Volume 1, Issue 11

Plant Answer Line: quirky questions welcome
Our Gardening Answers Knowledgebase contains myriad questions and answers, from the mundane to the outlandish. To see some of the most unusual, just type "quirky" into the search box. You'll be rewarded with entries like this:

Is Jerusalem artichoke a native? Did local Native American tribes have uses for it?

Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is commonly found across most of North America, according to its plant profile on the website of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The book Native American Food Plants: An Ethnobotanical Dictionary by Daniel Moerman (Timber Press, 2010) mentions uses of the plant's tubers by numerous tribes, but not ones in the Pacific Northwest. Some tribes, such as the Chippewa, traditionally used the tubers raw, while others like the Dakota boiled them. Several tribes (Huron, Lakota) only used the tubers during periods of famine to fend off starvation. Read the complete question and answer in the Knowledgebase.

Art Exhibit: Washington Native Plants
by Linda Stewart Henley
A new exhibit of watercolors by Linda Stewart Henley will be on display  in the Miller Library November 4th through December 2nd. These meditative paintings of Pacific Coast native plants, done mostly in situ, are accompanied by field notes. Meet the artist at a free reception at the Library on Friday, November 14th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.

From the Elwha River to Centennial Woods, find that intriguing thesis
Curious about the details of a recent (or not so recent) Master of Environmental Horticulture thesis? A list of theses and student projects is available on the University of Washington Botanic Gardens website. Many of these items are available (on paper or electronically) here in the Library. Finding the research results you need can be a lifesaver!

New Items October 2014