Pinaceae Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

White Spruce

Tanana, Upper - Fiber, Basketry

Use documented by:
Kari, Priscilla Russe, 1985, Upper Tanana Ethnobotany, Anchorage. Alaska Historical Commission, page 2

View all documented uses for Picea glauca (Moench) Voss

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Scientific name: Picea glauca (Moench) Voss
USDA symbol: PIGL (View details at USDA PLANTS site)
Common names: White Spruce
Family: Pinaceae
Family (APG): Pinaceae
Native American Tribe: Tanana, Upper
Use category: Fiber
Use sub-category: Basketry
Notes: Roots used to sew birchbark baskets. Spruce roots were dug by hand or with an axe, preferably from a tree that was not crowded by other trees. The roots of a tree growing in an open place were less likely to be entangled with the roots of other trees and were therefore easier to dig. Spruce roots in moist ground where moss grows were also easier to gather than those found in dry soil. Before using spruce roots, the Upper Tanana peeled the bark off by hand or with a knife. After peeling them, they sometimes dyed them by boiling berries and soaking the roots in the juice. Spruce roots could be dried for future use but must be soaked in water to make them pliable before being used. They could be dug anytime during the year when the ground was not frozen.

RECRD: 3215 id: 27014

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