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Useful plants edible/poisonous/otherwise of Northeast merged with HD's thread here
- Thread starter hollowdweller
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In kgd's post about Pt. Pelee Nat'l Park, one of the pictures included Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis). This plant is alien to our area, but it is quite ubiquitous. On the way home from the chiropractor's, tonight, I stopped along the shore of Lake Ontario and snapped a couple of close-ups.
A quote from Edible & Useful Wild Plants of the United States & Canada, Charles Francis Saunders, Dover, 1976 (1920), ISBN# 0-486-23310-3, pages 181-183:
-"Probably the most widely known of all our American soap plants - though not all who know the plant are aware that it bears soap in its gift - is an herb of the Pink family that used to have a corner in many old-fashioned gardens under the name of Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis, L,). It is a smooth, buxom sort of plant with stems a foot or two tall and noticeably swollen at the joints, oval, ribbed leaves set opposite to each other in two's, and dense clusters of white or pink 5-petaled flowers. It is not a native-born American, but came hither from Europe early in the white immigration and has now become naturalized in many parts of the country near the settlements of men, where it is often so common as to be classed as a weed. The juice of the roots is mucilaginous and soapy, producing a lather when agitated in water, and the peasantry in some parts of Europe use it to-day for soap. By the brothers in European monasteries, centuries ago, its virtue as a capital cleansing agent was well understood, and they employed it for scouring cloth and removing stains. They gave it, in monkish fashion, a Latin name, herba fullonum, which in English translation, Fuller's herb, is sometimes still assigned it in books; but in every-day speech the rustic English name, Soapwort, is more usual. In our Southern States a pretty local name that has come to my notice is "My Lady's Wash-bowl." It was in a Saponaria, I believe, that the glucoside saponin - the detergent principle of the soap plants - was first discovered and given its name. That was about a century ago, and since then chemists have identified the same substance existing in varying degrees in several hundred species throughout the world.* In most plants, however, the quantity is too small to make a serviceable lather.
*N. Kruskal. "Soaps of the Vegetable Kingdom," in "The Pharmaceutical Era," Vol. XXXI, Nos. 13, 14."
Because of its high saponin content, it would probably also work well as a fish poison. I originally was going to post it in kgd's post but thought it would be hijacking, and this, of course, is a more appropriate thread.
I should point out that I have only used it when its been in flower and afterwards (due to my attention being directed to the showy flowers) and I used the leaves not the roots, but they worked well. According to Earth Knack - Stone Age Skills For the 21st Century, Bart & Robin Blankenship, Gibbs Smith, 1996, ISBN# 0-87905-733-5, the plant doesn't lather before flowering but does after , also, dead and dry plants are supposed to work - haven't tried it. There is also some concern that some people may be allergic to it, but this is true of the use of any new plant. It also, apparently, really irritates the eyes, so use caution.
According to Daniel Moerman at the University of Michigan, some of the California Indians used it as a hair shampoo.
A closer, close-up:
Doc
A quote from Edible & Useful Wild Plants of the United States & Canada, Charles Francis Saunders, Dover, 1976 (1920), ISBN# 0-486-23310-3, pages 181-183:
-"Probably the most widely known of all our American soap plants - though not all who know the plant are aware that it bears soap in its gift - is an herb of the Pink family that used to have a corner in many old-fashioned gardens under the name of Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis, L,). It is a smooth, buxom sort of plant with stems a foot or two tall and noticeably swollen at the joints, oval, ribbed leaves set opposite to each other in two's, and dense clusters of white or pink 5-petaled flowers. It is not a native-born American, but came hither from Europe early in the white immigration and has now become naturalized in many parts of the country near the settlements of men, where it is often so common as to be classed as a weed. The juice of the roots is mucilaginous and soapy, producing a lather when agitated in water, and the peasantry in some parts of Europe use it to-day for soap. By the brothers in European monasteries, centuries ago, its virtue as a capital cleansing agent was well understood, and they employed it for scouring cloth and removing stains. They gave it, in monkish fashion, a Latin name, herba fullonum, which in English translation, Fuller's herb, is sometimes still assigned it in books; but in every-day speech the rustic English name, Soapwort, is more usual. In our Southern States a pretty local name that has come to my notice is "My Lady's Wash-bowl." It was in a Saponaria, I believe, that the glucoside saponin - the detergent principle of the soap plants - was first discovered and given its name. That was about a century ago, and since then chemists have identified the same substance existing in varying degrees in several hundred species throughout the world.* In most plants, however, the quantity is too small to make a serviceable lather.
*N. Kruskal. "Soaps of the Vegetable Kingdom," in "The Pharmaceutical Era," Vol. XXXI, Nos. 13, 14."
Because of its high saponin content, it would probably also work well as a fish poison. I originally was going to post it in kgd's post but thought it would be hijacking, and this, of course, is a more appropriate thread.
I should point out that I have only used it when its been in flower and afterwards (due to my attention being directed to the showy flowers) and I used the leaves not the roots, but they worked well. According to Earth Knack - Stone Age Skills For the 21st Century, Bart & Robin Blankenship, Gibbs Smith, 1996, ISBN# 0-87905-733-5, the plant doesn't lather before flowering but does after , also, dead and dry plants are supposed to work - haven't tried it. There is also some concern that some people may be allergic to it, but this is true of the use of any new plant. It also, apparently, really irritates the eyes, so use caution.
According to Daniel Moerman at the University of Michigan, some of the California Indians used it as a hair shampoo.
A closer, close-up:
Doc
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Sorry and plaese correct me if I am wrong! 
Common Milkweed Has a white milky sap when you break any part of the plant.
The young shoots, young leaves, flower buds and immature fruits are all edible, however it is important to make sure that they are thoroughly and completely cooked before eating them; otherwise they are still toxic. So I read. I also read not to use pods over an inch.
Sorry and plaese correct me if I am wrong!
Common Milkweed Has a white milky sap when you break any part of the plant.
The young shoots, young leaves, flower buds and immature fruits are all edible, however it is important to make sure that they are thoroughly and completely cooked before eating them; otherwise they are still toxic. So I read. I also read not to use pods over an inch.
Sorry and plaese correct me if I am wrong!
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Ox-Eye Daisy
Leucanthemum vulgare
Native Americans used it as a light tea to reduce fever. If it is too strong it will induce vomoting
Hey Tony,
You've been busy!
This picture isn't too clear, but it looks like one of the Fleabanes (Erigeron spp.) not a Daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum- I think your binomial is more correct, because I think it was changed, but what do you want from an old geezer
) Look at the rays on your picture - they are very narrow. Now compare them with this. Here's a link to one of the Fleabanes (Erigeron philadelphicus).Also the leaves are different so you might want to compare them. Now I may be wrong, because you picture is a bit fuzzy, but you be the judge.
Doc
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Sorry and plaese correct me if I am wrong!
Common Milkweed Has a white milky sap when you break any part of the plant.
The young shoots, young leaves, flower buds and immature fruits are all edible, however it is important to make sure that they are thoroughly and completely cooked before eating them; otherwise they are still toxic. So I read. I also read not to use pods over an inch.
Sorry and plaese correct me if I am wrong!
Looks like Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) to me. I've never eaten it so I have no first hand comments about the edibility. However, the green plant, later in the summer (even now) can be used as an expedient lashing material by stripping the outer skin and using it as is. It can also be 3-braided to make longer and stronger cordage. A buddy and I once used the 3-braided green Milkweed skin as a successful bow string for bow drill fire.
After the plant has died, you can process the fibres from the dead stalk to make strong cordage and fine thread (for sewing, etc.)
The pappus (fuzzy down) in the seed pods is an excellent tinder later in the year. It can be lit from the spark of a fuel-deficient lighter (Bic, etc.)
The milky sap can be used to remove warts. I have successfully used it as such.
A very useful plant. Good on you, Tony, for bringing it back to our attention. One day I'm going to try eating it.
Doc
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Sorry to be such a PITA, but that should be Yummy yumilous - the first letter of the genus is capitalized.
Doc
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Common Mullen
(Verbascum thapsus) or toilette paper plant
The stalk can be used for a handdrill for firestarting and I believe it was also used as a cough suppressant and to relieve congestion.
Another useful plant. The following is from some of my notes:
Mullein was brought to North America from Europe and was well established by the 1800's. (EJ239) Ancient cultures around the world considered Mullein a magical protector against witchcraft and evil spirits. (KV385) It's also a plant with many medicinal uses with, of course, an accompanying warning that the seeds are toxic and may cause poisoning. (KV387)
As far as utility applications go, this is a very useful plant. First stripped of its leaves, then dipped in suet, pitch, or resin and lighted, Mullein stalks served as the candles and torches of ancient kings and commoners alike. Until cotton came into common use, the down of the leaves served for tinder and lampwicks. (JW219)
An excellent pithy core, found in the stalk, was used as a charred tinder material. (KK36) The dried stalk was used as a hand drill for friction fire making. (TB7-147) The leaves could be used as a glove for picking Stinging Nettles (RM186), or as a potholder around the fire. (ASG9/00) Native Americans lined moccasins with the warm, wooly leaf (JM31), and probably a whole lot of campers, low on supplies, have turned to this, Nature's toilet paper.
Large amounts of the fresh, crushed leaves and seeds (which contain greater volumes of rotenone) were used as a fish stunner. (ASG9/00) This use as a fish stunner can be traced back more than 2000 years. (JW220)
The common name, Mullein, comes from the Latin mollis, meaning soft. (BN-39)
-----------------------
Another interesting common name for this plant is Quaker's Rouge. Quaker women, apparently, are forbidden to use cosmetics so sometimes, young Quaker women would rub the wooly leaves on their cheeks to cause them to redden. Mullein leaves are a rubefacient (an agent that reddens the skin by producing active or passive increases of blood to the skin). You might want to keep this in mind when using as a toilet paper substitute.
And please forgive me for pasting my notes rather than retyping - it's hot and I'm lazy.
Any Tony, forgive me if I am truly being a PITA with my unsolicited comments. I just thought since you brought them up, it was a good time to add to them.
Doc
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Doc, I posted them here in case I misidentified them and to get more info on uses. Your comments are much appreciated. I wil try to get back to the park and check out that leaves on the Fleabane or daisy looking plant. Probably not till Friday unfortunately.
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Thats awesome Doc!:thumbup: Maybee one day I'll try that. But still working on the basics for now!
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Well, I got out for a short hike tonight, and thought I would add to the plant list.
The first plant is Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense). Ironically it is an alien species to Canada!!!! Some Thistles are edible (at least the inner stem is) - I don't know about Canada Thistle but am posting it here because of the flammable pappus (fuzzy stuff). This can be lit from the spark from a fuel-depleted Bic (or any other lighter for that matter). Like most pappus, though, it is a bit of a flash fire, so you need some good, fine secondary tinder as well. Some Thistles, Bull Thistle (C. vulgare) for example, have stalks that are quite adequate for hand drills for friction fire, but most of the Canada Thistle, I've seen, is too small, unless you're capable with the 'floating' technique.
This is Birds-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). It's called Birdsfoot because the mature seed pods resemble a bird's foot. It is a highly nutritious and delicious (to cattle) forage plant that was introduced by chance from Europe, or at least according to Invasive Plants, Kaufman/Kaufman, Stackpole, 2007, ISBN# 978-0-8117-3365-6, page 332. I don't know of any technological, food, or medicinal use of the plant. I include it only because of its striking yellow colour and it ubiquitousness.
This is Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia). It has no uses for humans in a survival capacity that I know of, but it is probably a poisonous plant. Invasive Plants, Kaufman/Kaufman, Stackpole, 2007, ISBN# 978-0-8117-3365-6, page326 says that it is toxic to horses because it contains nitroglycosides. Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America, Nancy J. Turner/Adam F. Szczawinski, Timber Press, 2001, ISBN# 0-88192-312-5, page 98 says, "All Vetches should be considered potentially toxic, and should be treated with caution, until more is known about individual types"
It is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa but is an invasive plant here, and there's quite a bit of it. It has been used as a ground cover and for erosion control.
This one is Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) and it is an edible and medicinal plant and it also has fibres that can be used for making cordage. It is a native of North America that found its way to Europe (about time it worked both ways) The 'Evening' part refers to the fact that the flower opens up in the evening and gives off its strongest fragrance to the night air because they are primarily pollinated by night-flying moths. I took this picture right about sundown and I have never seen the flower open this much before.
And we'll end off with a real bast**d of a plant. According to Venomous Animals & Poisonous Plants, Steven Foster / Roger Caras, Peterson Guides, 1994, ISBN# 0-395-35292-4, page 148, "This (Great Ragweed - Ambrosia trifida) and other ragweeds are probably responsible for more adverse reactions and human suffering in the U.S. than any other plant group, causing hay fever and allergies as the result of its pollen. Ragweeds also can cause contact dermatitis. But like a lot of other bast**ds, this one does have a bit of a silver lining. Some years the stalks are excellent for hand drills for friction fire. I say 'some years', because other years, the stalks will 'blow up' in your hands - just not enough strength.
Anyway, that's all I got for now, but FALL IS COMING!
Doc
The first plant is Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense). Ironically it is an alien species to Canada!!!! Some Thistles are edible (at least the inner stem is) - I don't know about Canada Thistle but am posting it here because of the flammable pappus (fuzzy stuff). This can be lit from the spark from a fuel-depleted Bic (or any other lighter for that matter). Like most pappus, though, it is a bit of a flash fire, so you need some good, fine secondary tinder as well. Some Thistles, Bull Thistle (C. vulgare) for example, have stalks that are quite adequate for hand drills for friction fire, but most of the Canada Thistle, I've seen, is too small, unless you're capable with the 'floating' technique.
This is Birds-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). It's called Birdsfoot because the mature seed pods resemble a bird's foot. It is a highly nutritious and delicious (to cattle) forage plant that was introduced by chance from Europe, or at least according to Invasive Plants, Kaufman/Kaufman, Stackpole, 2007, ISBN# 978-0-8117-3365-6, page 332. I don't know of any technological, food, or medicinal use of the plant. I include it only because of its striking yellow colour and it ubiquitousness.
This is Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia). It has no uses for humans in a survival capacity that I know of, but it is probably a poisonous plant. Invasive Plants, Kaufman/Kaufman, Stackpole, 2007, ISBN# 978-0-8117-3365-6, page326 says that it is toxic to horses because it contains nitroglycosides. Common Poisonous Plants and Mushrooms of North America, Nancy J. Turner/Adam F. Szczawinski, Timber Press, 2001, ISBN# 0-88192-312-5, page 98 says, "All Vetches should be considered potentially toxic, and should be treated with caution, until more is known about individual types"
It is native to Europe, Asia, and northern Africa but is an invasive plant here, and there's quite a bit of it. It has been used as a ground cover and for erosion control.
This one is Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis) and it is an edible and medicinal plant and it also has fibres that can be used for making cordage. It is a native of North America that found its way to Europe (about time it worked both ways
) The 'Evening' part refers to the fact that the flower opens up in the evening and gives off its strongest fragrance to the night air because they are primarily pollinated by night-flying moths. I took this picture right about sundown and I have never seen the flower open this much before.
And we'll end off with a real bast**d of a plant. According to Venomous Animals & Poisonous Plants, Steven Foster / Roger Caras, Peterson Guides, 1994, ISBN# 0-395-35292-4, page 148, "This (Great Ragweed - Ambrosia trifida) and other ragweeds are probably responsible for more adverse reactions and human suffering in the U.S. than any other plant group, causing hay fever and allergies as the result of its pollen. Ragweeds also can cause contact dermatitis. But like a lot of other bast**ds, this one does have a bit of a silver lining. Some years the stalks are excellent for hand drills for friction fire. I say 'some years', because other years, the stalks will 'blow up' in your hands - just not enough strength.
Anyway, that's all I got for now, but FALL IS COMING!
Doc
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I'll 2nd that on the ragweed. I have watched my wife go from cheerful and enjoying a walk in the outdoors to "what the hell, my head is going to explode; get me the hell outahere! From memory the trail had that stuff growing on one side of it.
Is it tall. about 5'?
Is it tall. about 5'?
Brian Jones
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I'd be happy to merge these if you guys want.
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I've seen it much taller than that. Both Newcomb and National Audubon says it can go to 15 feet.
Doc