Table of Contents
- Edible Uses of Bluebead Lily
- Medicinal Uses of Bluebead Lily
- Alternative Uses of Yellow Clintonia
- Growing Clintonia Borealis
In Anishinaabemowin, odotaagaans+ag, bluebead lily has toxic berries, but it’s still an edible and medicinal wild plant. It’s gorgeous too, with pretty yellow flowers and stunning blue berries that form a gradient and marbled cluster of blue as they ripen.
Corn lily AKA bluebead lily (clintonia borealis) is common around Halliburton in deciduous or mixed woods on moist hummus. It demands shade and indirect sunlight, and spreads slowly. The established patches you stumble upon could be up to 50 years old!
Edible Uses of Bluebead Lily
The young leaves up to a few inches tall, before they are fully unfurled, can be eaten raw or boiled. They have a taste reminiscent of cucumber or trout lily. The leaves get tough and unpalatable as they mature.
The berries however are mildly toxic. An old account I read of them said they taste sweetish. Wiki says entirely unpleasant tasting. I’ll live with the mystery.
Some similar looking species are flat out poisonous.
Medicinal Uses of Bluebead Lily
Bluebead lily is primarily said to support these body systems:
- Integumentary
Medicinal tags include Antimicrobial and Astringent. See Medicinal tag key for more information.
Common usage includes a leaf poultice for sores and burns.
Alternative Uses of Yellow Clintonia
I have no idea if anyone still does this, but there’s record of people crushing the leaves and rubbing the juice on their face and hands as mosquito repellant. Otherwise it mostly attracts insects. A huge variety of pollinators suck the nectar and pollen from these pretty flowers:
Growing Clintonia Borealis
Sad to say, transplanting the northern lily is not recommended and germinating the seed is difficult. The first and most recent time I had to say that was with ghost pipe. But, like ghost pipe, you can try sowing some seeds..
If you have shady woods, specifically spots without direct sunlight, this plant may spontaneously appear there someday. It did in my woods. Amidst a massive patch of Canada mayflower. And there are patches of it in shady spots along my dirt road which I look forward to seeing every year.
WARNINGS
The berries are mildly toxic.
There are poison lookalikes.
And the Usual Cautions:
1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation.
2) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk.
3) For medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.
4) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
5) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
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REFERENCES
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada
How Indians Use Wild Plants for Food, Medicine & Crafts (Native American)
Planting the Future: Saving Our Medicinal Herbs
Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants (Out of Print)