On Sunday I went on a plant identification walk at Edgewater Park with Josh and Jocelyn of Plant Ally Herbs. Josh and Jocelyn sell tinctures, oils, teas and other plant-based apothecary at the farmer’s market on Professor Avenue across from Lucky’s Café in Tremont. While they advised the group not to eat things growing at Edgewater, many of the plants they identified are edible and/or medicinal when they’re found in untainted soil.

Josh and Jocelyn explained how to identify certain families of plants, look-alike plants, edible plants, medicinal plants and invasive plants.

Revisions suggested by Josh on 10/9/07:

Jenita!  here, sorry it took so long!
Here are the little adjustments that would
probably be good.- Chicory is cultivated both
for "coffee substitute" and just as a
straight-up vegetable.

- Bittersweet Nightshade: It's about the last
3-400 years, and justfor Europeans.  Indigenous
cultures in the U.S. have been cultivating
potatoes for ages, and probably tomatoes and
other stuff too, though I
don't really know.

- Evening Primrose is also a delicious edible
plant (haven't tried it yet; but next time I'm
out of cleveland and one crosses my path...!)

- I wouldn't touch the burdock description at
all, but, just as a note-- it's all edible
(some parts more than others, esp. young
leaves/stem, budding flower heads, and, in
particular, the roots).I've eaten burdock root,
but not that I've picked myself.

Edible Plants

Oxalis/Sorrell

This is one of the few edible plants I already knew of. I used to munch on it when I was a kid; we called it sour weed because of its lemony flavor.

Mustard

I did have a little taste of this tangy plant--delicious!

Dandelion & Chicory

Both Dandelion and Chicory are in the Asteraceae (or composite) family of plants. According to the tour guides, this is the most common and varied family of flower in North America and includes daisies and sunflowers. Chicory is sometimes cultivated for its root, which is dried and ground as a coffee substitute or additive. Dandelions are edible: greens, roots and flowers. We looked at the similarities between dandelion and chicory flowers and I learned that each petal of a dandelion is actually a complete flower.

Lamb's Quarter

The entire Lamb's Quarter plant is edible. The seeds can be ground into a flour and the roots and leaves can be eaten. The plant is high in calcium, similar to nettles. This plant is also called pigweed and is in the Chenopodium (which means "goose foot" family of plants.

Chenopodium Leaf

Quinoa, Amaranth and Beets are also in the Chenopodium family.

Thistle


Thistles are related to artichokes. They have poky bracts around the flower head. If you can conquer the spikes, the thistle is edible.

Grapevine


I've only eaten grape leaves after they have been stuffed with rice, but it is nice to consider the simplest form.

Queen Anne's Lace/Wild Carrot

Queen Anne's Lace is a biennial plant; the first year it produces an edible root, and the second year it flowers. Garden variety carrots will revert back to Queen Anne's Lace if left to their own devices. The roots of QAL are edible and are paler and more fibrous than a garden carrot. The flower of the plant is an umble compound, which gives it a "fireworks" appearance. It is in the same family as parsley, fennel and dill and looks quite similar to Poison Hemlock. The difference? The Queen has tiny hairs on the stem.

Mulberry

Mulberries are edible, but what I found most interesting is that one mulberry plant can have 2 or 3 completely different shaped leaves.

Poisonous Plants
Bittersweet Nightshade

According to J&J, it is only within the last one hundred years that humans have been commonly eating nightshade fruits, including peppers, tomatoes and eggplants. Some nightshade plants are very poisonous and effect the central nervous system.

Purple Vetch



Purple vetch is in the pea family and can have a similar appearance to clover. Purple Vetch is poisonous, but Clover is edible and can be used to make tea. Clover has smaller petals.

Comparing Clover to Purple Vetch



Pokeweed

I think I may finally understand the expression "happy as a pig in a poke". The mature Pokeweed plant is poisonous. The poison is stored in the roots and travels into the entire plant as it grows. Some eat the young shoots and compare the flavor to asparagus. It also makes sense of the song, Poke Salad Annie.

Medicinal Plants
Boneset

Boneset is a misnomer as the plant shouldn't be used to help repair broken bones. Boneset is used to break fevers and got its name from an outbreak of Break-Bone Fever. It is used in a tea or a tincture.

Plantain



Plantain or Plantego is used as a spit poultice to draw out infection. It is both an analgesic and an antiseptic. Jocelyn explained that it can be chewed and then place topically on a scratch or a bee sting.

Evening Primrose



Evening Primrose is used to balance female hormones. It can be made into a tincture, oil or tea using the leaves, roots and stems. The plant is also an astringent and a sedative.

Evening Primrose Buds



Cottonwood Tree



The Cottonwood Tree is related to the Willow Tree and its bark and leaves are analgesic, astringent and diuretic. It is known as an "aspirin" plant and an be used as an anti-inflammatory. When Cottonwood buds are boiled in oil, it is known as the burn salve, "Balm of Gilead".

Myrtle/Periwinkle



Mrytle should not be ingested, but it can be used topically as a capillary constrictor. You can pack a nosebleed with the leaves to stay the flow of blood.

Industrious Plants

Cattails

The Native Americans used the leaves for basket weaving and the tops for torches. Plant Ally Herbs says that the top can be boiled and eaten like corn.

Teasel



Teasel looks similar to Thistle. The plant is so named because it was used to tease wool as it was combed out in the refining process.

Burdock Toss



The Burdock's burrs can be thrown effectively at your friends and enemies. If it lands in someone's hair, it may have to be cut out dramatically with scissors.

Pretty to Look At

Frostweed/Fleabane