The daily Astorian., May 26, 2016, Page 23, Image 32

MAY 26, 2016 // 23
BOOK SHELF // GLIMPSE // WILDLIFE // POP CULTURE // WORDS // Q&A // FOOD // FUN
PHOTO BY LYNETTE RAE MCADAMS
Oregon grape lowers in spring with showy clusters of bright
yellow blossoms, followed by plump berries of dark blue.
Mahonia aquafolium
Oregon grape
By LYNETTE
RAE MCADAMS
A true native to the
American West, Oregon
grape lourishes along the
Paciic Coast from south-
east Alaska to northern
California, thriving in the
understory of the dense
forests of the Northwest.
An evergreen shrub aver-
aging 3 feet tall and 5 feet
wide, it is easily mistaken
for holly, as its dark, glossy
green leaves wear prickly
spines that are sharp to
the touch.
A member of the
barberry family, Mahonia
aquafolium lowers in
mid-to-late spring with
showy clusters of bright
yellow blossoms, followed
by plump berries of dark
blue, which can resemble
Concord grapes. Though
incredibly (incredibly) tart,
the berries are edible, and
were a valuable part of an
indigenous diet, especially
when mixed with sweeter
oferings, like huckleberry
and salal.
Medicinally, the plant
has a long history of use.
Native cultures used it to
cleanse the blood, treat
infection, and ease diges-
tive troubles, and modern
herbalists continue to
prize its roots and stems
for the alkaloid they now
recognize as berberine
— a strong anti-microbial
and liver stimulant that
can be used both inter-
nally and externally to
treat a variety of illnesses
and conditions, including
psoriasis and amoebic
dysentery.
In February of 1806,
Merriwether Lewis
catalogued the plant in
his journal, along with a
description, referring to
it as “mountain holly”; he
even carried a specimen
home on his return jour-
ney. Later, pioneers along
the Oregon Trail used it as
both medicine and food,
helping M. aquafolium
earn its place as Oregon’s
state lower, an honor
bestowed on it in 1899.
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PHOTO BY MATT LOVE
Tony, an Astoria High School student, shreds it on stage
during a ield trip performance at St. Helens High School.
A G LIMPSE I NSIDE
By MATT LOVE
St. Helens High School and the Rock Zone
Tony’s face instantly
changed. Thirty seconds
earlier, playing electric gui-
tar on stage, his visage had
appeared normal. He was
still playing, but something
had transformed him. I
could see it plainly.
He and his band mate
were kicking of a lunch-
time show at St. Helens
High School in front of 50
teenage strangers — not
an easy audience to please
— and this was Tony’s irst
gig outside the friendly conines
of Astoria High School’s monthly
open mic event, Astoria Hi-Fi,
held in my classroom.
A teaching friend of mine
from St. Helens invited my
10-student crew to headline
their Friday Lunch Live event.
We accepted and rode the
magic bus eating sugar cookies
and listening to Stevie Wonder
and Prince on cassette to get
pumped for the show.
Up there, under the lights, Tony
wasn’t merely winning over the
2911
291 1 Marine
M arine
i Dr
D r #B
Astoria, OR 97103
503 791-2466
audience; he was slaying them
with supercharged crunchy
riffs. He looked gone, almost
beatific, shredding, shaking his
head, moving around.
A smile came over me,
and I nodded. I knew what
Tony’s countenance meant.
I’d seen it before — he was in
the rock zone, an existential
state similar to checking into
the Eagles’ “Hotel California.”
Once you get in, don’t ever
expect to leave.
I doubt Tony will ever
leave. With his guitar, he’d
recently discovered a passion,
perhaps the one true passion
in his life, and that’s my
dream for every student who
attends high school. It could
be trigonometry or it could
be rescuing dogs. They just to
need to ind one.
They call Tony’s passion
rock ’n’ roll, and it’s not quite
dead yet.
To view Tony and his band
mate Evan’s stellar perfor-
mance, go to: https://youtu.
be/UQlqo1o-3OE
Matt Love is the author/editor of
14 books, including “A Nice Piece of
Astoria” and “Of Walking in Rain.” He
teaches English at Astoria High School.
His books are available at coastal
bookstores or through his website,
nestuccaspitpress.com
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