Beggarsticks (Bidens spp.) may look like flowers to choke on, but they are more edible and medicinal than they appear. We currently have around half a dozen species of beggarticks (Bidens spp.) in Haliburton county, Ontario. But the only one I’ve noticed is devil’s beggarticks (Bidens frondosa). It’s fairly common in waste areas, sand flats … [Read more…]
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 … [Read more…]
Known as bugleweeds or water horehounds, these edible and medicinal plants are one of the least minty of the mint family. Water horehounds (Lycopus spp.) can be found, as the name suggests, in wetlands, damp meadows and stream banks. There are two found around Haliburton, Ontario. The most common is American bugleweed (Lycopus americanus), also … [Read more…]
Purple loosestrife is causing a bit of strife here. This introduced edible and medicinal plant sure is pretty, but purple loosestrife is taking over our marshes and crowding out native plants necessary for a healthy ecosystem. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) was rare here when Haliburton Flora was compiled. They only found it in two locations. … [Read more…]
Pickerelweed is another edible aquatic plant in Ontario. Many will notice its lush purple blooms covering the shorelines in our area in the summertime. The bees notice too! Pickerel-weed (Pontederia cordata) is a common sight around Haliburton in shallow water, usually in large dense colonies. When flowering it’s a sea of floating purple. Edible Uses … [Read more…]
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…]