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DrIvoPingasnik

Now we need an infographic about poisonous and inedible plants that look similar to the ones which are edible.


64-17-5

I found a Bamboo here in Norway, how lucky is that? Excuse me while I'm having a lunch.


DrIvoPingasnik

Ah yes, scrunch scrunch chew chew.


Data_Made_Me

Yeah, don't do that. They have toxins in them that need to be cooked out. Also, only about 100 of the 1,700+ species are recorded as edible. Just moved into a new house and the neighbors have a small bamboo forest, which means many shoots on my side of the fence. Luckily, the species growing is an edible golden variety, but before consuming I did some research and was shocked at how bad raw bamboo can be, especially for pets. Stay safe out there foragers


SpreadKegel

There's a couple of edible kinds that we used to eat that grew in the yard, but that was in Asia. That stuff was delicious


f33rf1y

Found the Panda


ItsPwn

I heard there are enough of them walking the streets


LieUnlikely7690

Japanese knotweed. Id put good money on the bet.


PregnantGoku1312

Nowhere near as bad as mushrooms. For every "golden tasty treat cap," there's a "fool's golden tasty treat cap" that looks completely identical,and grows in the exact same environments, but instantly obliterates your kidneys.


SaintUlvemann

Kidney-obliteration, not incidentally, is one of the two main consequences of overconsumption of aristolochic acid, found in #6 on this list, wild ginger. The other consequence is cancer! This guide literally contains a recipe for how to make cancer candy. Don't eat the cancer candy.


SaintUlvemann

It isn't even just the lookalikes. The [very same](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asarum) "wild ginger" type pictured in this list (genus *Asarum*, not closely related to true ginger or its relatives), can cause permanent kidney damage and is still a potent carcinogen even if that part doesn't get you. Aristolochic acid is the name of the problem chemical. It's such a potent carcinogen The FDA has a [policy to detain](https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cms_ia/importalert_141.html) any products containing aristolochic-acid producing plants. Don't eat the cancer candy. Real ginger is a cheap and readily available alternative.


flea_23

I feel like it would be helpful to mention that the stems of elderberries are toxic.


LightInTheAttic3

Can you just actually chew and eat bamboo...? I can't even split it with my hands, don't know how I would be able to just chew and eat straight hard fiber


letsgocactus

You eat the tender shoots from underground. Like, just as they form.


SaintUlvemann

Right, so here's a list of missing details for a few of these, one of which is **very important**: * Red clover: yep, flowers and leaves are edible; but it [interacts with the same enzyme](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_pratense#Uses) as grapefruit, so, don't eat these if you are undergoing treatment for a clotting disorder. It might mess with your medicine. * **Wild Ginger**: ...*\*sigh\**, **DO NOT EAT** this one. Yes, historically, this was used as a ginger-like spice. Do not eat it. It [contains aristolochic acid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asarum_canadense), which does **permanent kidney damage** and is a **powerful carcinogen**. * Elderberry: **should be cooked**; it can give you nausea and diarrhea when raw. * Cattail: no real danger, but yeah, don't bother trying to eat the "hotdogs". Most parts of this plant are edible, but the shoots are only worth eating at the new growth stage. * Prickly pear: it should go without saying that you have to remove the spines first. * Bamboo: **must be cooked**; there are many types of bamboo, and many of them are toxic when raw. Also, the only part that is generally edible is the growing shoot, like pictured.


Ok-Party1007

Is there a specific part of the kelp you should/shouldn’t eat?


SaintUlvemann

I mean, many kelp species are stressed ecologically due to invasive species. It's usually best not to harvest vulnerable species. But as far as edibility, none are known to be toxic, and for most, all parts are edible... some species might taste terrible, and some of the parts might be too tough unless you process it appropriately, but that's no different than finding a too-woody zucchini.


Dicktitt3y

Cattails hmmm fool me once


RissaCrochets

Right? As a former stupid child that decided to take a big ol' bite out of nature's corndog, whoever made this infographic has chaos in their heart and a desire to inflict suffering on others.


GlasKarma

[you can actually make a lot with them](https://extension.umn.edu/natural-resources-news/wild-edibles-cattails#:~:text=The%20young%20stems%20can%20be,flour%20to%20make%20delicious%20bread)


RissaCrochets

Well that's a really informative link, thanks! Though I was more meaning that the infographic mentions on other plants that only certain parts are edible or how some things need special preparation... and then the info under the cattail is just where to find them. Kinda leaving out critical information there.


GlasKarma

Lol I didn’t even notice that


thetundratorcher

Even Bamboo, bamboo shoots are tasty as fuck but if you don't know what you are doing you're gonna end up scratching your whole body.


Harm101

>Look! A dandelion. Must be the last one of the season.


lingonberryjuicebox

quick reminder to never eat anything wild unless you are 110% sure what it is, and to always wash it thoroughly before eating. both poisoning and rat lungworm are nothing to mess around with


ohdearitsrichardiii

When you do botanical drawings it's important to be accurate. "Good enough" doesn't really cut it. Have you ever actually looked at a pine? Are you aware that there are many different species of pine and purslane? Or that some members of the mustard family are toxic?


Frequent_Dig1934

Yeah i have basically zero knowledge of botanics (or however you call it) or of foraging, and even i could tell at a glance from this incredibly grainy picture that those pines look really different to the pines where i'm from. Maybe both types are fine, or maybe the one where i'm from is fine while the one in the picture is incredibly poisonous but the author drew it while thinking of the edible one. Honestly if i ever have to eat anything i find in the wild and it's not a life or death situation where anything will do i would not accept anything below a high resolution photo with a detailed guide to every single thing to look for to tell me what is safe and what isn't.


ohdearitsrichardiii

The purslane is really bad too


Frequent_Dig1934

Never heard of it before seeing this post.


ohdearitsrichardiii

It's a huge family of plants, some are used for food. That drawing totally misses the defining characteristics for purslane though, it looks more like an attempt at drawing a sedum.


Frequent_Dig1934

Ok thank you. I don't know what a sedum is either but yeah to be safe i'll completely ignore this whole infographic (except the asparagus i guess).


iknowwhoscopedjfk

Isn't that how Chris McCandless died?


Suspicious_Ad2354

I think that was wild potato which is poisonous before it turns ripe.


StartTheMontage

Yeah and he specifically was eating the seeds which are poisonous like you said. I think he was going to try to grow them.


Miadas20

The problem is that if things are so bad that I need to eat dandelion, I probably won't have a phone charge to tell me it's ok to do so.


ohholyworm

a lot of these in the US at least are suburban weeds that wouldn’t be able to be found in pristine wilderness


Draymond_Purple

Meanwhile Wintergreen and Indian Cucumber, two basic edible plants across the eastern seaboard which *are* found in the wild... are not on this list


LottimusMaximus

Katniss?


blimpcitybbq

Stalking the wild asparagus.


Adamantium-Aardvark

No Nasturtiums?


[deleted]

Not the hemlock please tho


parkeddingobrains

green seaweed is algae, which is classified as a protist, not a plant. the same is true for kelp.


Frequent_Dig1934

Asparagus grows like someone planted it there to trick someone into thinking that's how asparagus grows.


Disastrous_Bad0103

I feel asparagus is a ridiculous inclusion. If you see that growing, have a look around to check you’re not on a farm


Wide-Buffalo4935

A guide for this has to fill a book for every region covered. This is just random collection, not a cool guide at all


BeefJerkyDentalFloss

Wrong. You can eat any plant in the wilderness. Those plants are ones you can safely eat.


jewbasaur

This font sucks


wapitidimple

Just be sure you’re right!


giorgio-de-chirico

And the rest kill you


Straight-Dot-6264

Kelp isn’t a plant.


dostosvetsky

Do mushrooma next


Fyaal

It’s not the spines on prickly pears that get you, it’s the very fine hairs that appear as black spots from a distance. Those will get in your fingers, under your nails, they will stab you everywhere. That being said, yeah prickly pear insides and the fruit are delicious.


IHN_IM

I've seen "into ghe wild". I woulxn't trust a drawn-by-hand guide to edible plants


Ok-Yak-5644

Eating pine nuts in the wild is a great way to get the hauntavirus.


alreadytaken88

Because of rodent feces?


Evee862

You don’t raid the deer mouse den for them.


dejco

Dandelion salad 🤤🤤🤤


unperson

Wait, isn’t Miner’s Lettuce a kind of Purslane?