Northern bayberry (Morella pensylvanica syn. Myrica pensylvanica) isn’t listed in Haliburton Flora and despite the name is more abundant to the south. Its relation sweet gale/ bog myrtle is more common in our area. It’s native to Ontario but may be closer to near native in cottage country. Edible Uses of Northern Bayberry As the … [Read more…]
Slippery elm is the medicinal star of the elms (Ulmus spp.) native to Ontario. It’s also most popular local/Haliburton elm for foraging. But elm is at risk due to Dutch elm disease. Around cottage country Ontario there are three main native elm (Ulmus spp.) trees. The most common is American/white elm (Ulmus americana) as featured … [Read more…]
Mountain ash (Sorbus spp.) isn’t a true ash tree, but a rose family tree. It’s one of a few edible and medicinal plants with berries that look like tiny apples. A larger version of hawthorns tiny apples. Mountain-ashes are called sorb apples for short. When Haliburton Flora was compiled, mountain ash (Sorbus americana) was fairly … [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…]