English common name: Old Man’s Beard

Latin name: Clematis microphylla

Comments: Creeper, grows on islands and coastal areas; massive tuberous roots roasted and eaten; high in protein and starch. “That’s a tuber, the tubers go down and you can eat the tubers. The other thing with this, the people whiten their beard up because if you had a beard, you were powerful. So they put their beards, the old man’s beard, and they use that to make them powerful†– Trevor Walley.

Click to hear the word  Taaruuk

Photo Babs and Bert Wells, DEC.

Photo Angela Rooney

References