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I decided to observe Devil’s Club around 1pm on September 8, 2023. This picture is at GPS location: Its scientific name is Oplopanax horridus. Oplopanax translates into, “protective heal all”, while horridus means “rough and bristly” (Delleman, 2022). Many people assume Devil’s Club includes the Devil’s name because of its painful thorns, but it actually refers to Devil’s Club ability to protect in the spiritual sense, or “club devils” (Delleman, 2022).

Devil’s Club is part of the Araliacea family. It can grow up to 12 feet tall, with leaves averaging about a foot long. There are spikes on the stems and underneath the leaves.

Devil’s Club ranges from Alaska to Oregon, (being very common in the Tongass National Forest) and the native peoples on the Pacific Coast have been using Devil’s Club for centuries. The Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska use the bark and roots medicinally in tonic and salves. (U.S. Department of the Interior,n.d.). It is also commonly used to make tea. Devil’s Club is known to be used as treatment for the common cold, fevers, lice, cancers, arthritis, tuberculosis, many digestive issues and more. (MedicineNet, 2023). Additionally, It is often just used as a painkiller.

My experiences with devil’s club are limited and often negative, since they often disguise themselves as helping branches along the trail. My hands have absorbed quite a few thorns from Devil’s Club. However, I have always been very curious about salve and tea made from Devil’s Club and am inspired to get my hands on some. I find it very intriguing and ironic that such a painful plant is such a helpful healer, but I am willing to try it nonetheless! I would like to know more about the harvesting methods.

Citations

Delleman, J. (2022, November 14). Devil’s Club: The healer’s healer. Ravensong Seeds & Herbals. https://ravensongherbals.com/blog-post/devils-club-medicine#:~:text=Traditionally%20Devil%27s%20Club%20was%20prepared,uses%20of%20the%20herb%20today.

MedicineNet. (2023). What is Devil’s Club plant used for, and is it safe? MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_is_devils_club_plant_used_for_and_is_it_safe/article.htm

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). S’áxt’. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/places/devil-s-club-ethnobotany-tour.htm#:~:text=S%27áxt%27%20is%20the%20ginseng,the%20common%20cold%20to%20cancer.

I decided to observe Devil’s Club around 1pm on September 8, 2023. This picture is at GPS location: Its scientific name is Oplopanax horridus. Oplopanax translates into, “protective heal all”, while horridus means “rough and bristly” (Delleman, 2022). Many people assume Devil’s Club includes the Devil’s name because of its painful thorns, but it actually refers to Devil’s Club ability to protect in the spiritual sense, or “club devils” (Delleman, 2022).

Devil’s Club is part of the Araliacea family. It can grow up to 12 feet tall, with leaves averaging about a foot long. There are spikes on the stems and underneath the leaves.

Devil’s Club ranges from Alaska to Oregon, (being very common in the Tongass National Forest) and the native peoples on the Pacific Coast have been using Devil’s Club for centuries. The Tlingit people in Southeast Alaska use the bark and roots medicinally in tonic and salves. (U.S. Department of the Interior,n.d.). It is also commonly used to make tea. Devil’s Club is known to be used as treatment for the common cold, fevers, lice, cancers, arthritis, tuberculosis, many digestive issues and more. (MedicineNet, 2023). Additionally, It is often just used as a painkiller.

My experiences with devil’s club are limited and often negative, since they often disguise themselves as helping branches along the trail. My hands have absorbed quite a few thorns from Devil’s Club. However, I have always been very curious about salve and tea made from Devil’s Club and am inspired to get my hands on some. I find it very intriguing and ironic that such a painful plant is such a helpful healer, but I am willing to try it nonetheless! I would like to know more about the harvesting methods.

Your observation must include GPS coordinates, time, species name, and a 250 word
“Journal” entry about how the species is used (or historically used) by people in that
place, your experiences with it, and a bit about the biology of the species.

Citations

Delleman, J. (2022, November 14). Devil’s Club: The healer’s healer. Ravensong Seeds & Herbals. https://ravensongherbals.com/blog-post/devils-club-medicine#:~:text=Traditionally%20Devil%27s%20Club%20was%20prepared,uses%20of%20the%20herb%20today.

MedicineNet. (2023). What is Devil’s Club plant used for, and is it safe? MedicineNet. https://www.medicinenet.com/what_is_devils_club_plant_used_for_and_is_it_safe/article.htm

U.S. Department of the Interior. (n.d.). S’áxt’. National Parks Service. https://www.nps.gov/places/devil-s-club-ethnobotany-tour.htm#:~:text=S%27áxt%27%20is%20the%20ginseng,the%20common%20cold%20to%20cancer.

After observing Devil's Club, I couldn't help but feel that my observation was a little bit too basic. However, after reading your comments, I am reminded that many of you are not living in Southeast Alaska and don't always get to see the same wildlife and plants that I do. I believe this observation will be more familiar to fellow Alaskans, but I found it very interesting nonetheless!

My interest was piqued after finding some Forget-Me-Nots as I was walking my dog this week. Seeing as Forget-Me-Nots have been around abundantly all summer, and that it is our State Flower, I began to wonder about the history behind the flower and whether or not it has any uses.

First of all, there is some fun history behind its name. The flower is native to Europe, Asia, and North America. According to Harvesting History, there is an old story that a knight died trying to get Forget-Me-Nots to his lover, and his last words were "Forget me not!" (2016) This is why the flowers are often associated with love, loyalty, and remembrance (SnapBlooms, 2022).

Its biological name is Myosotis, (2023) which in Greek means "mouse ear". (The petals resemble a mouse ear.) It also goes by the name "scorpion grass". It is part of the family of Boraginaceae. The flowers in Juneau are often a periwinkle blue or light purple, but they can be white, yellow, and pink as well. The flowers are usually less than a centimeter long and have 5 petals.

There is not a lot of information on the practical uses of Myosotis, but it is said you can take extracts from the roots and flowers to use medicinally for lung conditions, such as asthma, and nosebleeds (SnapBlooms, 2022),

Forget-Me-Nots are often used as inspiration for all kinds of Alaskan artists, including many Native Alaskans!

Citations

Administrator. “Forget Me Not.” Harvesting History, 2 Mar. 2016, harvesting-history.com/forget-me-not/#:~:text=The%20common%20name%2C%20Forget%20Me,leaves%20resemble%20a%20mouse%27s%20ear.

“Myosotis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Aug. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myosotis.

SnapBlooms, SnapBlooms. “Forget Me Not Flower - Myosotis Scorpioides.” SnapBlooms Blogs, 2022, www.snapblooms.com/blog/forget-me-not-flower/.

To continue on my roll of observing common, uninteresting-to-most plants that you can find all around Juneau, I have decided to observe common cow parsnip. Cow parsnip is sometimes called Indian Rhubarb, but that is a different plant completely. Cow parsnip's scientific name is Heracleaum maximum, named after the greek God Heracles because of how tall it grows. It is "the only plant in the genus Heracleum native to North America" (GFE, 2020). It is commonly known as cow parsnip because it is related to parsnip, and cows often eat it.

Common cow parsnip is part of the Apiaceae family, meaning it is related to other common plants such as celery, parsley, carrots, dill, and more. The stalks of common cow parsnip can grow up to 7 feet tall, and its eaves can grow up to 16 inches wide. (GFE, 2020)

There are many uses for common cow parsnip. However, humans must be careful because the sap from the plants may cause rashes, itching, and blistering when exposed to sunlight while on human skin. It is often eaten as food when the stems are young. The outer skin is not eaten though. Cow parsnip is also used medicinally for informally for digestive issues, nausea, arthritis, and more, while "Naturopaths today use cow parsnip to treat trigeminal neuralgia caused by damaged nerves controlling facial muscles and for other forms of nerve damage" (Native Memory Project, 2019).

Various Alaska Native tribes use cow parsnip. The Unangax use it medicinally for common colds and flus, as well as for cuts and scrapes. The Sugpiaq are known for using cow parsnip for inflammation, infections, and arthritis. The Athabaskan people use it for all of these reasons, as well as toothaches. (Travel Alaska, n.d.)

Citations:

“Cow Parsnip.” Native Memory Project, 23 Sept. 2019, nativememoryproject.org/plant/cow-parsnip/#:~:text=It%20was%20and%20still%20is,used%20in%20tea%20for%20this.

“Flowers of Significance to Alaska Native Peoples.” Travel Alaska, www.travelalaska.com/travel-articles/flowers-significance-alaska-native-peoples#:~:text=Cow%20Parsnip%20(Heracleum%20maximum)&text=The%20root%20was%20chewed%20raw,in%20use%20for%20arthritis%20treatment. Accessed 23 Sept. 2023.

Gfe. “Native Plant Fun Facts: The Charismatic Cow Parsnip.” Garden for the Environment, Garden for the Environment, 4 May 2020, www.gardenfortheenvironment.org/growing-gardeners-archive/2020/5/4/native-plant-fun-facts-the-charismatic-cow-parsnip.

The Green Brittlegill, or Green Russula, is a type of fungi found in Southeast Alaska and other northern temperate regions such as Britain and Ireland. (O'Reilly) It is often confused with the Russula virescens, which is also sometimes known as the Green Russula since it is part of the Russulaceae family and is green. This Green Brittlegill is, as I mentioned, part of the Russulaceae family, which is a family of fungi known for encompassing almost 2000 species of fungi (Russula). Usually, these mushrooms are found in small groups, but the one I found was singular. (O'Reilly) Its scientific name is Russula aeruginea. Russula means "red" and Aeruginea refers to different shades of green in Latin. The Russula aeruginea has a white stalk and spores, but its cap is a tan-green color. (Alaska, 15) Some eat these mushrooms, but it is debated whether or not they are edible. In Alaska, they are considered edible and "tasty by some" (Alaska, 15). As for medicinal or spiritual uses, there are not many to be found. However, there is information on the overarching family of this mushroom. The Russula mushrooms, in general, contain antioxidants and have been used in various countries for treating "liver disease, chest pain, and eye problems". (Porter).

I have never really been a fan of mushrooms, since I am mildly allergic to some species. However, I found this little guy when I was out on a walk a few nights ago and it's gooey top was intriguing to me. I know mushrooms have many uses and lots of history, but I am wary of trying them since I have a very hard time distinguishing them and don't want to end up poisoning myself.

Works Cited

Alaska Region, Forest Service. Mushrooms of the National Forests in Alaska - US Forest Service, www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5414170.pdf. Accessed 30 Sept. 2023.

O’Reilly, Pat. “Russula Aeruginea Fr. - Green Brittlegill.” Russula Aeruginea, Green Brittlegill Mushroom, www.first-nature.com/fungi/russula-aeruginea.php. Accessed 30 Sept. 2023.

Porter, Sandy. “Russula Mushrooms: A Complete Guide.” AZ Animals, 14 Dec. 2022, a-z-animals.com/blog/russula-mushrooms-a-complete-guide/.

“Russula Aeruginea.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Sept. 2023, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russula_aeruginea.