[ Mountain Corn (Chamaedorea tepejilote) | Posted on November 12, 2020 ] Chamaedorea tepejilote - the immature male inflorescence is edible either raw or cooked. |
[ Dwarf Flowered Heartleaf (Asarum naniflorum) | Posted on February 6, 2020 ] Hexastylis nanifolia occurs naturally in only a few places in North Carolina and South Carolina. |
[ European Barberry (Berberis vulgaris) | Posted on October 27, 2018 ] The berries are not only edible for birds but are used in some recipes. One example is Zereshk Polo. |
[ New Zealand Spinach (Tetragonia tetragonoides) | Posted on June 4, 2018 ] Lately, I have been trying some recipes with ingredients from my local Indian grocery store. There is a dish called 'saag' which is normally made with spinach/Spinacia oleracea. |
[ Indian Bay Leaf (Cinnamomum tamala) | Posted on March 4, 2018 ] Cinnamomum tamala is known in English as Indian Bay Leaf; the leaves are harvested from mature trees 9-10 years and older) and are used in North Indian cooking where it is called Tej-patta, Tejpat, Tejpatta . The leaves, bark, sap have been used in medicine. In some older texts, you may find references to Malabathra/Maalabathrum. |
[ Stargrass (Heteranthera zosterifolia) | Posted on February 14, 2018 ] The image shows a sign/label for Heteranthera zosterifolia. but the larger foliage does not match that plant so the image is misleading. |
[ Spineless Yucca (Yucca gigantea) | Posted on December 4, 2017 ] My neighbor is from Guatemala where they harvest the flowers and cook them with eggs. |
[ Winter's Sunflower (Helianthus winteri) | Posted on October 17, 2017 ] New Perennial Species From the Southern Sierra Nevada Foothills, California |
[ Ajwain (Trachyspermum ammi) | Posted on October 16, 2017 ] The fruit of this plant is sometimes used to expel intestinal worms in humans - Ayurvedic medicine. |
[ Florida Betony (Stachys floridana) | Posted on April 5, 2017 ] I allow this to grow in part of my yard as it is one of the weeds I harvest |
[ Showy Lady's Slipper Orchid (Cypripedium reginae) | Posted on January 3, 2016 ] January 3, 2016 |
[ Alsike Clover (Trifolium hybridum) | Posted on November 28, 2015 ] This link explains that Alsike Clover can cause liver damage in horses: |
[ Hairy Crabweed (Fatoua villosa) | Posted on October 15, 2015 ] Fatoua villosa is native to temperate Asia, where the roots are used as medicine. The leaves and young stems are cooked as food, usually famine food as they have little taste. The plant found its way to the US, first discovered/described in Louisiana in the 50s-60s. It is a weed in the US, a very prolific seeder. The plant can produce seeds when only 3 inches tall. Ripe seeds are expelled and can be thrown three or four feet away. Unchecked, the plant can reach a height of up to four feet. |
[ Chipilin (Crotalaria longirostrata) | Posted on October 12, 2015 ] When I first rescued seeds for this plant I did not know anything about it, only that my neighbor, who is from Guatemala, said it is good to eat and called it Chipilin. In the past I knew that members of the Crotalaria family are very pretty, they can become weeds, and many are poisonous. I would not advise anyone to eat any part of a plant without a correct identification. |
[ Devil Tree (Alstonia scholaris) | Posted on September 24, 2015 ] Alstonia was named for C. Alston, professor of Botany at Edinburgh. There are several types of Alstonia, which share the common name "Devil's Tree." There are differences of opinion as to how the name was attached to the trees. Some say that the flowers have such an overpowering sweet smell that people can be lured to sit in the shade of the tree and sleep forever. Some say that the flowers and fruit attract many animals and night pollinators to visit the tree during the night, the night/darkness being the Devil's time. |
[ Rosy Milkweed (Oxystelma esculentum) | Posted on September 20, 2015 ] The common name Rosy Milkweed refers to the normal flower color, which is a pink/white; plants producing all white flowers are rare. |
[ Cow Itch (Mucuna pruriens) | Posted on September 20, 2015 ] Mucuna pruriens produces seeds that vary in color from black to speckled white. |
[ Mauve Clustervine (Jacquemontia paniculata) | Posted on September 20, 2015 ] Jacquemontia paniculata has the common name Mauve Clustervine/Cluster Vine in English. Don't let the common name fool you; the blooms can be white, or light shades of blue, lilac, purple or mauve. In Chinese the plant has a much different common name: 小牵牛 which translates to 'Small Cows". |
[ Carolina Dayflower (Commelina caroliniana) | Posted on September 15, 2015 ] The plant is native to India. Arrived in the US with rice seed in the late 17th century. This plant can also be found in the Phillipines and Guam. |
[ Philcoxia minensis | Posted on September 4, 2015 ] This plant grows subterranean leaves, which attract tiny worms; the plant is carnivorous. |