In Wild Flowers of the Pacific
- Northwest; author Lewis Clark

‘tells us about Devil’s Club, also.

known as Opolpanax Horridum:
“Under three different genera-
tions, this ferocious yet hand-
some shrub has retained its
. specific ‘horridum’, suggesting a
unanimity of opinion among
many authorities.” Indeed, this
prickly long-limbed member of
the ginseng family has wounded

-. many with its poisonous spikes. |

The springy four-to-ten-feet
long stems ‘hover close to the

ground, then grow upright to.

‘eye level, a growth: habit :con-

an unwary hiker stepping on the
bouncy branches. They also
grow on slopes and offer a seem-
ingly harmless and helpful hand
to climbers. The thistles are hard
to remove completely, and leave
the flesh festering and swollen

with lingering pain. What could

the purpose of this evil’ bush
other than being a weapon for a
demon?
Devil’s Club has at least two
benign. purposes for Terrace
area residents. First, as an in-
dicator of a particular type of
_ ecosystem; it points the way to
productive growing sites for
most species of conifers, When
found in areas also supporting
fluvial spruce and lady fern, it

"Prickly Devil's Club has
~some well-hidden virtues -

designates the best ecosystem for
growing trees in our Coastal
Western Hemlock zone, accord-
ing to a 1984 B.C, Ministry of
Forests study. Large trees in-
cluding sitka spruce will
flourish, as will a variety. of
shrubs, herbs and flowers, along
the banks of the Nass and

Skeena rivers and their

tributaries. .

_ When found with cottonwood
‘ona valley floor, Devil’s Club

tells us to-also look for large,
well-spaced western red. cedar as
well as wild ginger and false lily-

- of-the-valley flowers.
- ducive to lacerating the face of ©

On gentle slopes Devil’s Club

‘with oak fern- leads the way to

trees like western hemlock and
amabilis fir, and plenty of
huckleberries, Alaskan blueber-
ties, and black gooseberries.
This is the most productive

-ecosystem for higher elevations

within the zone.
Identifying ecosystems with

. Devil’s Club, highly visible in.

spring with its thorny limbs and
in summer with its large, exotic
maple-like leaves, also assists
foresters to determine the
richness of organic materials
and to -develop. the best
silviculture prescriptions for the
sites. .

A second even older use for
the plant is medicinal. Vera

extravaganza.

Fireworks note

The Riverboat Days fireworks display will take place at the
north end of Ferry Island at 11 p.m. tomorrow night.
Organizers say that the display ‘will be. visible from the
Lakelse approach to the old Skeena Bridge, Hwy. 16. East

from Pacific Northern Gas eastwards and all three bridges.
But the best place, and the safest if you have young children,
may be Queensway Drive in Thornhill. There is normally less
traffic than in the other locations: and you can sit on the
banks of the Skeena as you witness this Riverboat: Days

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Henry, well-versed in. Tsim-

pshian. medicinal practices, says

Devil’s. ‘Club is helpful in
treating a variety of sicknesses

and diseases. Its most common |

use is to treat- colds, but its
cleansing properties have also
battled against TB, syphilis, and
other communicable diseases.
The thorns are scraped off us-

-ing the back of a knife, and the

green layer is carefully cut away,

leaving the sap-filled flesh of the

plant. A good handful is cut up
and placed into a clean quart jar
and covered with boiling water.

- Let it sit for a while, unstirred,

strain and refrigerate. The
resulting oily liquid can be taken
@ spoonful at a time. ‘But it’s
pretty strong medicine and some
people don’t like it. It tastes like
cod liver oil,’’ Henry says. It can
also be used in the bath or even

for house cleaning: ‘‘It’s good

luck,”’
Spring time is the best season

to pick it, while the sap is strong

and plentiful.

This horrid yet helpful. plant
can be found in rich, moist soil
in western forests,

Come in and see -
it today.

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Many an unwary watker in the forest has gotten acquainted
with Devil’s Club the hard way. This repellant plant,
however, is used as an ecosystem !ndicator by foresters,
and the Tsimpshian Indians have for centuries been aware

of its healing properties.

" Terrace Review — Wednesday, July 27, 1988 11

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