Q&A for How to Test if a Plant Is Edible

Stinging nettles are not poisonous, but you will need to boil them so they won't sting you.

Poison Ivy often is in leaves of three and have tiny hairs on them. They may also be shiny.

Generally, milky sap is to be avoided; it's usually some kind of poison. The only obvious exceptions to this are lettuce and dandelions.

No, and you usually eat the leaves, not the flower.

If you're in the wilderness, find a hot, sun-touched area. Make sure it's not late in the day, and set the plants there for a while.

Clovers, cattails, dandelions, and purslane are all edible, but must be prepared correctly.

You can definitely eat them. They just taste really awful. You can use them to make a good jam or jelly, though. They're full of vitamin C.

Most of the time it's correct, there are, however, exceptions. Look for the other signs of the plant being safe or not before eating them. Getting a flora book for your area could also be useful.

Yes, acorns can be poisonous, although they're usually more dangerous for animals than humans.

If something is contact poisonous (meaning it causes a reaction by touching you), it certainly is not suitable for consumption. This guide is, after all, how to test edible plants.

Many tropical plants are poisonous, like the castor plant.

No, lily flowers are not poisonous.

Just because insects can eat a particular plant does not mean that it is fit for human consumption. Due to differences in biology, some insects eat plants that are poisonous to humans and vice versa. For example, we like the caffeine in our coffee, but many insects die if they ingest it. This is not just the case with insects, many mammals can eat plants that would be poisonous to humans as well. Russian bears often eat a type of berry that is poisonous to humans and can render their meat inedible at certain times of the year.

Learn how to identify the leaves of a plum tree. If the leaves seem to match, take the fruit and open it. Plums should have stones, similar to how peaches have pits.

You identify trees by the shape of the leaves, the blooms in the Spring, and the fruit it produces.

Almost all moss and lichens are edible, but they are usually very bad tasting. They do have some vitamins and minerals they have leeched from the rock they were on, but very few calories. If you are in a survival situation, you can definitely eat them, but avoid yellow lichens and avoid any rotted parts, or any dirt or bugs caught in the moss.

Yes, you can eat rabbit's foot clover. It, like other clovers, is not poisonous.

Raspberry leaves can be used to make a tea that is supposedly good for menstrual problems and for gum health. It can also be used for a poultice (topical ointment) for cuts and burns.

Tomatoes, cauliflower and cabbages can be irrigated in salt water, as they have a high salt tolerance.

You will need to do some research using local books (perhaps check the library) and consider getting an informational book about plants in your area that you can carry around with you. The test explained in the article above will also help if you don’t recognize the plant, as the test isn’t specific to any region. It works with basically all plants.

Yes, in some alpine areas a small plant with the name Monardella villosa, nicknamed "coyote mint" grows that is edible and tastes like mint.

Not all hibiscus are edible, but the common ones you would see camping in America are all edible.

Some common ones are: Sapinit, ti, sago palm, purslane, acacia, red clovers, pigweed and fishtail palms. These are edible plants in the Philippines as long as you clean and eat the right part of the plant.

Then, do not risk it, do not eat anything with a single factor on the list. Even if it may seem edible, it’s not always and could pose serious health risks.

Yes, but it will be less dangerous than ingesting it. This will be useful only if there are no other options.

To prepare a cattail root, clean it and trim away the smaller branching roots, leaving the large rhizome. You can grill, bake or boil the root until it's tender. Once cooked, eating a cattail root is similar to eating the leaves of an artichoke – strip the starch away from the fibers with your teeth.

Dandelion leaves to be eaten raw are best when they are fresh and young. As they age, the leaves get increasingly bitter. But they are still edible, particularly if you blanch them before using them in your recipe.

No, many cacti can be eaten, including Saguaro, Prickly Pear, Chollas, Blue Myrtle and several more!

The one with the milky sap was probably poisonous but the other ones were probably safe if they had a dark color. Do the tests in the article to find out, but it is at your own risk.

You would need some survival skills, e.g. you could build a shelter to protect yourself. Try to get it off you first, maybe beat it with a stick or rock and then act big and try to scare it away. If it is a big animal, like a bear, there is not much you can do.