My father and my uncle always talked about the “bakeapples” they used to pick in Newfoundland. Bakeapples, or cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) also grow on the west coast of British Columbia, but they’re a little hard to come by and we’ve never found them in very large numbers. Cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus) grows in low elevation bogs. The berries are edible and …
Edible Plants
Two Important Coastal Food Plants
Two very visible coastal plants that I’ve noticed along the top of the beach at South Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve are also important food plants for a number of first nations groups. Local Nuu-chah-nulth harvested both Springbank Clover (Trifolium wormskjoldii) and Silverweed (Potentilla anserina ssp. pacifica) roots. Springbank Clover Springbank Clover (Trifolium wormskjoldii) often grows in association …
Tastes Like Licorice
One of the Pacific Northwest ferns to look for on these dreary winter days is the Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza). Typically, you find Licorice Fern growing as an epiphyte on Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) and Red Alder (Alnus rubra) but I’ve also seen it growing occasionally on the ground or on moss covered rocks. Identifying Licorice Fern The look of …