Hul’q’umi’num’ Language & Culture Society presents

Plants in the Hul’q’umi’num’ World

“Broadleaf Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) – Thunder Bay, Ontario” by Ryan Hodnett, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Hul'q'umi'num' name:

sqewth

English Name:

Wapato

Alternative English Names:

Broadleaf Arrowhead, Potato, Indian Potato

Scientific Name:

Sagittaria latifolia, and Solanum tuberosum (introduced potato)

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Description

Description, Habitat, Ecology, Distribution

This aquatic plant grows from tuber-producing rhizomes and produces arrowhead-shaped leaves and white flowers. This word (sqewth) also applies to the introduced potato.

Island Cultural Role

Both the tubers (potato-like structures) and rhizomes (specialized stems) are starchy and edible.

Language

Hul'q'umi'num' Name

sqewth

APA

sqewθ

Speaker

Ruby Peter

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Featured Plant

sqw’uqwtsus | Red Huckleberry

sqw’uqwtsus | Red Huckleberry

Red huckleberry is a shrub (to 4 m [13 ft] tall) that grows in moist to dry forests at a range of elevations. The flowers are small, urn-shaped to egg-shaped, and greenish-yellow to pinkish. The fruits are bright red round berries. This species occurs throughout the coast.
The small, red fruits are a traditional food. They may be eaten fresh or cooked and made into jam.