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Common Name: Devil’s Club
Scientific Name: Opolopanax horridum/s
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: Devil’s walking stick, cukilanarpak
Genus: Oplopanax
Species: O. horridus
Written Description: Large spiny shrub, 8'-10'; thick, woody stems, with few
branches, 1/2 to 1-1/2", covered with long, sharp thorns; very large leaves,
sharply toothed, thorns along veins; large flower heads producing large,
heavy clusters of red berries.
Found: Ravines, openings in moist, well-drained soil, in partial shade, in
South-central & Southeast Alaska.
Uses/fun facts: Devil's club has been traditionally made into decoctions and
poultices for treatment of respiratory ailments (e.g., cold, cough, sore
throat, chest pain, tuberculosis) and GI complaints (e.g., stomach pain,
ulcers, gallstones, indigestion, constipation). Ethno botanic data indicate
the extracts of the inner bark appear to have antipyretic, antitussive, and
antibacterial properties. The plant has been used internally to treat a
variety of conditions including influenza, measles, diabetes, cancer,
arthritis, and rheumatism. Devil's club has been used as a purgative,
emetic, and cathartic in higher doses. However, there is a lack of clinical
studies to support these uses.
Sources: http://www.alaskaherbtea.com/Foraging/Devils%20Club.htm
http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/plant-of-theweek/oplopanax_horridus.shtml
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=OPHO
Common Name: Crowberry
Scientific Name: Empetrum nigrum
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: Black crowberry, crake berry, crowpea, blackberried heath, wire ling and camerines
Genus: Empetrum L.
Species: Empetrum nigrum L.
Written Description: Evergreen shrub forming low mat; needlelike leaves
resemble juniper; tiny pink-purple flowers; shiny, purplish black, pea-sized
berries containing large, hard seeds.
Found: Peaty, open soil and tundra; rocky or sandy places, in open forest.
Ground cover on north slopes. Northern Hemisphere and some places in
South America.
Uses/fun fact: Berries are good but not choice. They are improved by
cooking into pies or jelly, muffins or pancakes, or mixed with other berries.
They make a fine white wine. Athabasca put them up for winter - they keep
well without sugar or grease. Athabascans use the leaves and stems as a
medicine for diarrhea. They also say the berry juice is good for kidney
trouble.
Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/144391/crowberry
http://www.alaskaherbtea.com/Foraging/crowberries.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=EMNI
Common Name: Currants
Scientific Name: Ribes triste
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: Gooseberry, garden black currant
Genus: Ribes L.
Species: Ribes
Written Description: Low spreading shrub; lobed leaves shaped like maple
leaves with toothed edges; bright red translucent berries. They are
propagated by cuttings 200–300 millimeters (8–12 inches) long, usually
taken in the autumn and set in the nursery immediately or in spring, 75 to
150 mm apart, with not more than two buds above ground. In the
plantation, they are set 1.2–1.5 meters (4–5 feet) apart in rows 1.8–2.4 m
distant. Under intensive cropping, currants are planted under grapes,
peaches, cherries, and pears because they stand shade very well.
Found: Moist woods or thickets while it flourish in cool, moist, northern
climates. Natives of temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere and of
western South America.
Uses/fun facts: Very tasty. Makes good jelly and jam and excellent wine;
Athabascans use the stems with outer bark removed for medicine against
colds and flu. Trailing black currants are also eaten. Black currant leaves are
used for tea. Seeds of some black currants may be a source of gamma
lineolic acid (GLA), a health chemical in demand and commanding high
prices, currently obtained from evening primrose.
Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/147019/currant
http://www.alaskaherbtea.com/Foraging/currant.htm
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RIBES
Common Name: Salmonberry
Scientific Name: Rubus spectabilis
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: Cloudberry, yellow berry, bake berry, malka, and
baked apple berry.
Genus: Rubus
Species: R.spectabilis
Written Description: Up to 7 feet high; Often forms dense thickets; flowers
rich magenta color with 5 petals; fruits are raspberry–like, red or orange at
maturity; spines on stem are weak; leaflets have coarse teeth and arranged
in groups of 3.
Found: Thickets of salmonberries and thimbleberries are common in moist
woods and lower mountainous regions, and along roadsides. It ranges from
the Alaska Peninsula, south-central, and southeastern Alaska to California.
Uses: Salmonberry flowers can be added to salads. Fresh or thoroughly
dried leaves are good ingredients in herbal teas. Fruits can be used for
snacks or cereal topping; add to milkshakes, fruit pies, parfaits, and other
desserts.
Fun facts: CAUTION; when collecting salmonberry leafs, be certain to use
them immediately for tea, or dry them well. When merely wilted, the
leaves are mildly toxic. *Thimbleberry has almost the same characteristics
as the salmonberry.
Sources:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/122384/cloudberry
http://arcticrose.wordpress.com/2008/04/02/040208-traditional-medicineand-foods-salmonberry-and-thimbleberry/
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RUSP
Common Name: Baneberry
Scientific Name: Actaea spicata
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: Actaea, bugbane, cohosh, necklace weed and Herb
Christopher
Genus: Actaea L.
Species: Ranunculaceae
Written Description: The black, creeping root-stock is perennial, sending up
each year erect stems, growing 1 to 2 feet high, which are triangular and
either not branched, or very sparingly so. The foot-stalks of the leaves are
long and arise from the root. These divide into three smaller foot-stalks,
and are so divided or re-divided that each leaf is composed of eighteen, or
even twenty-seven, lobes or leaflets. The flower-stem arises from the roots
and has leaves of the same form, but smaller. The flowers grow in spikes
and are of a pure white.
Found: Native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Uses: Considered by the natives a valuable remedy against snake-bite,
especially of the rattlesnake, hence it is - with several other plants sometimes known as one of the 'Rattlesnake herbs.'
Seasonal Changes or fun facts: Toads seem to be attracted by the smell of
the Baneberry, which causes it also to be termed Toad root, the name
arising possibly also from its preference for the damp shady situations in
which the toad is found. It is also called Bugbane, because of its offensive
smell, which is said to drive away vermin.
Sources:
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ACTAE
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/51660/baneberry
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/b/banebe11.html
Common Name: Snow Berry
Scientific Name: Symphoricarposalbus
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names:
Genus: Symphoricarpos
Species: S. albus
Written Description: All have bell-shaped, pinkish or white flowers and twoseeded berries. a shrub, 1 m (3 feet) high, with delicate stems, oval leaves,
and large, pulpy, white berries, and S. rivularis, slightly larger, with elliptical
leaves, and a profusion of berries. The Chinese species, S. sinensis, has
bluish black berries. Wolfberry (S. occidentalis), about 1.5 m tall, bears
white berries. Indian currant, or coralberry (S. orbiculatus), more than 2 m
tall, bears purplish berries.
Found: All species are natives of North and Central America, *except one
native to western China.
Uses: N/A
Seasonal Changes or fun facts: It’s an important food source for quail,
pheasant, and grouse during the winter; but it’s still poisonous to humans.
Sources:
http://green.kingcounty.gov/GoNative/Plant.aspx?Act=view&PlantID=36
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/550611/snowberry
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=GAULT
Common Name: Cranberries
Scientific Name: Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names:
Genus: Vaccinium L.
Species: Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton
Written Description: Cranberries are unlike any other fruit in the world.
From Cape Cod to Washington State, the cranberry has played a role in
holiday culture and family health & wellness for years. Its unique health
benefits and refreshing, tart taste put it in a league of its own when it
comes to healthy refreshment. Its stems are wiry and creeping; the leaves
are evergreen, oval or elliptical, and less than 1.2 cm (0.5 inch) long. Its
small flowers appear in June and have a four-lobed, rose-tinted corolla. It’s
round, crimson berries, which ripen in September, are about the size of
currants and are often spotted; they have an acid taste.
Found: Northern Hemisphere and places in northern North America, and
Asia and in northern and central Europe.
Uses: The health benefit most often attributed to the cranberry is its role in
maintaining urinary tract health.
Seasonal Changes or fun facts:
 The cranberry is one of only a handful of major fruits native to North
America. Others include the blueberry and Concord grape.
 The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who
called it "crane berry." When the vines bloom in the late spring and the
flowers' light pink petals twist back, they have a resemblance to the
head and bill of a crane. Over time, the name was shortened to
cranberry.
 During the days of wooden ships and iron men, American vessels
carried cranberries. Just as the English loved limes, American sailors
craved cranberries. It was the cranberry's generous supply of vitamin C
that prevented scurvy.
Sources:
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/foods/resource/3268.html
http://www.vitaminherbuniversity.com/topic.asp?categoryid=4&topicid=1
052
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/141721/cranberry
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VAMA
Common Name: Blueberry
Scientific Name: Vaccinium L.
Category: Berry
Subcategory: Shrub
Other common names: N/A
Genus: Vaccinium
Species: Ericaceae
Writing Description: Blueberries grow only in highly acidic and well-drained
but moist soils. Height of 4-5 inches or less, leaf size less than half an inch
to 3 inches in length.
Found: Native in North America.
Uses: Food, you can eat it natural or mixed with other food.
Seasonal Changes or fun facts: In autumn, the leaves and sometimes the
stems of blueberry bushes turn a bright red. Once the leaves fall, leaf and
fruit buds can be seen on the bush. Distinguish fruit buds and leaf buds
from one another by their size and placement. Fruit buds are roundish,
larger than leaf buds and appear close to the end of the branches. Leaf
buds are smaller and can be seen along the length of the branches.
Sources:
http://www.ehow.com/about_6523035_physical-description-blueberryplant.html
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/70441/blueberry
http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VACCI