Great Slave Lake East Arm Plant Field Guide

Region AT A Glance

Boreal trees, persistent berries, muskeg hazards and traditional-use plants of the subarctic shield.

Filming region: East Arm of Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada Alone season(s): 6, 7 Ecology: Boreal Shield and subarctic taiga with exposed bedrock, black spruce muskeg, jack pine, birch and cold lake shorelines

The East Arm combines deep cold water, granitic bedrock, thin soils, fire-shaped jack pine woodland and extensive black spruce wetlands. Plant growth is slow, woody stems are often small, and edible fruit production varies sharply with frost, fire history and exposure. Wetland plants deserve special caution because the most dangerous species often grow beside useful berries and roots.

Field Priorities

• Learn black spruce, white spruce and jack pine by needles, cones and site moisture.
• Do not dig or taste roots from marshes, sedge beds or slow water margins.
• Use persistent berries only after confirming the whole shrub and fruit crown.
• Protect thin organic soils and lichens; travel and harvesting damage can last for years.
• Treat all traditional medicinal uses as cultural documentation, not field prescriptions.

Non-negotiable Plant Safety

Never consume a plant from one photo, one common name or one guide. Positive identification requires multiple traits and a reliable regional source. Do not experiment with medicinal dosing. For suspected poisoning, remove plant material from the mouth, preserve a sample or photo, contact emergency services or a poison centre, and do not induce vomiting unless directed.

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Positive Identification Protocol

Use a repeatable process. Confidence is built from independent features, not intuition.

1 1. Place

Record habitat, moisture, slope, elevation and nearby dominant plants.

2 2. Form

Decide tree, shrub, vine, herb, grass-like plant, fern or succulent.

3 3. Leaves

Check arrangement, shape, edge, veins, hairs, odor and underside.

4 4. Stem & Bark

Look for thorns, sap, pith, lenticels, buds, twig color and texture.

5 5. Flower / Fruit

Count petals, inspect clusters, seed structures and fruit attachment.

6 6. Cross-check

Match at least three reliable sources and rule out every dangerous look-alike.

AUTOMATIC STOP LIST DOCUMENTATION KIT

No tasting to identify. Photograph whole plant, leaf top and bottom, stem, bark, No wetland roots. flowers, fruit and habitat. Add a scale object. Record date, No unknown white umbels. location and confidence. Never let an AI label overrule a No unknown bulbs. regional botanist. No unknown milky sap. No medicinal experiments.

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Trees and Woody Plants

Identification, practical material properties and conservation cautions.

BLACK SPRUCE TREE / WOODY

Picea mariana

Identify

Narrow spire-like crown, short four-sided blue-green needles, small dark cones that may remain for years, and scaly gray-brown bark. HABITAT & SEASON Muskeg, peatlands, cold wet flats and thin rocky soils. Season: Year-round DOCUMENTED USE Small straight poles, roots and resinous dry twigs can support shelter, lashings and fire systems. Lower dead branches often remain dry beneath the crown. CAUTION Shallow roots make trees prone to windthrow. Dense smoky wood should not be burned in poorly ventilated shelters. LOOK-ALIKES White spruce has longer needles, larger cones and usually favors better-drained ground.

WHITE SPRUCE TREE / WOODY

Picea glauca

Identify

Sharp single needles with a pungent odor when crushed, larger flexible cones and a fuller crown than black spruce. HABITAT & SEASON Well-drained lake terraces, river mouths, slopes and sheltered valleys. Season: Year-round DOCUMENTED USE Strong poles, roots and wood for frames, utensils and fuel. Young flexible roots have documented lashing and basketry use. CAUTION Do not strip living roots. Spruce pitch can irritate skin and contaminate wounds. LOOK-ALIKES Black spruce cones are smaller and persistent; white spruce bark is often lighter and flaky.

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Trees and Woody Plants

Identification, practical material properties and conservation cautions.

JACK PINE TREE / WOODY

Pinus banksiana

Identify

Two short twisted needles per bundle, irregular crown and strongly curved cones that often remain closed on branches. HABITAT & SEASON Dry sandy ridges, burned areas and exposed bedrock. Season: Year-round DOCUMENTED USE Resin-rich dead wood is excellent kindling and fuel. Straight saplings can provide light poles where collection is legal. CAUTION Pitchy wood produces sparks and soot. Standing fire-killed trees can fall without warning. LOOK-ALIKES Lodgepole pine is similar but generally has longer needles and more symmetrical cones; its range overlaps only locally.

PAPER BIRCH TREE / WOODY

Betula papyrifera

Identify

White peeling bark with dark horizontal lenticels; oval doubly toothed leaves; hanging catkins. HABITAT & SEASON Burns, lake terraces, sheltered slopes and mixed forest. Season: Year-round bark and wood DOCUMENTED USE Loose dead bark is dependable tinder and a short-term waterproofing material. Wood carves well and burns hot when dry. CAUTION Never peel bark around a living trunk. Birch bark burns rapidly and can spread fire beyond the hearth. LOOK-ALIKES Aspen bark is smooth green-gray and does not peel in papery sheets.

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Trees and Woody Plants

Identification, practical material properties and conservation cautions.

TAMARACK TREE / WOODY

Larix laricina

Identify

Soft needles in clusters on short spur shoots, tiny upright cones and bright yellow autumn foliage that falls before winter. HABITAT & SEASON Fens, muskeg margins and wet lowlands. Season: Year-round wood; needles spring through fall DOCUMENTED USE Rot-resistant poles and roots have documented use in snowshoes, frames and lashings. Dry wood makes durable fuel. CAUTION Wet tamarack is difficult to ignite. Small bog trees may be centuries old; harvest only dead or permitted material. LOOK-ALIKES Spruces retain needles in winter and have single sharp needles.

BALSAM POPLAR TREE / WOODY

Populus balsamifera

Identify

Tall river-valley tree with pointed oval leaves, pale undersides and sticky fragrant buds; gray bark becomes furrowed. HABITAT & SEASON Floodplains, river mouths, lake shore benches and moist valleys. Season: Buds late winter to spring; wood year-round DOCUMENTED USE Light wood for carving and quick fuel. Aromatic buds have documented traditional external preparations. CAUTION Bud resin may trigger salicylate or fragrance reactions. Dead trunks can rot internally. LOOK-ALIKES Trembling aspen has rounder leaves and flattened stalks; willow leaves are narrower.

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Documented Edible Plants

Documented foods only. Positive identification and safe preparation remain essential.

LINGONBERRY / MOUNTAIN CRANBERRY DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Vaccinium vitis-idaea

Identify

Low evergreen shrub with leathery oval leaves, pale dotted undersides, pink urn-shaped flowers and bright red berries. HABITAT & SEASON Open spruce forest, rocky heaths and bog hummocks. Season: Late summer through winter DOCUMENTED USE Ripe berries are documented food and often persist beneath early snow. They can be cooked, dried or eaten fresh after cleaning. CAUTION Confirm the evergreen leaves and fruit crown. Avoid berries from animal latrines or polluted shorelines. LOOK-ALIKES Bearberry fruit is drier and mealy; its leaves have netted veins and lack pale underside dots.

BOG BLUEBERRY DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Vaccinium uliginosum

Identify

Low woody shrub with blue-green oval leaves, pink urn flowers and blue berries with a waxy bloom and crown. HABITAT & SEASON Muskeg hummocks, tundra-like heaths and moist open forest. Season: Late summer DOCUMENTED USE Ripe berries are documented food and an important seasonal resource. CAUTION Fruit production varies. Check woody stems, leaf arrangement and the fruit crown; never identify only by color. LOOK-ALIKES Bilberry has green angular stems and usually darker juice; black-berried herbs lack woody stems.

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Documented Edible Plants

Documented foods only. Positive identification and safe preparation remain essential.

CROWBERRY DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Empetrum nigrum

Identify

Mat-forming evergreen shrub with tiny needle-like leaves grooved beneath and shiny black berries nestled along the stems. HABITAT & SEASON Rocky heaths, windswept shorelines, bog margins and open spruce woodland. Season: Late summer through winter DOCUMENTED USE Ripe berries are documented food, water-rich but mild. They often remain after frost. CAUTION Berries can accumulate animal contamination close to the ground. Confirm the creeping evergreen mat. LOOK-ALIKES Juniper has sharper leaves in whorls and blue cones with a bloom; crowberry fruit is glossy black.

CLOUDBERRY DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Rubus chamaemorus

Identify

Low unarmed plant with one rounded lobed leaf per flowering stem and a single amber-orange raspberry-like fruit. HABITAT & SEASON Peatlands, bog edges and wet tundra-like openings. Season: Mid- to late summer DOCUMENTED USE Fully ripe amber fruit is a prized documented food and can be eaten fresh or cooked. CAUTION Unripe red fruit is sour and firm. Bog travel may be hazardous; harvest without trampling moss hummocks. LOOK-ALIKES Dwarf raspberry species may have red fruit and more divided leaves; cloudberry fruit is solitary and amber when ripe.

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Documented Edible Plants

Documented foods only. Positive identification and safe preparation remain essential.

PRICKLY ROSE DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Rosa acicularis

Identify

Prickly stems, compound toothed leaves, pink five-petaled flowers and red oval hips. HABITAT & SEASON Open woods, burns, shore terraces and thickets. Season: Hips late summer through winter DOCUMENTED USE Hip flesh is documented food after irritating hairs and seeds are removed; suitable for simmering or drying. CAUTION Seed hairs irritate mouth and skin. Avoid moldy fruit. Thorns can damage hands and inflatable gear. LOOK-ALIKES Hawthorns have simple lobed leaves and woody thorns; roses have compound leaves.

FIREWEED DOCUMENTED EDIBLE

Chamerion angustifolium

Identify

Tall colony-forming herb with narrow willow-like leaves, magenta four-petaled flowers and long capsules releasing silky seed. HABITAT & SEASON Burns, shore gravel, disturbed camps and forest openings. Season: Young shoots spring; flowers summer DOCUMENTED USE Young shoots and leaves have documented food use after correct identification and cooking. Dry seed fluff and stalk fiber have limited craft uses. CAUTION Older leaves become fibrous and bitter. Do not confuse young shoots with toxic wetland plants before leaves unfold. LOOK-ALIKES Purple loosestrife has opposite leaves and many smaller flowers; fireweed flowers have four broad petals.

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Toxic Plants - Avoid

High-consequence species to recognize before any gathering begins.

SPOTTED WATER HEMLOCK TOXIC - AVOID

Cicuta maculata

Identify

Wetland perennial with divided leaves, white umbrella-shaped flower clusters and thick chambered roots; veins often end between leaf teeth. HABITAT & SEASON Marshes, wet meadows, stream mouths and sedge margins. Season: Spring through fall DOCUMENTED USE No use. Establish a strict no-root-harvest zone in wet ground. CAUTION Extremely poisonous; roots are especially dangerous and may cause seizures and death. Do not taste. LOOK-ALIKES Angelica and cow parsnip can appear similar; this family requires expert identification.

RED BANEBERRY TOXIC - AVOID

Actaea rubra

Identify

Woodland herb with divided compound leaves, small white flower clusters and glossy red berries on stout stalks, often with a dark dot. HABITAT & SEASON Moist spruce-birch forest, rich slopes and streambanks. Season: Fruit late summer DOCUMENTED USE No food use. CAUTION Berries and roots are poisonous and can affect the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. Children are especially at risk. LOOK-ALIKES Red huckleberry is a woody shrub with simple leaves and translucent berries, not a divided-leaved herb.

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Toxic Plants - Avoid

High-consequence species to recognize before any gathering begins.

BOG ROSEMARY TOXIC - AVOID

Andromeda polifolia

Identify

Low evergreen bog shrub with narrow rolled-edge leaves, white beneath, and small pink urn-shaped flowers. HABITAT & SEASON Sphagnum bogs and peatland hummocks. Season: Year-round leaves; flowers early summer DOCUMENTED USE No food or tea use. CAUTION Contains grayanotoxin-type compounds; ingestion may cause vomiting, dizziness and heart effects. LOOK-ALIKES Labrador tea has broader rusty-haired leaf undersides and terminal white flower clusters.

NORTHERN MONKSHOOD TOXIC - AVOID

Aconitum delphiniifolium

Identify

Deeply divided palmate leaves and dark blue to purple hood-shaped flowers on upright stems. HABITAT & SEASON Moist tundra, streambanks, mountain meadows and rich open forest. Season: Summer DOCUMENTED USE No food or medicinal use. CAUTION All parts contain potent aconitine alkaloids. Ingestion can cause fatal heart and nerve effects; sap from roots should be avoided. LOOK-ALIKES Larkspur flowers have a distinct rear spur; both are unsafe.

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Traditional-use Plants

Published cultural or historical uses - not prescriptions or dosing advice.

LABRADOR TEA TRADITIONAL-USE

Rhododendron groenlandicum

Identify

Evergreen shrub with narrow leathery leaves rolled under at the edges and densely rusty-woolly beneath; white flower clusters. HABITAT & SEASON Muskeg, wet spruce forest and peatland margins. Season: Year-round leaves; flowers early summer DOCUMENTED USE A culturally important plant with documented use as a beverage and for other traditional purposes. CAUTION Use only with local expert guidance. Strong or repeated infusions may cause illness, and bog rosemary is a dangerous look-alike. LOOK-ALIKES Bog rosemary leaves are narrower and pale beneath, not rusty-woolly.

YARROW TRADITIONAL-USE

Achillea millefolium

Identify

Aromatic finely divided leaves and flat clusters of small white to pink flower heads. HABITAT & SEASON Dry shore gravel, trails, burns and disturbed soil. Season: Summer through fall DOCUMENTED USE Published traditional uses include external washes and aromatic preparations. Fully dry flower tops can serve as light tinder. CAUTION Possible allergy, pregnancy and anticoagulant concerns. Do not use dirty plant material on open wounds. LOOK-ALIKES Poison hemlock is much taller with hollow purple-spotted stems and umbrella flower clusters.

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Traditional-use Plants

Published cultural or historical uses - not prescriptions or dosing advice.

WILLOW TRADITIONAL-USE

Salix species

Identify

Woody shrubs or small trees with alternate narrow leaves, flexible twigs and catkins; species identification can be difficult. HABITAT & SEASON Shorelines, wet thickets, river mouths and tundra valleys. Season: Year-round twigs; catkins spring DOCUMENTED USE Flexible stems for baskets, wattle and light bindings. Published traditional uses include bark preparations related to salicylates. CAUTION Do not self-dose willow bark, especially with aspirin allergy, bleeding risk, kidney disease or in children with viral illness. LOOK-ALIKES Dwarf birch has round toothed leaves; alder bears woody cone-like female catkins.

COMMON JUNIPER TRADITIONAL-USE

Juniperus communis var. depressa

Identify

Low spreading evergreen with stiff sharp needles in whorls of three, each with a pale band; blue-black berry-like cones. HABITAT & SEASON Dry rocky ridges, open pine forest and exposed shore terraces. Season: Cones late summer through winter DOCUMENTED USE Small amounts of ripe cones have documented culinary and traditional uses; resinous twigs can scent smoke but are not primary fuel. CAUTION Not for pregnancy or kidney disease, and not for unsupervised medicinal use. Confirm whorled sharp needles; other junipers vary. LOOK-ALIKES Crowberry has softer tiny leaves tightly pressed to creeping stems and glossy black berries.

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Seasonal and Habitat Planning

Availability is local and variable. Use these patterns to plan observation, not to assume harvest.

PHASE WHAT TO EXPECT FIELD EMPHASIS

SPRING / THAW New shoots, flowers, catkins and wetland hazards become Learn leaves and flowers before fruit; avoid roots visible. and bulbs.

SUMMER / PEAK Maximum foliage; most edible greens and traditional-use Photograph multiple traits; note habitat and GROWTH herbs are identifiable. abundance.

AUTUMN / FRUIT & Most berries, hips, cones and seed structures mature. Confirm entire plant; leave food for wildlife and FROST regeneration.

WINTER / PERSISTENT Evergreen shrubs, bark, twigs, cones and persistent fruit Rely on woody traits; snow and frost obscure herb remain. identification.

HABITAT FORECAST HABITAT LIKELY PLANTS PRIMARY RISK

Dry ridge / exposed slope Black spruce, White spruce, Jack pine Windthrow, fire, protected slow-growing plants

Moist forest / sheltered Paper birch, Tamarack, Balsam poplar Look-alikes, falling timber, poor visibility valley

Wetland / peat / stream edge Spotted water hemlock, Red baneberry Water hemlock or toxic bog shrubs; unstable ground

Open disturbance / camp Lingonberry / mountain cranberry, Bog blueberry, Contamination, invasive species, human edge Crowberry, Cloudberry chemicals

Seasonal Reality

A late frost, drought, fire, flood, browsing pressure or poor flowering year can remove an expected food source. Build plans around several independent resources and assume that every crop may fail.

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Look-alike and Hazard Matrix

The most important plant knowledge is often knowing what not to touch, taste or dig.

HAZARD FIELD CUE RULE

Spotted water hemlock Wetland perennial with divided leaves, white Extremely poisonous; roots are especially umbrella-shaped flower clusters and thick chambered dangerous and may cause seizures and death. Do roots; veins often end between leaf teeth. not taste.

Red baneberry Woodland herb with divided compound leaves, small Berries and roots are poisonous and can affect the white flower clusters and glossy red berries on stout gastrointestinal and cardiovascular systems. stalks, often with a dark dot. Children are especially at risk.

Bog rosemary Low evergreen bog shrub with narrow rolled-edge Contains grayanotoxin-type compounds; ingestion leaves, white beneath, and small pink urn-shaped may cause vomiting, dizziness and heart effects. flowers.

Northern monkshood Deeply divided palmate leaves and dark blue to purple All parts contain potent aconitine alkaloids. hood-shaped flowers on upright stems. Ingestion can cause fatal heart and nerve effects; sap from roots should be avoided.

Suspected Poisoning Harvest Ethics

• Stop exposure. Take the common, leave the rare.
• Remove material from mouth; rinse. Never girdle a tree.
• Do not induce vomiting. Avoid roots and whole plants.
• Save a sample/photo. Leave wildlife food.
• Call emergency services or poison control. Follow Indigenous and protected-area rules.
• Monitor breathing and consciousness. Restore disturbed ground.

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Sources, Scope and Limitations

Taxonomy and regional occurrence change. Verify the current name, distribution and legal status before publication or field use.

1. Flora of North America North of Mexico Flora of North America Association - scientific flora

http://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page

2. Plants and biodiversity resources of the Northwest Territories Government of the Northwest Territories - regional flora and ecology

https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/biodiversity

3. Aboriginal Plant Use in Canada's Northwest Boreal Forest Marles, Clavelle, Monteleone, Tays and Burns; Canadian Forest Service - ethnobotany

https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.611374/publication.html

4. Plants of the World Online Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew - taxonomy and distribution

https://powo.science.kew.org/

5. Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System and poison-safety resources Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada / Canadian poison centres - poison safety

https://infopoison.ca/

Independent Publication Notice

This guide is an independent educational reference and is not affiliated with HISTORY, the Alone television series, local Indigenous governments or protected-area authorities. Traditional-use notes summarize published sources and do not transfer cultural authority. Local knowledge holders, current regulations and qualified medical or botanical professionals take precedence.

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