelL)
Perennial. Root long and narrow. Plant produces runners. Stems often lying prostrate on the
ground. Leaves up to 8 inches long, each with 9
to 31 leaflets, shiny smooth above, white silk-hairy
beneath, the margins sharply toothed. Flowers
are large, solitary, yellow with five petals. HAB.
This or a closely related plant is found on the
beaches and adjacent meadows of Southeastern
Alaska, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, and scattered along
the Aleutian Islands; also in the Yukon area
around Circle and Fort Yukon. PREP. The slightly
thickened, fleshy roots are collected in late fall
and early spring by the Indians and old-timers of
Southeastern Alaska. They can be eaten raw or
preferably boiled or roasted as you would potatoes.
64
Perennial. The rootstocks sending out underground scaly runners that root. The stems or
culms are 1 to 2% feet high, slender, sharply
3-sided or triangular. The three-ranked leaves are
long and narrow, grass-like, up to 3 feet long and
H inch wide with finely toothed, spiny margins,
rough to the touch. The flowers and seeds are in
several nodding spikes at the top of the stem.
HAS. Common in sloughs, marshes and in marshy
areas around tundra lakes and ponds throughout
Alaska from Glacier Bay and Skagway westward
to Unimak Island in the Aleutians and throughout the Interior Alaska north to the Arctic, PREP,
That portion measuring 3 to 4 inches at the base
of the stem or culm, pinkish in color, is eaten raw
by the natives in the Bristol Bay and Lower Kuskokwim. It is succulent and sweet to the taste.
65
Tall Cottongrass
Eriophorum angustifolium
Wild Celery
Heracleum lanatum
WILD CELERY, Cowparsnip (Herackum lanatum
Mich®,)
TALL COTTONGRASS (Eriophorum angustifolium
Honek.) Esk, Etak, Eetaht, Etok, Cheecheekok
(lower part of stem), Antlegit (Lower Kuskokwim), (underground stem or mousenuts),
Picknuk or Picnic,
Perennial. Rootstoek creeping. Stems erect,
smooth, may be slightly triangular, 1 to 2% feet
high, pinkish-white at the base just above the
ground. Leaves long and narrow, flat, grass-like.
Flower heads developing into 2 to 12 nodding
heads of white, silky bristles called cotton by
Alaskans, HAB, Found on tundra bogs and wet
roadsides and in marshy areas around tundra
lakes and ponds throughout Alaska, PREP, In early
summer the Eskimos collect the 4 to 5 inches of
base of stem which is white-pink and is usually
eaten raw with seal oil; it is rather sweet tasting.
The underground stem which is about 2 to 3
inches down in the mud is collected in the autumn
by tundra mice who cache them for winter use.
Before freeze-up, children hunt for these caches.
The Eskimos call these underground stems "mouse
nuts," Mousenuts taste a little sweet, Eskimos pour
boiling water over them and remove the black
outside. Sometimes they eat them with seal oil.
66
Perennial. Stems grooved, very stout, 3% to 9
feet high, densely hairy. Leaves large, compound,
divided into three leaflets, on hairy-wooly stalks
that widen at the base and clasp the stems. The
leaflets themselves are large, somewhat maple-leaf
in shape, 4 to 12 inches broad, white-wooly beneath, margins coarse and irregularly cut, Flowers in large, broad umbels (umbrella-shaped)
often 9 inches or more across, flat-topped, Individual flowers very small and white. HAB. Rich,
low ground, thickets and seashores. Throughout
Southeastern Alaska, Gulf of Alaska coast north
to Matanuska Valley, Alaska Range, Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, Aleutian Islands, Lower
Yukon River districts, Seward Peninsula. PREP.
The natives of Southeastern Alaska, Kodiak,
Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians gather the
young leaf stalks and stems in late spring and
early summer before the flowers appear. The
stems are stripped of the outer fibrous layer and
the inner pulp is eaten raw, often dipped in seal
oil. Fernald suggests that cooking improves the
flavor. He also reports that the Meskwaki Indians
of the West Coast used to use the root of this
plant. It is called Meskwaki potato and when
cooked is said to taste like rutabagas.
67
Cattail
Typha latifolia,
Marestail
Hippuris vulgaris
MARESTAIL (Hippuris vulgaris L.) Esk, Tayaruk
(Lower Kuskokwim), or goosegrass,
Perennial aquatic, Stems erect and flexuous
from a creeping rhizone, hollow up to 2 feet high,
usually partly emersed from the water. Leaves
small, 6 to 12 whorls at intervals on the upper
part of the stem. Flowers very small, reduced,
insignificant, in the axils of the leaves (need
magnifying glass to see them), HAS, This plant
is found along margins of rivers and streams and
in shallow tundra ponds; sometimes a small pond
will be full of them. It is found throughout Alaska
from Southeastern north to the Arctic Coast and
west to the Aleutians, the Kuskokwira Valley
and the Seward Peninsula, PREP. In the lower
Kuskokwim this plant is collected in quantity.
Eskimos describe it thus: "It is time to gather
Tayaruk when the ponds and lakes freeze over.
We use the part that is sticking out of the water.
With a stick or a knife we scrape the goosegrass
off the ice. Then we pile it on some high ground
and store it there for winter. We make soup with
goosegrass. First we boil some water. Then we
wash some goosegrass and always cook seal oil
with it, Sometimes we mash fish eggs in the soup.
Some Eskimos like to cook fresh seal blood in
the soup. We use all the goosegrass plant. It has
a salty taste." Probably adds only roughage and
salt to the diet.
68
CATTAIL, "Cossack asparagus" (Typha latifolia,L.)
Marsh plant, 2% to 9 feet high. Stem stout.
Leaves long, narrow, flat, sheathing at the base,
Flowers in spikes, the male flowers uppermost,
light brown or tawny; the female flowers just
below and dark brown, HAB, In marshes or shallow water ponds in Central Yukon Kiver area
from Northway to Fairbanks to Galena. PREP.
Fernald states that in late autumn and throughout the winter the short thickened leading shoots
of the underground rootstock are filled with
starchy material. In the past western Indians have
used these shoots as a source of food, eaten either
boiled or roasted. In Russia on the Don the stems
are collected, the first 18 inches just above the
rootstock, and peeled and eaten raw. The green
flower spikes have also been recommended as a
food. They should be collected before the yellow
pollen shows. They are boiled in salted water.
They can be eaten by scraping off the flowers or
by eating much as we do corn on the cob.
69
Giant Kelp
Nereocystis luetkeana
Seaweed
Porphyra laciniata
Entire Plant,,.
GIANT KELP (Nereocystis leutkeana
Post, & Rup.)
(Mertens)
A marine algae. Stalks cylindrical, hollow, up
to 75 feet long, gradually widening from less than
% inch at the base to 4 inches at the top and
terminating in an inflated bulb, which may be up
to 8 inches in diameter. At the base of the stalk
is a hold-fast which attaches the plant to the rock.
On the top of the bulb are two rows of narrow,
tough, leaf-like fronds or blades, 10 to 30 feet
long. These blades float in the water. HAB. Northwest coast of America on submerged rocks in
tide-washed promontories. They form beds, sometimes acres in extent. PREP. The long hollow
stalks can be collected in spring and early summer. These stalks were used by the Indians of
Southeastern Alaska to make fishing lines for
deep sea fishing. Several years ago Mr. Keithahn,
director of the Alaska Museum at Juneau, introduced Alaskans to kelp pickles made from the
long hollow stalks. Recipes are available from the
Fisheries Products Laboratory, Ketchikan, Alaska.
70
SEAWEED, Laver (Porphyra laciniata (Lightfoot)
Agardh,) Thlinget Indian name — Thalkush.
A long, narrow, thin frond or leaf-like structure, about 1 foot long and about 1% to 2 inches
wide with very wavy edges. HAB. On rocks in
ocean along the coast of Southeastern Alaska,
Gulf of Alaska and westward to Unalaska. PREP.
This seaweed is collected in May -and early June
at low tide. When fresh it is green, but on drying
turns black. First it is separated from any debris
which might be present. Then it is partially air
and sun dried by placing outdoors on sunny days
on a large cloth laid on the ground or on a table.
Then it is ground in a food chopper and again
placed out on dry days, laying the chopped seaweed on a clean cloth and turning over frequently
until it is thoroughly dried. The dried seaweed
is stored in closed containers in a cool, dry place,
If thoroughly dried it will keep indefinitely. Seaweed thus prepared is often eaten raw as one
would popcorn, It has a nice salty taste. It is
rich in iodine, a mineral needed for proper functioning of the thyroid gland, The Thlingets often
use it in fish stews and soups.
SILVERBERRY (Elaeagnm commutata Bernh,)
is called by the Interior Indians of the upper
Tanana River Valley, Tomba. Silverberry is a
shrub 1 to 4 feet high. The leaves are silveryscurfy on both sides. The flowers are small,
crowded among the leaves at the upper end of the
branch; they are small, silvery on the outside,
yellowish inside; very fragrant. The fruit is
silvery, less than % inch long. This plant is found
along well drained banks of rivers, especially
along the Chitina, Eklutna, Matanuska and the
Tanana and its tributaries. The berry is dry and
mealy without much taste. The Interior Indians
fry them in moose fat.
Dulse
Rhodymenia palmata
COMMANDRA (Geocaulon lividum (Rich) Fern,)
is commonly called northern commandra and by
the Yukon River Indians, dogberry. The stems of
this plant are slender, creeping, sending up leafy
branches at intervals, each 4 to 12 inches high.
The leaves are alternate on the stem, thin, oval,
up to 1 inch long, The flowers are small, greenish-white, bell-shaped, inconspicuous, borne in the
axils of the leaves. The fruit is berry-like, small,
round and orange-red, It is common in open
woods of the Interior and in Southeast Alaska,
usually underneath trees or bushes in deep humus. The fruit is edible but not palatable,
LICHENS. All lichens are not edible. Some are
poisonous. The three most common lichens used
as emergency food through the ages are found
in scattered localities throughout Alaska,
DULSE (Rhodymenia palmata (L) Grevilh),
Seaweed that grows attached to rock. Consists
of thin, elastic lobed, purple-red fronds varying
from a few inches to a foot in length, HAB. Attached to rocks or coarser seaweed near low tide
mark along the Pacific Ocean shore of Southeastern Alaska, Prince William Sound, Yakutat Bay,
and Glacier Bay, Other varieties are found around
Kodiak Island and westward throughout the
Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians, PEEP, The
Southeast Alaska Indians gather this seaweed in
quantity in the spring, usually May or early June,
It is air dried and stored for winter use. It is
often added to soups, fish head stews. It is also
used fresh. A favorite method of preparation is
to quickly singe it on a hot stove or griddle, Like
other seaweeds it contains considerable iodine, the
mineral necessary for the proper functioning of
the thyroid gland.
72
ICELAND Moss (Cetraria islandica (L) Ach,)
forms tufts and tangled masses on the soil, growing up to 2 inches high. This plant forks and
branches freely. It is variously colored from
brown to olive to grayish, Most of the stalks are
thin, flattened, less than one-tenth inch wide, the
upper surface usually smooth, under surface
paler in color with wrinkles or channels toward
the base, the margins are lobed, torn or roughed
and finely toothed. The fruits (spores) are brown
and when present occur mostly along the margins
of the lobes, This lichen is found on soil in open
places . . . on low mountain summits and tundra
of the Arctic, on Seward Peninsula and the
islands of the Bering Sea.
REINDEER Moss (Cladonia rangiferina (L)
Web,) grows in carpet-like masses, sometimes 10
inches or more across. Sponge-shaped, of somewhat inter-tangled stalks which spring originally
from a gray-granular crust which soon disappears,
The stalks, 2 to 4 inches high, fork or branch by
twos with most of the tips turning downward
like tiny drooping fingers, grayish-white or silvery, the older stalks sometimes becoming covered
with tiny warts or granules. Reindeer moss is
found in greatest abundance in the foothills of
73
the Brooks Range, It is an important food of the
reindeer and caribou,
ROCK TRIPE (Umbilicareae), Also called Tripe
de Roche, This lichen is black, leathery, in circular discs about 3 inches in diameter. It is attached to rock at a central point, The fruits are
disc-shaped and scattered over the upper surface,
sometimes closely clustered. Rock tripe grows on
exposed cliffs and rocks and boulders in the mountain foothills on Seward Peninsula and in the
Alaska Range, This lichen has been used as an
emergency food in early trapping and Arctic exploring days. Lichens are an important food of
the reindeer and caribou. In summer lichens have
a very rubbery texture; in winter the winds dehydrate them to brittleness. On soaking they
regain their rubbery texture. In winter the
caribou and reindeer must paw through the snow
to get at it. Most lichens contain acids which
give them a bitter, unpleasant flavor. These acids
are usually strong enough to cause severe intestinal irritation in man. Therefore, they must be
removed by soaking in several waters, preferably
soda water, then draining and drying and finally
pounding it to a powder. The powder can then be
boiled with water to make a jelly-like gruel or it
can be added to soups and stews, Eskimos on
killing caribou and reindeer often eat the stomach
contents which contain partially digested lichens,
willow leaves and shoots and other plants. It is
considered quite a delicacy, which nutritionally it
certainly is, for through digestive and bacterial
action the protein and starch has been broken
down into smaller chemical units that can be
easily absorbed and utilized by humans.
BUCKBEAN (Menyanthes trifolmta L,) is also
called bogbean and water trefoil, This is a perennial plant with a stout, scaly rootstock. The
leaves, 1 to 4 inches long, are always divided
into threes and have a long stalk. The flowers
are in a terminal cluster on a stalk 4 to 12 inches
long. Each flower is 5 parted, white or tinged
with rose. This plant is found in wet bogs and
shallow ponds throughout Southeastern and Interior Alaska north to the Tanana, The rootstocks have been used in past times as an emergency food. They are dried and ground and then
washed in several waters to leach out the bitter
principle and then dried again, Fernald describes the bread made from such flour as "thoroughly unpalatable but nutritious."
YELLOW POND LILY (Nuphar polysepalnm
Engeln.) or spatterdock is a perennial aquatic
plant with a stout, creeping, spongy rootstock.
The floating leaves are large up to 12 inches long
and 8 inches wide, somewhat heart-shaped with
a deep basal cleft between the two lobes of the
leaf, Each leaf is on a long, round, spongy stalk.
The flowers are yellow tinged with red, large, solitary on a thick spongy stalk. The fruit, urnshaped, an inch or two long, ripens above the
water and contains numerous yellow or brown
74
glossy seeds. Spatterdock is found in ponds and
along the more shallow edges of lakes throughout
Alaska north to the Brooks Range, The edible
rootstocks can be boiled or roasted and eaten as
a vegetable. Muskrats and beaver cache this root
for winter. It is a favorable food of moose. The
seeds are available in the autumn, Fernald reports that the Indians of Oregon pound the pods
to loosen the seeds, parch the seeds to separate
the kernel from the outside shell and then parch
the kernels which swell, They are then salted
and eaten like popcorn or they can be ground into
a flour and boiled to make a gruel,
RED-BERRIED ELDER (Sambucus racemosa L,)
is a shrub 3% to 14 feet high. The leaves have
5 to 7 leaflets, downy on the underside and the
edges finely toothed. The flowers, small, white,
bell-like, are arranged in large clusters at the end
of a branch. The fruits, small, usually scarlet but
occasionally orange, are considered inedible.
There have been reports of digestive upsets from
eating them. The elder is found in woods and
openings throughout Southeastern Alaska, Kenai
Peninsula, Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, Bristol Bay
area, and the Aleutians as far westward as Unga
and Unimak Island.
SOAPBERRY (Shepherdia canadensis (L) Nutt.),
sometimes called soopalallie, is a shrub 3 to 5
feet high, The young twigs and buds are covered
with reddish-brown scales. The leaves are opposite, oval-shaped up to 2% inches long, margins smooth, densely hairy and brownish scales
on the underside, green above. The fruit is small,
round, translucent red. Soapberry is found in dry,
well drained, woody places near rivers and lakes
from Hoonah in Southeastern Alaska north to
Wiseman in Interior Alaska. The Indians around
Haines still use this berry. The berries are mixed
with sugar and water and beaten with the hands
to form a foam. It is used on desserts as we do
whipped cream, The raw berry is very bitter due
to the presence of "saponin,"
HEMLOCK (Tsuga hetewphytta. (Raf.) Sarg,)
a tree up to 196 feet high and 5 feet in diameter,
is one of the most common trees found in the
forests of Southeastern Alaska and the Kenai
Peninsula, The leaves are small, narrow, flat,
dark green above and whitish beneath. The cones,
less than an inch long, are borne at the end of
the branchlets. In times past, Southeastern Alaskan Indians, made regular spring expeditions,
usually in May when the sap was flowing, for
young hemlock trees. They removed the outer
bark carefully, then the thin inner bark (cambium layer) in small strips. These strips were
placed in a thoroughly heated outdoor oven lined
with skunk cabbage leaves, then covered first with
more leaves and then several inches of soil. A
fire was built on top. After thorough cooking the
bark was removed and pressed into cakes, sometimes with dried berries.
75
Baneberry
Actaea rubra
POISONOUS PLANTS
See color plate on back cover
BANEBEBEY, Snakeberry (Actaea rubra (Ait)
Willd.)
Perennial with thick rootstoek. Stems smooth
or somewhat hairy, 2 to 3% feet high. Leaves
large, lobed and coarsely toothed. Flowers are
small, white, many in a spike-like cluster at the
top of the stem, each flower with 4 to 10 small,
white petals. Fruit is a round red or white, several seeded berry, each berry attached to the stem
by a short thick stalk, the white berried plant
(Actaea eburna Rydb,) with red stalks, HAS,
Woods and thickets. Southeastern Alaska, Kenai
Peninsula, Kodiak, Bristol Bay, Yukon River districts as far south as Anvik,
Conditions of poisoning: Muenscher states that
the berries of this plant are poisonous. As few as
six berries can cause increased pulse, dizziness,
burning in the stomach and colicky pains, The
rootstoek is a violent purgative and emetic,
76
77
Poison Water Hemlock
Cieuta mackentiana,
POISON WATER HEMLOCK, Beaver poison (Cicuta
mackenziana Raup.) See color plate on back
cover.
Narcissus-flowered Anemone
Anemone narcissiflora
NARCISSUS-FLOWERED ANEMONE (Anemone narcissiflora L.)
Perennial. Stems up to 2 feet high, may be
densely silky-hairy. Leaves mostly basal on long
stalks but a few on the stem just below the
flower clusters. Leaves 1 to 5 inches wide, silkyhairy, much divided. Flowers in clusters at top
of stem, petals white often tinged with blue on
the backs. HAS. Open meadows, hillsides and alpine tundra, from Southeastern Alaska north to
the Arctic and west to the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak, and the Aleutians where it grows abundantly, Seward Peninsula. PREP. The early spring
growth on the upper end of the root is eaten by
the Aleutian Island natives. It is said to have a
waxy, mealy texture and taste. Note: Some members of this family contain the alkaloid, anemonine, which causes irritation and inflammation in
sheep who feed on it.
78
Perennial. Stem 3% to 7 feet high, stout;
jointed, hollow between the joints, reddish;
Leaves alternate, divided into narrow leaflets, up
to 4 inches long, the edges toothed, and the leaf
veins ending in or near the tooth notches. LeaJ:
stalks sheath the stem. Rootstoek short, ringed
on the outer surface and often, especially when1
young, with many fibrous rootlets; when older
with many spindle-shaped roots bunched at the
base. When root and lower stem are split length-wise many cross partitions or chambers can be
easily noticed. The plant produces a yellow aro^
matic oil which gives it a characteristic odor.
Flowers small, white, in umbrella-like clusters ai
the top of the stalk. HAB. Wet meadows, ditches,
along streams and around tundra lakes both in
Southeastern Alaska and throughout the Interior
north to the Brooks Range, Cicuta doughsii
(DC) Coult, and Rose is a similar plant except
that the leaves are broader and the margins deeply toothed. Cicuta maculata L,, SPOTTED WATER
HEMLOCK, is a very stout plant 2 to 7 feet high,
the lower part of the stem often mottled with
purple. It is found in wet meadows and marshes>
and damp, low thickets. This plant common in
eastern North America has been reported from'
Central Alaska.
Conditions of Poisoning: Poison water hemlock
contains a resin-like sticky substance called cicutoxin. It is most concentrated in the roots but is
present in all parts of the plant. Only a small
quantity of the root, about the size of a walnut*
is necessary to cause fatal poisoning. Symptom!
are stomach pains, nausea, vomiting, weak and
rapid pulse, violent convulsions. There is some
chance of survival in human poisoning if free
vomiting can be promptly produced, followed by
a cathartic. Otherwise fatal results occur within
a few hours. Two deaths occurred in the Bethel
area in the spring of 1951 as a result of persons
eating the roots of this plant.
79
Wild Sweetpea
Hedysarum mackenzii
Nootka Lupine
Lupinus nootkatensis
NOOTKA LUPINE (Lupinm nootkateinsis Down.)
WILD SWEETPEA (Hedyswrum mackenzii Rich,)
Perennial. Stems erect, few, up to 1% feet
high, minutely hairy. Leaves with 9 to 17 small
leaflets. Leaflets about equally rounded at both
ends, smooth above, grayish-hairy beneath, veins
hidden. Flowers very showy and fragrant, rose to
violet-purple with 5 petals, irregular, arranged as
in a sweetpea; sepals 5, united forming a tube
with 5 nearly equal teeth, awlshaped and longer
than the tube. Seed pods flat, usually with 6 oval
joints, each containing one seed; the entire pod
minutely hairy and cross veined. Root, a tap root
several feet long. HAS. This plant is found in
open gravelly places and sandy-gravelly river
beds from Chilkat River north along the rivers
of the Interior such as Chitina, Matanuska and
Delta Rivers; Copper Center, Black Rapids, MeKinley Park, Healy, Upper and Central Yukon
River districts, Seward Peninsula around Nome
and Teller and north to Noatak, along the Arctic
Coast from Barrow to Herschel Island.
Conditions of Poisoning: This plant has been
reported as being poisonous. In the early days
of Arctic exploration Sir John Richardson and
his men mistook it for the edible Hedysarum, alpinum and reported that all the men who ate it
became ill.
80
Perennial with a long tap root. Stems up to
3% feet, clustered, branched, smooth to densely
hairy. Leaves alternate; basal leaves on short
stalks; palmately compound with 6 to 8 leaflets
with blunt tips, sparingly to densely silky-hairy.
Flowers in dense terminal clusters up to 10 inches
long; petals 5, blue often shaded pink or white,
rarely pure white. Fruit a legume 1 to 1%
inches long, black and hairy. HAB. On hillsides
and open fields from Southeastern Alaska north
to Skagway and Yakutat; west to Valdez, Seward,
Bristol Bay, Illiamna, Kodiak, Afognak, Alaska
Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, Pribilofs, Interior
Alaska including Lower Kuskokwim Valley,
Alaska Range. PREP, The roots are gathered
about October by the Aleuts. They are carefully
scraped to remove the skin and then the inner
portion is eaten either raw or boiled. It has a
slightly bitter taste. It has been reported that
when eaten in excess it produces disagreeable effects. It is thought that the excess woody fiber
produces fatal inflammation of the stomach and
intestines.
Note: Some lupines contain a number of alkaloids such as lupinine, lupanine, and sparteine,
and they have been known to cause fatal poisoning in animals. Several other lupines grow in
Alaska — all should be considered poisonous.
Vetch
Astragalus, Oxytropis
VETCH, LOCOWEED (Astragalus, Oxytropis,)
Perennials, Stems erect or spreading. Leaves
alternate, each with many leaflets, some smooth,
some hairy. Flowers in spike-like clusters at top
of stem. Individual flowers pea-like in structure
with 5 petals, white, yellow or purplish. In Astragalus the keel of the flower is blunt; in Oxytropis the keel has a sharp, projecting point.
Fruit a pod containing several seeds. HAS. Both
of these plants grow more or less abundantly in
meadows, on hillsides, on tundra throughout
Alaska from Southeastern to the Arctic and
throughout the Aleutians. They are especially
abundant around Buffalo Center in Central Alaska, They also grow on mountains.
Conditions of poisoning: Several species of
Astragalus and Oxytropis have been reported as
toxic. It is not easy to distinguish between those
that are poisonous and those that are not. Poisoning may be due to either of two causes: First,
some of these plants may contain locoine, a substance responsible for loco disease among animals.
The symptoms are irregular gait, loss of muscular control, weight and appetite, resulting in
death. The second cause of poisoning is due to
the fact that some members of Astragalus especially are able to absorb large quantities of
such minerals as selenium and molybdenum when
they are present in the soil. These minerals in
more than very minute quantities are known to
produce severe toxic symptoms. Selenium causes
"blind staggers" in animals; molybdenum causes
poor growth, brittle bones and anemia. Both
selenium and molybdenum are poisonous to humans too. It is not known that species of Astragalus and Oxytropis growing in Alaska are poisonous. The root of Oxytropis nigrescens, the
BLACK OXYTROPE, called by Eskimos "Eyeahk" is
eaten by the Eskimos of Barter Island. If used
as an emergency food it should be eaten with
caution,
82
False Hellebore
Veratrum eschscholtzii
FALSE HELLEBORE (Veratrum eschscholtzii A,
Gray.)
Perennial. Stem stout, 3 to 8 feet high, hairy
leafy, arising from a thick rootstock. Leaves alternate, broadly round-oval with pointed tip,
clasping the stem; blade smooth above, hairy
beneath; veins parallel. Flowers small in large
terminal spike-like clusters with drooping
branches; petals 3, greenish. Fruit a three-celled
capsule. HAS, Swamps and low grounds. Found
in Southeastern Alaska, Kenai Peninsula,
Talkeetna Mountains, Kodiak Island, Bristol Bay
area. Veratrum album L, has been reported from
Seward Peninsula, Kokrines, Attu Island in the
Aleutians.
Conditions of Poisoning: Muenscher states
that Veratrum contains several toxic alkaloids
known to be fatal to sheep and other animals.
Symptoms are salivation, vomiting, purging, abdominal pain, muscular weakness, general paralysis, tremors, spasms and occasionally convulsions. Death results from asphyxia.
83
INDEX
Page No,
DEATH CAMAS (Zygadenus elegmis Pursh.)
Perennial, growing from a bulb. Stems smooth,
1 to 2 feet high, leafy. Leaves alternate on the
stem, long and narrow with pointed tip, flat, 4
to 21 inches long, the lower part of the leaf
clasping the stem. Flowers in loose terminal
clusters, each flower with three, greenish-white
petals, each petal with 1 to 2 glands or dark spots
just above the base of the flower. Fruit a capsule.
HAB, Meadows, roadsides, edges of forests
throughout Interior Alaska from Keystone Canyon near Valdez north to Chitina, Copper River,
Chickaloon, Talkeetna, Rapids, Nenana, MeKinley Park, Tanana, throughout the Upper and
Central Yukon River districts, Anaktuvik, Kuskokwim Valley, Seward Peninsula,
Conditions of Poisoning: Zygadenus contains
the toxic alkaloid zygadenine in all parts of the
plant from the bulb to the seed. According to
Muenscher, this plant has been a cause of sheep
and cattle poisoning in the western states. Children have been known to be poisoned by eating
the bulbs, probably mistaking them for onions,
The symptoms of poisoning are salivation, nausea,
vomiting, lowered temperature, weakness with
staggering and prostration, difficult breathing,
coma.
84
Actaea eburnea
77
Actaea rubra
77
Ahklingquahk —
9
Ahlooieguk
.27
Ahlooieruk
27
Ahsaklook
7
Ahsaycheek
31
Ahsayeyik
53
Ahtchaigpiat
46
Ahzayahk —
39
Ahzeeahlook
5
Ahzeeahsak
31
Akpik
46
Alpine bearberry
38
Allium schoenoprasum
57
Amelanchier alnifolia
37
Amelanchier
florida
37
Anemone narcissiflora
78
Anemone, narcissus-flowered
78
Angelica lucida
5
Angelica, seacoast
5
Antlegit
66
Appleberry, baked
,
46
Arabis lyrata
6
Arctic Dock
27
Arctostaphylos alpina ..... —
38
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
38
Asparagus, beach
28
Asparagus, cossack
,. 69
Astragalus
,
82
Baneberry
,
,—
, 77
Barbarea orthoceras
8
Beach greens
7
Bear root
,
61
Bearberry, alpine
,
38
Beaver poison
79
Bilberry, great or bog
53
Bistort, mountain meadow
24
Blackberry
39
Blite, strawberry
,,
11
Blueberry, Alaska
53
Blueberry, bog
53
Blueberry, dwarf
53
Blueberry, early
53
Blueberry, swamp
53
Bogbean
74
Boneruk
39
Bracken
25
Bracken, western
25
Brake
,25
Brake, hog
25
Brake, pasture
25
Bramble,
five-leaved
. . . . , . . , . . . , . . . 49
Buckbean
,. 74
Bumblebee plant
,
63
Buttercup, Pallas
26
Cabbages, little
62
Cahuk
24
Caltha palustris
....,.., 3
Camas, death
— 84
Carex aquatilis .... —
65
Cattail
,
69
Celery, wild
Cetraria islandica
Cheecheekok , —
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium capitatum
67,18,5
. , . . . , . . , . , . . 73
66,18
— , . — . . , . , 10
11
85
Chives, wild
•
•
57
Chuck
•
•
•
53
Churah ,
•
30
Cieuta
,...,,,,,.,.,...,. 1
Cicuta douglasii
. . , . . , . . . . . , . . 79
Cieuta maekenziana
•. — 79
Cicuta maeulata
79
Cladonia rangeif erina
73-74
Claytonia aeutifolia
58
Claytonia sibirica
12
Claytonia tuberosa
59
Cloudberries
.46,1
Cochlearia officinalis
13
Coltsfoot
20
Commandra, northern
73
Cottongrass, tall —
66
Cowparsnip
67
Cowslip
— 9
Crabapple, western
42
Cranberry, bog . . . . . . . . . —
51
Cranberry, highbush
55
Cranberry, lowbush
54
Cranberry, mountain
. . . , . . , . , , 54
Cranberry, swamp
,
51
Crowberry
..,,.,..
39
Cucumber root
34
Cucumber, wild
—
34,31
Curlewberry
39
Currant, American red
43
Currant, blue
—
43
Currant, fetid
43
Currant, northern black
43
Currant, trailing black
43
Dandelion
— . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Dock, Arctic
27
Dogberry
73
Dryopteris austriaca
14
Dulse
72
Eetaht
66
Eevuk
,
24
Egoosuk
5
Ekutuk
33
Elaeagnus commutata
73
Elder, red-berried
75
Empetrum nigrum
39
Epilobium angustifolium
15
Epilobium latifolium
16
Eriophorum angustifolium
,
, — 66
Etak or Etok
66
Eteeahahluk
7
Eveeahkluk
33
Eyeahk
,
82
Fern, spreading wood
14
Fireweed
15
Fireweed, dwarf
16
Fragaria chiloensis —
40
Fragaria glauea
— . — , 40
Fritillaria camchatcensis
60
Gaultheria shallon
41
Geocaulon lividum
73
Glasswort
.28
Gooseberry, swamp
—
43
Goosegrass
,
68
Goosetongue
22
Greens, salad
—
31
Hedysarum alpinum
61,80
Hedysarum mackenzii
— 80,61
Hellebore, false
83
Hemlock
Hemlock, poison water
Hemlock, spotted water
75
79
79
Heracleum lanatum
86
67
Hips, rose
44,1
Hippuris vulgaris
,
68
Honckenya peploides
7
Huckleberry, red
,, 52
Hudson's Bay Tea
17
Iceland Moss
73
Indian Rice
60
Juneberry
,
37
Kalugkat
65
Kapugachat
,
26
Keeleeyuk
,
29
Keepmik
—
— 54
Keepmingyuk
, 54
Keetuk
,58
Kelp, giant
70
Kinnikinnik
38
Kongolick
19
Kooklingwuk
63
Kooseemuk
23
Kuagtsik
27
Kungluk
19
Kangoluk
19
Kuvluk
38
Labrador tea
,
17
Lambsquarters
10
Laver
,
71
Ledum palustre subsp. decumbeus
17
Lichen
—,
73
Licorice root
61
Ligusticum hultenii
,
,. 18
Lily, black or chocolate
60
Lily, Kamchatka
60
Lily, yellow pond —
74-75
Lingenberry
54
Locoweed
82
Lousewort, wooly .,
,
63
Lovage, sea
18
Lupine, nootka
81
Lupinus nootkatensis
81
Malus fusca
,—
,42
Marestail
,
68
Marshmarigold
,. 9
Mashu
61
Meelukatuk
29-30
Menyanthes trifoliata
74
Mooseberry
,
55
Moss, Iceland
73
Moss, reindeer
,. 73-74
Mousenuts
66
Muhzut
, 61
Nagoonberry
,
45
Nahzakmeetak
63
Neechee
,
44
Nereocystis leutkeana
,
70
Nettle
,
36
Nettle, stinging
,
36
Nuphar polysepalum
74-75
Nutlut
54
Oatkuk
,. 59
Okpik
28-29
Oxycpceus microcarpus
51
Oxyria digyna
. . , . , . . , . . . 19
Oxytrope, black
, , , 82
Oxytropis
82
Oxytropis nigresceus
,. 82
Pacific serviceberry . , , , , . , ,
37
Pahmeyuktuk
,
16
Pahteetock
57
Pallas buttercup
Panak
Parrya nudicaulis
Parsnip, cow
26
39
62
67
—
,
87
Partridgeberry
• •. • — . . . . . . 54
Pedieularis lanata
63
Petasites frigida
20
Picknuk, picnic
66
Pigweed
10
Pink plumes
24
Plantago maeroearpa
21
Plantago maritima
22
Plantain, seashore
21
Plantain, seaside
22
Plume
flower
24
Plumes, pink
24
Polygonum alaskanum ,
—
23
Polygonum bistorta
24
Porphyra laciniata
71
Potato, Eskimo or Indian
61
Potato, Meskwaki
63
Potato plant
— 61
Potentilla pacifica
,
64
Pteridium aquilinum —
25
Ranunculus pallasii
—
26
Raspberry, American red
47
Raspberry, trailing —
49
Reindeer Moss
.73-74
Rhodymenia palmata
72
Rhubarb, wild
23
Ribes bracteosum
43
Ribes glandulosum —
43
Ribes hudsonianum
43
Ribes lacustre
43
Ribes laxiflorum
........,, 43
Ribes triste
43
Rice, Indian
60
River beauty
16
Riverweed
16
Rock rose
16
Rockcress, Kamchatka
6
Rosa acicularis
44-45
Rosa nutkana
—44-45
Rosa rugosa
.44-45
Rose, wild or prickly
,44-45
Roseroot
—...... 33
Rosewort
33
Rubus arcticus —
,
, 45
Rubus chamaemorus
46
Rubus idaeus
47
Rubus parviflorus
48
Rubus pedatus
49
Rubus spectabilis —
50
Rubus stellatus
45
Rumex arcticus
,. 27
Salad greens
,
31
Salal
41
Salicornia pacifica
28
Salix alaxensis
29
Salix pulchra
30
Salmonberry
50
Sambucus racemosa
75
Sandwort, seabeach
,..,,....., 7
Saryieeberry
37
Saxifraga punctata
31
Saxifraga spicata
32
Saxifrage, brook
31
Saxifrage, spiked
32
Scurvygrass
—
13
Sea-chickweed
7
Seapurslane
........,,,,, 7
Seaweed
71
Sedge, water
65
Sedum roseum
33
Serviceberry, pacific
37
Shepherdia canadensis
75
Silverberry
73
Silverweed —
,,. 64
Snakeberry
,
77
Soapberry
75
Sooguk
53
Soopalallie
75
Soquah
,
53
Sorrel, mountain
19
Sourdock
,.,
27
Sourgrass
19
Spatterdoek
—
.74-75
Spinach, strawberry
11
Spinach, wild
27,10
Spopnwort
13
Springbeauty, Bering Sea
58
Springbeauty, Siberian
12
Springbeauty, tuberous
,. 59
Spud plant
59
Squashberry
,
55
Stoneerop
,
33
Strawberry, beach
40
Strawberry, blite
11
Strawberry, Indian
—
11
Strawberry, Yukon
40
Streptopus amplexifolius
34
Surah
30
Sweetpea, wild
80
Sweetpotato, wild
64
Taraxacum
,35
Tayahksungwak —. —
9
Tayaruk
—
68
Teeveeteeuk
57
Thalkush
71
Thimbleberry
,.
48
Tomba
73
Toomalgleet
54
Trefoil, water
74
Tripe de Roche
74
Tripe, rock
74
Tsuga heterophylla
75
Tuguyuk —
18
Twisted stalk, clasping
34
Typha latifolia
69
Umbilieareae
74
Urtiea graeillis
36
Urtiea lyallii
,, 36
Vaceinium alaskensis
53
Vaccinium caespitosum
53
Vaccinium ovalifolium
53
Vaccinium paludicola
53
Vaccinium paryifolium
52
Vaccinium uliginosum ,
53
Vaccinium vitis idaea
54
Veratrum . — . . . .
,
83
Veratrum album
,
, 83
Veratrum eschscholtzii
83
Vetch
82
Viburnum edule ,.,
55
Wallflower, Parry's
62
Water sedge
65
Willow, felty-leafed
29
Willow leaves
30
Willow shoots
30
Willow-herb, great
, 15
Willow-herb, prostrate
— . . . . 16
Wineberry
45
Wingarat
51
Wintercress
8
Yellow rocket
8
%gadenus
,
84
Zygadenus elegans
84