A Journal of the California Native Plant Society

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Vol. 32, No. 4 October 2004 FREMONTIA

A JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY

IN THIS ISSUE:

WHITE ROOT (CAREX BARBARAE ) by Michelle L. Stevens 3 ETHNOECOLOGY OF SELECTED CALIFORNIA WETLAND PLANTS by Michelle L. Stevens 7 INTO THE SUNLIGHT: FROM FUNGUS TO FLOWER IDENTIFICATION by Bob and Barbara Sommer 16 THE RARE CALIFORNIA CLUB MOSSES 20 VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 - by Gordon Leppig AUGUST FRUGÉ, 94, DEAN OF UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHERS by Harlan Kessel 23 CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FREMONTIA CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1; Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Fax: (916) 447-2727 VOL. 32, NO. 4, OCTOBER 2004 [email protected]

Copyright © 2004 MEMBERSHIP California Native Plant Society Membership form located on inside back cover; dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the Bulletin Distributed in November 2004 Mariposa Lily ...... $1,000 Supporting ...... $75 Linda Ann Vorobik, Editor Benefactor ...... $500 Family, Group, International . . . $45 Bob Hass, Copy Editor Patron ...... $250 Individual or Library ...... $35 Susan Cotterel, Designer Plant Lover ...... $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $20 Justin Holl & Jake Sigg, Proofreaders STAFF CHAPTER COUNCIL CALIFORNIA NATIVE Sacramento Office: Alta Peak (Tulare) . . . . Joan Stewart PLANT SOCIETY Executive Director . . . . . Pamela C. Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono) ...... Muick, PhD Sherryl Taylor Channel Islands ...... Lynne Kada Development Director . . . . Michael Dedicated to the Preservation of Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ the California Native Flora Tomlinson Sonoma Coast) . . . Jon Thompson The California Native Plant Society Membership Coordinator . . . Marin East Bay ...... Joe Willingham (CNPS) is a statewide nonprofit orga- Lemieux El Dorado ...... Amy Hoffman nization dedicated to increasing the Sales Manager ...... Paul Maas Kern County . . . . . Laura Stockton understanding and appreciation of Finance Manager . Lois Cunningham Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns . . . California’s native plants, and to pre- At Large: Betsey Landis serving them and their natural habi- Marin County ...... Bob Soost Fremontia Editor ...... Linda Ann Milo Baker (Sonoma County) . . . . . tats for future generations. Vorobik, PhD Reny Parker CNPS carries out its mission Sr. Policy Analyst ...... Emily Mojave Desert ...... Tim Thomas through science, conservation advo- Roberson, PhD Monterey Bay ...... Robert Hale cacy, education, and horticulture at So. California Regional Botanist . . . Mount Lassen ...... Jim Bishop the local, state, and federal levels. It Ileene Anderson Napa Valley ...... Marcie Danner monitors rare and endangered plants East Bay Conservation Analyst . . . . . North Coast ...... Larry Levine and habitats; acts to save endangered North San Joaquin . . . . Gail Clark Jessica Jean Olsen areas through publicity, persuasion, Orange County ...... Sarah Jayne Interim Rare Plant Botanist ...... and on occasion, legal action; pro- Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn) . . . . Misa Ward vides expert testimony to government Chet Blackburn bodies; supports the establishment of Vegetation Ecologist . . . Julie Evens Riverside/San Bernardino counties . . native plant preserves; sponsors work- Vegetation Ecologist . . . Anne Klein Katie Barrows days to remove invasive plants; and San Bruno Mtn. Project Coordinator Sacramento Valley . . Diana Hickson offers a range of educational activities Joe Cannon San Diego ...... Dave Flietner including speaker programs, field trips, Legislative Advocate .Vern Goehring San Gabriel Mtns . . . . Lyn McAfee native plant sales, horticultural work- Legal Advisor ...... Sandy McCoy San Luis Obispo . . . . Charles Blair Sanhedrin (Ukiah) . Chuck Williams shops, and demonstration gardens. Website Coordinator ...... Santa Clara Valley . . Georgia Stigall John Donaghue Since its founding in 1965, the tra- Santa Cruz County . Janell Hillman ditional strength of CNPS has been Bulletin Editor . . Michael Tomlinson Sequoia (Fresno) . . . . Warren Shaw its dedicated volunteers. CNPS ac- Shasta ...... Dave DuBose BOARD OF DIRECTORS tivities are organized at the local chap- Sierra Foothills (Tuolumne, Cala- ter level where members’ varied in- Carol Baird, Jim Bishop, Vern veras, Mariposa) . . . . Patrick Stone terests influence what is done. Volun- Goehring, Steve Hartman, Diana South Coast (Palos Verdes) ...... teers from the 33 CNPS chapters an- Hickson, Lynn Houser, Lynne Kada, Barbara Sattler nually contribute in excess of 87,000 David L. Magney, Sandy McCoy, J. Tahoe ...... Michael Hogan hours (equivalent to 42 full-time em- Spence McIntyre, Carol Witham Willis L. Jepson (Solano) ...... ployees). (President) Allison Fleck Yerba Buena (San Francisco) . . . . . CNPS membership is open to all. PROGRAM DIRECTORS Members receive the quarterly jour- Mark Heath nal, Fremontia, the quarterly statewide CNPS Press ...... Holly Forbes and Gail Milliken MATERIALS FOR Bulletin, and newsletters from their PUBLICATION local CNPS chapter. Conservation . . . . . David Chipping Horticulture ...... Peigi Duvall CNPS members and others are wel- Fremontia logo (by L.A. Vorobik) re- Posters ...... Bertha McKinley come to contribute materials for pub- printed from The Jepson Manual, J. and Wilma Follette lication in Fremontia. See the inside Hickman, Ed., 1993, with permission Rare Plants ...... Ann Howald back cover for manuscript submission from the Jepson Herbarium, UC. © Re- Vegetation . . . .Todd Keeler-Wolf instructions. gents of the University of California. Printed by Business Point Impressions, Concord, CA

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 CONTENTS GUEST EDITORIAL ...... 2

WHITE ROOT (CAREX BARBARAE ) by Michelle L. Stevens ...... 3 White root (Carex barbarae) is a cultural focal species, important to both California Indian basketweavers and restoration ecologists. Traditional resource management of white root produces long, straight rhizomes to make baskets. Additionally, historic tending of sedge beds created an open and park-like riparian physiognomy. Continued sedge bed tending and gathering is both culturally and ecologically important.

ETHNOECOLOGY OF SELECTED CALIFORNIA WETLAND PLANTS by Michelle L. Stevens...... 7 California wetlands were as much the breadbasket of indigenous culture as Mesopotamia was to the Middle East. Common wetland plants provide food, medicine, habitat for fish and wildlife, and provide the natural resources for clothing, houses, boats, cordage, and beautiful California Indian baskets. This article reviews some of the more common wetland plants along with their ecological traits and traditional uses.

INTO THE SUNLIGHT: FROM FUNGUS TO FLOWER IDENTIFICATION by Bob and Barbara Sommer...... 16 After 30 years in amateur mycology, the authors became interested in wildflowers. They compare the two fields in terms of locations where items are sought, collecting practices, methods of identification, sensory properties, field guides, and sketching.

THE RARE CALIFORNIA CLUB-MOSSES by Gordon Leppig...... 20 Club-mosses are distant spore-bearing cousins of ferns and conifers. This diverse lineage is at least 300 million years old and occurs throughout much of the world. California, however, has only two species and both are rare. The author describes the life history of these unusual species, their habitats, and the conservation strategies employed to protect them.

AUGUST FRUGÉ, 94, DEAN OF UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHERS by Harlan Kessel ...... 23 August Frugé, director of University of California Press, passed away in July of this year. Along with being a California Native Plant Society founding member and past president, he was an amazing individual, a great champion of the environment, and considered by many to be the dean of university press publishers.

THE COVER: This ethnobotanical cornucopia includes Miwok coiled baskets, a soap root brush, a pine needle basket, necklaces made of dried madrone berries, a necklace made of gray pine nuts and beads, and basket materials. Photograph by M.L. Stevens.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 1 GUEST EDITORIAL: LIVING IN A TENDED LANDSCAPE—“RESTORYING” USEFUL WEBSITES AND CONTACT NATURE AND CULTURE INFORMATION

Ethnobotanical resources: he restorying of landscape means bringing back the language and oral See p. 15 T maps encoded in stories, recreating the sacred ecology of native lands. California Native Plant For example, the Nez Perce coyote stories recreate trails along the Colum- Society (CNPS): bia River, with key landmarks, inhabited areas, hunting and fishing grounds, www.cnps.org, with links to and even major disturbances like volcanoes, fires, and floods included in the conservation issues, chapters, story. Consider the words from Agnes-Baker Pilgrim, spiritual leader and publications, policy, etc. elder of the Takilma Indians from Grants Pass, Oregon, who encourages us To sign up for “NPCC News,” to “be spiritually strong and speak out for those who cannot speak.” She said: e-mail news on native plant “When our ancestors left this earth, leaving us their unfinished job, you science and conservation, send know they walked in beauty by the evidence of their care for our Mother a request to [email protected]. Earth. Rivers were pristine, habitats carefully kept in balance, used only in For updates on conservation moderation, knowing all things were connected and part of the fabric of issues: life and had a spirit. They knew how to use fire in an ethnic way of re- forestation and the times of rotation of cycles using the cool burnings. Audubon Society Every year the salmon rites were traditionally experienced, teaching reci- www.audubon.org procity, honoring the salmon. Their villages were near rivers and streams; Center for Biological Diversity in so doing their tables were always set, always giving thanks in prayer.” www.sw-center.org California is largely a culturalized landscape. The biological and land- Natural Resources Defense scape diversity is equaled by cultural diversity. At the time Europeans began Council recording events on the landscape, large scale landscape changes, disease, www.nrdc.org and cultural decimation had largely erased the historic indigenous signa- Sierra Club ture. We are now experiencing both a cultural and ecological renaissance in www.sierraclub.org California. However, these two great healing efforts, healing the people Wilderness Society and healing the land, are dancing to very different drums. www.wilderness.org The paradigm of a tended landscape, largely influenced by indigenous For voting information: people, is missing from the dominant ecological restoration paradigm. His- torical ecology recognizes the significance of culturalized ecosystems that League of Women Voters www.lwv.org, includes online have been influenced and modified by human activities to varying degrees voter guide with state-specific over time. Restoration goals need to incorporate human-influenced reference nonpartisan election and candidate communities and the historic range of variability influenced by human activi- information. ties. Eco-cultural restoration improves restoration success and conservation US Senate of culturally important species, and enhances cultural identity and integrity. www.senate.gov California marshes provided a rich bounty of materials, food, and medi- US House of Representatives cine. California baskets, a cultural icon, represent connection to ancestors, www.house.gov community, and future generations. Plant resource use is imbued with eco- California State Senate logical knowledge that takes many forms, spiritual as well as physical (Turner www.sen.ca.gov et al 2000—see resources listed on page 15). In addition, that knowledge has California State Assembly direct consequences—if harvesting is not sustainable, people cease to survive. www.assembly.ca.gov Dennis Martinez says that old people burned every year so that “there would not be any widows.” Fire was a tool for rejuvenation—it rejuvenated you, To write letters: made you strong and healthy, made you live right. “We have an obligation to President of the United States participate in world renewal—as we use up we give back” (Martinez 2002). The White House The knowledge that the California landscape was historically tended, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW culturally significant resources were sustainably harvested, and world re- Washington, DC 20500 newal ceremonies such as the first salmon ceremony are still offered, provides Senator Barbara Boxer or a legacy of hope for all Californians. Humans have been and can be good Senator Dianne Feinstein stewards. Incorporating the resource knowledge and cultural practices of US Senate indigenous cultures may lead to more effective ecosystem restoration and Washington, DC 20510 management. Additionally, indigenous land management and gathering prac- Your CA Representative tices provide cultural benefits to California’s diverse first nations. US House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Michelle L. Stevens

2 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 WHITE ROOT (CAREX BARBARAE) by Michelle L. Stevens

hite root (Carex barbarae W Dewey) is a significant basketry material for cen- tral California Native Americans, who use the long white rhizomes for the sewing strand in coiled baskets. Basketweaving continues to be a significant part of contemporary ethnic and spiritual identity for many California Indian people, and for many provides a critical connection to the land. Prior to European settlement, white root was used by over one- third of California tribes for basketweaving (Merrill 1923). Bas- kets and basketweaving were cen- tral to the daily lives of California Indians, and contributed to over 50% of the entire material culture (Anderson 1996). This means that baskets or fiber comprised over half of all items made or used for clothing, bedding, cooking, eating, storage, harvesting, or hunting and fishing. White root is a grass-like her- baceous perennial plant found in the understory of valley oak riparian woodlands of California (Fig- ure 1), and is one of the most difficult plants for basketweavers to ob- tain due to privatization and elimi- nation of traditional gathering sites. Today, riparian woodlands occupy Figure 1: Botanical illustration of Carex barbarae. Note the long rhizome, used for only 5% of that known before Euro- basketweaving. Note also the awned scale subtending the perigynium, a diagnostic peans settled California. Intact un- feature distinguishing C. barbarae from other sedge species. The culms are 3-10 dm derstory in riparian woodlands rep- tall. Illustration by K. Harrison. resents a small subset of remnant riparian habitat. Traditionally tended Acknowledgements cultural sites represent an extremely scarce and non-renewable resource, The author would like to express appreciation to the many knowledgeable with only a handful of continuously teachers who contributed to this and the following article: Members of the tended beds remaining. Sierra Native American Council, Kat Anderson, Mary and Sam Baugh, Carex barbarae grows from Patty Baye, Judy and Pete Bunting, Doris Case, Sarah Coran, Gen and Bob Ventura County in southern Denton, Ramona Dutschky, Arvada Fisher, Irene Huss, Gladys McKinney, California to southern Oregon Rita Nunes, Betty Shannon, Julie Tex, Norma Turner, and many other (Hickman 1993), from sea level to individuals that the author would like to thank personally. Thanks also to just over 900 meters. The plants Kathleen Harrison for providing the exquisite illustration of Carex barbarae. grow in riparian areas along streams

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 3 and occasionally in areas that bor- Table 1: California Indian Tribes Using der on marshes, and on open or White Root in Baskets brushy slopes and valley bottoms that are wet in the spring. There is a strong overlap between tribes that use white root and the distribution Tribes Using Merrill Kroeber Elsasser Bibby of Carex barbarae (Figure 2). White Root (1923) (1925) (1978) (1996) Twenty-two tribes within the range of C. barbarae are recorded as using white root in coiled baskets (Table Cahto • 1). Altogether, 14 California tribes Coast Miwok • have territories that overlap the range of Carex barbarae, but do not Costanoan • use white root in their baskets.

Esselen • PLANT Foothill Yokuts ••• CLASSIFICATION Kitanemuk • The western scientific classifica- Konkow • tion of plants differs from indigenous classification systems. From a Na- Lake Miwok •• tive American perspective, it is likely that rhizomes from as many as 13 Miwok • different species were used for Monache • basketweaving, and all are known as “white root.” These species include Nisenan Carex amplifolia Boott, C. barbarae Dewey, C. buxbaumii Wahlenb., C. Nomlaki hassei L. Bailey, C. lanuginose Michaux, C. lyngbyei Hornem., C. Northern Chumash • nebrascensis Dewey, C. obnupta L. Northern Valley Yokuts •••• Bailey, C. senta Boott, C. utriculata Boott (previously C. rostrata), and C. Panamint • simulata Mackenzie. Different species of sedges are impossible to dis- Patwin •• tinguish in finished baskets, with the exception of Carex obnupta, which Pomo ••• has distinctive protuberances on the Salinan rhizomes (Craig Bates, personal communication, 1998). Sierra Miwok • Many Indian people distinguish or classify white root by the color Southern Valley Yokuts ••of the rhizomes and the location where the plants grow. The color Tubatulabal •••of the rhizome is considered to be Wailaki • an important distinguishing feature in white root classification. In most Wappo ••cases, basketweavers prefer white- colored rhizomes over darker or Washo •• brown rhizomes (Stevens, unpublished field notes, 1995–1998). Rhi- Yuki • zomes growing in fine-textured soils such as clays and silts yield a darker rhizome (from off-white to brown),

4 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 and the rhizomes do not grow as and roots (Stevens, unpublished field long or straight. Indian people re- notes, 1985–1988). White root plant fer to these as “dirt roots,” and this density is maintained at approxi- material is not suitable for mately 0.5–1.0 meter spacing. Extra basketweaving. plants are removed and often transplanted into adjacent areas. Tend- ing practices aerate the soil and may TRADITIONAL stimulate rhizome growth through RESOURCE pruning. Plants are harvested every MANAGEMENT two to four years; less than one- third of the plants are removed in Traditional Resource Manage- any given harvest. The season for ment (TRM) and Traditional En- harvesting sedge rhizomes differs vironmental Knowledge (TEK) are among California Indians and is de- based on a tradition of respect and pendent on where the plant is grow- interconnection with the land. Den- ing and its substrate. In general, rhi- nis Martinez (1995) defines Tradi- zomes are harvested in the spring tional Environmental Knowledge as after the rains have subsided and “an integrated body of spiritual and when the ground is still moist. practical knowledge that has evolved Prayer, thanksgiving, and ask- over vast stretches of time through ing permission to dig are intrinsic components of traditional resource Figure 2. Map of distribution of the successful adaptation of an in- generalized tribal territories of California digenous people to their particular management, although the specif- Indians and the distribution of Carex ecosystem.” ics vary among individuals and lo- barbarae. Basketweavers and basket Traditional Resource Manage- cal traditions. Common elements weaving styles were specific to families, ment practices include multiple spe- include respect for life and recogni- interspersed small tribelets among larger tion of the spirit and power in the tribal or linguistic affiliations, and the cies management, resource rotation, specifics of local watersheds and plant succession management, landscape plants. One Pomo basketweaver materials. Sedges are not identified to patchiness management, and other says, “You can’t separate the prayers species in finished baskets. Sedge ways of responding to and manag- and ceremonies and how you feel rhizomes were often traded across ing environmental uncertainty and inside from the basket. Plants say, ‘I relatively large distances. optimizing sustainable cultural re- want human beings, when they har- source extraction (Berkes et al. 2000; vest me, I want them to give me year to dry. Basket materials are Berkes 1999). These traditional sys- prayer. They have to sing songs for stored in a semi-prepared state. tems have similarities to adaptive me, give me a ceremony.’ Ceremony Weaving. Rhizomes are scraped management with its emphasis on is too important not to pass it on. and sized prior to weaving. The pre- feedback learning, and its treatment All that information must be passed pared rhizomes are then dipped in of uncertainty and unpredictability on to the younger generation.” water and used as the sewing strand intrinsic to all ecosystems (Ibid.). for coiled baskets. In California, sedge beds are man- Other Ethnobotanic Uses. Other aged through selective harvesting, MATERIAL uses of white root include gathering thinning, weeding, and digging to PREPARATION/ the shoots into a loose knot to hold stimulate desired rhizome length and WEAVING worms for fishing or to gather eggs. morphology. Traditionally-tended white root plants have rhizomes as White Root Gathering. Before long as 2 meters, whereas untended digging the rhizomes, the shoots ECOLOGICAL plants have short, twisted rhizomes. (leaves) of the sedge plants are cut IMPACTS Figure 1 on page 3 illustrates the to approximately 30 centimeters to long, straight, peeled rhizomes gath- avoid cutting hands on the sharp- In the past, hundreds of thou- ered from traditionally-tended sedge edged leaves. sands of rhizomes were harvested beds, compared to the shorter rhi- Preparation of Rhizomes. Rhi- annually at a scale that preserved zomes from untended beds. zomes are debarked and split in two species diversity and ecosystem func- Sedge bed management results while fresh. Coils of 50–100 split tion in riparian areas (Stevens 2003; in loose, homogeneous soil that al- rhizomes are coiled together, tied, Stevens 1999). Sedge beds were man- lows free expansion of the rhizomes and stored for approximately one aged for desired rhizome length and

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 5 Basketry materials for use in baskets. On the top, deergrass culms (Muhlenbergia Weaving a coiled basket with white root. rigens) are wrapped into the center of coiled baskets, often using white root for the Willow sticks to be woven into the basket sewing strand. Willow stems (Salix species), shown in the middle, are used for both are tied in the foreground. Baskets are warp and weft of all types of baskets, all over the world. Red bud (Cercis occidentalis) displayed at the monthly second Saturday bark, shown on the bottom, is used as reddish brown design elements or for whole basket demonstrations at Indian Grinding basket construction. Photographs by M.L. Stevens. Rocks State Park. morphology for basket weaving. A duced flooding impacts. Due to its of California Press. Berkeley, CA. significant portion of the riparian extensive underground root and rhi- 280 pp. forest understory was tended prior zome system and high root-to-shoot Hickman, J.C. (ed.) 1993. The Jepson to European settlement. ratio, Carex barbarae is frequently Manual. Higher Plants of California. The sedge bed area harvested used as an understory plant in ri- University of California Press. Ber- keley, CA. 1399 pp. would be equal to 2.4 hectares (5.9 parian vegetation, and as a non- structural bank stabilization plant. Martinez, D. 2002. Indian burning. acres) per tribelet (small extended Traditional Indian burning, fire haz- It is able to withstand drought and family group) per year (Stevens 1999). ard reduction, and restoration for- flooding, so it is very adaptable to It is likely that most areas with desir- estry. The New Settler. P.O. Box 702. able rhizomes were harvested every California’s highly variable Medi- Mendocino, CA 95460. two to four years, which maintained terranean climate. Merrill, R.E. 1923. Plants used in bas- a lawn-like, grassy appearance under ketry by the California Indians. California riparian forests. Preferred University of California Publications in REFERENCES white root sites would be tended each American Archaeology and Ethnology year by the same family group. Oth- 20:215-242. Stevens, M.L. 2003. Traditional Re- ers could harvest in these areas only Anderson, M.K., and M.J. Morotto. source Management of White Root with permission. Ownership of sedge 1996. Native American land-use practices and ecological impacts. Si- (Carex barbarae) by California Indi- beds promoted careful tending and erra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Fi- ans: Implications for Restoration. In long-term sustainable harvests. Each nal report to Congress, Vol II. As- Faber, P.M. (ed.). 2003. California area was cared for from generation sessments and scientific basis for Riparian Systems: Processes and Flood- to generation, and accountability management options. Centers for plain Management, Ecology, and Res- was both to the ancestors and future Water and Wildland Resources. toration. 2001 Riparian Habitat and generations. University of California, Davis, CA. Floodplains Conference Proceed- Given the high population of Berkes, F., J. Colding, and C. Folke. ings, Riparian Habitat Joint Ven- native people in California, particu- 2000. Rediscovery of traditional ture. Sacramento, CA. 557 pp. Stevens, M.L. 1999. The Ethnoecology larly in the low-elevation range of ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecological Applications and Autecology of White Root (Carex Carex barbarae, it is probable that barbarae): Implications for Restoration. most available plants in suitable soils 10(5):1251-1262. Berkes, F. 1999. Sacred Ecology—Tra- PhD Dissertation. University of were sustainably harvested. This ditional Ecological Knowledge and Re- California. Davis, CA. 52 pp. Traditional Resource Management source Management. Taylor and approach also reduced the rough- Francis Publishing. Philadelphia, ness coefficient of California low- PA. 209 pp. Michelle L. Stevens, 3349 St. Mathews elevation rivers, which in turn ex- Clarke, C.B. 1977. Edible and Useful Drive, Sacramento, CA 95821. mlstevens panded channel capacity and re- Plants of California. University @prodigy.net

6 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Wetlands of Liberty Island, Solano County, California. Photograph by D. Aldridge.

ETHNOECOLOGY OF SELECTED CALIFORNIA WETLAND PLANTS by Michelle L. Stevens

thnoecology is defined as the Wetlands in California have Traditional land management e study of human relationship been tended and resources practices include multiple species with the local environment, sustainably harvested for many gen- management, resource rotation, whereas ethnobotany is the study erations. California Indians ma- succession management, landscape of the direct inter-relationships be- nipulated individual plants, plant patchiness management, and other tween people and plants. Attributes populations, and habitats to change ways of responding to and manag- of ethnoecology include “knowl- plant abundance, diversity, growth, ing environmental uncertainty and edge of ecological principles; use of longevity, yield, and quality to meet optimize sustainable cultural re- ecological indicators; adaptive strat- long-term cultural needs (Ander- source extraction (Berkes et al 2000; egies for monitoring…and harvest- son 1996; Stevens 2003). These ac- Berkes 1999). Traditional resource ing resources; effective system of tivities created a shifting mosaic of management by California Indians knowledge acquisition and trans- vegetation types. Intermediate-scale includes selective harvesting and fer; respectful and interactive atti- anthropogenic disturbance, includ- burning of tules, multiple species tudes and philosophies; close iden- ing both species and habitat man- management (cattails, rushes, tification with ancestral lands; and agement by indigenous peoples, are sedges, bulrushes, fish, waterfowl, beliefs that recognize the power and likely to be key factors in influenc- bird eggs), resource rotation, selec- spirituality of nature” (Turner et al. ing biodiversity, sustainability, and tive reed harvesting on a pheno- 2000). optimum resource utilization. logical and seasonal basis, burning

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 7 cession; and knowledge of traditional lab. I always teach my students to uses of wetland plants and animals. take a moment, ask permission, and Culturally important plants and express gratitude in their own ways animals are important ecological in- before picking plants. This ensures dicators of good ecosystem health. they do not simply objectify the The relationship that Native Ameri- plants, but maintain a reverent con- can Indians maintained with plants nection despite a laboratory setting. included protecting and “tending” favored plant species, using an array of pragmatic horticultural techniques TRADITIONAL USES Cache Slough wetland, Solano County, and spiritual practices. On a larger OF WETLAND PLANT California. Photograph by D. Aldridge. scale, diverse communities of plants SPECIES were managed to attract wild game, senescent vegetation to stimulate distract dangerous predators like The following ethnobotanical new growth, spatial and temporal grizzly bears, and encourage a vari- information on wetland plants in restriction of fish harvest during ety of food crops, medicines, and California is provided with great re- spawning, and landscape patchiness plants used to support the material spect for the ancestors of place, the management. These traditional sys- culture (Martinez 2002). indigenous people who have taught tems have similarities to adaptive The California Indian Basket- me so much, and the plants them- management with its emphasis on weavers Association (CIBA) has put selves who have their own destiny feedback learning, and its treatment a high priority on obtaining access and ancestors. The cultural diversity of uncertainty and unpredictability to plant materials and prohibiting in the California landscape trans- intrinsic to all ecosystems (Ibid.). the use of herbicides on basketry lates into a great deal of variability in Burning and tending created materials. Land managers and res- uses of plants by the diverse lan- open, structurally diverse wetland toration ecologists are beginning to guage groups, tribelets, and regions habitats with interspersed areas of incorporate traditional tending and in the state. The following informa- open water, and emergent and sea- gathering practices on both public tion is a generalized synthesis of some sonal wetland vegetation, with pe- and private lands. of this information. All illustrations rennial grasslands and riparian wood- used are created by Ruth Mazur lands on levees and terraces. Burn- (http://arimexpression.com), except ing the landscape helped facilitate RESPECTFUL those for rush, camas, and wapato, tule boat access and increased pro- RELATIONSHIPS from The Jepson Manual, used with duction of culturally significant plant WITH PLANTS permission from the Regents of the and animal species. New shoots that University of California. emerged after burning were edible, Traditional relationships with sweet, and tender. Burning also pro- plants include asking permission to duced supple stems for baskets, mats, harvest and being grateful for the lodges, boats, duck decoys, nets, opportunity to gather and tend clothing, and regalia. plants in the area. I have never been Wetland tending practices also in the field with Indian people with- included the following: coppicing or out witnessing this respectful atti- pruning woody plants for straight tude. We botanists often experience stems; tilling and weeding soils a reverent relationship with plants; to dig for and harvest rhizomes and there is still much more to learn geophytes; and seasonal and self- from the traditional First Nation regulating sustainable harvest prac- people of the area in which we live. tices. Piecing together the In my experience as both a stu- presettlement extent and ecological dent and professor, botany and plant impacts of burning and other tend- ecology classes include the following practices must be done by a coming: collecting plants; looking bination of the following: ethno- closely at them under a hand lens; graphic interviews; soil profile and dissecting them carefully to key pollen analysis; a comparison of his- them out; pressing specimens in a toric photographs and records; plant press; and further dissecting The author, collecting respectfully. knowledge of wetland ecosystem suc- and identifying in the herbarium or Photograph by B. Hare.

8 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Cattail ll parts of the cattail are edible when gathered at the appropriate A stage of growth. The young shoots are cut from the rhizomes Typha latifolia L. (underground stems) in the spring when they are about 4 to 16 inches broad-leaved cattail long. The raw young shoots are tasty both raw and steamed, and the T. angustifolia L. stem base can be boiled or roasted like potatoes. The young flower narrow-leaved cattail stalks can be taken out of their sheaths and boiled or steamed just like T. domingensis Pers. corn (Clarke 1977; Roos-Collins 1990). Cattail pollen is a fine substi- southern cattail tute for flour; it is a bright yellow or green color, and turns baked goods Family: Typhaceae a pretty yellow color (which children love). The rhizomes (underground stems) and lower stems have a sweet flavor and can be eaten raw, baked, roasted, broiled, or ground into flour. One acre of cattails would yield about 6,475 pounds of flour (Harrington 1972). This flour would probably contain about 80% carbohydrates and around 6% to 8% protein (Ibid.). Flexible baskets are made of twined cattail (Barrett et al. 1933). Cattails and bulrushes were also twined to form mats of varying sizes for sleeping, sitting, working, entertaining, covering doorways, for shade, and a myriad of other uses. Some tribes used the leaves and sheath bases as caulking materials. Apaches used the pollen in female puberty ceremonies (Strike 1994). After dipping the spike in coal oil, the stalk makes a fine torch. The fluff can also be used as tinder, insulation, or for lining baby cradle boards. Lengths of cattail were plied into rope or other size cordage, and cattail rope was used in some areas to bind bundles of tule into tule boats. Air pockets or aerenchyma in the stems provide the buoyancy that makes cattail and tule good boat-building material.

Tule or Bulrush ulrush is similar to the cattail in edibility, although it is purportedly Bsweeter. Scirpus acutus Bigelow var. The rhizome is used for the black element in basket design. Rhi- occidentalis (S. Watson) Beetle zomes are initially creamy white; they are soaked from 3 to 6 months hardstem bulrush with acorns and a piece of iron, ashes, or walnut husks until a dark brown S. californicus (C. Meyer) Steudel to black color is obtained. The black and brown fibers are stored to dry, California bulrush then woven as design elements into coiled baskets. Family: Cyperaceae Both cattails and tules were used as insulating thatch for structures, large and small. Tule houses were common throughout many parts of California; the overlapping tule matters were well-insulated and rain- proof. Willow poles, arched and anchored into the ground and tied with cordage or bark, formed the framework. The walls are thatched with mats of tule or cattail and secured to the frame. Bulrush stalks are used to weave matting, as well as for bedding and roofing material. Several California Indian tribes make canoes of tule stems bound together with vines from wild grape. Groups located near the California coast, on mud flats and in marshes, used tule to make large round mud- shoes for their feet so they could walk without sinking. Duck decoys were made of tule. Shredded tule was used for baby diapers, bedding, and menstrual padding. Women made skirts from tule. During inclement weather, men wore shredded tule capes, which tied around the neck and were belted at the waist.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 9 Rush oiled basketry prevails in Southern California, with the mottled C yellowish brown of basket rush providing a natural colored and Juncus lesuerii Bolander variegated background (Turnbaugh and Turnbaugh 1986; Barrows salt rush 1977; Murphy 1959). Chumash baskets, from southern California, are J. effusus L. made with rush stems for the tan color and roots for the black color soft rush (Timbrook 1997). The sewing material is made of basket rush (Juncus J. balticus Willd textilis) and the foundation material is made of Baltic rush (Juncus baltic rush balticus). J. textilis Buchenau Rushes are cut off at ground level, or at the length desired. The basket rush rush, in its natural state, furnishes a variety of colors: a deep red near Family: Juncaceae the base, lightening in color upwards, passing through several shades of light brown, and ending at the top in a brownish yellow. Rush stems can be bleached in the summer sun for light tan uniform color. The deep brick-red color occurs under the leaf thatch or blanketing vegetation mat, and is often used alone as a design element. Some southern California basketweavers dye the mature rushes black by steeping them for several hours in an infusion of either horned sea-blite (Suaeda calceoliformis (Hook) Moquin) or bush seepweed (Suaeda moquinii (Torrey) E. Greene). Rush species are also dyed yellow in an infusion of indigo bush (Psorothamnus emoryi (A. Gray) Rydb.) (Barrows 1977; Merrill 1923). Rush stems can be harvested throughout the year. Preparation for basketweaving involves splitting each rush stalk into three equal portions. The individual pieces are then trimmed to a uniform thickness, then soaked in water before weaving baskets.

Wapato apato tubers were collected in shallow water from a canoe, or Wpeople waded into ponds or marshes in the late summer and Sagittaria latifolia Willd. loosened the roots with their toes. The roots would rise to the top of tule potato, wapato the water where they were gathered and tossed into floating baskets. Family: Alismataceae Today the tubers are harvested with a hoe, pitchfork, or rake. Tubers are baked in fire embers, boiled, or roasted in the ashes. Tubers are skinned and eaten whole or mashed. After roasting, some tubers were dried and stored for winter use. Wapato has been used medicinally as a headache remedy, for rheumatism, as a dermatological, and as a laxative. The tubers of Sagittaria species were eaten by many different indigenous groups in the Pacific Northwest (Kuhlein and Turner 1991). The tubers were also widely traded from harvesting centers to neighboring areas. Families owned large Sagittaria patches, and ownership was claimed by clearing the patches. Family groups would camp beside their claimed harvesting sites for a month or more. The Chinese, on coming to California, used Sagittaria for food and are believed to have cultivated and extended its range (Mason 1957), as a species of Sagittaria grows in China and is harvested there. Sagittaria latifolia is extensively cultivated in the San Francisco Bay area in California to supply the Chinese markets, and the tubers are commonly found for sale.

10 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Camas arning: Death camas (Zigadenus venenosus S. Watson var. Wvenenosus) can be confused with edible camas bulbs and is toxic; Camassia quamash (Pursh) be sure of your identification of camas bulbs before eating them! E. Green ssp. breviflora Gould Camas is one of the most important “root” foods or geophytes of camas western North American indigenous peoples, from southwestern Brit- C. quamash (Pursh) E. Green ish Columbia to Montana, and south to California (Kuhnlein and ssp. quamash Turner 1991; Turner and Kuhnlein 1983). The two subspecies of camas camas mentioned above occur in California. People traveled great distances to Family: Liliaceae harvest the bulbs, and bulbs may have been transplanted beyond their range (Turner and Efrat 1982). Except for choice varieties of dried salmon, no other food item was more widely traded (Gunther 1973). Traditionally, camas bulbs were almost always cooked in earth ovens for 24-36 hours. Within the past 100 years camas bulbs have also been cooked by stovetop methods (Turner and Kuhnlein 1983). The lengthy cooking enhances the sweetness of camas, converting inulin to fructose. Before sugar and other sweets were introduced by European traders, sweetening agents were in short supply among native peoples, and camas was highly valued in this capacity (Ibid.). Annual controlled burning was used to maintain an open prairie-like habitat for optimum camas production. Areas were harvested only every few years. Turf was lifted out systematically in small sections and then replaced after only larger bulbs had been removed. The bulbs were dug with a pointed digging stick; bulbs were broken up and replanted. Many of the traditional camas gathering sites have been converted to agriculture, and camas bulbs are now hard to find. Restoration of camas prairies and access to camas bulbs are priorities of many Indian people. At one time, according to ethnobotanist Eva Murphy (1959, page 14), “When camas was in bloom in wet meadows, the flowers grew so thickly that they looked like a blue lake.” Horticulturally, this plant is used for cut flowers, beds, borders, ground cover, rock gardens, and prairie restoration.

Nutsedge mbraced in the fine, shallow roots of the nutsedge are small tubers, E the size of dried currants. These tubers make an excellent meal, Cyperus esculentus L. either raw or steamed, and resemble water chestnuts. They are hard golden nutsedge and crisp when eaten raw, and taste like water chestnuts. When re- Family: Cyperaceae duced to meal and cooked as cereal, nutsedge is both nourishing and appetizing. The nutlets can be soaked in water, then pounded to release the milky juice which can be mixed with alcohol or water and sugar to make a delicious drink. Peeled and roasted, the tubers can be ground to become a coffee substitute or a sweet flour. The base of the stem may be eaten raw. The Yokuts in California ate the grass-nut of Cyperus species and the seeds of the same. Golden nutsedge is used as both sewing and wrapping material in coiled baskets by some Native Americans, but is not preferred as it doesn’t have the tensile strength of many other species. Nutsedge leaves were also used as components for making seats.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 11 Indian Hemp or ndian hemp, or dogbane, is harvested for fiber. In California, Indian Dogbane Ihemp and milkweed are used somewhat interchangeably for cordage. The stems are cut in the fall, then split open and the long, silky Apocynum cannabinum L. fibers removed. The fibers are then twisted into string which provides Indian hemp, dogbane cordage; the bast fibers of the Indian hemp are silky soft yet extremely Family: Apocynaceae strong (Gunther 1973). Cordage was then used to make tump straps, belts, netted bags, hairnets, and ceremonial regalia (capes, skirts, and head-dresses). Indian hemp is relatively uncommon in California, and high quality material is actively sought by basketweavers. The biochemical constituents in Indian hemp are apocynin, apocynamarin, cymarin, and androsin (Kindscher 1992). Indian hemp acts as a vaso-constrictor, slows and strengthens the heartbeat, and raises blood pressure. The root can also be used as an emetic, dia- phoretic, antispasmodic, cathartic, anodyne, hypnotic, or laxative. It treats vomiting, diarrhea, urinary difficulties, jaundice, liver problems, and it stimulates the digestive system. A wash made of the crushed root can be shampooed into the hair to stimulate growth, and to remove dandruff and head lice. The milky juice can remove warts.

Willow he value of willow as the raw material necessary for the manufacture T of a family’s household goods cannot be overestimated; virtually all Salix exigua Nutt. California tribes use willow in their baskets (Bates 1982; Bibby 1996; narrow- leaved willow Chestnut 1902; Yamane and Aguilar 1997). Willow branches are used as S. laevigata Bebb the warp for twined baskets and the foundation in coiled baskets. Wil- red willow lows are used to weave water jugs, cradles for newborn infants, hats, S. lasiolepis Benth. cooking vessels, serving bowls, trays, seed beaters, and storage baskets (Barrett et al. 1933). Willow is gathered from the time the leaves fall in arroyo willow autumn until the buds begin to swell in spring; it is much easier to strip S. lucida Muhlendb. bark in the spring when the sap rises. A green dye for coloring buckskin shining willow was created from boiling willow (Strike 1994). Willow roots have also S. lutea Nutt. been used to create a rose-tan dye. yellow willow The Paiute built houses with a willow frame covered with mats of cattails or tules. For shade, they constructed shed roofs thatched with Family: Salicaceae willows. Other light construction uses would have included the roofs of storage bins and drying racks. A bed or sleeping bench of willow poles raised high off the ground indicated a wealthy man in the Miwok culture (Barrett and Gifford 1993). Sweat lodges are made with willow. The ribs and gunnels of tule boats were constructed of willow poles. Games such as a women’s shinney game and counting games are played with willow sticks. Other implements made from willow include fire sticks twirled as a spindle. Inner willow bark is used in spring for cordage. Young willow shoots and young leaves may be eaten in case of emergency. The inner bark can be eaten raw or made into flour. Aspirin is the pharmaceutical equivalent of willow bark tea which is an effective remedy for headache, fever or sore throat (Moore 1979). In 1839, salicylic acid was isolated from wild plants and manufactured synthetically. Tea made from willow leaves will cure laryngitis, reduce joint and membrane inflammation, treat urethra and bladder infections, and alleviate skin disorders. Willow is used to treat many diseases, including hay fever, diarrhea, prostatitis, and relief of ovarian pain.

12 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Cottonwood he sweet and starchy sap of cottonwood can be consumed raw or T cooked. The bark is bitter but edible. It can be scraped off and Populus fremontii S. Watson eaten, cooked in strips like soup noodles, or dried and powdered as a flour ssp. fremontii substitute. The inner bark of cottonwoods and aspens was eaten by Fremont’s cottonwood people and horses in hard times. P. balsamifera L. ssp. trichocarpa The Hopi Indians of Arizona consider the cottonwood tree sacred (Torrey & A. Gray) Brayshaw and carve Kachina dolls from the roots of the tree. They believe the rustle black cottonwood of the wind through the quaking leaves to be the gods speaking to people Family: Salicaceae (Strike 1994). Several California tribes used cottonwood roots to make loosely twined baskets. The Maidu and Yokut Indians occasionally use cottonwood twigs in their basketry (Strike 1994). Skirts were made of cordage from fibers of cottonwood inner bark. Sometimes small teardrop-shaped pieces of asphaltum, shell beads, or pine seeds were used as weights to make the fibers hang properly. The active biochemical constituents are salicin and populin, the pre- cursors of aspirin which are useful wherever a fever needs reducing or an anti-inflammatory is appropriate (Moore 1979). The bark is the most effective part for tea, but is rather bitter; for this reason the leaves are often preferred. Taken internally, cottonwood is reputed to have the following medicinal uses: reduces fever; is an anti-inflammatory; aids coughs from colds and indigestion; expels worms and intestinal parasites; alleviates excessive menses and urinary tract infections; and is used to prevent premature birth. Burns and skin irritants can be alleviated through use of an ointment made of leaf buds or a wash of cottonwood bark. A poultice can be used for sprains, muscle pain, and swollen joints, and a salve can be made that cleanses and conditions the skin when used regularly.

Iris Warning: Fresh iris roots and rhizomes may be toxic. western blue flag Iris fibers make some of the finest cordage; the fibers are fine and silky, but surprisingly strong and flexible (Gunther 1973). The I. douglasiana Herbert Hoopa, Karuk, Yurok, and other northern California First Nation’s I. fernaldii Foster people gather iris leaves in large bundles, and a single silky fiber is taken I. macrosiphon Torrey from each margin of the leaf; only these two fibers are used. Huge I. missouriensis Nutt. bunches of leaves were harvested in the fall and stored until needed. Iris fibers were used to make fishing nets, string, rope, camping bags, hair Family: Iridaceae nets, regalia and snares for catching deer, birds, and other game (Murphy 1959; Strike 1994). In spite of the tremendous labor of preparing this material, the iris fiber was one of the most generally employed in northwestern California. A poultice of the raw rhizome is especially effective against staph sores (Moore 1979). Externally, iris rhizomes are successfully used on infected wounds, ulcers, fistulas, and to remove freckles. Only the dried iris root or rhizome should be used internally. Iris is active as a cathartic, has a stimulating effect on the production of both pancreatic enzymes and bile, is a strong diuretic, and will stimulate both saliva and sweat. Iris is a useful medicinal plant, but in general it should be used with care, and preferably in combinations where less energetic plants form the bulk of a medicinal formula.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 13 Blue Elderberry ote: red berries of other Sambucus species are toxic. N The blue elderberries are edible and choice. The berries can be Sambucus mexicana C. Presl made into elderberry wine, jam, syrup, and pies. The entire flower blue elderberry cluster can be dipped in batter and fried, while petals can be eaten raw Family: Caprifoliaceae or made into a fragrant and tasty tea. The flowers add an aromatic flavor and lightness to pancakes or fritters. Elderberry twigs and fruit are employed in creating a very deep black dye for basketry (Barrows 1977). Elderberry branches are used to make the shaft of arrows, flutes, and whistles. Elderberry flutes are difficult to play, and only a few people still know how. Clapper sticks are made by splitting the stem and clapping the two halves against each other; they are used ceremonially in the round-house to accompany singing and dancing. The pith of the stems is used as tinder, and the stem is employed as a twirling stick for starting the fire. All parts of the elderberry plant are considered to be valuable for healing in many folk medicine traditions (Barrett and Gifford 1933; Clarke 1977; Moore 1979).

Mugwort or rtemisia has been used as a powerful medicine plant wherever it Wormwood A grows. The medicinal properties of mugwort are both spiritual and physical. Like its medicinal “cousin” white sage (Salvia apiana), Artemisia douglasiana which grows in southern California, the plants are often gathered Besser mugwort together and tied into a “smudge stick,” which was and still is burned Family: Asteraceae and used for cleansing and purification. Mugwort is used in ceremonies, to carry prayers, to cleanse and purify, and to create good thoughts and protection. Leaves from this plant are often put into a pillow to stimulate good dreams. Necklaces were made with pieces of mugwort leaves to prevent dreaming of the dead (Barrett and Gifford 1933). Corpse handlers smear the leaves on their bodies so the ghosts of the dead will not haunt them (Ibid.) After childbirth some California tribes warm mugwort leaves and place them on the baby’s navel after the umbilical cord has been severed. This was applied repeatedly for four days until the remainder of the cord came off. A bitter tea is made by boiling and steeping the leaves to stop excessive menstruation, ease menstrual cramps, and to aid stomach ache and intestinal cramps. Care should be observed with mugwort because it can cause upset stomach and will increase heart and artery function, possibly dangerously if taken too frequently or made too strong. Mugwort oil can be used as a liniment for sprains, bruises, and lumbago. A decoction of the leaves works against rheumatism, swelling, sprains, and inflammation. Combined with the root of yellow dock, this powerful fungicide is a good cure for athlete’s foot. Mugwort and California bay (Umbellularia californica) are used to prevent insect infes- tation from food stores cached in acorn granaries, baskets, ceremonial items, and other household uses. Leaves can be scattered around to repel insects.

14 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 ETHNOBOTANICAL RESOURCES

Anderson, M.K., and M.J. Morotto. western Washington. University of Resource Management of White 1996. Native American land-use Washington Publications in Anthropol- Root (Carex barbarae) by California practices and ecological impacts. Si- ogy 10(1). University of Washington Indians: Implications for Restora- erra Nevada Ecosystem Project: Fi- Press. Seattle, WA. 71 pp. tion. In Faber, P.M. (ed.). 2003. Cali- nal report to Congress, Vol II. As- Harrington, H.D. 1972. Western Edible fornia Riparian Systems: Processes and sessments and Scientific Basis for Man- Wild Plants. The University of New Floodplain Management, Ecology, and agement Options. Centers for Wa- Mexico Press. Santa Fe, NM. 156 pp. Restoration. 2001 Riparian Habitat ter and Wildland Resources, Uni- Hickman, J.C., Ed. 1993. The Jepson and Floodplains Conference Pro- versity of California. Davis, CA. Manual: Higher Plants of California. ceedings, Riparian Habitat Joint Barrett, S.A., and E.W. Gifford. 1933. University of California Press. Ber- Venture. Sacramento, CA. 557 pp. Miwok Material Culture: Indian keley, CA. 1399 pp. Stevens, M.L. and A. Ryan. 1997. Eth- life of the Yosemite region. Bulle- Kindscher, K. 1992. Medicinal Wild nobotany of the Putah and Cache tin of the Milwaukee Public Museum Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotani- Creeks Eco-Region. Public Service 2(4):120-377. Reprinted by the cal Guide. University Press of Kan- Research Program. University of Yosemite Natural History Associa- sas. Lawrence, KA. 340 pp. California. Davis, CA. 52 pp. tion. Yosemite National Park, Cali- Kuhnlein, H.V. and N.J. Turner. 1991. Strike, S.S. 1994. Ethnobotany of the fornia. Traditional Plant Foods of Canadian In- California Indians. Volume 2: Aborigi- Barrows, D.P. 1977. Ethnobotany of the digenous Peoples: Nutrition, Botany and nal Uses of California’s Indigenous Coahuilla Indians. Malki Museum Use. (Food and Nutrition in History and Plants. Koeltz Scientific Books. Press. Morongo Indian Reserva- Anthropology Vol 8). Gordon and Champaign, IL. 210 pp. tion. Banning, CA. Breach Science Publishers. New Timbrook, J.J. 1997. An Intro- Bates, C.D. 1982. Coiled basketry of the York, NY. 633 pp. duction to Chumash Basketry. Sierra Miwok. San Diego Museum Martinez, D. 2002. Indian Burning. Newsletter #19. California Indian Papers No. 15. San Diego Museum Traditional Indian Burning, Fire Basketweavers Association. Nevada of Man. San Diego, California. Hazard Reduction & Restoration City, CA. 225 pp. Forestry. The New Settler. P.O. Box Tu rnbaugh, S.P. and W.A.Turnbaugh. Bates, C.D. 1996-1998. Curator of Eth- 702. Mendocino, CA 95460. 1986. Indian Baskets. Schiffler Pub- nography, Yosemite National Park. Mason, H.L., Ed. 1957. A Flora of the lishing, Ltd., West Chester, PA. Personal communication. Marshes of California. University of Pages 194-205 out of 210 pp. Berkes, F. 1999. Sacred Ecology—Tradi- California Press. Berkeley, CA. Tu rner, N.J. and B.S. Efrat. 1982. The tional Ecological Knowledge and Resource 878 pp. Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indi- Management. Taylor and Francis Merrill, R.E. 1923. Plants used in bas- ans of Vancouver Island. British Co- Publishing. Philadelphia, PA. 209 pp. ketry by the California Indians. Uni- lumbia Provincial Museum Cultural Berkes, F., J. Colding, and C. Folke. versity of California Publications in Recovery Paper No. 2. Queen’s 2000. Rediscovery of traditional eco- American Archaeology and Ethnology Printer. Victoria, BC. 99 pp. logical knowledge as adaptive man- 20:215-242. agement. Ecological Applications Moore, M. 1979. Medicinal Plants of the Tu rner, N.J. and H.V. Kunlein. 1983. 10(5):1251-1262. Mountain West. Museum of New Camas (Camassia spp.) and Riceroot Bibby, B. 1996. The Fine Art of Califor- Mexico Press. Santa Fe, NM. 200 pp. (Fritillaria spp.): Two liliaceous nia Indian Basketry. Crocker Art Mu- Murphy, E.V. 1959. Indian Uses of Na- “root” foods of the northwest coast seum. Sacramento, CA. In associa- tive Plants. Mendocino County Indians. Ecology of Food and Nutrition tion with Heyday Books. Berkeley, Historical Society. Fort Bragg, CA. 13:199-210. CA. 109 pp. 81 pp. Tu rner, N.J., M.B. Ignace, and R. Chestnut, V.K. 1902. Plants Used by Nazarea, V. 1999. Ethnoecology: Situated Ignace. 2000. Traditional ecological the Indians of Mendocino County, Knowledge/Located Lives. University knowledge and wisdom of aborigi- California. Contributions from the of Arizona Press. Tucson, AZ. nal peoples in British Columbia. Eco- United States National Herbarium, 299 pp. logical Applications 10(5):1275-1287. 1900-1902. Vol. 7: 295-422. Govern- Roos-Collins, M. 1990. The Flavors of Yamane, L., and D. Aguilar. 1997. ment Printing Office, Washington, Home. A Guide to Wild Edible Plants Weaving a California Tradition. A D.C. Reprinted in 1974 by the of the San Francisco Bay Area. Hey Day Native American Basketmaker. Lerner Mendocino County Historical Soci- Books. Berkeley, CA. 224 pp. Publications Company. Minneapo- ety Inc. Fort Bragg, CA. Stevens, M.L. 1999. The Ethnoecology lis, MI. 48 pp. Clarke, C.B. 1977. Edible and Useful and Autecology of White Root (Carex Plants of California. University barbarae): Implications for Restoration. of California Press. Berkeley, CA. PhD Dissertation, University of Michelle L. Stevens, 3349 St. Mathews 280 pp. California. Davis, CA. 182 pp. Drive, Sacramento, CA 95821. Gunther, E. 1973. Ethnobotany of Stevens, M.L. 2003. Traditional [email protected]

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 15 INTO THE SUNLIGHT: FROM FUNGUS TO FLOWER IDENTIFICATION by Bob and Barbara Sommer

e came to wildflowers W after 30 years of amateur mushrooming.We sketched, identified, catalogued, and occasionally ate the fungi we collected. We could identify the easy varieties. Those that remained (such as Cortinarius sp. or Collybia sp.) re- quired microscopic analysis beyond our capabilities. This was an engaging hobby for the wet, cold months. We eagerly awaited the start of rains each year, but it left little to do during hot dry summers. Local mycology clubs fold up shop between June and Octo- ber. Although occasional fungi fruit on watered lawns and golf courses Harvest from mushroom foray. Photographs by Bob Sommer. throughout the summer, there is nothing like the profusion of fungi fruiting after the autumn rains. So fungi are complementary activities we have been struck by the many we began spending our summers in season and habitat. We soon dis- differences between flower collect- engaged in another favorite activ- covered we could hunt for mush- ing and mushrooming. Flora and ity, hiking the Sierra. rooms in the damp coastal forests fungi vary in key respects, and these For years as hikers, we had noted in late fall and winter, and then seek differences influence who, when, the colorful wildflower displays out wildflowers in the high moun- how, and why people seek them. without attempting to become more tains during spring and summer. Flowers are generally found in knowledgeable about them. Our at- Both hobbies have sensitized us more pleasant locations—at least for titude changed a few years ago as to aspects of the natural environ- humans—than are fungi. They thrive in open, sunny meadows, a we sought a new hobby for the hot ment that would otherwise be striking contrast to the shady, dark, dry summers. In Northern Califor- missed. Although we have at times wet alcoves preferred by most mush- nia, identifying wildflowers and described fungi as “winter flowers,” rooms. We never need to wear sunglasses when looking for fungi. Identifying species of the Sier- ran flora, at least at an amateur level, has been easier than identifying fungi. The flower guides we pur- chased are organized by immedi- ately recognizable characteristics, notably blossom color and leaf shape; most mushroom guides are organized by less obvious characteristics such as spore color. No spore print or microscope is needed for amateur flower identification. On the other hand, with fungi we must often bring specimens back to Enjoying fungi at a local fungus fair. Identifying mushrooms in a motel room. the motel to drop spores overnight

16 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 While fungi come in all colors, most appear in shades of dull gray, tan, and brown, hues which help them to blend in with their surroundings. Some develop and fruit underground or under duff. The broad range of wildflower colors relative to mushrooms also makes them stand out more prominently from the background. We don’t carry a basket for flower specimens. A small notebook is all that is needed, and is used for recording names, making field sketches, and occasionally pressing The fungus Scleroderma geaster. All The fungus Sarcodon leucopus. a blossom to bring back for further illustrations by Bob Summer unless examination. One cannot press ofherwise indicated. mushrooms as one can flowers. on white and black cards before we Since flowers depend on other Many fungi are slimy and buggy, can establish a genus. species for pollination, they are quickly lose color after being picked, Wildflower field guides are easier to see against their back- break apart while being transported, more geographically specific than grounds than are fungi, most of and stain the paper in which they are those for fungi, which also aids which spread spores without the aid are wrapped. We’ll never forget the identification. For instance, we were of animal vectors. With notable ex- time the beefsteak fungus (Fistulina able to purchase three guides just ceptions such as the phallales, and hepatica) that we had been carrying on Sierra wildflowers, and could underground fungi such as truffles dyed a backpack brick red. have acquired additional ones. that depend on odor recognition However, there are features that There is even a field guide for the rather than visual discovery, most make it easier to locate mushrooms. portion of the Sierra we visit most fungi gain no survival advantage in Association with tree species is not often (Wildflower Walking in the being noticed by other species. as important for flowers as for fungi. Lakes Basin). In contrast, there are no field guides in local bookstores specific to Sierra fungi. The down- side is that we will probably end up buying a lot more flower guides than mushroom guides to cover the locations where we hike. In studying wildflowers, we have not bothered to learn their Latin names, as our minds are not as gluey as they used to be. In the field, we go from flower to picture to common name. With fungi, we proceed from spore color to genus and then to species, where the Latin name is critical. The common names for many fungi are not formalized and vary among field guides. To tell a mushroomer that one found a fat- footed Clitocybe or graying yellow Russula (both common names in the Audubon Field Guide) would be meaningless. Nor would these common names be included on a foray list of identified mushrooms. The gilled mushroom Stropharia aeruginosa.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 17 Geranium (Geranium sp.), from Negro Monument plant (Swertia radiata), seen Stickseed (Hackelia sp.) seen at Carson Canyon Trail. Illustration by Barbara at Carson Pass. Pass. Sommer.

We search near oaks for chanter- specifically known for having a bit- This is another reason for our elles and under pine for boletes. ter or acrid taste. Popular articles switch to wildflowers. Many of our The common names for fungi about mushrooms, which typically best mushrooming locations are reflect these mycorrhyzal associa- cover only edible varieties, gener- now off-limits. Along the Sonoma tions, e.g., redwood rooter, oak-lov- ally include recipes. and Mendocino coasts, “No Mush- ing Collybia, and so on. We have not Mushroom fairs feature display rooming” signs have popped up like yet encountered such specific tree tables devoted to gastronomy and mushrooms—the result of too much associations for Sierra wildflowers. toxicity (although placed at some pressure on a limited resource. Thus With mushrooms, we started out distance from one another). One far we have not encountered com- collecting both terrestrial and arbo- does not expect young people to mercial foraging of Sierra wildflow- real fungi. Growing on wood was show up at flower shows inquiring ers. Of course there is no predict- one important characteristic among about psychedelic properties, al- ing the next discovery in herbal several in field guides. With flora, though certain species of blossoms medicine. we have concentrated our attention are hallucinogenic. However, the When mushrooming, we are exclusively on terrestrial flowers. In- popularity of The Orchid Thief may frequently distracted by pseudo- terest in flowering shrubs or trees change this. Friends who look fungi, such as light-colored leaves, may come later or not at all. askance at our mushroom collect- a round white pebble, or a discarded Curiously, most mushroom field ing show no similar reservations candy wrapper. When we search guides are written by men while about our wildflower interests, and for chanterelles, any yellow object many flower field guides are writ- indeed feel some relief that we are is likely to attract our attention. ten by women. Not one of the 20 not likely to poison ourselves, or Once we thought we had discov- mushroom field guides on our book- worse, poison them with wildflower ered a new ochre fungus until the shelf has a woman as the sole or dishes. banana slug whose nap we had senior author. Field guides to fungi Flower clubs schedule walks rudely interrupted started moving. make more frequent reference to (derivation: to roll, rove about, to Probably because flowers are sought smell, taste, and bruising than do ramble) while mushroom clubs or- in bright light and have more in- flower guides. Discoloration is a ganize forays (derivation: a raid, tense chroma, including contrast- critical feature in identifying many typically for pillage). Looking for ing bright green foliage, we are less fungi, e.g., the pores stain blue or flowers is not as competitive as col- subject to these misperceptions. We the stipe bruises brown. lecting mushrooms, where one is have, however, mistaken pinedrops Our flower guides did not em- up against commercial foragers (Pterospora andromedea) and snow ploy a refined vocabulary of odors vacuuming the forest floor to sell to plant (Sarcodes sanguinea)—both of comparable to Arora’s best-selling gourmet restaurants, and which lack green parts—for mush- field guide to fungi. Nor do flower pothunters collecting edible species, rooms. guides show comparable interest in measuring their hauls in pounds We sketch unfamiliar fungi and gustatory qualities. Many fungi are rather than specimens. flowers as an aid in identification.

18 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Drawing sensitizes us to nuance and light is excellent, though one must among fungi and flowers, there detail that might otherwise be over- remember to remove sunglasses to are exceptions to these differences. looked. Brazilian landscape archi- capture the correct hue. Their fra- Meadow mushrooms and inky caps, tect Roberto Burle Marx remarked gility is another reason to paint them for example, fruit in open grassy that he sketched in order to see where they grow. Except for flow- locations with excellent light for more clearly. ers low to the ground, only a por- painting (although we don’t carry There are differences in sketch- tion is drawn, sufficient to show paints or sketch pads when search- ing flowers and fungi. The subsur- blossoms, leaf form, and leaf at- ing for fungi). Some fungus variet- face portion is always included in tachment. Flower parts tend to be ies rapidly deteriorate, autodigest, mushroom sketches, because of the more delicate, ethereal, and two- or discolor, and must be painted in possibility of a bulbous stipe, a cup, dimensional than mushroom fea- the field or from photographs. or mycelial mat. Dirt on a mush- tures, which seem by comparison Other fungi have cups and veils room can be helpful in painting, as relatively crude. which are as fragile as flower parts, it outlines white portions on white In flower sketches, hue is more and some, such as the crimson drawing paper. The dark wet places critical than brightness or satura- Amanita muscaria (fly agaric), are as where fungi fruit are not conducive tion. A painted iris will be recog- colorful and noticeable in the dark to onsite painting, so specimens nizable regardless of whether the forest as any blossom in the must be carried back to the motel purple is bright or dull, weak or meadow. to be painted near a window or un- strong. Flower names such as vio- While mushrooming in Mexico der artificial light, which makes it let, rose, and pink are by them- last summer, we saw wildflowers necessary to check carefully for selves hues, while this is not true of blooming alongside mushrooms on color distortions. mushroom names. There are red the slopes of La Malinche volcano. Saturation and brightness are russulas and golden chanterelles, but Hiking in Idaho in late August, we critical for painted fungi, as the pal- no color words used by themselves found late summer flowers overlap- ette is comprised mostly of shades to designate mushroom species. ping with early autumn fungi. Our of browns, grays, and white. In Most flowers leave seed pods which region of California may be atypi- painting mushrooms, tubes of blue, make interesting sketches while this cal in its non-overlapping seasons green, red, and violet go largely is not true of most fungi. Because of fungi and flower production. For untouched. Floral hues in the Si- we sketch flowers in the field, paint- us, the result is a varied and chal- erra are the reverse, and contain ing is done on small, pocket-size lenging suite of outdoor discovery, abundant reds, yellows, blues, and pads, while fungi are painted in a extending across all seasons. purples, with green stalks and leaves. more leisurely fashion at a motel Since wildflowers bloom in table in eight by ten inch sketch- Bob and Barbara Sommer, 626 bright open places, they can be books. Georgetown Place, Davis, CA 95616. painted where they are found. The Given the variety of forms [email protected]

Snow plant (Sarcodes sanguinea) seen at Wild carrot or Queen Anne’s lace (Dacaus Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) seen at Lakes Basin. Illustration by Barbara carota) seen at Carson Pass. Carson Pass. Sommer.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 19 Bog club-moss (Lycopodiella inundata) at Big Lagoon Bog, Humboldt County. All Bog club-moss with round-leaved sundew photographs by the author. (Drosera rotundifolia).

THE RARE CALIFORNIA CLUB-MOSSES by Gordon Leppig

Present-day club-mosses, like soils. In the tropics, club-mosses occurs across Eurasia, and running- ferns and horsetails, are from are often epiphytic. Individual plants pine, the most cosmopolitan lyco- an ancient and diverse spore-bear- can live for centuries and some spe- pod, has a near-global distribution. ing lineage which was globally cies form fairy rings. Like many plants which are rare in dominant during the Paleozoic Era. Though there are 27 species in California but common elsewhere These lingering remnants of the North America and 11 in the Pa- in the northern hemisphere, these Coal Age are members of the cific Northwest, California has only taxa have Pacific Northwestern dis- Lycopodiaceae or club-moss fam- two taxa: running-pine (Lycopodium tributions which terminate in the ily. The name lycopod means “wolf’s clavatum L.) and the bog club-moss cool climate and moist habitats of foot” in ancient Greek and refers to (Lycopodiella inundata (L.) Holub). northern California. the resemblance of the branch tips Both species are on the California As spore-bearing plants, club- to a wolf’s paw. Today, this family Native Plant Society (CNPS) List mosses have two life forms, a minute of creeping rhizomatous evergreens 2—“rare in California but more subterranean gametophyte (gamete is comprised of about 400 species in common elsewhere.” In North producer) and the more obvious 10-15 genera; the family is repre- America, both species have bicoastal mat-forming sporophyte (spore- sented worldwide except Antarctica. distributions, occurring in the Pa- producer). Spores, which are wind- In temperate and arctic areas, club- cific Northwest as well as in the dispersed, can persist in the soil for mosses inhabit various forest and northeast including the Great Lakes many years before germinating into wetland habitats and prefer acidic region. The bog club-moss also gametophytes. (Incidentally, club-

20 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 moss spores are flammable and were the original flash powder in olden day photography; they continue to have diverse industrial uses.) Ga- metophytes as well as spores can be very long-lived, taking 10-15 years or more to develop (Andrews 1947) and requiring a mycorrhizal sym- biont to reach sexual maturity. Bi- sexual gametophytes produce both eggs and biflagellate sperm. Despite their bisexuality, self-fertilization is quite rare in many species (Gifford and Foster 1987). Club-moss sperm therefore swim underground through wet soil to fertilize other gametophytes—not a life stage usu- ally considered in rare plant conservation!

BOG CLUB-MOSS

Lycopodiella inundata, which is also rare in Oregon, has an enig- matic distribution in California of two disjunct populations. It occurs Running-pine (Lycopodium clavatum) cones produce flammable spores with a number at sea level in Humboldt County at of industrial and scientific uses. Spores can live for years underground before Big Lagoon County Park, and at germinating. about 900 meters in elevation in Nevada County at The North Co- lumbia Diggings, an abandoned placer mine in the Sierra foothills. The Big Lagoon site is a rare coastal peatland or fen (known locally as Big Lagoon Bog). The peatland formed in the swale of a paleo-sand dune on a brackish marsh on Big Lagoon and is surrounded by Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) forest. This small population occurs mostly on sparsely vegetated organic soil (peat and muck) of regularly inundated pool edges and stream banks. Big La- goon Bog is a biodiversity hotspot with occurrences of several other CNPS List 2 taxa: flaccid sedge (Carex leptalea), green sedge (C. viridula), and marsh pea (Lathyrus palustris), the CNPS List 4 Buxbaum’s sedge (Carex buxbaumii), and the locally rare sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). Closeup of running-pine cones. Stolon, or runner, and aerial branches of The Diggings is a 2,300-acre running-pine.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 21 former ponderosa pine foothill for- with salal (Gaultheria shallon) and disturbance. The persistence of run- est that was “moon-scaped” by de- evergreen huckleberry (Vaccinium ning-pine mats on managed tim- cades of intensive hydro-mining for ovatum). berlands necessitates partial canopy gold in the late 1800s (Pendall retention strategies and the avoid- 1984). Aside from the catastrophic ance of mats by heavy equipment. sedimentation of the Yuba River CONSERVATION The California Department of Fish and San Francisco Bay, this mine and Game is currently working with also resulted in the so-called In the eastern United States, private timberland owners to de- Valley of the Moon, a barren waste- club-moss gathering for holiday gar- velop strategies that best maintain land of bare hillsides and a mineral- lands and the floral trade is a com- this species and its habitat on the soil wetland slowly being colonized mon hobby and “non-timber forest North Coast. These strategies in- by acid-loving montane and products” industry. However, over- clude leaving shade trees, excluding peatland plants. A large bog club- collecting has resulted in local rar- heavy equipment, and not applying moss population now occurs in ity of some taxa and is considered a herbicide near running-pine occur- this bare-soil wetland. How this spe- threat to others (Nauertz 1999). In rences. cies arrived is unclear but it is pre- Wisconsin and Michigan alone over sumably the result of wind-borne 85 tons of club-moss is harvested REFERENCES spore dispersal. An unusual occur- annually from local forests (Nauertz rence of cranberry (Vaccinium and Matula 2002). macrocarpon) occurs at the Diggings, In California, club-mosses are Andrews, H.N. 1947. Ancient Plants and the World They Lived In. and while at one time it was consid- too rare for collecting. Conserva- Comstock Publishing. Ithaca, NY. ered a rare disjunction (Pendall tion efforts focus on total avoidance of bog club-moss populations 279 pp. 1984), it is now thought to be intro- Gifford, E.M., and A.S. Foster. 1987. and on forestry practices that main- duced. Because the Diggings is still Morphology and Evolution of Vascular owned by mining interests, the tain running-pine populations in Plants. W.H. Freeman. New York, present status of the bog club-moss managed timberlands (Golec 2000). NY. 626 pp. is unknown and this population is Club-mosses are difficult to culti- Golec, C. 2000. Simpson Timber vate and attempts to transplant run- potentially threatened by future Company’s Running-pine Assess- ning pine as a mitigation strategy ment and Survey. Unpublished gold mining. by Redwood National and State Report, Natural Resource Manage- Parks and others have had little suc- ment Corporation. Eureka, CA. 14 pp. RUNNING-PINE cess. Cultivation and transplanta- tion may be hampered by the dis- Nauertz, E.A. 1999. Impact of Vari- ous Silvicultural Practices on the ruption of its mycorrhizal relation- Lycopodium clavatum is restricted Abundance and Frequency of Lyco- ship. Indeed, the development of to redwood and coastal mixed ever- podium Species in Northern Hard- the critical relationship between green forests in Del Norte, wood Forests. Master of gametophytes and their fungal as- Humboldt, Mendocino, and Science in Forestry Thesis, Michi- sociates may be an important factor gan Technological University. Sonoma counties. It forms a large in the rarity of these species and in Houghton, MI. 164 pp. meta-population in Humboldt their habitat requirements. A life- Nauertz, E.A. and C. Matula. 2002. County from Big Lagoon to the cycle that can require more than 20 Lycopodium Management. USDA Elk River south of Eureka. In years to complete may also contrib- Forest Service. Wisconsin Depart- Mendocino County it is much less ute to their rarity. ment of Natural Resources. www.extension. umn.edu/specializa- common, occurring in and around To conserve the bog club-moss Jackson State Forest. It was only tions/environment/components/ in California, maintenance of water lycopodium1.html. recently discovered in Del Norte quality and hydrologic regimes and and Sonoma counties, where it is Pendall, D. 1984. A freshwater marsh avoidance of other impacts, such as at the North Columbia Diggings. quite scarce. invasive plants, appears to be the Fremontia 12:11-14. Running-pine almost exclu- best management strategy. Run- sively inhabits gaps in forest canopy ning-pine has low survivorship in with partial shade such as road- clearcuts and after other forest stand Gordon Leppig, California Department of sides, trails, and forest edges. The replacement events. Because of its Fish & Game, Habitat Conservation Pro- majority of occurrences are on shallow root system it does not tol- gram, Northern California-North Coast managed redwood timberlands erate direct impacts from heavy Region, 619 Second Street, Eureka, CA where large mats commonly occur equipment and extensive ground 95501. [email protected]

22 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Susan and August Frugé at the dedication of the sculpture “Geokinetic” in October 1995 at Joshua Tree National Park. This Steven Rieman mobile sculpture was commissioned by August and Susan and donated to the Joshua Tree National Park Interpretive Center at Twentynine Palms, California. Photograph by P. Dunham.

AUGUST FRUGÉ, 94, DEAN OF UNIVERSITY PRESS PUBLISHERS by Harlan Kessel

ften called “the Alfred worked at the California State Li- works, many of them best sellers, OKnopf of university press brary, Sacramento. A few years later averaging some 250 titles annually. publishing,” August Frugé he was lured away by Samuel He established the first Univer- died in Twentynine Palms, Cali- Farquhar, then director of the Uni- sity Press paperback list, Cal Pa- fornia, on July 6 after a series of versity of California Press (UC perbacks, in 1957, eventually issu- strokes. He is considered one of the Press), Berkeley, as assistant direc- ing over 1,000 paperback titles dur- great publishers of the Twentieth tor and sales manager. ing his tenure. A committed envi- Century. His entire life was devoted Upon Farquhar’s sudden death ronmentalist and Sierra Club leader, to books, publishing, classical his- in 1951, Frugé was appointed to he established the California Natu- tory, scholarship, and the environ- succeed him. Thus began an ex- ral History Guides, a series now ment. After graduation from traordinary growth of the Univer- numbering in the hundreds, to fill a Stanford he earned his master’s sity Press from a small, monograph- void in books on California’s envi- degree at the Library School, Uni- oriented press to a world-class ronment. Until that time, most versity of California, Berkeley and scholarly publisher of numerous natural history books reflected set-

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FREMONTIA 23 tings from the eastern United States. publication of this work in English. the country. Frugé also championed A million-copy seller for the He had few illusions about moving the Society’s headquarters Press was Ishi in Two Worlds by publishing as a noble calling. He to Sacramento where the close prox- Theodora Kroeber, a classic biog- would often quote Mark Twain’s imity to legislators and government raphy of the last wild Indian of description of a publisher: “A agencies has facilitated more stra- North America. Frugé’s work with tall, lean, skinny, yellow, toothless, tegic protection of California’s flora. Kroeber in the early stages of the baldheaded, rat-eyed professional August’s wife, Susan, died in manuscript resulted in a publishing liar and scoundrel.” Of course, the 2001. Susan Frugé was also a Cali- triumph that also established Press published, and still does to fornia Native Plant Society Fellow, Kroeber as a major writer on Na- the present day—the complete and was equally dedicated to the en- tive Americans and history of the works, letters, and papers of Mark vironment and scholarly books. She American West. Twain, another monumental schol- began her career at the UC Press Another million-copy seller was arly publishing project established Los Angeles office where she edited The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui during Frugé’s tenure. the monumental A California Flora, Way of Knowledge, by Carlos Frugé served for years on the by P.A. Munz—a project many years Castaneda, a book that precipitated board of directors of the Sierra in the making. She was also a gifted considerable controversy over the Club and was a key player in the artist, particularly of California land- years. But the greatest academic publishing struggles during David scapes, and several of her paintings heat was generated by the long- Brower’s stormy administration. have been used in book illustration. delayed, three-volume, monumen- Brower had entered publishing at She was a founder of the California tal The Plan of St. Gall, by Walter UC Press, so his relationship with Native Plant Society. Horn and Ernest Born, published Frugé was a lengthy one and, in August Frugé stated upon his in 1983. It is a heated saga of pub- the end, friendly. inauguration as president of CNPS lisher versus author that did not He is a Fellow (along with his that he was probably “the only end until three years after Frugé’s late wife Susan) of the California President of CNPS who didn’t retirement from the press in 1977. Native Plant Society (CNPS); a know a columbine from a redwood.” Frugé’s successor, James H. Clark, member of the Publishing Hall of Fittingly, August and Susan are in- told the story in Publishing the Plan Fame, New York; and past-Presi- terred in a small redwood grove in of St. Gall, privately published but dent, Association of American Uni- Mountain View Cemetery, Oak- included in Frugé’s own monumen- versity Presses, New York. His re- land, California. Several of their tal account of his publishing years, organization of the California Na- friends maintain a columbine bou- A Skeptic Among Scholars: August tive Plant Society transformed the quet in the gravesite vase. Frugé on University Publishing. organization into one of California’s Frugé was also a noted scholar. leading environmental organiza- He was fluent in French and Span- tions and set the standard for other Harlan Kessel, 376 Bellevue Avenue, Oak- ish, and comfortable reading Greek native plant organizations around land CA 94610. [email protected] and Latin. He built UC Press’s clas- sics list to its zenith and also trans- lated and edited several works on the exploration and early history of California. One of these was a fun- damental work on early California history, especially the Jesuit Mis- sions: A Voyage to California, the Sandwich Islands, and Around the World in the Years 1826-1829 by Auguste Duhaut-Cilly. Frugé’s translation marked the first book

Donations in August Frugé’s memory may be made to the Associ- ates of the University of California Press and to the California Native Columbine (Aquilegia formosa) and coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens). Illustrations Plant Society. from The Jepson Manual, used with permission from the Regents of the University of California.

24 FREMONTIA VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 Please Join Today! CNPS member gifts allow us to promote and protect California’s native plants and their habitats. Gifts are tax-deductible minus the $12 of the total gift which goes toward publication of Fremontia and the CNPS Bulletin.

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MATERIALS FOR CLASSIFIED ADS PUBLICATION Members and others are invited to submit material for publication Classified ad rate: $1.00 per word, minimum $15; payment in advance. Botanical prints, note cards, postcards, in Fremontia. Instructions for Address advertising inquiries and copy to: Plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition contributors can be found on the CNPS, 2707 K St., Suite 1, Sacramento, notecards, books, fruit crate labels, hand CNPS website, www.cnps.org, or CA 95816-5113. (916) 447-2677 or fax towels, and T-shirts focusing on Cali- (916) 447-2727. fornia native plants from Sierra Nature can be requested from Fremontia Prints. Animal puppets, too. Visit www. Editor, Linda Ann Vorobik, NURSERIES AND SEEDS sierranatureprints.com. [email protected], or c/o Telos Rare Bulbs. Bulbs for your gar- PUBLICATIONS University and Jepson Herbaria, den, restoration projects, landscaping. Flora & Fauna Books, 121 First Avenue 1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg. Many Calif. native species, including Calochortus, Fritillaria, Brodiaea rela- South, Seattle WA 98104, Tel. (206) #2465, University of California, 623-4727, Fax (206) 623-2001, ffbooks Berkeley, CA 94720-2465. tives, Erythronium. Catalog $3.00. Free shipping in USA. P.O. Box 4978, Arcata, @blarg.net, Specializing in Botany, Gar- CA 95518. www.telosrarebulbs.com. dening, Birding, and Ecology, both new and out-of-print. We carry a large in- FREMONTIA EDITORIAL SERVICES ventory of floras, keys, and field guides ADVISORY BOARD Nature landscape design. Landscape for the west coast and worldwide. A Design that celebrates the rich heritage large selection of our inventory is now Ann Bradley, Susan D’Alcamo- of California’s native flora. Duber Land- available on the web: www.abebooks.com/ Potter, Ellen Dean, Kathleen scape Design, CA license #4316. (510) home/FFBOOK/. 524-8665. Dickey, Phyllis M. Faber, Bart ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION O’Brien, John Sawyer, Jim ART Native California grassland and desert Shevock, Teresa Sholars, Nevin Notecards, Prints, and Originals. Visit ecological restoration standards and Smith, Dieter Wilken, John www.VorobikBotanicArt.com. PO Box costs, plus pictures showing results. Willoughby, Darrell Wright 866, Lopez Island, WA 98261. www.ecoseeds.com/standards.html.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004 FROM THE EDITOR

s yet another year reaches its end, about this fascinating subject. With ticle about ferns and fern allies by Aand the days become shorter and the publication of these articles, Guenther Machol. If you are intrigued shorter, what better time to delight in Michelle receives two 50th birthday by the overlooked and rarely sought reading. Like an autumn garden bas- presents: a physical manifestation of you will enjoy Gordon Leppig’s article ket, this issue of Fremontia offers a var- her work with wetlands, and the oc- on two club-mosses, each of which is ied assortment of interesting morsels. casion to voice her thanks to those who rare in California. To start the issue, Michelle Stevens have taught her about Native Ameri- This issue closes with a tribute to delves into the subjects of ethnobotany can uses of and attitudes towards na- August Frugé, who passed away last and ethnoecology with her guest edi- tive plants and their environment. summer at the respectable age of 94. torial and two articles. In the next article, Bob and Barbara During many of those years August In her first article, Stevens exam- Sommer share their story of how two was the director of the University of ines white root (Carex barbarae), a sig- veteran fungi foragers became inter- California Press. He and his wife Su- nificant basketry material to Califor- ested in wildflower identification san were California Native Plant So- nia Native Americans and explores the while waiting for the autumn rains. ciety Fellows, founding members of tending of California sage beds as im- They share their joy in sketching and CNPS, and strong advocates for the portant examples of Traditional Re- identifying both wildflowers and fungi environment. Harlan Kessel’s tribute source Management and Traditional and note that the hobbies are quite inspires me with the reminder that Environmental Knowledge. In her complementary. One can appreciate there are those among us who work second article, she describes the the wildflowers in spring and summer, hard all of their lives to protect our ethnoecology of a diversity of wetland and revel in fungi in fall and winter. beautiful world. plants and includes a page of resources A recent issue of Fremontia (Volume Linda Ann Vorobik for those who wish to learn more 32, No. 2) included a wonderful ar- Fremontia Editor

CONTRIBUTORS

Harlan Kessel, now retired, was editor of The Book Club of California Quarterly Newsletter and marketing director and

paperback editor for the University of California Press.

Address Service Requested Service Address

Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 CA Sacramento,

2707 K Street, Suite 1 Suite Street, K 2707 California Native Plant Society Plant Native California Gordon Leppig is an environmental scientist with the Cali- fornia Department of Fish and Game in Eureka, where he works on regional conservation planning on managed timberlands. He is the workshop chair for the North Coast Chap- ter of the California Native Plant Society. Bob Sommer and Barbara Sommer are each retired fac- ulty from the Psychology Department at the University of California, Davis. Barbara is currently coordinator of instruc- tional programs at the UC Davis Teaching Resources Cen- ter. Bob writes a column for Mushroom, the Journal. Michelle L. Stevens works as a restoration ecologist for Cali- fornia Department of Water Resources and as an adjunct fac- ulty member at San Francisco University. She is also affili- ated with the Iraq-AWARE project through the University of Miami, supporting the eco-cultural restoration of the Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq. Michelle is currently completing a book on the ethnoecology of riparian

and wetland areas of California. Postage U.S.

Nonprofit Org. Nonprofit

Permit # 3729 # Permit

Oakland, CA Oakland, PAID

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY, dedicated to protecting native plants and their habitats.

VOLUME 32:4, OCTOBER 2004