Submitted by E S Damstra on August 28, 2011 - 2:18pm
Posted in
On the Willapa Bay field trip during the GNSI Conference in July, I found this object on the beach (of the Pacific Ocean). It wasn't far from the mouth of the Columbia River so it's possible that it came from inland rather than from the ocean. Does anyone know what this is?? I'm very curious.
The grid underneath the object is inches.
The object is pretty hard and inflexible but very lightwieght.
Plant material
I would think the odds are it is a part of a seaweed plant.
Britt
What is it?
On second thought it could be somthing related to a Jerusalem Artichoke. Thes look very similar to the tubers you dig up? What do the roots of sunflowers look like?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke
Britt
Camas Root?
I am reasonably sure that it is Camas root. The Indians on the lower Columbia used it as food, grinding it up to make a flour they would bake a type of bread. There is a Camas Island just outside Portland, OR on the Columbia where it was easily found. Lewis & Clark's men ate a lot of it, too. Nice find. Stoney Compton, SFWA, HNS
Positive ID ?
This reply came from one of our botanists at Natural History:
These look very much like tubers of the salt marsh bulrush, Scirpus paludosus which would be common along shores and marshes in the mouth of most major rivers draining the western USA. Tubers will usually range from 1-3 cm in diameter.
Alice
Beautiful objecy Emily. Are
Beautiful object Emily. Are you planning to draw it?
Sharon
Maybe!
I'm not sure, Sharon. I have no immediate plans to draw it but who knows!