The Eskimo potato is a type of edible plant that grows in the northern areas of Canada and Alaska. The plant's scientific name is variously attributed as either Claytonia tuberosa[1][2] (Inuit: oatkuk[3]) or Hedysarum alpinum (Inuit: mashu[3]). Both species have a range in the northern area of North America, have edible roots, and have been documented to have been used as a food source by Inuit.[4] Due to its nutritional qualities, the eskimo potato is one of many edible foods listed in survival guides, such as the US Army's field manual Survival,[2] and is used in modern times to subsist in nature.

A Hedysarum alpinum plant growing on silt, in Nunavut

Christopher McCandless used the plant as a food source in the Alaska wilderness.[5]

References

  1. ^ merriam-webster.com Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  2. ^ a b United States Army. Field Manual 3-05.70[permanent dead link]. May 2002. p B-50.
  3. ^ a b Heller, Christine A. and Edward M. Scott. The Alaska Dietary Health Survey 1956-1961. US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service. p 180 Archived 2012-03-26 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Gucker, Corey L. "Hedysarum alpinum". U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. 2007.
  5. ^ Bryson, George. "Theories differ on the cause of McCandless' death" Archived 2013-07-19 at the Wayback Machine Anchorage Daily News. October 8th, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2011.


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