Lodgepole
Pine Cambium (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm. ex
S. Wats.): a springtime first peoples' food in British Columbia.
- 1
- School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia. megan.dilbone@yahoo.com
Abstract
Lodgepole
pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) is a tree species utilized for
succulent edible cambium and secondary phloem in the spring by Interior
First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest. In this article we present a
nutritional analysis of this food based on a pooled sample of 17 trees
harvested in the Chilcotin region of British Columbia. We also present
enzymatic sugar analysis of raw, dried, and cooked lodgepole pine
cambium harvested from the Chilcotin and Okanagan regions in British
Columbia. In the discussion we interpret the nutrient values of raw
lodgepole pine cambium in comparison to dried and cooked cambium,
results from other nutritional studies of pine cambium, and nutrients in
some other traditional and nontraditional foods.
