The Pattern of Influence of Individual Forest Trees on Soil Properties

FIG. 1. Seed of C.eonopodium album from "Ross" site: Top-showing condition of sample upon recovery, and Bottom-close-up of individual seeds. "just like a jar," according to the finders. The top of the cache was roughly level with the lower portion of the 10to 12-cm-deep occupation layer. The finders stated that the soil layer over the cache was intact with no evidence of former burrows or other disturbance. The 4-5 liters of seeds were all as clean as that in Figure 1. Unfortunately, the finders did not recognize the possible significance of the find and it was only as an afterthought that they retained about one cupful of the material. There was no evidence of a container and no photographs were obtained in situ. The seed sample consisted of empty hulls but with vestiges of a primary root adhering to many. The seed coats, a glossy black color in fresh material, were dull and lusterless. Indications were that the seeds had germinated and the primary roots and cotyledons had later disintegrated, while the hulls were preserved intact. In view of the widespread use of C. album as a food plant by primitive peoples, the apparent man-made characteristics of the storage hole, and the location of the cache in relation to a former occupation site, it is suggested that this find provides further evidence of the gathering and use of C. album by the Blackfoot Indians in the prehistoric period.