Transcript Preliminary Vascular Plant Survey of Cherry Point Salt Marsh

Renae Stanley (Lummi)
Northwest Indian College, Native Environmental Science. Brian Compton, Ph.D., Intern Supervisor.
Discussion &
Conclusion
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to survey the
Native and non-native vascular plants of Kwina
Woods and Cedar Grove within the Lummi
Nation of Bellingham, WA, and determine their
Lummi ethbobotanical uses.
The location of the study was on and near
Northwest Indian College.
The goal of the project was to collect, identify,
and catalogue those plants in order to tell the
story of the land and contribute to Northwest
Indian College’s herbarium.
I identified and catalogued 46 vascular plants
in the Cedar Grove and 30 in the Kwina Woods,
including the culturally significant vascular plants
and their ethnobotanical uses.
This study summarizes the importance of
Coast Salish ethnobotanical species within the
Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove.
Results
• Within the Kwina Woods, Cedar Grove and
Pacific Lowland Forests, research
demonstrated botanical uses for many
species around and within this area.
• Documented vascular plants (Figure 1)
• Summarized Ethnobotanical plants, uses,
and locations (Table 1).
• Native, non-native, and vascular plants were
summarized by location. (Figure 4)
Figure 2: Cedar Grove
Figure 1: Red elder, collected from
Cedar Grove and mounted.
Total Numbers of Native, Introduced and Ethnobotanical
Vascular Plants by Location
References
Introduction
Ethnobotany is, quite literally, the study of the
interrelationships between plants, like red elder
(Figure 1), and human beings, a body of
knowledge central to Native peoples’ traditional
knowledges and world views. The term derives
from Greek ethnos-, from the word meaning
‘nation,’ and botane, which means ‘grass’ or
‘pasture’ and which is the basis for the modern
word ‘botany.’
• What are the Coast Salish traditional
ethnobotanical species within the Pacific
lowland forests?
• To what degree are they represented in the
Cedar Grove (Figure 2) and the Kwina Woods
(Figure 3)?
Methods
• Literature review (Gunther, 1981; Kruckeberg,
1991; and Pojar & MacKinnon, 1994/2004)
• Performed a botanical survey of Kwina
Woods, Cedar Grove and Pacific Lowland
species (Figure 4 and Table 1)
• Collected and identified specimens from Cedar
Grove and Kwina Woods, then pressed them
for storage in the herbarium (Pojar and
Mackinnon, 2004)
• Identification of vascular plant species was
done using standard field guide and taxonomic
references (PLANTS database, 2014; Pojar &
MacKinnon, 1994/2004; and UW Herbarium at
the Burke, 2014).
I focused on Lummi ethnobotanical species
within the context of the Western Hemlock
Zone was characterized and compared the
Kwina Woods and Cedar Grove.
The Western Hemlock zone had the largest
variety of plants in every category (native,
ethnobotanical, and introduced).
The Kwina Woods had the next highest
number of ethnobotanical species, but the
lowest number of introduced species.
The Cedar Grove had the lowest number of
native and ethnobotanical species, but a large
amount of introduced species. This is due to
the site being the smallest and most disturbed
by human contact which suggests the value of
enhancing the native and ethnobotanical
plants of that site.
Figure 3: Kwina Woods
Figure 4: Kwina Woods, Cedar Grove and Western Hemlock zone
Table 1: Lummi Ethnobotanical Plants, Uses, and Locations.
Species
Ethnobotanical Uses
Cedar Grove
Kwina Woods
Present
Present
Acer circinatum
Vine maple
Used to make the wattleworks of fish traps.
Acer macrophyllum
Bigleaf Maple
Wood used to make cradle boards.
Leaves used to cover food cooking in pits.
Present
Present
Achillea millefolium
Common Yarrow
Decoction of flowers taken to produce sweating.
Decoction of flowers taken for body aches.
Present
Present
Alnus rubra
Red Alder
Bark made into a red to brown dye and used to make fish nets invisible to fish.
Absent
Present
Mahonia sp.
Oregon Grape
Berries eaten.
Absent
Absent
Cirsium sp.
Thistle
Decoction of roots and tips taken by women at childbirth.
Present
Absent
Rubus spectabilis
Salmonberry
Sprouts cooked in a pit and eaten with dried salmon. Berries eaten fresh.
Present
Present
Thuja plicata
Western Redcedar
Tips chewed by men to avoid nausea while burying a corpse.
Present
Present
Holodiscus discolor
Oceanspray
Poultice of leaves applied to sore feet.
Wood used to make the prongs of duck spears.
Wood used to make roasting tongs.
Figure
(e.g., location
Infusion of inner bark used
as an 1:
eyewash.
Present
Present
Polystichum munitum Western Swordfern
Leaves chewed by women to facilitate childbirth.
Present
Present
Trillium ovatum
Pacific Trillium
Juice from smashed plants used as drops for sore eyes.
Present
Present
• Gunther, E. (1945). Ethnobotany of western
Washington The knowledge and use of
indigenous plants by Native Americans
(Vol.1). Seattle/London, Washington:
University of Washington.
• Kruckeberg, A. R. (1991). The natural
history of Puget Sound County. Seattle, WA:
University of Washington Press.
• Native American ethnobotany. (2003, May
14). Retrieved August 18, 2014 from
http://herb.umd.umich.edu/
• Pojar, J., & MacKinnon, A. (Eds.). (2004).
Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast:
Washington, Oregon, British Columbia &
Alaska (Rev. ed.). Renton, WA: Lone Pine.
(Original work published 1994)
Acknowledgements
of study site)
This study would have not been possible without the
financial support of the National Science Foundation
(NSF) Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP). I
also want to thank the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA); James R. Freed (Washington State
University Extension); Rebecca Saxton (Science Writing
Mentor, Northwest Indian College); Nathanael Davis
(Science Outreach Coordinator and Recruiter, Northwest
Indian College); and Paul Cline (fellow Intern).