Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia)

Gitxsan name:  sginiist
Wet'suwet'en name:  cindu

Botanical Description

• medium-sized straight tree up to 40 metres tall.
• scaly bark, light brown, dark gray to black.
• needles in twos, often curved and twisted, deep green to yellowish green
• seed cones are egg-shaped, slightly curved, scales are stiff and brown with a sharp prickle on tip.
• commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as "jack pine" - jack pine has shorter needles (1-4 cm) and a non-prickly cone.

Photo courtesy of Katherine Enns (50kB)

Ethnobotanical Use

The straight wood was cut into lumber and used to construct buildings, drills, and arrowshafts. The very sweet cambium layer was scraped from the trees in the spring in long, fleshy ribbons ("jack pine noodles") and eaten fresh. Sometimes the jack pine noodles were stored, but it is said that the flavor was not as good. The Gitxsan ate the young needles and resinous shavings as both a purgative and a diuretic. The resinous parts of the wood were used for both fires and torches as the resin burns slowly. Pine pitch was valued as a wound dressing and was used to draw the infection from boils.

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This digital collection was produced under contract to the SchoolNet Digital Collection Program, Industry Canada.
Revised: 08/21/98