SomeLummiFoodPlantsThe Lummi recognize, name and use several native plants of the Pacific Northwest for food.

Here are several of those plants with details regarding their use that were documented in the early half of the 20th Century (Gunther, 1981).

The species depicted here represent sources of edible fruits and underground structures that were used as indicated below:

• Trailing Black Currant: Berries eaten fresh.

• Blue Elderberry: Berries steamed on rocks, cooled and eaten in the winter.

• Indian Plum: Berries eaten fresh.Red Huckleberry: Berries used for food.

• Oregon-grape: Berries eaten.

• Nootka Rose: Twigs peeled, boiled and used as a beverage. Hips dried and used for food.

• Salmonberry: Berries eaten fresh. Sprouts cooked in a pit and eaten with dried salmon.

• Saskatoon or Western Serviceberry: Berries dried, boiled with dog salmon and eaten at feasts.

• Beaked or California Hazelnut: Nuts eaten fresh.

• Bracken Fern: Rhizomes roasted, peeled and the starchy centers eaten.

• Tiger or Columbia Lily: Corms steamed and eaten.

Botanically, many “berry” plants are considered to produce fruits that are defined and named (true) berries (blue elderberry, red huckleberry and Oregon-grape); drupes (Indian plum); an aggregate of druplets (salmonberry); achenes produced inside a hip (rose); or pomes (serviceberry). The fruit of the hazelnut is generally and botanically considered to be a type of nut.

And many “root” foods actually are corms (as in tiger lily) or rhizomes which are modified underground stems (as in bracken fern).

Please note that some plants, while used as sources of food, also may be known to produce toxins (e.g., bracken fern).

Reference

Gunther, E. (1981). University of Washington Publications in Anthroplogy: Vol. X, No. 1. Ethnobotany of western Washington: The knowledge and use of indigenous plants by Native Americans. Seattle: University of Washington Press. (Original work published 1945).

Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)

Tiger or Columbia Lily (Lilium

columbianum)

Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana)

Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)

Indian plum or Osoberry (Oemleria

cerasiformis)

• Photo Credits• "Ribes laxiflorum (Flower)" by Christian Hummert (Ixitixel) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ribes_laxiflorum_(Flower).jpg#mediaviewer/File:Ribes_laxiflorum_(Flower).jpg• "Sambucus caerulea 7997". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sambucus_caerulea_7997.jpg#mediaviewer/

File:Sambucus_caerulea_7997.jpg• "Oemleria cerasiformis 04012" by Walter Siegmund - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oemleria_cerasiformis_04012.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Oemleria_cerasiformis_04012.JPG• "Oemleria cerasiformis 15165" by Walter Siegmund - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oemleria_cerasiformis_15165.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Oemleria_cerasiformis_15165.JPG• "Vaccinium parvifolium" by Original uploader was Meggar at en.wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vaccinium_parvifolium.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Vaccinium_parvifolium.jpg• "Vaccinium parvifolium 0325" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vaccinium_parvifolium_0325.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Vaccinium_parvifolium_0325.JPG• "Mahonia aquifolium" by Original uploader was Meggar at en.wikipedia - Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here.. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via

Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahonia_aquifolium.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Mahonia_aquifolium.jpg• "Berberis aquifolium 4207" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Berberis_aquifolium_4207.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Berberis_aquifolium_4207.JPG• "Mahonia nervosa 5003" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahonia_nervosa_5003.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Mahonia_nervosa_5003.JPG• "Mahonia nervosa 5051" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mahonia_nervosa_5051.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Mahonia_nervosa_5051.JPG• "Rosa nutkana 07513" by Walter Siegmund - Own work, Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ5. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rosa_nutkana_07513.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Rosa_nutkana_07513.JPG• "Salmonberry Blossom" by David McMaster (= user BlindGoofy) - This photograph was taken by David McMaster. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia

Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salmonberry_Blossom.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Salmonberry_Blossom.jpg• "Bowl of salmonberries" by Ariasnow - Own work (Original text: “Ariasnow”). Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bowl_of_salmonberries.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Bowl_of_salmonberries.jpg• "Amelanchier alnifolia 6338" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amelanchier_alnifolia_6338.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Amelanchier_alnifolia_6338.JPG• "Amelanchier alnifolia". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amelanchier_alnifolia.jpg#mediaviewer/

File:Amelanchier_alnifolia.jpg• "Corylus cornuta". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corylus_cornuta.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Corylus_cornuta.jpg• "Corylus cornuta, nut". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corylus_cornuta,_nut.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Corylus_cornuta,_nut.jpg• "Adelaarsvaren planten Pteridium aquilinum". Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Adelaarsvaren_planten_Pteridium_aquilinum.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Adelaarsvaren_planten_Pteridium_aquilinum.jpg• "Pteridium aquilinum nf" by Carl Axel Magnus Lindman - http://runeberg.org/nordflor/508.html. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pteridium_aquilinum_nf.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Pteridium_aquilinum_nf.jpg• "Lilium columbianum 9527" by Walter Siegmund (talk) - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 via Wikimedia Commons -

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lilium_columbianum_9527.JPG#mediaviewer/File:Lilium_columbianum_9527.JPG

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)

Oregon-grapes, Tall or Holly-leaf

(Berberis aquifolium) (above) &

Dull or Cascade (B. nervosa) (below)

Saskatoon or WesternServiceberry

(Amelanchier alnifolia)

Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)

Beaked or California Hazelnut (Corylus

cornuta)

Trailing Black Currant(Ribes laxiflorum)