Question on a plant?

ivan51

ivan51

Joined
Dec 9, 2003
Messages
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I took my little girl and the dogs for a walk today. About half way through the walk we came upon a older man in his 70's im guessing harvesting some berries with a 5 gal bucket that im not familiar with. I tried to talk to him but he did not speak english so i thought id post up some pic's to see what everyone thinks? Im thinking you can make a bitter wine or jelly with them but not 100% sure.




 
What region were the pics taken? Were there any leaves left on the plants so you could tell us their size and shape? Hard to say otherwise (salmonberries maybe?) No way I'd eat them w/o a positive ID as they could be toxic to humans.
 
huh just googled currants you might be right BT. Looks like currants are used for jelly, pies and sauces and wine. Interesting that these plants grow all over this trail. Or is it Sumac? hmm:confused:
 
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baldtaco-II said:
I'm not going to challenge that but from the leaves I can make out I'm surprised.
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mmmm, this has a Rowen M/Ash appearance.
rwn5578565jy.jpg
 
Hmm one guy at work thinks it might be Chokecherry....:confused: might have to go back and take better pics of the leaves or wait till spring.
 
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High bush Cranberry. I am certain. They make good jelly, but by themslves are kinda nasty. The birds eat them last, but eat them they do.:thumbup:
 
mewolf1 said:
High bush Cranberry. I am certain. They make good jelly, but by themslves are kinda nasty. The birds eat them last, but eat them they do.:thumbup:
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Looks like a good fit. Currents attach differently. That leaf I zoomed in on was a bit of a spanner in the works. I don't really get to meddle with these things, which is a blessing and a curse 'cos I doubt I'd like any of them.
 
Alternate Names --------------American cranberrybush, cranberry tree, crampbark tree, guelder-rose, wild gueldes-rose, gueldres-rose, cherry-wood, rose elder, red elder, marsh elder, water elder, white elder, gadrise, gaiter tree, gatten, love rose, May rose, pincushion tree, dog rowan tree, whitten tree, squaw bush, witch-hobble, witchhopple...........................................................UsesEthnobotanic: The bark of highbush cranberry yields a powerful antispasmodic (whence the origin of one its American common names, crampbark). The water-soluble preparation (containing a bitter compound called viburnine) has been used for relief of menstrual and stomach cramps and asthma. The antispasmodic properties apparently were discovered independently by European, Native American, and Asian peoples.........................USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center & the Biota of North America Program
 
lol this was fun figureing this out i need to take a local class if one is available in wild edibles and forageing
 
ivan51 said:
lol this was fun figureing this out i need to take a local class if one is available in wild edibles and forageing
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Usually when I find something like this I mark it somehow and come back to it in the early spring and document the entire growth cycle, buds, leaves (top and bottom), blooms, and fruit in detailed images and research it as I go along. It usually takes me a full growth cycle of a plant to feel comfortable that I have identified it correctly.


JWL said:
If I had to guess, I'd say Autumn Olives, also called Autumn Berries. Elaeagnus umbellata.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autumn_olive

hard to tell though, there aren't many leaves visible in your pics.
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That was the first thought I had, but the berries look too smooth, branches don't look the same, and the color of the bark didn't look right...plus the berries look a might big for autumn olive from what I can tell from the pics.
 
You are right Mewolf1 High bush Cranberry. I also posted this on a nother bushcraft forum and was identified as High bush Cranberry. Good point Mist ill remember that:thumbup:
 
So went back picked berries 1 1/2 quarts of berries made 1 quart of juice

 
no sugar the taste is like cranberry but has a musky smell to it. plan on makeing jelly too so will add sugar then
 
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