I cultivated roseroot in my Kachemak Bay garden decades before the boon of commercial Alaskan cultivation. My start was finding a clump of Sedum rosea nesting in an eroded clump of earth, about to wash out to sea. I added it to my herb garden, envisioning a steady source of spring food; it thrived despite my total ignorance of its needs. Since the 1990s, research on this plant has expanded, as has cultivation knowhow. Today, it is marketed as Rhodiola. The name “roseroot” hints at the aroma of the rootstalk. The fleshy blue-gray leaves are spoon-shaped and overlap in a spiral fashion. The early blooming flowers sit at the top of the stem.

      DERIVATION OF NAME: Sedum is from the Latin “to sit”; rosea means “rose.”

      OTHER NAMES: roseroot, Arctic root, hen and chickens.

      RANGE: Moist rocky places, and alpine slopes throughout Alaska.

      HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: For food use, leaves are most prime before flowers but can be used throughout the summer to extend food supplies. For health use, roots are harvested autumn or early spring.

      FOOD USE: Eat Rhodiola leaves raw, in salads and coleslaws, or steam as a potherb. Add to immune support soup, with seaweed, miso, wild chives, and shitake. Try a Rhodiola relish or salsa. Include Rhodiola in egg dishes, stir-fries, and casseroles. Anore Jones reports that St. Lawrence Iñupiat ferment the rootstalks in water, adding successive layers every few weeks until the barrel is full. When it tastes sour, it is eaten with seal oil or blubber; the remainder is frozen for winter use.

      HEALTH USE: The greens are high in vitamins A and C. Dena’ina Athabascans use leaves and rootstalks as tea for colds, sore-throat gargles, and eyewashes; the mashed rhizome is a poultice for cuts. Dr. Robert Fortuine documented use of roseroot flowers by Nelson and Nunivak Island Yup’ik for treatment of tuberculosis. Herbalists classify Rhodiola as an adaptogen, an herb that helps the body adapt to stress and anxiety. A Swedish clinical trial confirmed that standardized extracts exhibited a positive effect on fatigue levels and stress-related cognitive function, increasing attention and endurance.

      OTHER: In 2009, Dr. Petra Illig successfully trialed 100,000 Rhodiola seedlings in Anchorage. But be warned: Illig writes that “it takes Rhodiola rosea at least 5 years in carefully tended fields to reach the state of maturity required to produce potent rosavin and saldiroside levels at the same concentrations as is found in mature wild roots.” Also, Rhodiola prefers cold winters and cool summers; thus, ongoing global warming could potentially have adverse effects on future success. “At present Rhodiola,” points out Smithsonian.com “already fetches a higher price per acre than other crops, such as potatoes.”

      CAUTION: An American Botanical Council HerbGram concludes that though R. rosea has very few side effects with most users finding it improves their mood, energy level, and mental clarity, it should be used with caution by individuals who tend to be anxious, jittery, or agitated. Also, those with bipolar disorder with a tendency to have manic periods may find it overly stimulating.

SAXIFRAGE

      Saxifraga species Saxifrage family (Saxifragaceae)

      The Saxifraga genus is a large one and can be confusing, but fortunately it’s forager friendly. My preferred species for eating is brook saxifrage, Saxifraga punctata, which has smooth, kidney-shaped leaves with toothed margins and a spike of white flowers; as the name indicates, it is common along streams. Leaves grow singly on basal stems. Inuit people eat flowers and petals of aupilaktunnguat, purple mountain saxifrage, Saxifraga oppositifolia. Saxifrage flower colors vary from white to yellow to violet red. Look closely and you’ll note 5 petals with 10 stamens with a very visible ovary in the center. Seed capsules are red. A plant sometimes mistaken for brook saxifrage is mist maiden (Romanzoffia); leaves are similar in shape and equally edible.

      DERIVATION OF NAME: Saxifraga is from the Latin saxum, “rock,” and frango, “to break.” Saxifrage thrives in rock fissures, creating the illusion it breaks rocks. Another theory of derivation relates to saxifrage’s ancient use in dissolving urinary stones.

      OTHER NAMES: brook saxifrage, salad greens, deer tongue.

      RANGE: Throughout Alaska. Habitats vary with species from moist places to rockslides to rock crevices to bogs.

      HARVESTING DIRECTIONS: Leaves are prime before flowers appear, but for camping purposes can be harvested all summer.

      FOOD USE: Add saxifrage leaves to salads or stir-fries. Though they won’t win kudos on MasterChef due to their rather bland flavor, they’re a good source of vitamins A and C and can be dressed up with more flavorsome greens or sauces. Use in soups, quiche, spanakopita, and casseroles.

      HEALTH USE: Bog saxifrage, Saxifraga hirculus, is a tufted species with short runners and yellow petals. It ranges in Alaska as well as in Pakistan, where the plant’s decoction is given in fever, diarrhea, cough, chest complaints and pulmonary disorders. Spanish Saxifraga species are used as poultices for bruises, bites and boils. If camping in the alpine and needing relief from mosquito bites, a poultice of mashed saxifrage leaf could be worth trying.

      OTHER: In the UK, University of Cambridge scientists have discovered the rare mineral vaterite in the “crust” that forms on various alpine saxifrage species. Vaterite is of significant interest to the pharmaceutical industry as a superior carrier for medications and as an ingredient in cements for orthopedic surgery.

Sea & Sandy Shores

       Alaska and its islands offer 33,904 miles of coastal foraging opportunities. The proverb “when the tide is out, the table is set” doesn’t apply for every single beach, of course, but I’ve always quipped that if I had to be stranded somewhere in Alaska, may it please be by the sea.

       This section includes gravel beaches, tidal marshes, and rocky intertidal and subtidal zones. Here, many coastal plants including beach greens and goosetongue have developed fleshy stems and leaves to withstand desiccation in this salt-kissed environment. And algae, such as bladderwrack, have adapted to the extreme contrast between being immersed in sea and then exposed on land to glaring sun.

       The Alaska Department of Fish and Game allows kelp harvesting along most of Alaska’s coast for personal, noncommercial use. Fish and Game classifies most of Alaska’s coast as a “subsistence use area.” Within such areas, seaweed may be harvested without a sport fishing license or harvest limit. Exceptions to this rule, at time of publication, include Cook Inlet. Check with your regional office for current local rules.

       Note that within the beach plants, the algae are organized progressively from ocean to shore. First is bull kelp, which exists in the ocean at all times. Progressing shoreward, the algae are arranged in the “biobands” where they occur. As the tide drops, the dark brown bladed algae (including ribbon kelp) are exposed, then the red algae (dulse and nori), followed by the green (sea lettuce). Closest to shore is the brown rockweed, bladderwrack.

      

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