The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 7: Peavines

The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 7: Peavines

Dear Wood Folk, Poisonous or not? Hmmm. Haliburton Flora lists 4 Lathyrus species. Everlasting pea (L. latifolius), vetchling (l. palustris car. linearifolius), yellow vetchling (L. pratensis), and our pictured sweet pea (l. sylvestris). These are all rare in the wild here. My pictures are of one escapee sweet pea patch along the highway. Lately, on …

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The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 5: Red Columbine and Yew

The Wood Folk Diaries: Volume 4 (Poisonous Plants), Chapter 5: Red Columbine and Yew

Dear Wood Folk, A couple months ago we covered buttercups. Eastern red AKA Canada columbine AKA wild columbine (aquilegia canadensis) is also a member of the notoriously toxic buttercup family. All plants in this family produce toxins when wounded or macerated. Substances you wouldn’t want to handle or ingest. The leaves of our native red …

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Cardinal Flower – Lobelia Cardinalis: Not-so Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Reddest Flower of Wild Plants

Cardinal Flower – Lobelia Cardinalis

Cardinal-flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is a similar but less potent medicinal as its close relation Lobelia inlata, and it’s similarly inedible. But it’s got one of the most stunning, if not the most stunning, red flowers of all of Ontario’s native plants. In Haliburton county, cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is an uncommon but memorable sight on …

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Pinks (Carnations) – Dianthus SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Cloves of Wild Plants

Pinks Syn. Carnations – Dianthus SPP.

Pinks AKA carnations (Dianthus spp.) noted in Haliburton Flora include the uncommon to likely now more common Deptford pink (Dianthus armeria), found on sandy roadsides amoung grasses. I see Deptford’s bright pink often along park edges and well used trails. A couple rare varieties included are maiden pink (D. deltoides) and garden pink (D. plumarius). …

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Bog Myrtle – Myrica Gale: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Bay Leaf of Wild Plants

Bog Myrtle - Myrica Gale

Sweetgale AKA bog myrtle (Myrica gale) is edible and medicinal, but it can induce an abortion. So excited moms-to-be will want to stick with enjoying its beauty and the beauty of the gorgeous moths who use it as a host plant. Sweetgale AKA bog myrtle (Myrica gale) is common in central Ontario, in shores and …

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Docks – Rumex SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Yellow Root of Wild Plants

Docks – Rumex SPP.

The nonnative yellow rooted docks, sour and bitter, have a long history of medicinal use. We have a couple dozen (native and nonnative) edible and medicinal docks. Last week’s sheep sorrel is a Rumex species too, but docks stand alone. There are at least 26 species spotted on iNat for Ontario. The three docks listed …

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