{"id":2108,"date":"2017-03-20T09:35:42","date_gmt":"2017-03-20T16:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/?p=2108"},"modified":"2017-03-20T09:43:55","modified_gmt":"2017-03-20T16:43:55","slug":"looking-closer-at-your-flower-bouquet-salal-immigrant-labor-the-international-floral-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/looking-closer-at-your-flower-bouquet-salal-immigrant-labor-the-international-floral-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking Closer at Your Flower Bouquet: Salal, Immigrant Labor & the International Floral Industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Plant Classification<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Family<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Ericaceae<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Genus<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Gaultheria<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Species<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Gaultheria shallon<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Common Name<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

salal<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Salal (<\/span>Gaultheria shallon<\/span><\/i>)<\/span> is a dominant understory shrub native to coastal regions of California, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. \u00a0It\u2019s easy to recognize because of its shiny, sturdy, evergreen leaves that feel thick and leathery. \u00a0Mature plants have reddish brown stems that contrast beautifully with the brightness of the leaves, while younger stems are green. \u00a0When ripe, the fragrant berries taste sweet, slightly tart, and robust with a mealy texture and make<\/a> delicious jams and wines<\/span>. \u00a0Their deep blueish purple color will stain fingertips and nearby sidewalks alike. \u00a0Additionally, salal berries preserve well when dehydrated; coastal indigenous groups have prepared \u201ccakes\u201d out of the berries that lasted well into the winter. \u00a0The leaves have potent anti-inflammatory properties and can be used safely in many ways. \u00a0Prepared as tea or tincture they help with bladder inflammation, ulcers, stomach cramps, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, can reduce fevers, and soothe sore throats. \u00a0You can chew the leaves, spit out the mush, and apply it onto wounds and sores to help heal<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Salal leaves are rigid and long lasting because they have an outer waxy coating called epicuticle. \u00a0One of the main chemical compounds of the epicuticle is ursolic acid, which is a water insoluble triterpene that forms a protective barrier and helps the plant protect itself against overexposure to light, desiccation, and radiation. \u00a0Ursolic acid makes the leaves rough and contributes to their somewhat bitter taste, which also discourage herbivory. \u00a0Another important chemical compound is galangin, which is a flavonoid and more specifically an anthocyanin that adds color and antioxidant properties to the berries. \u00a0Galangin plays a role in the preservative properties of the berries mentioned earlier. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Galangin,

Galangin<\/p><\/div>

\"From

From Grow, Forage, Cook, Ferment<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>\n

Salal\u2019s waxy leaves and rigid stems bring structure and durability to bouquets, wreaths, and other popularly used floral arrangements. \u00a0Over recent years, international demand from the floral industry has soared for salal, with its highest demand coming from Europe. \u00a0Salal and other forest products such as moss and ferns now make up a huge global industry that in 2006 was generating at least $250,000,000 per year, which at the time equaled nearly one fourth of the state\u2019s apple industry as reported by The Seattle Times<\/a><\/span>. \u00a0Most of the profits go to wholesalers and companies involved in commercial exportation. \u00a0As a native floral green, salal grows abundantly and under different levels of supervision and land ownership: national and state forests and parks, city lands, and privately-owned lands including large industrial companies. \u00a0This translates into an industry that greatly depends on landless harvesters who access their product by means of permits and leases. \u00a0Having varying levels of requirements for identification, licenses, and insurance attracts undocumented workers while also significantly loosening accountability around labor conditions, working wages, and competitive dynamics with other harvesting groups or corporations. \u00a0This complex set of systems highlights the impact of globalization where labor increasingly flows into the US from under resourced countries while the product itself grows in value through its distribution to increasingly broader and distant markets. \u00a0Free trade agreements are similarly tied to both the movement of salal and humans across international borders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ursolic

Ursolic Acid<\/p><\/div>\n

Harvesting forest products like salal is nothing new. \u00a0The industry first developed at the beginning of the 20<\/span>th<\/span> century by European-American groups seeking extra income, and it wasn\u2019t until closer to 1970 that political refugees and other displaced groups mostly from Southeast Asia, Cambodia, and Laos took up this work. \u00a0By 1990, more immigrant workers from Central and South America made up the workforce because harvesting floral greens presented a viable alternative or complement to agricultural work in California, Oregon, and eastern Washington. \u00a0Today, Latin@ individuals and families represent the majority along with a smaller proportion of Southeast Asian immigrants and even fewer European-Americans. \u00a0The majority of those who \u201cpick brush\u201d as a main source of income tend to be undocumented, with little to no formal educational backgrounds, and generally lacking the English s<\/span><\/p>\n

kills to be self-sufficient. \u00a0Safety in the woods for a community of workers trying to keep a low profile is a serious issue, from a young man shot<\/a> by hunters in 2010 <\/span>to several reported instances<\/a> of stolen products and van crashes<\/span>. \u00a0This connects salal to a complex set of issues surrounding labor conditions, liveable wages, exploitation of immigrants, and resource sustainability<\/span>\u00a0within a multi-million global flower industry. \u00a0All in our PNW backyard, leading us back to this seemingly unassuming shrub. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Taken

Taken by Stefanie Gottschalk Huerta<\/p><\/div>\n

REFERENCES<\/strong><\/p>\n

Featured image under headline from Wedding Flowers and Reception Ideas, [internet] [accessed 3\/18\/17]. Available from\u00a0http:\/\/www.wedding-flowers-and-reception-ideas.com\/white-daisy-wedding-bouquet-salal-leaves.html<\/p>\n

Fraser, Lauchlan et al. \u00a0<\/span>The biology of Canadian weeds 102. Gaultheria shallon<\/span><\/i>. <\/span><\/p>\n

Vancouver, Canada: Canadian Journal of Plant Sciences, 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sierra Club British Columbia Organization Site. 2009, [internet] [accessed 3\/11\/17]. Available from <\/span>http:\/\/sierraclubbc.scbc.webfactional.com\/education\/ecomap\/coasts-mountains\/2salal<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Erica Schultz. <\/span>Salal Harvest: Pick of the Floral Season.<\/span><\/i> 2010, [internet] [accessed 3\/11\/17]. <\/span><\/p>\n

Available from <\/span>http:\/\/www.erikajschultz.com\/salal-harvest-pick-of-the-floral-season<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blog post by Grow Forage Cook Ferment, <\/span>Foraging for Salal Berries<\/span><\/i>, [internet] [accessed 3\/11\/17]. <\/span><\/p>\n

Available from <\/span>http:\/\/www.growforagecookferment.com\/foraging-for-salal-berries\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Devon Pe\u00f1a.<\/span> Salal: Food, Medicine, and Culture of the Coast Salish Peoples, <\/span><\/i>[internet] [accessed 3\/11\/17]. <\/span><\/p>\n

Available from <\/span>http:\/\/www.goodfoodworld.com\/2013\/01\/salal-food-medicine-and-culture-of-the-coast-salish-peoples\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Plant Classification Family Ericaceae Genus Gaultheria Species Gaultheria shallon Common Name salal Salal (Gaultheria shallon) is a dominant understory shrub native to coastal regions of California, Alaska, and the Pacific Northwest. \u00a0It\u2019s easy to recognize because of its shiny, sturdy,… Continue Reading →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4236,"featured_media":2122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[21,43,40],"tags":[99,45],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4236"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/plantchemeco\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}