edible & medicinal plants guide for the blue ridge mountains area

I.N.F.K

I.N.F.K

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Jul 7, 2012
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I'm not really good at identifying plants anymore. I use to be back when I lived in England and was nine, but not anymore. Right now I can only identify a handful of mushrooms and plants. I'm currently living near Jefferson National forest which is part of the Blue Ridge mountains and I would greatly appreciate a reccomendation of a guide book for the local plants. If I recall right I believe the climate here could be labeled as a humid subtropical. I would like the book to have relativley detailed pictures in them along with eachs plants uses and prep methods. Oh and also easy quick reference so I can look up a plant in the field. Thanks for any and all suggestions.
 
I carry "Edible Wild Plants-A North American Field Guide" by Elias and Dykeman. An Outdoor Life book by Sterling Publishing. Its broken down by season and region with color photos and very user friendly. I have a few books on this but this one seems to work the best for me.Steven Brill also hs some good books out.--KV
 
Indian Herbalogy of North America - Alma R. Hutchens
A Reference Guide to Medicinal Plants - John K. Grellin and Jane Philpott
Nature's Garden - Samuel Thayer (pictures)
Mountain Medicine - Darryl Patton (if you can find it, just went out of print)
Peterson's Guides are ok
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants (Revised 2nd Edition) - Bradford Angier (pictures)
Falcon's Guide Medicinal Plants of North America - Jim Meuninck (pictures)
Although it pains me to say it, if you have a smartphone, Steve Brill's Wild Edibles app is not bad (pictures) - https://play.google.com/store/apps/...m5ldC53aW50ZXJyb290LndpbGRlZGlibGVzLmZ1bGwiXQ..

Mark Warren who runs the Medicine Bow Primitive School has a survival book coming out this year and it will have a lot of Cherokee plant uses. I am keeping an eye out for that one and he backs up his use of plants with a lot of science.
 
I doubt you will find the "perfect" book or field guide that covers what you want. A few from my library... along with many wildflower books.

This one is not bad with cooking receipes; "Edible Wild Plants of Pennsylvania and Neighboring States" by Richard Medve and Mary Lee Medve. (Penn State Press), 1990. It contains line drawings versus pictures.
"Edible Wild Plants, A North American Field Guide", 1990. Outdoor Life Books
"Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants", Bradford Angier, 1978.
"Edible Wild Plants" Peterson Field Guides, Lee Allan Peterson. Covers East of the Mississippi River
"Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Applachain Mountains and Piedomont", Tim Spira, 2011. A bit difficult to use., but well done if you approach plants from a community perspective.

Some of the better wildflower books are also good as they have tidbits on toxicity or folk uses of various plants. Most of your wild plants flower, so they get captured in the wildflower books.

Added: Mushrooms from my way of thinking take a lot of effort to positively identify. I generally leave them alone unless I know for sure it is an edible mushroom. Some books from my library on mushrooms. The better ones are listed:

"Mushrooms of the Great Smokies" by L.R. Hesler, 1960, Univ of TN press (Black and white photos mostly, but okay)
"Mushrooms Demystified" by David Arora, 1986.
"Mushrooms of North America" by Orson Miller Jr. Fairly easy to use due to pictures and sized like a field guide.
"Simon & Schusters Guide to Mushrooms" Gary Lincoff

Audubon field guides are okay.
 
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