Lysimachia nummularia – Creeping Jenny
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) is an invasive plant with medicinal uses. It can be found in damp pastures and along sunny streams. Creeping Jenny, also known as moneywort, has opposite, rounded leaves that resemble coins. Flowers are bright yellow, and cup shaped. Flowers can be eaten raw. They have a taste reminiscent of cilantro. Creeping […]
Prunus avium – Wild Sweet Cherry
Wild Sweet cherry (Prunus avium) is the same species as the commonly cultivated cherry plant. It is native to Europe and Western Asia but has become naturalized in New England. The tree can be found at forest edges and roadsides. The bark has horizontal lines called lenticels. The oval leaves have serrated edges. Fruits ripen […]
Rubus odoratus – Purple-flowering Raspberry
Purple-flowering raspberry (Rubus odoratus) is a native perennial with edible berries. The purple-flowering raspberry is found at the edge of trails. It can grow in sun to part shade. The plant has maple-like leaves and purple rose-like flowers. Canes are thornless, unlike other raspberry species. Flowers appear June-August. Flowers become red raspberries in mid-late summer. […]
Asclepias syriaca – Common Milkweed
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a native perennial with multiple edible parts. Common milkweed can be found in meadows and fields which receive full sun. Leaves are opposite and oval-shaped with smooth edges. The stem is round and slightly fuzzy. It produces sap when broken. The pink flowers have five petals arranged in a […]
Lonicera japonica – Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is an invasive vine. It has no predators in New England, which allows it to proliferate. The plant has edible and medicinal uses, as well as toxic parts. Japanese honeysuckle can be found in woodland clearings, meadows, and fences. Young vines are fuzzy. Older vines turn woody and brown. The […]
Symphytum officinale – Common Comfrey
Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale) is a non-native perennial that has been used for food and medicine for thousands of years. Comfrey can be found on roadsides, old fields, and old homesteads. It can grow in moderate shade to full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Once a colony has been established, it can live for centuries. […]
Chenopodium album – Lamb’s Quarters
Lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album) is a highly nutritious annual that is closely related to spinach and quinoa. Lamb’s quarters, also known as “pigweed” and “wild spinach”, can be found in gardens and other disturbed areas. It prefers nitrogen-rich soil and full sun. Lamb’s quarters have leaves that are variable in shape. The first set of […]
Silphium perfoliatum – Cup plant
Cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is a perennial in the dandelion family. Cup plants are native to prairies in the central United States. They can be found growing in partial to full sun in moist soil. The plant often forms large colonies by rhizome. The cup plant is named for the cup that the leaves form […]
Aralia hispidia – Bristly Sarsaparilla
Bristly sarsaparilla (Aralia hispidia) is a native perennial in the ginseng family. It has been historically used as a medicinal herb. Bristly sarsaparilla can be found on cliffs, forest edges, and meadows. It prefers full sun and sandy soil. The plant has stiff hairs on its stem that are not strong enough to puncture the […]
Trifolium pratense – Red Clover
Red clover (Trifolium pratense) is an introduced perennial legume. Red clover can be found in lawns and meadows with partial to full sun. It can grow in low nitrogen and poorly drained soil. Being a legume, it can fix nitrogen in the soil for use by other plants. Red clover leaves consist of three […]
Laportea canadensis – Wood Nettle
Wood nettle (Laportea canadensis) is a native perennial that is in the same family as stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). Wood nettles can be found in rich, moist soil with full to partial shade. They can grow in abundance in river flood plains. They are often found in groups as they spread by rhizomes. Wood […]
Panax trifolius – Dwarf Ginseng
Dwarf ginseng (Panax trifolius) is a native spring ephemeral. Dwarf ginseng, also known as “groundnut”, can be found in moist areas along forested creeks. It can form dense colonies in ideal conditions. Dwarf ginseng has three leaves that are arranged in the shape of a triangle. Each leaf is made up of three or […]
Lunaria annua – Annual Honesty
Annual honesty (Lunaria annua) is a non-native biennial that can be found in cultivated gardens and as an escapee in woodlands and waste places. Annual honesty, also known as the “money plant”, has finely hairy, heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges. The flowers have four petals in a cross shape. They are usually purple but can […]
Wisteria spp. – Wisteria
Wisteria (Wisteria spp.) is a genus of flowering vines in the legume family. There are both native (American wisteria) and invasive (Chinese and Japanese wisteria) species of wisteria that can be found in CT. All wisteria flowers are edible and can be used interchangeably in recipes. Wisteria can be found in areas that receive […]
Geranium maculatum – Wild Geranium
Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) is a native perennial that blooms late spring to early summer. Wild geranium, also known as “Crane’s bill geranium” can be found growing in dense patches in deciduous woodlands and meadows. It can also be easily cultivated in partial shade to full sun. The plant has deeply lobed leaves with […]
Pluteus cervinus – Deer Mushrooms
Deer mushrooms (Pluteus cervinus) are common edible mushrooms that can be found around the world. There are 40+ species of Pluteus in North America. All species in this genus are wood rotters with free gills and pinkish spore prints. Some Pluteus mushrooms are edible, some are psychoactive, and some are too small to forage. Deer […]
Phytolacca americana – Pokeweed
Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) is a native perennial that is a traditional food of Native Americans and Southerners. Pokeweed can be found in fields, roadsides, and forest edges. It prefers disturbed soil in partial shade to full sun. Pokeweed starts to send up shoots in mid-spring. Shoots should only be harvested when they have tender, […]
Syringa spp. – Lilac
Lilac (Syringa spp.) is a genus of 12 species of flowering woody plants that are native to southern Europe and Eastern Asia. Lilacs are commonly grown in temperate areas. Lilac flowers are edible raw. They have a floral flavor, reminiscent of their scent. Lilacs can be infused into sugar or honey. They can be used […]
Cardamine concatenata – Cut-leaf Toothwort
Cut-leaf Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) is a native, edible ephemeral in the mustard family. Cut-leaf toothwort can be found in hardwood forests with rich soil. They are often found growing near other spring ephemerals such as Virginia Spring beauty and trout lily. They can form dense colonies from their tubers. Cut-leaf toothwort has three deeply […]
Allium tricoccum – Ramps
Ramps (Allium tricoccum) are a native species of onion that can be found late March- early May in CT. Ramps can be found in woodlands with rich, moist, well-drained soil. They usually grow under trees but get full sun since the leaves are not yet out. Ramps have 1-3 leaves that attach to a white […]