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Thursday - May 15, 2008
From: Clearfield, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Edible fruits and plants in Pennsylvania
Author: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
Can you give me a list of edible berries and plants that someone might find if they were hiking through the forest of Pennsylvania?ANSWER:
Mr. Smarty Plants doesn't even know ALL the edible native plants in Pennsylvania, but there are books that can give you a listing of the best ones. For instance, Edible Wild Plants of Pennsylvania and Neighboring States by F. J. Medve and others; Edible Wild Plants of Eastern North America by M. L. Fernald and others; and Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and Central North America by L. Peterson all are excellent references. These books provide you with means to identify the plants, habitat and distribution, which parts are edible, how to prepare the plant, poisonous plants to avoid, etc. Here, also, is a page of foraging and ethnobotany links from Foraging.com.Just to give you an idea of the great variety of edible native plants you can find, below is a partial list of trees and shrubs only that grow in Pennsylvania that bear edible fruit. There are many more herbaceous plants as well that are edible.
A cautionary note: Be sure you know what plant you're about to eat! There are look-alike plants that can give very unpleasant, even dangerous, results if eaten.
Carya alba (mockernut hickory)
Castanea dentata (American chestnut)
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) (edible flowers)
Celtis occidentalis (common hackberry)
Diospyros virginiana (common persimmon)
Prunus americana (American plum)
Prunus angustifolia (Chickasaw plum)
Prunus pensylvanica (pin cherry)
Prunus serotina (black cherry)
Prunus virginiana (chokecherry)
Corylus americana (American hazelnut)
Gaylussacia dumosa (dwarf huckleberry)
Mahonia repens (creeping barberry)
For the next 3 genera, use the "Narrow Your Search" option to limit the species to Pennsylvania.
Ribes spp. (currants and gooseberries)
Rubus spp. (blackberries, raspberries, dewberries)
Vaccinium spp. (cranberries, blueberries, huckleberries)
More on Edible Plants from Mr. Smarty Plants
Question: October 21, 2009 - Can you recommend edible plants that would be appropriate for use in a rain garden? I'm located in Charlottesville, VA, but this can be in general as well.
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Question: October 04, 2009 - I have a large dead oak tree which has an orange/yellow fungus growing at the base and also high on a spot where a branch had broken off. I've read a couple of things from the internet about this fungus but haven't found out about it being harmful to people or animals. And what about burning this wood once the tree is down? Can the fungus be removed and the wood used? If not,and if this is harmf...
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Question: September 10, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I have a somewhat small south-facing yard next to my home (less than 8' wide). I would like to build a tall arbor for grapes that runs along the length of my home (about 40'). How far from my home should I build the arbor so as to not have the roots cause damage to my home? Would grapes do well climbing a tall arbor?
Thanks for your help!
DL
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