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Archaeobotanical Remains
by Karen R. Adams, Kristin A. Kuckelman, and Vandy E. Bowyer |
Crow Canyon Home |
| Table 12. Two Major Groupings of Native Plants Whose Reproductive Parts Preserved in Flotation Samples, Sand Canyon Pueblo | ||
| Group 1a | Group 2b | |
| Habit | weedy | nonweedy |
| Productivity | high at times | lower |
| Harvest effort | low | high |
| Taxa | Cheno-am (Chenopodium/Amaranthus) Physalis longifolia–type Portulaca retusa–type Helianthus annuus–type Stipa-type Cycloloma-type Plantago-type |
Opuntia (prickly pear)-type Rhus-type Amelanchier/Peraphyllum-type Juniperus-type Yucca-type Polygonum-type Scirpus-type |
| NOTES: The word "type" following a family, genus, or species designation indicates that the ancient botanical specimen is similar to the taxon named, but that other taxa in the area may also have similar-looking parts.
Taxa with incomplete information (e.g., unidentified Gramineae grains or Compositae achenes) have not been included in this list. Opuntia is listed with Group 2, although its numbers increase in specific types of disturbed areas (Minnis 1989*1:543). a Group 1 plants are (a) extremely to somewhat weedy in habit (though their habitats may be somewhat restricted to, for example, sandy or damp sediments); (b) capable of high seed productivity, given the appropriate environmental conditions; and (c) fairly easily harvested (for example, with beater-baskets, through use of fire to release and parch the seeds, or by uprooting, drying, and winnowing for seeds). b Group 2 plants (a) are not weedy in habit (they are perennials that thrive in well-established vegetation); (b) have a generally lower level of productivity (that is, plants may not produce fruit every year or may produce smaller amounts); and (c) are often more difficult to acquire, sometimes requiring repetitive hand movements and additional walking between plants to harvest a usable quantity. |
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Copyright © 2007 by Crow Canyon Archaeological Center. All rights reserved. |
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