Arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.) is an edible and medicinal plant in the humans case as well as moose. Not to be confused with arrowroot, which you can find at health food stores, you’ll find arrowhead in the marsh instead. Usually surrounded by cattail and the like, arrowhead (Sagittaria spp.) is a common aquatic plant in North … [Read more…]
Alder (Alnus spp.) is a highly astringent edible and medicinal wild plant. Its usage is similar to oak. Alder means red in German, so named because the bark makes your saliva red. But don’t go nibbling on the bark now – it’s emetic (it could make you throw up!) Speckled alder (Alnus rugosa) as listed … [Read more…]
Bulrush (Scirpus spp.) is often neighbor to the similarly highly edible cattail. Across the pond, cattail is called bulrush. Perhaps “bulrush” being used for unrelated plants is one of the reasons Scirpus spp. is an often overlooked edible and medicinal plant here in North America. Or perhaps it’s due to cattail being so similar yet … [Read more…]
Tamarack (Larix laricina) is common in low, damp areas, treed bogs (especially fens) and shore banks. If you’ve read about other trees here on the Song of the Woods blog and you’re expecting a lot, you won’t be disappointed. When I moved up north I was surprised to see an “evergreen” (it’s not an evergreen) … [Read more…]
Willow (Salix spp.) is an edible, mostly medicinal and heavily utilized plant. Its powerful component salicin was synthesized to make the well known OTC medicine Aspirin. “Sal lis” means “near water”. And our many Haliburton waters are surrounded by salix species! The marshes I visit for birding and herping are filled with a wide variety … [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…]