Arctic willow (feltleaf willow)

Salix alaxensis, S. pulchra

leaf · vegetable

In spring, sweet inner bark and peeled young shoots, eaten raw by the Iñupiat; the young leaves are kept in seal oil.

Origin

Alaska, Yukon and the Canadian Arctic

Where to find it

Along rivers and in shrub tundra.

Season (United States)

May to June · grows in your region

Preparation

Like all willows, it contains salicin, a cousin of aspirin: in small amounts.

Molecules

Beta-carotene (vitamin A) · Lutein and zeaxanthin · Vegetable nitrates · Vitamin C · Chlorophyll

Did you know?

Its young leaves, rich in vitamin C, were one of the few green vegetables of the tundra.