Tongass National Forest

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Native Plants

Learning about Alaska's native plants is an unexpected bonus of the El Cap tour. As you climb through the temperate rainforest, you will see a variety of rainforest plants. At the foot of the trail, Alaska's state flower, the forget-me-not, is visible May through June. The forget-me-not is a small blue flower that grows on a thin, weak, leafy stem.

Many varieties of fungi are common in rainy Southeast Alaska. Chicken of the Woods, an orange shelf fungus, grows mainly on dead logs. This bright orange fungus is edible, and when cooked is said to taste like chicken.

A brown and white conk fungus is also seen along the trail. It is locally called "bear bread," even though bears do not eat it. Bear bread is often hard and woody, and is used by artists as a medium for etchings and paintings.

Skunk cabbage is a common plant throughout Prince of Wales Island. Large (20" - 68") green leaves and yellow spathe flowers identify this water-loving plant. Skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to emerge in the spring. Skunk cabbage produces oxalic acid, which reacts in the plant to produce heat. This internal heating system warms ground around the roots so they can start to produce leaves early in the spring.

As black bears come out of hibernation, they eat skunk cabbage roots. It is believed that these early spring foods help bears "kick start" their digestive system after their long winter sleep. Despite the leaves' "skunky" odor, the sturdy roots, which do not smell bad, were often used by Alaska Natives in the process of bread making.

Throughout the summer you can see and, even better, taste a variety of Alaska berries.

Thimbleberries - large "raspberry" leaves, a soft red berry that tastes like a mix between raspberries and strawberries.

Huckleberries - similar to blueberry, berries are both red and blue.

Salmonberries - berries are yellowish orange to deep red and resemble a salmon eggs.

Elderberries - red clusters of small berries on a shrub. The seeds of this unpalatable berry are poisonous. Leave this one alone.

Devil's club is an abundant plant in Southeast Alaska. Huge umbrella like leaves, and savage thorns identify this rainforest plant. Devil's club is related to Ginseng. Throughout its range it is prized by aboriginal peoples as a medicine and protective agent. The roots and the greenish inner bark are the major parts used in medicines. Numerous ailments - including arthritis, ulcers, digestive tract ailments and diabetes- are treated with devil's club.

Yellow and redcedar are important to the native people of Southeast Alaska. Redcedar was used for canoes and yellow cedar was used for paddles. Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people also used both red and yellow cedar bark for clothes and baskets. The wood of both is fairly fine textured, with the yellow cedar wood being harder than the red.

Yellow cedar is also used for building homes, boats, furniture and utility poles. This cedar, which is actually a member of the cypress family, is the oldest tree in the region, at around 1000 - 1500 years old. On Prince of Wales Island, the older yellow cedars are commonly between 700 and 900 years old.

Natural disturbance is an important part of an old-growth forest's ecology. On Prince of Wales Island, trees do not need fire to renew themselves. Blowdown and root throw are the primary disturbance features in Southeast. On limestone bedrock, trees are deeply rooted in crevasses, so blowdown is less common. Trees stressed by high winds often snap at mid trunk in karst areas, as evidenced by the many snapped trunks on the tour route. During winter months, winds can reach up to 120 mph.

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USDA Forest Service - Tongass National Forest Accessibility Statement
Last Modified: July 11, 2007