Users interested in accessing the paleoethnobotanical identification resources must first be added to the Paleoethnobotanist cultural protocol by a site administrator (admin@nwnativeplants.org). Once added, they can Browse Digital Heritage and use the search bar to input search criteria.
Reference seed material is organized by relative size categories (i.e., 1-3 mm, > 5 mm), shape (i.e, apiculate, attenuate, biscuspidate, flat-oval, globose, ovoid, lenticular, plano-convex), and texture (i.e., bullate, burred, hairy, glabrous, reticulate, rugos, scabrous, striate). Geophytes and economically useful plant parts are organized by organ type (i.e., bulb, root, stem). Definitions for these terms are in the process of being added to the site's dictionary, to ensure the botanical terms are accessible by all.
All ethnobotanical heritage items also have keywords listing their taxonomic families, traditional uses, and any other related material that users find helpful. So if an individual is interested in exploring all foods that were boiled or used as dyes, they can search by those terms.