Identifying toxic wild plants that look edible may make the whole difference when you go foraging. It is surely a way to avoid foaming at the mouth or bleeding from the nose. Now, apart from the fact that toxic plants can also look and smell good, like a rose, what’s worse is that hunger can make anything look delicious. So, even if you do know a poisonous plant, extreme hunger may get you kind of confused.
Now, that surely sounds frightening, doesn’t it?
5 Toxic Wild Plants That Look Edible
There are hundreds of plants to find when you hit the bush. So, you always have a wide array of options to choose from. However, nature’s knack for balancing things doesn’t go unnoticed here, because it appears that the commonest, most popular edible plants in the wild always have an evil twin. By evil twin, I mean a lookalike that can’t wait to cripple your DNA and knock you out on the bare ground as soon as you taste.
Well, don’t thank me for getting you all wary of foraging. I’m glad to help, and I’ll be providing more help anyway. Below, we’ll look at five common poisonous plants you can find in the wilderness that look like good food.
Let’s roll.
Rhododendron
Here’s a little thing to assure you that this native plant is not that deadly, and you can brew it into tea or even chew raw: rhododendron means “suicide bush”.
Doesn’t sound funny, does it? Well, rhododendron is not healthy; avoid it any way you can while in the wild. But there’s even somewhere else to be more watchful of rhododendron: the Eastern American states, which are practically the homes to these toxic crops.
Rhododendron has glossy leaves, meaning that it can substitute for bay leaves while cooking, albeit it is a hazardous substitute. Rhododendron, fortunately, does not hurt you simply because you touch it. But if you dare make a tea or make a spice with its leaves, it may cause serious illnesses, and perhaps death. Fortunately, suicide bush has a horrible smell, so you can always know to avoid it.
Giant Hogweed
Giant hogweed looks like carrot leaves, which may make you assume that there’s a big carrot ready for harvesting beneath the surface. How ironic, given that this plant is harmful even to touch!
Giant hogweed, also known as Heracleum mantegazzianum, is an import, having originated from Europe. True to its name, this plant can be huge, given that it typically grows as tall as 14 FT. It has white flower clusters and hairy stalks, thus easily looks like a wild carrot. So, you can identify giant hogweed, and when you do, flee. Do not even touch; its leaves and stems carry a compound that can harm your skin.
Should you touch this compound, blisters will form on your skin within 48 hours of exposure to sunlight. And here’s something worse, the sap of giant hogweed can leave you permanently blind if it touches your eyes. If, by any chance, you come in contact with this plant, wash your hands with soap and water and avoid the sun for at least three days.
Moonseed
A moonseed looks like a grape, but, hey, looks can be deceiving. The Canada moonseed is a climbing vine that has grape-like leaves and bunches of grape-looking fruits. Here’s the killer blow: moonseed seeds ripen about the same time as grapefruit seeds. So, you see, it is easy to pluck and munch on these poisonous fruits. And unlike the rhododendron, there’s no foul smell associated with moonseed.
Fortunately, there are some visible differences between the moonseed and grapefruit, although you have to look more carefully to find out. Whereas grapes are oval or round in shape and usually are in twos or threes, moonseed seed assumes a shape somewhere between Pacman and crescent moon and usually just one in a fruit. This is not much, but it’s as much as you can get. That’s all to work with, so you may want to recheck plucked grapes before eating.
Horse Nettles
Horse nettles, also known as Solanum carolinense, belong to nightshade, the tomato’s family. And as you may know, apart from the usual tomatoes that you eat at home, most nightshade family members are poisonous to humans.
During winter, horse nettles look dead and dry but trust the fruits of this treacherous plant to remain juicy and plump. Thus, to the ignorant forager, these yellow-colored or greenish, cherry-shaped tomatoes may appear edible.
The fruits of the horse nettle and its other parts are toxic, great thanks to the alkaloid solanine they contain. Eating these fruits will cause severe pain in the abdominals and, in extreme conditions, respiratory and circulatory depression. You can avoid all these just by remembering that there are no edible tomatoes in the wild.
Poison Ivy
I think the name says it all. This may be the most harmful plant on this list because it can escape recognition sometimes. When young, poison ivy resembles a little weed; as it grows, it looks like a furry vine; and when very mature, it may grow into a 4 feet tree. Here’s the bad news: this plant is equally poisonous throughout its lifecycle; it doesn’t matter it’s looking like a weed, furry vine, or tree.
A mere touch of poison ivy is enough to give you sores and blisters, but that’s even manageable. What isn’t is the fact that poison ivy can hitch a ride on your gear, boots, or even pets, and whomever you come in contact with will catch the itch.
If you grow tired of the excesses of a poison ivy tree and decide to burn it, you’ll be inviting more problems. Believe it when I say every person around the fire will have to visit the hospital.
Concluding The Toxic Wild Plants That Look Edible
You will agree that the ability to recognize toxic wild plants that look edible can be the difference between life and death. Whether you go foraging, hunting, or camping, you’ll always need extra food, and if you can’t tell what’s healthy and isn’t, you’ll be exposing yourself to more danger than you think.