Paleo Foraging

Selaginella densa Rydb.

Lesser spikemoss

Form: moss-like herb; perennial.

Food

[unspecified parts] – dried and used to spice meat by the Blackfeet (Hellson and Gadd 1974:105). The aboveground green parts were probably the part used.

Notes – the plant was considered to have a “doping effect, making one feel unusually strong” (Hellson and Gadd 1974:105). This curious comment was further elaborated by Hellson and Gadd (1974:105) referencing other ethnobotanical studies claiming other species of spikemoss had similar effects.

Selaginella densa Rydb. in GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-04-13.

Selaginella densa Rydb. observed in Canada by Erin Springinotic (licensed under http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)

Selaginella densa Rydb. observed in United States of America by goodnaturedadam (licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

Selaginella densa Rydb. observed in Canada by Globe Power Bar LT57QS (licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

REFERENCES:

Hellson, John C. and Morgan Gadd. 1974. Ethnobotany of the Blackfoot Indians. National Museum of Man, Mercury Series, Canadian Ethnology Service Paper 19. National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, Canada.