Mountain ash (Sorbus spp.) isn’t a true ash tree, but a rose family tree. It’s one of a few edible and medicinal plants with berries that look like tiny apples. A larger version of hawthorns tiny apples. Mountain-ashes are called sorb apples for short. When Haliburton Flora was compiled, mountain ash (Sorbus americana) was fairly … [Read more…]
Scouring rush and common horsetail (both Equisetum spp.) are used to scrub and clean, but common horsetail also has edible uses. And scouring rush is the Equisetum plant preferred for medicinal uses. Related to ferns, common horsetail AKA horsetail fern is the only living genus of the subclass Equisetidae. Common horsetail (Equisetum arvense) is indeed … [Read more…]
Chokecherries (Prunus virginiana) are one of our most commonly found edible and medicinal berry shrubs. The “choke” is a reference to how sour they are. Pucker up! Common around Haliburton and in Algonquin park too, chokecherry dots the roadsides, stream edges and fencerows. They may be the most widespread tree in North America. Up here, … [Read more…]
This edible and medicinal plum tree used to be widespread throughout Ontario. The stones were dropped along trails and around villages, wrapping the world in a plum thicket. But now Canada plum (Prunus nigra) is uncommon here, which is surprising as wildlife loves to gobble up the fruit, so you’d think it be dispersed all … [Read more…]
Joe from *Creator’s Garden calls it mskwabiimnagohns. Red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera) is our most recognizable dogwood thanks to its bright red bark. It’s both a wild edible and a medicinal that you may be aching to know. *Link is to Joe’s video about red osier on Facebook, have a listen and follow 🙂 Our local … [Read more…]
The English name serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.) has origins related to when one can finally have funeral services/burial for winters dead. They’re also called juneberries even though you’ll be waiting until the end of June or later for ripe berries. Here around Haliburton, Ontario you’ll find, to the least: downy (Amelanchier arborea), mountain (Amelanchier bartramania), smooth … [Read more…]