Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) is a nonnative (to Ontario) edible and medicinal plant that you can easily grow in a pot indoors if you love it, rather than have it take over yours and your neighbors lawns. If it hasn’t taken over already! Called gill-over-the-ground in Haliburton Flora, ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea syn. Nepeta glechoma, … [Read more…]
Marsh speedwell is the main native speedwell (Veronica spp.) you’ll find here, but we have quite a few species creeping around Ontario. All are edible and medicinal wild plants. Around Haliburton, the most common speedwells are marsh speedwell (Veronica scutellata) and thyme-leaved speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia). I most often spot marsh and thyme-leaved in lawns left … [Read more…]
Blue vervain (Verbena hastata) is an edible and medicinal plant that is highly valued for its tranquilizing effect on the nervous system. Ontario’s native blue vervains are pollinator friendly beauties. Finding blue vervain in the wild around Haliburton was uncommon when Haliburton Flora was compiled, but I have seen numerous small wild patches so it … [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…]
Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), called “bouncing bet” in Haliburton Flora, is a medicinal and nominally edible plant that has been heavily used as you might imagine – to wash things. And sometimes still is. I’ve noticed soapwort growing in damp places, along streams, and going off meager experience I’d say where settlers and water would congregate … [Read more…]
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is another settler import to North America with a longstanding edible and medicinal history. But keep reading because things have gotten complicated due to health concerns about one of the constituents. Coltsfoot has gone out of vogue for a couple reasons. Firstly, antihistamines and new cough syrups surpassed “coughwort” in popularity. And … [Read more…]