Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
rate this answer
Monday - June 06, 2005
From: Bountiful, UT
Region: Rocky Mountain
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Smarty Plants on edible and poisonous plants
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am trying to gather information regarding edible and poisonous plants in Utah's Salt Lake City area. Can you help? Thanks.ANSWER:
We don't have anything specific on edible and poisonous plants of Utah's Salt Lake City area, but I can offer a strategy to pull together this information. A search on Amazon.com for "edible plants west" gives several choices. You can read reviews of Wild Edible Plants of Western North America by Donald Kirk and Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West by Gregory L. Tilford. The Forest Shop lists a bibliography on the subject of edible and medicinal plants as well as poisonous plants. Another search on Amazon.com for "poisonous plants west" came up with Common Poisonous Plants of Utah and the Intermountain West but, unfortunately, it is out of print. It might be possible to find a used copy, however. There is also listed Field Guide to Plants Poisonous to Livestock: Western U.S. that is in print.There are several online databases for poisonous plants:
1) Cornell University Poisonous Plants Informational Database,
2) Purdue University Indiana Plants Poisonous to Livestock and Pets,
3) University of Illinois Veterinary Medicine Library Plants Toxic to Animals, and
4) North Carolina State University Poisonous Plants of North Carolina.
On the Native Plant Bibliography page on the Wildflower Center web page you can find a native plant bibliography for the Rocky Mountain Region by clicking on that region on the map. You can also search by keyword, author, or subject (Utah, for instance). You can also download a 4-page PDF file of the Native Plant Bibliography for the Rocky Mountains on the Regional Fastpacks page. So, by combining your resources, what you have here is a do-it-yourself guide to edible and poisonous plants of Utah.
More Edible Plants Questions
Native American barberry with edible fruit in New Mexico
December 06, 2008 - HI I am looking for a native american burberry plant with edible fruit. I love Persian cuisine, and they use the dried fruit of the burberry plant in a rice dish that I would like to recreate. I liv...
view the full question and answer
Identity of a plant in Florida with red fruit like a small tomato
September 03, 2012 - It looks like a small tomato but it isn't. It has a bunch of flakey seeds on the inside, which are a light brown in color. The outside is red, and I think it starts out growing green and also white....
view the full question and answer
Is Thalia dealbata toxic to dogs?
May 16, 2011 - A pond in a park frequented by dogs contains Thalia dealbata and I have seen numerous dogs eating the roots with relish, which we discourage, of course. They seem to really enjoy it though. Aft...
view the full question and answer
Are gourds poisonous, edible?
August 27, 2008 - Are all the Gourds edible? How can I know which one is which? If it is not edible, is it poisonous? If not, what is stopping us from eating them?
view the full question and answer
Plants for shade, poor soil in Park Ridge NJ
June 17, 2010 - Hello! I live in far northeast New Jersey, by the New York state border. I am looking for plants for areas of my lawn that nothing currently grows in - due to shade and poor soil quality - very rocky,...
view the full question and answer
| Support the Wildflower Center by Donating Online or Becoming a Member today. |