PLANT LIFE


Sitka Spruce
Picea sitchensis

• Commonly 200 feet tall and five feet in diameter
  
• Bark is “scaley”
  
• Needles are sharp and stiff, and yellow-green to bluish-green in color
  
• Tall and straight with horizontal branches
  
• Light weight, clear-grained, strong wood
  
• High grade Sitka Spruce wood is used for buildings, musical instruments, etc.
  
• Roots are used for weaving water-tight baskets and hats
  
• Spruce tips are used in jellies, syrups, and even beer!
  
• The Sitka Spruce is the Alaska state tree

Western Hemlock
Tsuga heterophylla

• Up to 170 feet tall
  
• Needles are short, soft and arranged in flat, feathery sprays
  
• Make up 70 to 80-percent of Southeast Alaska’s rainforest
  
• Adapted to grow on humus and decaying wood, also known as nurse logs
  
• Often used in general construction
  
• The inner bark can be eaten, and teas can be brewed from it
  
• The outer bark is used in creating dyes

Western Red Cedar
Thuja plicata

• Up to 170 feet tall
  
• Shaggy bark tears in long, fibrous strips
  
• Aromatic wood—often used in closets and insect repellents
  
• Slow growing and long lived
  
• Wood is used for singles, boats, canoes, posts and carving items
  
• Bark is used for baskets and clothing

Yellow Cedar
Chamaecyparis nootkatensis

• Up to 140 feet tall
  
• Often have a slightly twisted trunk
  
• Wood has an aromatic, ‘raw potato’ smell
  
• Tough, straight-grained word is used for many carved implements
  
• Often used in finish carpentry—cabinets, framework, etc.
  
• Yellow cedar boughs were common trading items among Northwest Coastal peoples

Red Alder
Alnus rubra

• Deciduous tree native to western North America, from central coastal California north to southeast Alaska
  
• Also called Oregon alder, western alder, and Pacific coast alder
  
• Generally found within 125 miles of the ocean and at elevations below 2,400ft
  
• Name is derived from the bright rusty red color that develops when bark is bruised or scraped
  
• The world’s largest species of alder, reaching heights of 20-35m
  
• Leaves turn yellow in autumn before falling

Skunk Cabbage
Lysichiton americanum

• Skunk-like smell, especially when in bloom
• Blooms in early spring, April through May
  
• “Rainforest Crocus” – one of the first flowers to bloom in the forest
  
• Eaten by bear and deer
  
• Used for lining berry baskets
  
• Tlingits bake salmon wrapped in its leaves
  
• Medicinal tea is made from its roots—used to treat coughs, bronchitis, and asthma

Devil’s Club
Oplopanax horridus

• 3 to 7 feet tall erect stalks covered with spines
• Leaves are as large as 15 inches across and maple leaf-shaped
• Leaves have many spines on the underside and some spines on the top
• High nutrition value
• White flowers bloom in early summer
• Red pyramid of berries appears in late summer and early fall
• Bears love the berries!
• Many medicinal uses, plus teas and tonics
• Related to Ginsing

‘Chocolate Lily’ or Northern Rice Root
Fritillaria camschatcensis

• Dark brown bell-shaped flower with flared edge
• Short-lived bloom appears in May or June
• Root bulbs are harvested before or after flowering
• Bulbs can be eaten raw, steamed, or stir-fried
• Flower color and smell are designed to attract flies

Salmonberry
Rubus spectablis

• One of the most common shrubs in Southeast Alaska
• There are thorns on their stems, like a raspberry
• The fruit is raspberry-shaped, but yellow, orange or red in color
• Blooms in mid- to late spring
• One of the first berries to ripen (May through June)
• Most parts of the bush are edible, including the flowers and sprouts
• Tea is made from the flowers; jelly is made from the berries

Alaskan Blueberry
Vaccinium alaskaense

• Blooms late April to early May; berries appear in July or August
• Leaves are used for tea to treat urinary disorders
• Berries are used for jam, jellies, syrup, pies, and other sweet treats
• May help maintain stable blood sugar and stimulate appetite
• Sometimes called a ‘superfood’
• Deer graze on steams during periods of deep snow