Hul’q’umi’num: tl’usip
SENĆOŦEN: ṮESIP
Diitiidʔaaʔtx̣: ʎa.ʔasi.p
Latin: Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Photo Credits: ar.inspiredpencil.com
Description: A small to medium-sized evergreen fern, growing up to 70 cm tall. Its fronds are once-pinnate, with pointed leaflets (pinnae) longer than 3 cm. Orange spore clusters (sori) form on the undersides of the leaflets.
Photo Credits: Billy Dendy
Harvest and Sustainability: It grows on wet, mossy ground, logs and rocks, but is most often found on the trunks and branches of deciduous trees, especially bigleaf maple.
Fiddleheads should be harvested only in the fall, before they reach 15 cm in height.
Photo Credits: animalia-life.club
Uses: Its fiddleheads make a good fall harvest. The rhizomes have a licorice flavour and were traditionally chewed raw or brewed into a tea to soothe sore throats and colds. They can also be dried, steamed or scorched before eating.
