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Koyukon Plant Database


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Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Calla palustris
wild calla
bekenaal baabe'
baabe
79
Lit. 'beaver's food'; 'moose's food' Kwaraceius - "Refers to fleshy rhizome of yellow pond lilly (Nuphar polysepalum) as well as wild calla." "Commonly called the root of yellow pond lily, which is edible, whereas that of wild calla is poisonous to humans."


taah ggoldzeede'
dzeet
168
Lit. 'water ball' Kwaraceius - "Refers to the ball-like spadix (cluster of flowers) in the early summer, and to the berries later."

root of wild calla
taah ts'edone
don2
147
Lit. 'underwater food'

Also refers to yellow pond lily rather than wild calla root


Calla palustris
Calla palustris
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Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Hedysarum alpinum
wild carrot
tsoł
tsoł1
642

Jette - "The tsoł is good only during the winter, when the natives gather it, digging for it under the snow. It is then round and full, juicy and tender. After the thaw it loses its qualities, becomes hard, woody, and tasteless. It is also used as a substitute for tea or coffee. For this purpose, the root is sliced transversely in segments 1 to 2 inches long; these are divided longitudinally, by separating the fibers, and these are cut again across in small portions, which are afterwards dried and roasted in a frying pan. They are used as tea, in an infusion, and sometimes as a decoction. The beverage thus prepared is said to taste like chocolate."

Indian potato
nen' t'oh dalldloyee
nen'1
475
Lit. 'those which are underground'


nen' yeh geege'


Lit. 'underground berry'

Hedysarum alpinum
Hedysarum alpinum
:

Scientific Name
Related Terms
Koyukon Name
Koyukon Root
KAD Page
Notes on Translation
Use Information
Angelica sp.
wild celery



Unidentified in Koyukon language, but use of Angelica lucida as a source of food is noted in the Lower Yukon by Heller
Zagoskin - in a journal entry dated June 16, 1843, he describes collecting an edible plant near Nulato that he identifies as Angelica sylvestris.

Angelica sylvestris
Angelica sylvestris
:
Scientific Name
Related Terms Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Allium schoenoprasum wild chives



Described by Nelson but he did not give a Koyukon name for the plant
Nelson - Eaten raw alone or mixed with fish


Allium schoenoprasum
Allium schoenoprasum

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Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Prunus sp.

dodetl'edzee ch'ejege'
tl'ets
604
Neologism for an introduced plant


Prunus sp.
Prunus sp.
:

Scientific Name
Related Terms
Koyukon Name
Koyukon Root
KAD Page
Notes on Translation
Use Information
Rubus chamaemorus






Rubus chamaemorus
Rubus chamaemorus
:


Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Petasites hyperboreus

kkaalbedze
bets1
101
Lit. 'spread out foot' Low growing, found on hillsides, and eaten by bears --Jetté
Petasites frigidus






Petasites hyperboreus
Petasites hyperboreus

Petasites frigidus
Petasites frigidus
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Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Geocaulon lividum
northern commandra
naaggedle geege'
geege
184
Lit. 'fox's berry'

timberberry






dogberry






toadflax





Geocaulon lividum
Geocaulon lividum
:


Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Populus balsimifera
balsam poplar
t'egheł
t'egheł5
244

Nelson - The Koyukon origin story for balsam poplar tells about a woman who heard a tale that was so sad and terrible that she began to cry and slit her skin. She became the balsam poplar with its deeply cut bark.

Good for smoking meat and fish

cottonwood bark




Nelson - "...used to make fish net floaters and may have been peeled in slabs for smokehouse floors and walls. The bark is also burned as mosquito smudges."

buds




Nelson- "Pitchy buds are boiled with spruce needles (or with highbush cranberries and rose hips) to make medicine for healing sores."

Populus balsimifera
Populus balsimifera
:


Scientific Name Related Terms
Koyukon Name Koyukon Root KAD Page Notes on Translation Use Information
Heracleum lanatum
wild celery
lokk'oge
kk'ok2
363
Retranscription uncertain. Jette: "term of the extreme-lower dialect…not identified and found only in Lower Yukon."
Jette - "Largest of the three "wild celerys" in Alaska. Although stems have to be peeled to remove the outer layer (that can irritate skin), the portion iside is edible. It has a very strong odor, especially when crushed or peeled."
Heracleum lanatum
Heracleum lanatum

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