Wild Lettuces – Lactuca SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Opium of Wild Plants

Wild Lettuces – Lactuca SPP.

In Chippewa, odjici’gomin refers to Canada wild lettuce (lactuca canadensis), one of many edible and medicinal wild lettuces (lactuca spp.) you’ll find in Ontario. They are often confused with chicory, dandelion or sow thistles, but fortunately these tall wild lettuces have no poisonous lookalikes. Although, at a glance rattlesnake roots have a similar look and height. …

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Hop Clover – Trifolium Aureum: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Yellow Clover of Wild Plants

Hop Clover – Trifolium Aureum

Hop clovers (like trifolium aureum) round out our few featured clover plants. We’ve covered red, then white and their hybrid alsike. The yellow clover is edible like its relations. Large hop clover (trifolium aureum) is barely mentioned in my herbal library. Red and white clover are the popular clovers. Perhaps one reason is that the …

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Common Hop – Humulus Lupulus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Not Just Beer of Wild Plants

Common Hop – Humulus Lupulus

Common hops isn’t that common here, but you may find this edible and surprisingly medicinal plant near where old timers booze stills were hidden. Around Haliburton you may find hops randomly on a dry gravelly roadside. Where I tend to find it is on old farmsteads that were once home brewing. It’s still uncommon here, …

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Queen Anne’s-lace – Daucus Carota: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Carrot of Wild Plants

Queen Anne's-lace - Daucus Carota

In Ojibwe, okaadaak means carrot, and Queen Anne’s-lace is literally a wild carrot. It’s another likely garden escapee, naturalized to Haliburton, and a surprisingly edible and medicinal wild plant. (If you’re not possibly pregnant, anyway!) Edible Uses of Queen Anne’s-lace (Wild Carrot) The whole plant smells distinctly of carrot. But the edible roots are white …

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Pineapple-weed – Matricaria Discoidea: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Wild Chamomile of Wild Plants

Pineapple-weed - Matricaria Discoidea

Also called wild chamomile, which is more alluring on the medicinal side of naming. I suppose “pineapple” triggers a thirst for learning about its edible qualities. I would rather have titled this one Wild Chamomile, but I’m using the common names as seen in our local guidebook Haliburton Flora. Eventually, we will cover the popular …

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Staghorn Sumac – Rhus Typhina: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Lemonade Tree of Wild Plants

Staghorn sumac - Rhus typhina

In Ojibwe, baakwaanaatig, mainly referring to the berry, staghorn sumac is the “lemonadiest” and most vinegary of edible and medicinal shrubs. Staghorn sumac has been called the vinegar tree and the lemonade tree as its juice can be used as a substitute for vinegar or lemon juice. The “staghorn” part comes from the velvety branches …

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