Goutweed – Aegopodium Podagraria: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Celery of Wild Plants

Goutweed – Aegopodium podagraria

Goutweed (aegopodium podagraria) was rare when Haliburton Flora was compiled, in one spot even. It was on an open damp roadside, an escapee from cultivation – a mere hint of how invasive this plant would become. Now you can find it taking over lawns and parks. It’s even crept into the west side of Algonquin …

Read more

Knapweeds – Centaurea SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Cornflower of Wild Plants

Knapweeds - Centaurea spp.

Most local knapweeds (centaurea spp.) look similar to bull thistle. However, you’re more likely to find your knapweed in patches instead of lone like bull thistles. Spotted knapweed (c. maculosa) is noted in Haliburton Flora on the edge of the highway, which is where I’ve seen it too. Another centaurea is bachelor’s buttons, as pictured …

Read more

Winter Cress – Barbarea Vulgaris: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Arugula of Wild Plants

Winter Cress – Barbarea Vulgaris

Wintercress is a nonnative garden vegetable that has escaped into the wild in Ontario. The subtitle was a toss up between broccoli and arugula of edible wild plants. Which would you have picked? Winter cress (barbarea vulgaris) is common here along moist roadsides and in fields among flowers and grasses. Its bright yellow flower clusters …

Read more

Mulberries – Morus SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the 1 Endangered vs. 1 Invasive Tree of Wild Plants

Mulberries - Morus SPP.

In Ojibwe, mitigwaabimin+ag, Ontario’s local red mulberry is precariously close to extinction. The Asian white has taken over and hybridized with the red. Only around 200 true red mulberries are left. Mulberries (morus SPP.) are absent from Haliburton Flora; just its relations hops and marijuana made the cut. I have seen them around, likely all planted …

Read more

Reed Grass – Phragmites SPP.: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Roasted Marshmallow of Wild Plants

Reed Grass - Phragmites SPP.

In Chippewa, abo’djigun meaning “something turned out or over”, reed grass has turned me over too. It changed my completely black-and-white thinking about herbicides. It’s hard to tell our native reed grass from the invasive European subspecies, and it may be hard to tell if a patch has been treated. It’s a tread with caution sort of …

Read more

White Sweet Clover – Melilotus Albus: Edible & Medicinal Uses of the Vanilla of Wild Plants

White Sweet Clover - Melilotus Albus

Often called melilot, our sweet clovers are a settler imported edible and medicinal plant. But you’re going to need to be careful about mold. And you might want to report it. Around here white sweet clover (melilotus alba) is common. We also have yellow sweet clover (melilotus officinalis), identical in uses, but uncommon in these …

Read more