Edible and Medicinal Plants #3

阿克

By: Love Spellcaster
Canna lily
Canna indica
Description:
The canna lily is a coarse perennial herb, 90 centimeters to 3 meters tall. The plant grows from a
large, thick, underground rootstock that is edible. Its large leaves resemble those of the banana
plant but are not so large. The flowers of wild canna lily are usually small, relatively
inconspicuous, and brightly colored reds, oranges, or yellows.
Habitat and Distribution:
As a wild plant, the canna lily is found in all tropical areas, especially in moist places along
streams, springs, ditches, and the margins of woods. It may also be found in wet temperate,
mountainous regions. It is easy to recognize because it is commonly cultivated in flower gardens
in the United States.
Edible Parts:
The large and much branched rootstocks are full of edible starch. The younger parts may be
finely chopped and then boiled or pulverized into a meal. Mix in the young shoots of palm cabbage
for flavoring.
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Carob tree
Ceratonia siliqua
Description:
This large tree has a spreading crown. Its leaves are compound and alternate. Its seedpods, also
known as Saint John's bread, are up to 45 centimeters long and are filled with round, hard seeds
and a thick pulp.
Habitat and Distribution:
This tree is found throughout the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and parts of North Africa.
Edible Parts:
The young tender pods are edible raw or boiled. You can pulverize the seeds in mature pods and
cook as porridge.

Cashew nut
Anacardium occidentale
Description:
The cashew is a spreading evergreen tree growing to a height of 12 meters, with leaves up to 20
centimeters long and 10 centimeters wide. Its flowers are yellowish-pink. Its fruit is very easy to
recognize because of its peculiar structure. The fruit is thick and pear-shaped, pulpy and red or
yellow when ripe. This fruit bears a hard, green, kidney-shaped nut at its tip. This nut is smooth,
shiny, and green or brown according to its maturity.
Habitat and Distribution:
The cashew is native to the West Indies and northern South America, but transplantation has
spread it to all tropical climates. In the Old World, it has escaped from cultivation and appears to
be wild at least in parts of Africa and India.
Edible Parts:
The nut encloses one seed. The seed is edible when roasted. The pear-shaped fruit is juicy,
sweet- acid, and astringent. It is quite safe and considered delicious by most people who eat it.
CAUTION: The green hull surrounding the nut contains a resinous irritant poison that will blister
the lips and tongue like poison ivy. Heat destroys this poison when roasting the nuts.
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Cattail
Typha latifolia
Description:
Cattails are grasslike plants with strap-shaped leaves 1 to 5 centimeters wide and growing up to
1.8 meters tall. The male flowers are borne in a dense mass above the female flowers. These last
only a short time, leaving the female flowers that develop into the brown cattail. Pollen from the
male flowers is often abundant and bright yellow.
Habitat and Distribution:
Cattails are found throughout most of the world. Look for them in full sun areas at the margins of
lakes, streams, canals, rivers, and brackish water.
Edible Parts:
The young tender shoots are edible raw or cooked. The rhizome is often very tough but is a rich
source of starch. Pound the rhizome to remove the starch and use as a flour. The pollen is also an
exceptional source of starch. When the cattail is immature and still green, you can boil the female
portion and eat it like corn on the cob. Other Uses: The dried leaves are an excellent source of
weaving material you can use to make floats and rafts. The cottony seeds make good pillow
stuffing and insulation. The fluff makes excellent tinder. Dried cattails are effective insect
repellents when burned.
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Cereus cactus
Cereus species
Description:
These cacti are tall and narrow with angled stems and numerous spines.
Habitat and Distribution:

They may be found in true deserts and other dry, open, sunny areas throughout the Caribbean
regi on, Central America, and the western United States.
Edible Parts:
The fruits are edible, but some may have a laxative effect. Other Uses: The pulp of the cactus is a
good source of water. Break open the stem and scoop out the pulp.
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Chestnut
Castanea sativa
Description:
The European chestnut is usually a large tree, up to 18 meters in height.
Habitat and Distribution:
In temperate regions, the chestnut is found in both hardwood and coniferous forests. In the
tropics, it is found in semievergreen seasonal forests. They are found over all of middle and south
Europe and across middle Asia to China and Japan. They are relatively abundant along the edge
of meadows and as a forest tree. The European chestnut is one of the most common varieties.
Wild chestnuts in Asia belong to the related chestnut species.
Edible Parts:
Chestnuts are highly useful as survival food. Ripe nuts are usually picked in autumn, although
unripe nuts picked while green may also be used for food. Perhaps the easiest way to prepare
them is to roast the ripe nuts in embers. Cooked this way, they are quite tasty, and you can eat
large quantities. Another way is to boil the kernels after removing the outer shell. After being
boiled until fairly soft, you can mash the nuts like potatoes.
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Chicory
Cichorium intybus
Description:
This plant grows up to 1.8 meters tall. It has leaves clustered at the base of the stem and some
leaves on the stem. The base leaves resemble those of the dandelion. The flowers are sky blue
and stay open only on sunny days. Chicory has a milky juice.
Habitat and Distribution:
Look for chicory in old fields, waste areas, weedy lots, and along roads. It is a native of Europe
and Asia, but is also found in Africa and most of North America where it grows as a weed.
Edible Parts:
All parts are edible. Eat the young leaves as a salad or boil to eat as a vegetable. Cook the roots
as a vegetable. For use as a coffee substitute, roast the roots until they are dark brown and then
pulverize them.
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Chufa
Cyperus esculentus
Description:
This very common plant has a triangular stem and grasslike leaves. It grows to a height of 20 to
60 centimeters. The mature plant has a soft furlike bloom that extends from a whorl of leaves.
Tubers 1 to 2.5 centimeters in diameter grow at the ends of the roots.

Habitat and Distribution:
Chufa grows in moist sandy areas throughout the world. It is often an abundant weed in cultivated
fields.
Edible Parts:
The tubers are edible raw, boiled, or baked. You can also grind them and use them as a coffee
substitute.
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Coconut
Cocos nucifera
Description:
This tree has a single, narrow, tall trunk with a cluster of very large leaves at the top. Each leaf
may be over 6 meters long with over 100 pairs of leaflets.
Habitat and Distribution:
Coconut palms are found throughout the tropics. They are most abundant near coastal regions.
Edible Parts:
The nut is a valuable source of food. The milk of the young coconut is rich in sugar and vitamins
and is an excellent source of liquid. The nut meat is also nutritious but is rich in oil. To preserve
the meat, spread it in the sun until it is completely dry. Other Uses: Use coconut oil to cook and to
protect metal objects from corrosion. Also use the oil to treat saltwater sores, sunburn, and dry
skin. Use the oil in improvised torches. Use the tree trunk as building material and the leaves as
thatch. Hollow out the large stump for use as a food container. The coconut husks are good
flotation devices and the husk's fibers are used to weave ropes and other items. Use the
gauzelike fibers at the leaf bases as strainers or use them to weave a bug net or to make a pad to
use on wounds. The husk makes a good abrasive. Dried husk fiber is an excellent tinder. A
smoldering husk helps to repel mosquitoes. Smoke caused by dripping coconut oil in a fire also
repels mosquitoes. To render coconut oil, put the coconut meat in the sun, heat it over a slow fire,
or boil it in a pot of water. Coconuts washed out to sea are a good source of fresh liquid for the
sea survivor.
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Common jujube
Ziziphus jujuba
Description:
The common jujube is either a deciduous tree growing to a height of 12 meters or a large shrub,
depending upon where it grows and how much water is available for growth. Its branches are
usually spiny. Its reddish-brown to yellowish-green fruit is oblong to ovoid, 3 centimeters or less
in diameter, smooth, and sweet in flavor, but has rather dry pulp around a comparatively large
stone. Its flowers are green.
Habitat and Distribution:
The jujube is found in forested areas of temperate regions and in desert scrub and waste areas
worldwide. It is common in many of the tropical and subtropical areas of the Old World. In Africa,
it is found mainly bordering the Mediterranean. In Asia, it is especially common in the drier parts
of India and China. The jujube is also found throughout the East Indies. It can be found bordering
some desert areas.
Edible Parts:
The pulp, crushed in water, makes a refreshing beverage. If time permits, you can dry the ripe
fruit in the sun like dates. Its fruits are high in vitamins A and C.

Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Description:
This plant has tiny leaves arranged alternately. Its stem creeps along the ground. Its fruits are
red berries.
Habitat and Distribution:
It only grows in open, sunny, wet areas in the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
Edible Parts:
The berries are very tart when eaten raw. Cook in a small amount of water and add sugar, if
available, to make a jelly. Other Uses: Cranberries may act as a diuretic. They are useful for
treating urinary tract infections.
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Crowberry
Empetrum nigrum
Description:
This is a dwarf evergreen shrub with short needlelike leaves. It has small, shiny, black berries
that remain on the bush throughout the winter.
Habitat and Distribution:
Look for this plant in tundra throughout arctic regions of North America and Eurasia.
Edible Parts:
The fruits are edible fresh or can be dried for later use.
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Cuipo tree
Cavanillesia platanifolia
Description:
This is a very dominant and easily detected tree because it extends above the other trees. Its
height ranges from 45 to 60 meters. It has leaves only at the top and is bare 11 months out of the
year. It has rings on its bark that extend to the top to make is easily recognizable. Its bark is
reddish or gray in color. Its roots are light reddish-brown or yellowish-brown.
Habitat and Distribution:
The cuipo tree is located primarily in Central American tropical rain forests in mountainous areas.
Edible Parts:
To get water from this tree, cut a piece of the root and clean the dirt and bark off one end,
keeping the root horizontal. Put the clean end to your mouth or canteen and raise the other. The
water from this tree tastes like potato water. Other Uses: Use young saplings and the branches'
inner bark to make rope.
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Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale

Dandelion leaves have a jagged edge, grow close to the ground, and are seldom more than 20
centimeters long. Its flowers are bright yellow. There are several dandelion species.
Habitat and Distribution:
Dandelions grow in open, sunny locations throughout the Northern Hemisphere.
Edible Parts:
All parts are edible. Eat the leaves raw or cooked. Boil the roots as a vegetable. Roots roasted
and ground are a good coffee substitute. Dandelions are high in vitamins A and C and in calcium.
Other Uses: Use the white juice in the flower stems as glue.
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Date palm
Phoenix dactylifera
Description:
The date palm is a tall, unbranched tree with a crown of huge, compound leaves. Its fruit is yellow
when ripe.
Habitat and Distribution:
This tree grows in arid semitropical regions. It is native to North Africa and the Middle East but
has been planted in the arid semitropics in other parts of the world.
Edible Parts:
Its fruit is edible fresh but is very bitter if eaten before it is ripe. You can dry the fruits in the sun
and preserve them for a long time. Other Uses: The trunks provide valuable building material in
desert regions where few other treelike plants are found. The leaves are durable and you can use
them for thatching and as weaving material. The base of the leaves resembles coarse cloth that
you can use for scrubbing and cleaning.
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Daylily
Hemerocallis fulva
Description:
This plant has unspotted, tawny blossoms that open for 1 day only. It has long, swordlike, green
basal leaves. Its root is a mass of swollen and elongated tubers.
Habitat and Distribution:
Daylilies are found worldwide in Tropic and Temperate Zones. They are grown as a vegetable in
the Orient and as an ornamental plant elsewhere.
Edible Parts:
The young green leaves are edible raw or cooked. Tubers are also edible raw or cooked. You can
eat its flowers raw, but they taste better cooked. You can also fry the flowers for storage.
CAUTION: Eating excessive amounts of raw flowers may cause diarrhea.
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Duchesnea or Indian strawberry
Duchesnea indica
Description:
The duchesnea is a small plant that has runners and three-parted leaves. Its flowers are yellow
and its fruit resembles a strawberry.

Habitat and Distribution:
It is native to southern Asia but is a common weed in warmer temperate regions. Look for it in
lawns, gardens, and along roads.
Edible Parts:
Its fruit is edible. Eat it fresh.
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