British Columbia: Looking for some help locating species

Discussion in 'Pacific Northwest Native Plants' started by Joel Bolete, May 3, 2012.

  1. Joel Bolete

    Joel Bolete Active Member

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    Hello,

    I am trying to find some wild ginger growing. Can anyone help me with an area that it may have been found previously or some signals as to habitat?

    Thanks for your help.

    this would go good with some fresh King Bolete!
     

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  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Closed-canopy forests.

    What amount would you be harvesting?
     
  3. Joel Bolete

    Joel Bolete Active Member

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    closed Canopy of what dominated species of tree?
    I am assuming deciduous but these types of forest stands are hard to come by around the abbotsford area. Could anyone recommend an area of the lower mainland?

    ***I am corrected, the closed canopy forest of the boreal is located right through here. its an area where the canopy is dense enough to shelter the forest floor from direct light. it is one of three types of foresting through the boreal.

    Looks like it will be right around here then!

    Just a bit more info if possible.

    I am planning on harvesting enough for myself to dry and store. Also I have some people that would be interested in this product for natural food sources. Its so hard to get 'real' food in our age of industry.

    I am also collecting nettles this weekend, and a big batch of fiddleheads.
     
  4. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    Low places beneath dense coniferous trees is where I have tended to see it, which fits the closed canopy depiction in a way. But you could look at acres of such sites and not happen to hit one that has the plant - it does not automatically follow that if a site looks suitable a particular species is always, or even frequently present.
     
  5. Michael F

    Michael F Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Tropical rainforests in southeastern Asia is the classic habitat for wild gingers; you may find some useful info here.
     
  6. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Joel, I assume that you are referring to Asarum caudatum, the local plant that is called Western Wild Ginger but is not actually related to true ginger. I see it quite often; but, as Ron B indicated, it is hard to predict where it will grow. I've never been interested in eating it and haven't paid attention to the locations where it occurs. One area that I do remember is Manning Park, but that is off limits for harvesting, of course.
     
  7. Joel Bolete

    Joel Bolete Active Member

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    @ Vitog,

    Yes, that is what I am looking for and thank you very much for helping me answer this. I was unsure if these plants were common here in the lower mainland or not. I dont think I am taking a trip to manning anytime soon to illegally dig up roots in a park.

    this is a very informative thread thank you.


    FYI-there are some 'super' tender fiddleheads growing allong the banks of Rolley Lake as right now, there are also many patches of young stinging nettles ready for picking.
     
  8. vitog

    vitog Contributor 10 Years

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    Joel, I'm not sure what types of fiddleheads you are picking; but you should be aware that bracken ferns contain carcinogenic compounds and are not recommended as food. The fern that is normally used for fiddleheads is the ostrich fern, which is not very common in the Fraser Valley. The one that is really abundant is the sword fern, but I didn't think that it is edible.

    By the way, I was out looking for morels today and noticed quite a few of the Wild Ginger plants in areas where Cottonwood trees were growing.
     
  9. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    If you are responsible about it (i.e., don't pick any directly on trailside, so that others don't have their hiking experience degraded as it is along the TransCanada Trail), there is a decent patch that I am fairly certain is outside of Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Park.

    You need to hike the Othello Tunnels trail from the other side, should be about here: http://g.co/maps/we6z6

    The easy-to-access patch in Manning (the one that I know of) was either never very big or has been illegally harvested.
     

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