Specimen, ethnobotanical; seeds; foodstuff. The main component of the specimen consists of florets of Pleuropogon californicus (Nees) Benth. ex Vasey var. davyi (L. D. Benson) But, Davy’s semaphoregrass, Poaceae. One floret opened to remove caryopsis for diagnostic measurement (placed in gelatin capsule). Other items found and placed in gelatin capsules: 1 spikelet of Alopecurus saccatus Vasey, Pacific foxtail, Poaceae; 1 fruit of Rumex sp., dock, Polygonaceae.
Donor:
Phoebe Apperson Hearst
Collection place:
Ukiah Rancheria, Ukiah Valley, Mendocino County
Verbatim coll. place:
California; Mendocino; Yokaia Rancheria
Culture or time period:
Pomo
Collector:
Samuel A. Barrett
Collection date:
June 3, 1904
Object type:
ethnography
Object class:
Botanical samples
Function:
8.1 Foods
Accession date:
1904
Context of use:
Used for food
Department:
Native California (archaeology and ethnology)
Comment:
These seeds were sampled and sent to the Department of Food and Agriculture for identification by Kat Anderson and others in her lab. She is the ethnoecologist at the National Plant Data Center, Natural Resources Conservation Service at the University of California. The seeds were returned in December of 2009.
Loans:
S1987-1988 #41: University of North Carolina/Geirge R. Holcomb (March 29, 1988–July 6, 1990) and S2008-2009 #11: Seed Lab, Plant Pest Diagnostics Center (CA Dept. of Food and Agriculture)/Department of Agriculture, UC Davis (April 6, 2009–December 1, 2009)