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ARCHAEOBOTANICAL REMAINS FROM LOGTOWN (CA-ELD-851)

1994

One of the Sierra Nevada sites we tested when BioSystems Analysis was developing the F.A.R.M. for the Forest Service. (Robert J. Jackson with Thomas L. Jackson, Charles Miksicek, Kristina Roper, and Dwight Simons, Framework for Archaeological Research and Management for the National Forests of the North-Central Sierra Nevada (BioSystems Analysis, Inc., 1994)). Citation: Miksicek, Charles H.1994 Archaeobotanical Remains from Logtown (CA-ELD-851). Technical Report Submitted to Caltrans District 3, Marysville, CA.

Appendix @ ARCHAEOBOTANICAL REMAINS FROM LOGTOWN (CA-ELD-851) Charles H. Miksicek BioSystems Analysis, Inc., Santa Cruz February 28, 1994 @.1 INTRODUCTION Ten flotation samples and 55 macrobotanical specimens (macrofossils collected by dry screening) were submitted for archaeobotanical analysis from the Logtown Site (CA-ELD-851) located near the town of Eldorado in Eldorado County, California. A moderately diverse assemblage of charred plant remains is present at the Logtown Site which is consistent with other reported datasets from the Sierra foothills and central California. The plant remains from Logtown seem to suggest a biseasonal residence and subsistence pattern. Several research questions may be addressed with the flotation samples and macrobotanical remains from CA-ELD-851: 1. What plant remains are preserved at the site? 2. How were these plant resources used? 3. At what time of the year was the site occupied? 4. Is there any evidence for subsistence or environmental change in the sequence of plant remains from the site? 5. How does the archaeobotanical assemblage from CA-ELD-851 compare to other known datasets from the region? @.2 METHODOLOGY All of the flotation samples were processed using a continuous-flow flotation device designed by this author which was modeled after the SMAP machine (Watson 1976). Each soil sample was first measured in a large graduated cylinder to determine the volume. The matrix was then poured into the float machine and gently stirred. Overflow from the machine containing carbonized seeds and wood charcoal was collected in nylon mesh with 0.25 mm openings. Sample processing continued until all charcoal was collected in the nylon netting which was then hung from a clothesline and dried. The remaining coarse sediments were then scanned for bone, lithics, and other artifactual material. After drying, each sample was first passed through a nested series of geological sieves with mesh sizes of 4.0, 2.0, and 0.5 mm. This pre-sorting removes many modern rootlets and produces subsamples with similar-sized particles which are more effectively scanned by the analyst. Each fraction was then sorted at 7X under a binocular dissecting microscope into its component parts. Uncharred seeds were counted and identified to evaluate the modern seed rain and to provide a measure for the degree of bioturbation and mixing within the soil column. To provide an additional monitor on the amount of faunalturbation in each sample, rodent fecal pellets and insect parts were quantified on a relative scale ranging from 0 (none) to 5 (abundant). All pieces of charcoal large enough to manipulate were identified from each sample. Each fragment was first fractured to give fresh transverse and radial sections and then identified at 30x under a binocular dissecting microscope. All seed and wood identifications were based on modern comparative material collected from central California and standard seed and wood keys such as Musil (1963), Martin and Barkley (1973), and Miles (1978). Taxonomic nomenclature follows Hickman (1993). All botanical materials identified in the Logtown samples are listed in Table @.1 along with ethnographic uses from Mead (1972) or Ebeling (1986) and seasonality data from Hickman (1993). Raw data from the flotation samples are reported in Table @.2. This table includes sample volume before flotation, richness (the average number of charred seed taxa per liter), density (the average number of charred seeds per liter), the total weight of all charcoal fragments larger than 0.5 mm, the bug part index, the rat pellet index, uncharred seeds, carbonized plant remains, and wood charcoal. Raw data are presented in a "structured table" format (Van der Maarel, Janssen, and Louppen 1978). This is a semi-graphical method of data presentation commonly used in European phytosociology (plant ecology). Plant taxa are grouped by their order of appearance and the depth to which they persist in the soil columns. This method gives a quick visual impression of what types of plant remains co-occur which may not be as evident in other data presentation formats. Macrobotanical specimens are identified in Table @.3. @.3 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION All of the flotation samples contain some evidence for recent disturbance (within the last century or so) in the form of bug parts, rodent fecal pellets, or uncarbonized seeds (Table @.2). These uncharred seeds are most abundant in the sample from the 20-30 cm level of Unit 19S 15E (35.26 seeds per liter of soil matrix). All of these uncarbonized seeds are probably intrusive and not associated with the prehistoric occupation of CA-ELD-851. Approximately half of the macrobotanical specimens are also uncarbonized and mostly likely intrusive. (These uncharred specimens are indicated by an * in Table @.3). The greatest concentration of carbonized seeds (with a density of 28.33 seeds/liter) occurs in a sample of "burned earth" collected from a depth of 10-20 cm in Unit 18.5S 4.6W (Table @.2). Three species of charred, non-native grass seeds (wild oats, soft bromegrass, and Italian ryegrass) are present in this sample suggesting that it is an historic deposit. All of these taxa were introduced to California from the Old World in the latter part of the 18th or early 19th centuries (Hickman 1993). Numerous small carbonized grassland seeds, charred oak buds, grass stems, and the highest proportion of gray pine charcoal from the site (50%) are also present in this sample. Several taxa including wild oats, soft brome, Italian ryegrass, large goosefoot, and miner's lettuce are unique to the "burned earth" sample. This deposit may represent the remains of an historic wildfire, brush pile, or stump burn. It provides baseline data for historic vegetation in the Logtown area. A fragment of porcelain ceramic is present in flotation sample from the 20-30 cm level of Unit 19S 15E. Two taxa in Table @.2 require further explanation. The fragments of "spongy parenchyma" may represent pieces of pine or oak bark. Vesicular material describes amorphous plant tissue without a diagnostic micro-anatomical structure. It may be fragments of nutmeats or starchy roots without vascular bundles. Vesicular material could also be fragments of charred gruel or ground seedmeal. Several types of charred seeds including small goosefoot, Spanish clover, deer vetch, and manzanita are present in flotation samples from the upper (10-20 cm), middle (20-30 cm), and lower levels (30-120 cm) of the Logtown Site. Other taxa such as acorn shell, bentgrass-type seeds, monocot bulb fragments, gray pine nutshell, and dicot root pieces only come from the flotation samples collected below 20 cm (Table @.2). (Charred gray pinenuts are present as macrofossils from the upper levels of the sites, see Table @.3.) Minor differences are also apparent in the wood charcoal assemblage from Logtown. Gray pine is most abundant in the upper levels of the site, even when the "burned earth" sample is excluded. Ponderosa-type charcoal, which should be found at higher elevations, is present in trace amounts in the middle and lower levels of Logtown. Manzanita and live oak charcoal are most abundant in the lowest levels of the site. The absolute differences in the relative proportions of these charcoal types are slight. More samples would be necessary to determine whether these patterns reflect a real difference in the local vegetation or just random variation in a small dataset. If we had only the macrobotanical remains from Logtown, we would have a very different impression of subsistence and seasonality at CA-ELD-851. Ninety-eight percent of the food remains collected by dry-screening are gray pine nutshell, also called digger pine in the older ethnographic and botanical literature. Three charred acorn kernels (nutmeats) are also present in the macrobotanical sample from S13.5 W4.1, 0-10 cm. These large elongate acorn kernels compare favorably to valley oak (Quercus lobata), a species more commonly found at lower elevations. In the absence of other evidence, these macrobotanical remains would indicate a fall occupation of the site with pinenuts as the dominant food plant resource. Smaller charred plant remains recovered by flotation however, suggest a much more diverse subsistence base with a somewhat more continuous residence pattern. Spring resources such as edible roots (monocot bulbs and starchy dicot roots) and spinach-like greens (Spanish clover, deer vetch, and lupine) are present. Also common are edible seeds that could be gathered in late spring or early summer such as ryegrass, small goosefoot, large goosefoot, fescue grass, and bentgrass. Late summer or early fall berries are represented by manzanita, present in five out of ten samples. Fall nuts such as gray pine and acorns round out the subsistence picture. The small charred plant remains indicate at least a biseasonal residence pattern for CA-ELD-851, spring through early summer and late summer through fall. It is difficult to assess winter residence in California archaeological sites from plant remains alone. Perhaps the only good botanical indicator for winter residence in the Sierra foothills is toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia, also called Christmas berry) which has not yet been identified from Logtown. Summer resources such as tarweed (Madia sp.) are also absent from the present dataset. If the people who visited CA-ELD-851 were present at the site in the middle of winter and summer, they were living on stored resources or using parts of the site that we have not yet tested. It may be possible to fully understand a site like CA-ELD-851 only by examining it in a broader regional context. How does the archaeobotanical assemblage from Logtown compare to similar sites in the area? Table @.4 summarizes data from ten other projects in the Sierra Nevada. These include Bamert Cave (Amador County, Nissen 1973), Sailor Flat (Placer, Wohlgemuth 1984), CA-NEV-318 (Farber and Neuenschwander 1982), the Mokelumne River Project (Honeysett 1985), the Wawona Valley Project (Yosemite, Huckell 1984), 05-16-54-19/106 (Stanislaus Forest, Miksicek 1993), Oiyer Springs/Pi Pi Valley (Honeysett 1982), Mariposa Grove (Yosemite, Honeysett 1989), the New Melones Project (Tuolumne, Spaulding 1984), CA-TUO-2642 (Rondeau 1992), and CA-TUL-569 (Miksicek 1991). The results are presented as ubiquities, which are defined as the percentage of all analyzed flotation samples that contain a given taxon (Miksicek 1987). Ubiquities are a very useful statistic for comparing plant remains from a number of different sites. Most of the datasets in Table @.4 have much lower diversities and densities of charred plant remains than the Logtown samples. The most ubiquitous taxa in Table @.4 are manzanita berries, grass seeds, pinenuts, and acorns. Also present in low amounts are an assortment of small edible seeds (tarweed, chia, goosefoot, purslane family), spinach-like greens (clover, deer vetch), and roots (sego lily, dicot roots, monocot fibers - possibly soaproot). The only datasets in Table @.4 that are significantly more productive than Logtown (TUO-2642 and TUL-569) include samples collected from well-defined cultural features (rich midden, firepits, earth ovens, granite basins). In general these Sierran sites seem to reflect a more ephemeral and seasonal occupation than Logtown. Table @.5 summarizes the data from Logtown, along with seven other sites in the foothills zone of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The results from the "burned earth" sample are not included in the Logtown summary figures. The Fresno County sites represent an ecological transect from the valley grassland community east of Fresno, CA to the lower borders of the ponderosa pine forest (Davis and Miksicek 1988a, 1988b, 1989). CA-ELD-616/H is located near Auburn in a similar environmental setting to Logtown (Honeysett 1990a). In general, the Logtown samples are most similar to the four large valley grassland sites (FRE-1155, 1154, 633, 632). These four sites may be slightly larger, more permanently occupied habitation sites which have slightly more diverse assemblages than Logtown. Several grass taxa (maygrass, barley, needlegrass, ryegrass, and fescue) seem under-represented or absent from Logtown. Also missing are pigweed, tarweed, clover, bluegrass, borage, and chia. The Logtown plant remains may represent a more transient, biseasonal, foothills residence and subsistence pattern, midway between more permanent villages on the fringes of the Central Valley and seasonal, limited activity sites higher up in the Sierras. This hypothesis seems reinforced by a comparison of the Logtown data with large archaeobotanical assemblages from the northern part of the Central Valley (Table @.6). The sites or projects in Table @.6 include SHA-279 (Wohlgemuth 1993), Sacramento Canyon (four sites in the Redding area, Wohlgemuth 1989a), SHA-222 (Wohlgemuth 1990), SHA-1588 (Wohlgemuth 1989b), Lake Britton (eight sites, Honeysett 1987), TEH-748 (Wohlgemuth 1985), SUT-17 (Wohlgemuth 1992), and COL-61 (Honeysett 1990b). Several of the richness values (taxa/liter) in Table @.6 may be artificially depressed by the very large volumes of some of the samples (7-36 liters). Of the 42 taxa listed in Table @.6, only five are positively identified from Logtown (manzanita, gray pine, acorn, goosefoot, and fescue). Several of the more precisely identified taxa from Logtown (ryegrass, bentgrass, reedgrass, Spanish clover, deer vetch, and lupine) may be included in the more generic "grass" and "legume family" categories in Table @.6. Many of the relatively ubiquitous taxa from the large habitation sites in Table @.6 are absent from Logtown (baynut, tarweed, grape, farewell-to-spring, clover, borage, bedstraw, sunflower family, elderberry, red maids, bromegrass, and maygrass). Based on the botanical remains alone, Logtown seems to represent a site type intermediate between large, more permanently occupied sites on the valley floor and seasonal, limited activity sites higher up in the Sierras (Table @.4). The people who used the Logtown locality in the past probably resided at the site for several weeks at a time during the late spring and early fall. This pattern was probably repeated many times over the millennia that the site was visited. Logtown may have been a way station on annual migrations to higher elevations during the summer and lower elevations during the winter. This model of seasonal transhumance could explain the presence of valley oak acorns at Logtown, from lower elevations, as well as incense cedar and ponderosa pine from higher up in the Sierras. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 1. The highest densities of charred plant remains come from an historic deposit with three types of introduced plants. 2. Macrobotanical remains from Logtown include numerous charred gray pine nutshell fragments and several valley oak acorn kernels. Flotation samples provide a more complete picture of subsistence and settlement at this locality. Late spring to early summer plant foods such as bulbs, greens, grass grains, and small seeds are present in the float samples. Also well-represented are late summer to fall resources such as manzanita berries, gray pinenuts, and acorns. There is no strong botanical evidence for midsummer and winter residence at the site. 3. Slight differences are present in the archaeobotanical assemblages from different levels of the site. Gray pine charcoal is a little more abundant in the upper levels of the site, whereas manzanita and live oak have slightly elevated percentages in the lowest sampled levels at Logtown. Several seed taxa including goosefoot, Spanish clover, deer vetch, and manzanita occur throughout the deposit. Acorn, bentgrass, monocot bulbs, and gray pinenuts are more common in the samples collected from below 20 cm. 4. In comparison with other archaeobotanical datasets from the region, the plant remains from Logtown seem to suggest a biseasonal residence pattern, intermediate between more permanent villages in the Central Valley and more seasonal settlements at higher elevations in the Sierra Nevada proper. All of the preceding discussions are based on botanical remains recovered during testing phase excavations at Logtown. These results provide hypotheses that may be tested during future mitigation efforts at CA-ELD-851 and at other investigations in the area. References Cited Davis, Owen K. and Charles H. Miksicek 1988a Macrofossil Analysis of CA-FRE-1671. and Archaeobotanical Analysis. In Archaeological Excavations at Site CA-Fre-1671, Fresno County, California: Final Report. edited by M. J. Moratto, Appendices M and N, Infotec Research Inc., Sonora, CA. Davis, Owen K. and Charles H. Miksicek 1988b Pollen, Charred Seeds, and Wood Charcoal from FRE-64. Technical report submitted to Infotec Research Inc., Sonora, CA. Davis, Owen K. and Charles H. Miksicek 1989 Plants. In Redbank and Fancher Creeks Archaeological Data Recovery Program. by P. Langenwalter, A. Schroth, P. de Barros, and F. Fenenga, pp. 239-260. Technical Report Submitted to Department of the Army, Sacramento District Corps of Engineers by Mitech, Santa Ana, CA. Ebeling, Walter 1986 Handbook of Indian Foods and Fibers of Arid America. University of California Press, Berkeley. Farber, A. and N. Neuenschwander 1982 Flotation and Analysis of Plant Macro-Remains. In Archaeological Data Recovery at Site CA-NEV-318, Nevada County, California. by A. Farber, Appendix B. Tahoe national Forest Cultural Resources Report 10, Nevada City, California. Hickman, James C. (general editor) 1993 The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California. University of California Press, Berkeley. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1982 Floral Analysis of Flotation Samples. In Archaeological Test Excavations at Oiyer Springs and Pi Pi Valley. by S. Lindstrom, pp. 340-345, Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. Submitted to USDA Forest Service, Eldorado National Forest, Placerville, California, Contract No. 53-9JGN-1-03012. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1985 Recovery of Plant Remains from Two Prehistoric Sites in Amador and Alpine Counties, California. In Mokelumne River Project Cultural Resources Evaluation Program. WIRTH Environmental Services, Appendix F. Prepared for Pacific Gas and Electric Company, San Francisco. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1987 Macrobotanical Remains Recovered by Flotation from Archaeological Investigations at Lake Britton, Shasta County, California. In Archaeological Investigations at Lake Britton, California, Pit 3, 4, 5 (License No. 233) Project Archaeological Site Testing. by M. Kelly, E. Nilsson, and J. Cleland, Appendix H, WIRTH Environmental Services, San Diego, CA. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1989 Macrobotanical Remains from the 1985 South Entrance/Mariposa Grove Excavations. In The 1985 South Entrance and Mariposa Grove Archeological Excavations. by Kathleen Hull, pp. 189-191, Publications in Anthropology 8, USDI National Park Service, Yosemite Research Center, Yosemite National Park. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1990a Macrobotanical Remains from CA-ELD-616/H. Technical Report Submitted to Caltrans District 3, Marysville, CA. Honeysett, Elizabeth A. 1990b Macrobotanical Remains from CA-COL-61. In Report on the Phase II Archaeological Test Excavation at CA-COL-61, State Route 20, Colusa County, California. by Dana McGowan, pp.78-87. Report prepared for Caltrans, District 3, Marysville, CA. Huckell, Lisa 1984 Botanical Remains from the 1983 and 1984 Wawona Archeological Projects. In Test Excavations in the Wawona Valley. by Richard G. Ervin, pp. 307-315, Publications in Anthropology No. 26, Western Archeological and Conservation Center, Tucson, AZ. Martin, Alexander C. and William D. Barkley 1973 Seed Identification Manual. University of California Press, Berkeley. Mead, George R. 1972 The Ethnobotany of the California Indians. Museum of Anthropology, University of Northern Colorado, Occasional Publications in Anthropology, Ethnology Series No. 30, Greeley, Colorado. Miksicek, Charles H. 1987 Formation Processes of the Archaeobotanical Record. In Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory, Vol. 10, edited by Michael B. Schiffer, pp. 211-247. Academic Press, Inc., New York. Miksicek, Charles H. 1991 Archaeobotanical Remains from 05-13-52-88 (CA-TUL-569). In Cultural Resources Inventory of the Proposed Divide Salvage Area, Tule River Ranger District, Sequoia National Forest. by B. Wickstrom and C. K. Roper Wickstrom, Appendix C, BioSystems Analysis, Inc., Santa Cruz. Miksicek, Charles H. 1993 Charred Botanical Remains from FS 05-16-54-19/106, Anderson Valley, Stanislaus National Forest, California. Technical Report Submitted to Groveland Ranger District, Stanislaus National Forest, Groveland, CA. Miles, Anne 1978 Photomicrographs of World Woods. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London. Musil, Albina F. 1963 Identification of Crop and Weed Seeds. U. S. Department of Agriculture Handbook No. 219. Washington, D. C. Nissen, K. 1973 Analysis of Human Coprolites from Bamert Cave, Amador County, California. In The Archaeology of Bamert Cave, Amador County, California. by R. Heizer and T. Hester, Appendix V. University of California Archaeological Research Facility, Berkeley. Rondeau, M. F. 1992 The Archaeology of the Kelley Site: A Phase II Report for the Archaeological Excavation of CA-Tuo-2642, for the East Sonora Bypass Project, Tuolumne County, California. Department of Transportation, Sacramento, Ca. Contract No. 10-340400. Spaulding, W. G. 1984 Archaeobotanical and Paleoecological Investigations at Archeological Sites in the New Melones Reservoir Area, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, California. Final Report of the New Melones Project, Volume 4., pp. 973-1060. U. S. National Park Service. Washington, D. C. Van der Maarel, E., J. G. M. Janssen, and J. M. W. Louppen 1978 TABORD, A program for structuring phytosociological tables. Vegetatio 38: 143-156. Watson, Patty Jo 1976 In pursuit of prehistoric subsistence: A comparative account of some contemporary techniques. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 1(1): 77-100. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1984 Archaeological Investigations at CA-PLA-500, The Sailor Flat Site, Placer County, California. Tahoe National Forest Cultural Resource Report 16. Tahoe National Forest, Nevada City, California. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1985 Analysis of Archaeobotanical Materials from CA-SHA-290 and CA-TEH-748, Cottonwood Creek Archaeological Project, Shasta and Tehama Counties, California. Report prepared for the Foundation of California State University, Sacramento. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1989a Archaeobotanical Remains. In Prehistory of the Sacramento River Canyon, Shasta County, California. edited by M. Basgall and W. Hildebrandt, Appendix H., Center for Archaeological Research at Davis, Publication Number 9, Davis, CA. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1989b Floral Remains from SHA-1588 and SHA-1544. In Archaeological Investigations at Flat Creek, CA-SHA-1588, Shasta County, California. by M. Kowta and W. Dreyer, Appendix. Report on file Northeast Information Center, Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1990 Floral Remains from SHA-222, Redding, California. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-SHA-222, the Ladd Site, Redding, Shasta County, California. by T. Vaughan. Report on file Northeast Information Center, Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1992 Seed and Fruit Remains from CA-SUT-17. In Cultural Resources Test Excavations, Sacramento Systems Evaluation, Phase II, Butte and Sutter Counties, California. by Paul Bouey. Report prepared for U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento. Wohlgemuth, Eric 1993 Floral Remains from SHA-279. In Archaeological Investigations at CA-SHA-279, Platina, Shasta County, California. by William Dreyer and Makoto Kowta. Report on file at Northeast Information Center, Department of Anthropology, California State University, Chico. Table @.1. Plant Remains Identified from Logtown (CA-ELD-851). Part Season Common Name Scientific Name Recoverd Use Indicated Blackberry/Raspberry ** Rubus sp. u F Borage Amsinkia, Cryptantha, Plagiobothrys u Bromegrass ** Bromus sp. u S Clover Trifolium sp. u G Doveweed Eremocarpus setigerus u Elderberry Sambucus mexicana u F,M Filaree ** Erodium spp. u Knotweed/Dock ** Polygonum or Rumex u S,G Purslane Portulaca sp. u G Star Thistle * Centaurea sp. u Tarweed Madia or Hemizonia u S Catchfly * Silene sp. u,s spring Deer Vetch Lotus sp. s G spring Dicot Root Dicotyledoneae m R spring Lupine Lupinus sp. u,s G spring Miner's Lettuce Claytonia perfoliata u,s G spring Monocot Bulb Dichelostemma, Calochortus, Chlorogalum m R spring Spanish Clover Lotus cf. purshianus s G spring Bentgrass-Type Agrostis or Muhlenbergia sp. s S?,U late spring-summer Fescue-Type Grass Vulpia or Festuca s S? late spring-summer Italian Ryegrass * Lolium sp. s S late spring-summer Large Goosefoot Chenopodium cf berlandieri s S,G late spring-summer Reedgrass-Type cf. Calamagrostis sp. s S late spring-summer Ryegrass Elymus sp. s S late spring-summer Small Goosefoot Chenopodium sp. s S,G late spring-summer Soft Bromegrass * Bromus hordeaceus s S late spring-summer Wild Oats * Avena fatua s S late spring-summer Thistle Cirsium sp. u,s S,G summer Manzanita Arctostaphylos sp. s F,M,W late summer-fall Blue Oak Quercus douglasii u,s?,m,w N,W fall Live Oak Quercus spp. u,s?,w N,U,W fall Gray Pine Pinus sabiniana s,m,w N,W fall Buckthorn Family Ceanothus or Rhamnus w M,W all cf. Incense Cedar Calocedrus decurrens w U,W all cf. Poison Oak Rhus diversiloba w all Sunflower Family Asteraceae w M,W all cf. Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosa w N?,W all Key: * - introduced species, cf. "compares favorably to", ** - some species native, u - uncarbonized seed, s - carbonized seed, m - miscellaneous parts, w - wood charcoal, S - edible seeds, G - edible greens, F - edible fruit, N - edible nut, M - medicinal, R - edible root, U - utilitarian (fiber, basketry, etc.), W - wood, ? - possible. Table @.2. Plant Remains Recovered by Flotation from Logtown (CA-ELD-851). Unit 13.5S 18.5S 20S 35S 19S 19S 50S 13.5S 19S 19S 4.1W 4.6W 6E 0.5W 0E 15E 1.5E 4.1E 0E 0E Depth (cm) 10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 20-30 20-30 20-30 30-40 70-80 110-120 Volume (Liters) 1.7 1.8 0.65 1.5 1.0 1.9 1.2 2.3 1.4 1.0 Charcoal (gms) 0.6 0.9 0.2 0.4 1.2 0.3 1.5 0.9 1.0 0.7 Bug Part Index 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 Rat Pellet Index 3 0 3 3 1 1 0 3 2 2 Uncarbonized Seeds: Knotweed/Dock 1 Elderberry 1 1 Miner's Lettuce 1 13 Catchfly 2 3 1 17 1 Star Thistle * 1 1 1 Clover 1 5 Thistle 1 1 Doveweed 1 Filaree ** 10 1 Borage 15 Tarweed 11 Bromegrass 1 Purslane 1 Lupine 1 1 Blackberry/Raspberry ** 2 Acorn 1 Wood Charcoal: Manzanita 2 4 7 2 12 1 15 9 8 Buckthorn Family 1 5 4 4 14 3 3 7 7 cf. Poison Oak 1 3 Sunflower Family 1 1 1 Blue Oak 20 4 14 20 9 11 34 13 25 20 Gray Pine 7 15 4 4 3 4 1 6 6 cf. Incense Cedar 1 1 1 1 2 Live Oak 1 1 1 1 4 cf. Ponderosa Pine 1 1 Indeterminate 1 2 27 2 7 1 Miscellaneous Remains: Porcelain Sherd 1 Fire-Affected Rock + + Land Snail 1 2 3 1 Rabbit-Size Bone 1 1 Medium Mammal Bone 1 Large Mammal Bone 1 2 Table @.2. Plant Remains Recovered by Flotation from Logtown (continued). Unit 13.5S 18.5S 20S 35S 19S 19S 50S 13.5S 19S 19S 4.1W 4.6W 6E 0.5W 0E 15E 1.5E 4.1E 0E 0E Depth (cm) 10-20 10-20 10-20 10-20 20-30 20-30 20-30 30-40 70-80 110-120 Volume (Liters) 1.7 1.8 0.65 1.5 1.0 1.9 1.2 2.3 1.4 1.0 Uncharred Seeds/Liter 2.94 3.89 0 2.00 0 35.26 1.67 0.87 5.71 3.00 Charred Seeds/Liter 5.29 28.33 1.54 1.33 5.00 2.10 7.50 1.74 5.00 13.00 Charred Taxa/Liter 4.12 8.33 1.54 1.33 4.00 2.10 4.17 1.74 3.57 5.00 Carbonized Seeds (etc.): Ryegrass 1 Reedgrass-Type 2 Catchfly * 1 2 Unknown Seed Fragments 2 6 1 Small Goosefoot 1 2 1 1 Spanish Clover 1 19 1 1 1 1 Deer Vetch 1 4 1 1 Manzanita 1 1 2 1 1 Lupine 1 1 Fescue Grass 1 1 Wild Oats * 6 Thistle 2 Soft Brome * 2 Italian Ryegrass * 2 Large Goosefoot 1 Miner's Lettuce 1 Unknown Seed A 1 Acorn Shell 1 1 Bentgrass-Type 2 1 1 1 Monocot Bulb 1 1 3 9 Gray Pine Shell 1 1 1 Dicot Root 4 Vesicular Material 1 Spongy Parenchyma 10 8 15 6 10 20 2 6 17 7 Gray Pine Needle 1 Oak Bud 1 6 Grass Stems 4 Rodent Pellet 1 Level Summaries: 18.5S Upper Middle Lower % Manzanita Charcoal 13.3 11.5 13.5 24.2 % Blue Oak Charcoal 13.3 56.8 56.2 43.9 % Gray Pine Charcoal 50.0 15.7 8.3 9.1 % Live Oak Charcoal 3.3 1.0 1.0 3.8 % Ponderosa? Charcoal 0 0 1.0 0.8 % Cedar? Charcoal 3.3 2.1 1.0 1.5 Table @.3 Macrobotanical Remains from Logtown (CA-ELD-851). Sample Unit Depth Identification 4 S3 E0 +17-0 Gray Pine Nutshell 2* 28 S3 E0 +17-0 Gray Pine Nutshell 6* 13 S3 E0 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 16 S3 E0 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1* 1373 S9 W13.4 0-25 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 32 S9.5 E3.6 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 2* 111 S10.5 E0 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 2* 135 S10.5 E0 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 1* 289 S13.5 W4.1 0-10 3 Acorn Kernels 263 S13.5 W4.1 +17-0 Gray Pine Nutshell 1, 1 Walnut* 325 S13.5 W4.1 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 5 341 S13.6 W4.1 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 4 176 S16 E4 +14-0 Gray Pine Nutshell 12* 188 S16 E4 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 & 2* 197 S16 E4 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 16* 219 S16 E4 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 2 226 S16 E4 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 4 & 3* 375 S18.5 W4.6 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 2* 393 S18.5 W4.6 10-20 Gray Pine Charcoal 1, Gray Pine Nutshell 1 437 S18.5 W4.6 30-40 Gray Pine Nutshell 2 464 S18.5 W4.6 50-60 Gray Pine Nutshell 3 501 S19 E0 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 5*, Acorn 1* 516 S19 E0 10-20 Acorn 2* 533 S19 E0 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 1*, Acorn 2* 536 S19 E0 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 2 565 S19 E0 40-50 Gray Pine Nutshell 1* 580 S19 E0 50-60 Gray Pine Nutshell 5, Acorn 1* 608 S19 E0 80-90 Gray Pine Nutshell 3 626 S19 E0 100-110 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 628 S19 E0 100-110 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 636 S19 E0 110-120 Gray Pine Nutshell 3 646 S19.5 E15 0-10 Gray Pine Charcoal 1 668 S19.5 W3 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 24 687 S19.5 W3 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 7 & 1* 705 S19.5 W3 30-40 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 748 S19.5 W3 50-60 Gray Pine Nutshell 2 787 S19.5 W7 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 3 790 S19.5 W7 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 5 1016 S20 E6 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 1031 S20 E6 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 3 & 1* 1046 S20 E6 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 6*, Acorn 1* 1079 S21.5 E2.7 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 1087 S21.5 E2.7 10-20 Gray Pine 4 & 3*; Acorn 1* 1101 S21.5 E2.7 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 6, Gray Pine Charcoal 1 1128 S21.5 E3.7 0-10 Acorn 1* 1147 S21.5 E3.7 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 1, Acorn 1* 1176 S22 W6 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1* 1294 S26 E17 50-60 5 Charred Blue Oak Leaf Fragments Table @.3 Macrobotanical Remains from Logtown (continued). Sample Unit Depth Identification 1298 S26 E17 50-60 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 1209 S26 W5 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 1 863 S26.5 W12.1 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 3* 871 S26.5 W12.1 20-30 Gray Pine Nutshell 4 880 S35 W5 0-10 Gray Pine Nutshell 1* 911 S35 W5 30-40 Gray Pine Nutshell 6 1326 S50 E1.5 10-20 Gray Pine Nutshell 10 Key: * = uncarbonized Table @.4. Comparative Data from Selected Sites in The Sierra Nevada (Ubiquity). Bamert Sailor Nev- AMA- Wawona 05-16-54 Oiyer MRP- New TUO- TUL- Project Cave * Flat 318 110A Valley -19/106 PiPi 199 Melones 2642 569 Elevation (feet) 350 6420 4080 3360 4200 3350 4900 5600 900 2150 7360 Number of Samples 4 10 8 12 59 14 16 19 21 8 4 Volume NA NA 1.00 NA 1-2 NA NA NA NA NA 3 Taxa/Sample 1.50 1.80 1.50 1.00 0.68 1.00 1.94 1.26 0.38 3.12 2.42 Seeds/Sample NA 3.60 11.00 11.33 4.63 1.57 4.19 4.32 4.28 25.62 46.55 Sego Lily 25 Tarweed 25 8 Grass Family 50 8 31 5 5 12 50 Filaree 25 12 Manzanita 20 58 34 7 38 37 14 12 Thin Shell Pine 40 25 17 macro 19 21 88 Acorn 10 2 50 5 25 Sunflower Family 10 12 Clover 75 5 25 Purslane Family 12 5 Bush Poppy 12 Elderberry 17 10 21 Baynut 2 Dicot Root 21 25 Bluegrass 7 25 Vesicular Material 7 25 Bedstraw 7 10 Monocot Fibers 21 Raspberry 7 12 Hazelnut 6 5 Chia 12 Knotweed 6 Gooseberry/Currant 10 25 California Lilac 10 Large Mustard 5 Plantain 5 Farewell-to-Spring 5 Goosefoot 5 25 Ryegrass 5 25 Chokecherry 5 25 Gray Pine 29 62 Buckeye 12 Borage 12 Catchfly 12 Reedgrass-Type 50 Fescue Grass 50 Bromegrass 50 Needlegrass 25 Deer Vetch 25 Sedge 25 Key: * = Rockshelter/Seeds Not Charred, NA = Information Not Available, macro = Macrobotanical Remain Table @.5. Comparative Archaeobotanical Data from the Sierra Foothills (Ubiquity). FRE FRE FRE FRE FRE FRE ELD ELD 1155 1154 633 632 1671 64 616/H 851 Period M-L L M-L L-P L L L M-L Elevation (feet) 440 440 475 475 655 750 1500 1760 Number of Samples 17 22 13 19 38 28 31 9 Volume (Liters) 1 1-2 1-3 1-2 1-2 1-2 1 1-2 Charred Seeds/Liter 9.70 11.62 5.64 9.87 1.60 0.71 3.94 4.72 Charred Taxa/Liter 5.70 6.94 4.74 5.72 0.66 0.68 1.00 3.06 Native Barley 6 23 Maygrass 59 45 16 Sunflower Family 6 4 10 Wheatgrass-Type 24 8 16 Panic Grass 6 8 5 Mallow Family 6 15 10 Filaree ** 65 9 62 84 Peppergrass 18 23 5 Bedstraw 12 9 5 Borage 18 27 16 3 4 Pigweed 53 41 23 32 7 Tarweed 29 68 31 32 3 Clover 18 27 15 32 3 Needlegrass 65 27 31 53 4 3 Manzanita 6 68 62 37 55 44 Gray Pine 6 18 26 8 10 33 Goosefoot 6 14 15 10 4 33 Ryegrass 59 54 46 53 3 11 Fescue Grass 53 68 8 37 3 11 Spanish Clover 24 59 5 3 56 Lupine 24 5 11 Thistle 4 Bluegrass 45 38 37 4 Tansy Mustard 14 5 Plantain 4 5 Knotweed 4 8 Acorn 15 10 7 22 Chia 15 5 Legume Family 4 3 Walnut 4 Grass Family 6 Deer Vetch 33 Bentgrass-Type 44 Monocot Bulb 44 Catchfly * 11 Dicot Root 11 Reedgrass 11 Vesicular Material 11 Key: * - Introduced Taxon, ** - Some Species Introduced, M - Middle, L - Late, P - Protohistoric. Table @.#. Comparative Data from Selected Northern Central Valley Sites (Ubiquity). SHA Sac Sac Sac SHA SHA Lake TEH SUT COL Site 279 Canyon Canyon Canyon 222 1588 Britton 748 17 61 Elevation (feet) 2400 1400 1400 1400 500 900 2800 900 50 1000 Period E-L EM M L L L L L L M Number of Samples 9 25 16 5 11 6 11 5 7 23 Volume (Liters) 9-23 8-21 9-36 1-7 1-13 1-5 1 4-5 1-4 1 Charred Taxa/Liter 0.32 0.15 0.20 1.42 1.35 2.85 2.64 2.24 5.18 2.87 Charred Seeds/Liter 0.36 0.47 0.75 7.76 8.05 116.97 13.00 4.48 50.31 3.83 Baynut 44 64 17 Thin-Shelled Pine 56 83 27 Tarweed 11 6 9 17 20 43 Grape 11 4 20 17 86 Farewell-to-Spring 11 9 40 100 Wild Cucumber 22 60 86 Nightshade 11 18 57 Manzanita 100 94 96 100 82 100 64 100 26 Gray Pine 100 68 74 80 91 67 73 100 30 Acorn 100 24 37 90 91 83 36 100 100 9 Grass Family 22 24 44 80 27 100 27 100 86 22 Goosefoot 33 8 19 40 64 50 18 20 57 30 Legume Family 11 24 38 60 9 17 20 57 17 Clover 11 12 80 54 33 60 14 13 Borage 11 20 45 17 80 28 4 Plantain 4 20 9 Knotweed 4 Phacelia 4 Bedstraw 19 80 33 28 Mustard Family 6 4 Carrot Family 6 13 Pigweed 6 20 9 Phlox Family 6 Hazelnut macro Sunflower Family 27 17 20 71 13 Elderberry 73 33 40 28 Red Maids 54 40 86 Buttercup 36 57 cf. Sunflower 27 57 Wild Buckwheat 9 28 Miner's Lettuce 27 40 Sedge 18 28 4 Bromegrass 80 86 17 Fescue Grass 60 57 9 Maygrass 20 100 Hairgrass 20 Needlegrass 28 9 Panic Grass 43 Blackberry 28 Little Barley 14 Walnut 14 Juniper 14