Can You Identify It

Mistwalker

Mistwalker

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Who can tell me what this is, and whether or not it's edible? (I already know the answers)

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That's a BK17 and although it'd be tough to chew, I don't think it's digestible.
 
mistwalker said:
Who can tell me what this is, and whether or not it's edible? (I already know the answers)

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I really wish I had more wild edibles over here in the desert....I love showing off my wild edibles skills on camping trips, and I love finding them and using them. But there isn't much to work with. and i have almost no knowledge of the ones up there:D
 
Not edible, but I liked the song. :D "She comes on like a rose but everybody knows..."

Doc
 
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Not sure what it is, but I'm guessing not edible. That guess is only based on what appears to be mold or some sort of fungus rotting it.
 
I so totally suck at wild edibles.

I learned the universal "taste" test years ago, and I don't like it very much.

I got an app that helps me out, but I'm still like the 3rd worst person to ID wild edibles.

Moose
 
Moosez45 said:
I so totally suck at wild edibles.

I learned the universal "taste" test years ago, and I don't like it very much.

I got an app that helps me out, but I'm still like the 3rd worst person to ID wild edibles.

Moose
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It's generally safe to eat wild vegetarian mammals. :D
 
i've seen it alot in the hills in our part of the world but have no idea, i really need too get a book and get out some lol!
 
wrknives said:
I really wish I had more wild edibles over here in the desert....I love showing off my wild edibles skills on camping trips, and I love finding them and using them. But there isn't much to work with. and i have almost no knowledge of the ones up there:D
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The absence of this plant would be a plus for moving to the desert regions for a lot of people.


DOC-CANADA said:
Not edible, but I liked the song. :D "She comes on like a rose but everybody knows..."

Doc
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This made me pull up The Hollies' version and play it. It had been a while since I had heard that, thanks.


tincansurvival said:
I'm going with Lemon sumac, and yes!
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Very similar to one variety of sumac actually, and shares a chemical composition with it, but not one of the edible varieties.


Theknife said:
You can eat anything, but a lot of things can kill you :D
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So true :)


Chameleonbear said:
Not sure what it is, but I'm guessing not edible. That guess is only based on what appears to be mold or some sort of fungus rotting it.
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Good guess, good instincts, but that's not mold. It's where the flesh of the berry has dried and the peel is deteriorating away to expose the white seed.



Moosez45 said:
I so totally suck at wild edibles.

I learned the universal "taste" test years ago, and I don't like it very much.

I got an app that helps me out, but I'm still like the 3rd worst person to ID wild edibles.

Moose
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Yeah, the universal taste test is a good one to fall back on in a survival situation I suppose, not like you have a lot of other choices in a long term situation. But not great for personal research really. I have spent my whole life wandering various woods in the south east because so much of how my family made money was commercial fishing and commercial trapping in my younger days. I know my ancestors lived and thrived here eating a lot of wild edibles. This temperate rain forest that you and I live in is teaming with wild foods, and I've always known that...just didn't know how to safely identify them. I have bought, and thrown away, several plant ID books because I found the pen and ink drawings virtually useless. It wasn't until I got a digital camera and gained access to botany data bases of universities and the people who run them that I started being able to positively identify plants more easily. So...as I become certain of things I try to share knowledge with my friends. With the advancements in phones and apps I can see where that could be an awesome asset.


daizee said:
It's generally safe to eat wild vegetarian mammals. :D
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Generally, and I much prefer those to the carrion eaters :)


Outsoul said:
I will venture a guess, it looks like Nightshade or Virginia Creeper, neither edible.
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Not a nightshade, and Virginia Creeper berries are blue...look somewhat like wild grapes



Murphnuge said:
Somebody was gonna make the joke, might as well been me. It was kind of a way to subscribe without admitting I'm clueless on wild edibles.
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You have a point there, might as well have been you lol.


tfields said:
i've seen it alot in the hills in our part of the world but have no idea, i really need too get a book and get out some lol!
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It's all over the eastern US and all through the Appalachian mountain range.


The above pics are of dried poison ivy berries left on the vine after all the leaves have fallen, and no they are not edible, they are toxic. Eating them could severely damage the mucous membranes in the mouth and the digestive track. I left a hint in the background, the hairy vine :) . These pics show the flowers and berries in various stages of growth.

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I think it is worth noting that poison ivy, eastern poison oak, pacific poison oak, and poison sumac are all members of the genus toxicodendron. All contain urushiol oils, and all produce similar white berries. Not only can the plants cause contact dermatitis, but inhaling the smoke of these plants being burned can produce a similar reaction in the lungs leading to fatal respiratory failure. The urushiol is not consumed by the fire but rather it is vaporized and travels on the smoke. The urushiol remains present in stems and vines for quite some time after the plants have died so it is a good idea to pay attention to your fire wood in the bush and make sure there are no dead poison oak and poison ivy vines clining to it. This is a common occurrence because the vines can kill smaller trees by starving them of sunlight, then the dead tree falls often taking it's revenge and killing the vine. The vines can be deep in crevices in the bark. Every year dozens of people are hospitalized in the southeast due to inhaling urushiol oils in smoke from camp fires and burning off brush.
 
I am stabbing at my screen.

When I was 16 I worked on the grounds crew of the local college. There was a fellow entirely immune to poison ivy.
"Good in salad!" he'd say while stuffing a leaf in his mouth. :eek:
 
Murphnuge said:
Somebody was gonna make the joke, might as well been me. It was kind of a way to subscribe without admitting I'm clueless on wild edibles.
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You just hit enter before I did. Somebody had to do it.


I do like this kind of thread.
 
Very interesting thread, Mistwalker. Thanks for posting it.

I learned to identify poison ivy from an early age but find as an adult I don't seem to be as allergic to it as I was when I was younger. One episode (I think Lincoln was president then) had the rash all over my face and neck, but not my hands. My doctor suspected that I'd run through the smoke of burning leaves that contained the plant.
As much as I've viewed it over the years I've never paid attention to any seeds or berries.
 
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