Pinaceae Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.

Western Hemlock

Hesquiat - Dye, Red-Brown

Use documented by:
Turner, Nancy J. and Barbara S. Efrat, 1982, Ethnobotany of the Hesquiat Indians of Vancouver Island, Victoria. British Columbia Provincial Museum, page 44

View all documented uses for Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.

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Scientific name: Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.
USDA symbol: TSHE (View details at USDA PLANTS site)
Common names: Western Hemlock
Family: Pinaceae
Family (APG): Pinaceae
Native American Tribe: Hesquiat
Use category: Dye
Use sub-category: Red-Brown
Notes: Bark, especially from the inside of a crevice, used as a reddish-brown dye. Bark was used to dye the rope used in halibut fishing to make it invisible to the fish. Canoes were often painted with a solution of this bark in water. This stain was made by steeping the bark in water for many days, until the liquid was bright red.

RECRD: 551 id: 40993

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