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.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Friday - September 06, 2013

From: North Ridgeville, OH
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Edible Plants
Title: Looking for a List of Edible Wild Plants for Ohio
Answered by: Anne Van Nest

QUESTION:

What are some edible wild plants in Ohio?

ANSWER:

There are several good websites that list edible wild plants in Ohio. Take a look at the Seasonal Schedule of Edible Wild Plants in Southeastern Ohio posted on the Ohio University Department of Environmental and Plant Biology website. There’s also some good helpful tips about identification, ecology, preparation and uses on another webpage as well as email contacts for the website co-founder Rebecca Mullany.

Also information about some edible plants in Ohio and recipes to use the ingredients can be found on the www.discoveringohio.com website in an article called Wild, Wonderful, Native Ohio Foods.

As always, make sure that you are 110% certain of the identification of any plants that you plan to ingest and that they are prepared correctly. A mentor would be a great way to learn about edible plants if you have a knowledgeable person in your area that is willing to share their expertise.

From the Image Gallery

American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana

Staghorn sumac
Rhus typhina