Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A
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Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Type of plant Angelica Angelica atropurpurea Yes Arrowhead (Wapato or Duck Potato) Basswood Sagittaria latifolia Yes Tilia americana Yes herbaceous perennial to 6 ft -large spherical flower cluster herbaceous perennial emergent aquatic medium to large tree Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica Yes Shrub Beach Greens (Seabeach Sandwort) Beach Pea Honckleya peploides Yes annual? Yes annual Beach Plum Lathyrus japonicus var. maritimus Prunus maritima Yes Bee Balm/Oswego Tea Beech Monarda didyma Fagus grandifolia Yes Yes small shrubby tree (to 8 feet tall) herbaceous perennial medium to large tree Bellwort, Sessile Uvularia sessifolia Yes herbaceous perennial Black Birch Betula lenta Yes medium to large tree Black Cherry Prunus serotina Yes medium to large tree Black Haw Viburnum prunifolium Yes shrub Black Walnut Juglans nigra No* medium to large tree Blackberry Rubus spp. Yes herbaceous perennial Blueberry, Highbush Vaccinium corymbosum Yes shrub (up to 8 ft tall) Blueberry, Lowbush Vaccinium angustifolium Yes small shrub (up to 2 ft tall) Preferred habitat Comments wet ground along rivers and streams, in full or partial sun shallow areas of lakes + ponds; sunny swamps field edges, roadsides, river banks can tolerate damp conditions open areas; sandy soil Grows in sandy areas near high tide line dunes and other seaside areas above high tide line dunes and other sandy areas near coastline field edges and roadsides - likes sun often found in hardwood forests Plants may be available from NEWFS No edible tubers are available Oct.-Mar No young leaves are edible raw; blossoms are used for an edible/medicinal tea fresh leaves can be used as a substitute for commercial bay leaves No Yes No the tender green peas inside the pods are edible in moderation Can be found in sandy areas inland leaves used for tea and/or seasoning nuts ripen in September; best trees for foraging grow in the open woods with good humus layer - likes young shoots are edible like asparagus shade pioneer species for cleared areas peeled twigs used for tea - sap can be drunk or boiled and regenerating forest down to a molasses-like syrup pioneer species in cleared areas; cherries ripen in the latter half of summer field edges/roadsides damp meadows - likes partial to full ripe fruit is edible, with prune-like texture and flavor sun old fields; field edges/roadsides *Not considered native to MA (native further S.) but now grows wild there - nuts ripen in October old fields; field edges/roadsides; R. allegheniensis, pensilvanicus + several other sp. are clearings native to MA acidic woodlands, old fields, lake/pond shorelines acidic woodlands, old fields, rocky and boggy areas No Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No Yes Yes 1 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Type of plant Box Elder Acer negundo Yes small to medium tree Bracken Fern Pteridium aquilinum Yes Bugleweed Bulrush, Common (Softstemmed) Bunchberry Lycopus uniflorus Schoenoplectus tabernaemontani Chamaepericlymenum canadense Juglans cinerea Yes Yes herbaceous perennial fern herbaceous perennial herbaceous perennial emergent aquatic ground cover about 5-6" high medium -sized tree (to 40 ft.) herbaceous diminutive perennial ground cover herbaceous perennial thornless vine Butternut Yes Yes Canada Mayflower (False Lily Maianthemum canadense of the Valley) Carrion Flower Smilax herbacea Yes Cattail, Common Typha latifolia Yes Cattail, Narrow-leaved Typha angustifolia Yes Chestnut Oak Quercus prinus Yes Chestnut, American Castanea dentata Yes Choke Cherry Prunus pensylvanicum Yes Clintonia (Corn Lily or Blue Bead Lily) Cranberry, Bog Clintonia borealis Yes Vaccinium macrocarpon Yes Cranberry, Mountain Vaccinium vitis-idaea Yes* Creeping Snowberry Gautheria hispidula Yes Yes Preferred habitat wetlands and other damp areas; floodplains old fields; clearings; tolerates drier conditions than most other ferns damp meadows and pond shores shallow ponds and open swamps northern and otherwise cooler woodlands; likes some sun old fields; field edges; roadsides acidic woodlands - tolerates shade well damp meadows + field/roadside edges; stinky flowers pollinated by carrion flies herbaceous perennial shallow areas of waterways; marshy aquatic emergent areas - likes full sun herbaceous perennial shallow areas of waterways; marshy emergent aquatic areas; likes full sun medium to large tree can tolerate dry, rocky and/or sloping conditions small to medium tree hardwood forests; field edges; (before blight hits them) roadsides shrubby small tree (to 12 old fields; field edges; roadsides; ft.) clearings - tolerates cool climate herbaceous perennial common in acidic woodlands in N. ground cover NE and cool woods further S prostrate vine - rarely acid bogs and seeps - likes sun more than a foot tall low-growing perennial mountain peaks and cool habitats in (up to 1' tall) N. NE prostrate, diminutive vine cool, partial-to-full sun spots - often on old tree stumps Comments a species of Maple; sap may be tapped + boiled down for syrup edible fiddleheads are tasty but carcinogenic in large amounts; eat sparingly (if at all) a tuber-bearing wild mint the plant is reputed to be edible in a similar fashion as cattail red berries are almost tasteless but edible nut inside egg-shaped husks/shells are milder than Black Walnuts small red berries are edible but cathartic in large amounts harvest, cook and eat shoots like Asparagus (a relative) Plants may be available from NEWFS No No No No No No Yes No has at least five different edible parts No has at least five edible parts No acorns are edible after processing (leaching out the tannic acid) can occasionally get large enough to produce viable nuts before blight hits a bit more common in northern New England than southern NE young (to 3") leaves are edible and taste like cucumber No same species (and flavor) as the cultivated cranberry same species as Lingonberry - *listed as endangered in MA white berries the same size and flavor of wintergreen "Tic-Tacs" No No No Yes No No 2 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Currants/Gooseberries Ribes triste and other spp. Yes* Dangleberry (Blue Huckleberry) Gaylussacia frondosa Yes Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum Yes Dewberry Rubus hispidus Yes Dwarf Ginseng Panax trifolium Eastern Prickly Pear Type of plant Preferred habitat Comments small perennials (up to 4' understory plant in damp tall) w/ spindly branches woodlands; can also grow near water Shrub understory plant in damp woods occasionally grows in the open or partial shade Small shrub likes acidic rocky areas mixture of native/introduced species - all produce edible fruit Yes Prostrate blackberry cousin herbaceous perennial Opuntia humifusa Yes* small cactus Elderberry, Common Sambucus canadensis Yes shrub (to 10 ft' tall) damp woods w/ good humus layer; often near streams dunes, barrier beaches and other sandy areas near ocean wet open meadows fruit has the same size, appearance and flavor as upright blackberry species small, spherical tuber is edible - harvest only when abundant *listed as endangered in MA and very uncommon in the wild in N.E.; more common further south flowers used for beverages and fritters; ripe fruit edible after drying or cooking Elm, Slippery Ulmus rubra Yes medium-sized tree damp fields; floodplains Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis Yes biennial False Solomon's Seal Maianthemum or Smilacina racemosum Prunus pensylvanica Yes Yes Flowering Raspberry Chamerion (Epilobium) angustifolium Rubus odoratus Fox Grape Vitis labrusca Yes old + cultivated fields, roadsides, above high tide line herbaceous perennial hardwood forests with rich humus layer small tree (up to 25 feet) pioneer species colonizing clearings and old fields annual? pioneer species following fires or clearcuts - like cool climate herbaceous perennial roadsides; wooded clearings; likes cool damp conditions perennial vine roadsides; field edges; river banks Glasswort Salicornia spp. Yes herb Fire or Pin Cherry Fireweed Yes Yes Ground Cherry, Husk Tomato Physalis spp. (*P. Yes* heterophylla is native to MA) Groundnut Apios americana Yes annual herbaceous perennial vine old fields; clearings Grows in salty areas in coastal marshes edges of cultivated fields; likes sun blue fruit ripens several weeks after the blueberries Plants may be available from NEWFS No No Yes No No Yes Yes No a native weed with an edible root edible shoots and berries (cathartic in large amounts) No Yes bright red fruit is very small but pleasant-tasting - ripens in July young shoots and pith in older stems are edible No showy pink flower and large maple-like leaves; not thorny No large grapes are ripe the second week of Sept. - young leaves may be stuffed tender portions of plants can be eaten raw or pickled No ripe, tomato-like berries enclosed in papery husk (calyx) ripens late summer onward damp sandy, open areas, often near edible tubers + beans waterways No No No No 3 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Type of plant Hackberry Celtis occidentalis Yes medium-sized tree Hawthorn Hazelnut, Beaked Crataegus spp. Corylus cornuta Yes* Yes medium to large shrub shrub Hazelnut, Common Corylus americana Yes shrub Hickory, Shagbark Carya ovata Yes medium to large tree Highbush Cranberry Viburnum trilobum Yes shrub Hobblebush (Moosewood) Yes shrub Hog Peanut Viburnum lantanoides (alnifolium) Amphicarpa bracteata Yes Huckleberry, Black Gaylussacia baccata Yes herbaceous perennial vine small shrub (to 3' tall) Indian Cucumber Medeola virginiana Yes herbaceous perennial Jerusalem Artichoke Jewelweed Helianthus tuberosus Impatiens biflora or pallida Yes Yes herbaceous perennial annual Juneberry/Shadbush Amelanchier spp. Yes Shrub/small tree Maple, Red Maple, Silver Acer rubrum Acer saccharinum Yes Yes medium to large tree medium to large tree Maple, Sugar Marsh Marigold (Cowslip) Acer saccharum Caltha palustris Yes Yes May Apple Podophyllum peltatum Yes* medium to large tree herbaceous perennial spring ephemeral wildflower herbaceous perennial Preferred habitat damp areas with some good sun exposure; will grow near water old fields and field edges old fields, clearings, roadsides, often under power lines old fields, clearings, roadsides, often under power lines roadsides, field edges, hardwood forests sunny swampy areas - more common in northern New England common understory plant in cool forests damp spots in woods w/ some sun; often on old woods roads acidic woodlands and clearings common understory plant in oak forests acidic, damp woods with rich humus layer field edges floodplains; likes full sun damp meadows and woodlands; doesn't like full sun likes to grow near water, but often planted in parks and other landscaped areas red maple swamps (of course) forested floodplains and other wet ground hardwood forests; roadsides wooded swamps, usually near small streams Comments both thin-fleshed fruit and starchy seed are edible fruits are red when ripe and vary in size and flavor overlaps with but tends to range further north than C. americana nuts are ripe the second week of September best trees for foraging are in the open and get lots of sun - nuts ripen in late September Don't plant V. opulus, a European species that tastes horrible fruit ripens and September and tastes like a prune with a hint of clove small subterranean tubers are available from late summer onward black fruit ripens a bit later than blueberries harvesting the edible root kills the plant, so use sparingly - also don't pick rare orchid look-alike a Sunflower cousin with edible tubers edible seeds taste like walnuts fruit ripe in late June; flavor is a cross between cherries and almonds can be tapped for sap like Sugar Maple can be tapped for sap like Sugar Maple sap is source of maple syrup and sugar young leaves harvested sparingly before the plants bloom are edible after boiling understory plant in hardwood forests *native status in MA is uncertain; ripe fruit is only edible with rich soil part of plant Plants may be available from NEWFS No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes No No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes 4 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Type of plant Preferred habitat Meadow Beauty Rhexia virginica Yes small herb wet open meadows and lake/pond shorelines old fields; field edges; roadsides Milkweed, Common Asclepias syriaca Yes herbaceous perennial Mountain Mint Mulberry, Red Pycnanthemum spp. Morus rubra Yes Yes* small herb Small to medium tree Nannyberry Viburnum lentago Yes shrub edges of woods roads field edges; roadsides; tolerant of urban conditions wet meadows; near waterways New Jersey Tea Northern/Mountain Fly Honeysuckle (Waterberry) Oak, Swamp White Ceanothus americanus Lonicera villosa Yes Yes herb small shrub fields and field and road edges rich woods Quercus bicolor Yes medium to large tree wooded swamps; floodplains Orache Atriplex spp. Yes* annual herb Ostrich Fern Mattuecia struthiopteris Yes Oysterleaf Mertensia maritima Yes* herbaceous perennial fern herb Partridgeberry Michella repens Yes herbaceous perennial Pickerelweed Pontedaria cordata Yes Pokeweed Phytolacca americana Yes herbaceous perennial aquatic emergent herbaceous perennial Raspberry, Black Rubus occidentalis Yes herbaceous perennial Grows at/just above the "wrack" (high tide) line alluvial (silty) floodplain soil esp. in less acidic areas rocky/shelly areas just above the high tide line ground cover in acidic woods, typically under pines/hemlocks shallow margins of lakes, ponds and meandering rivers field edges; roadsides; dirt piles and other disturbed areas; likes sun likes field edges Raspberry, Red Rubus idaeus Yes herbaceous perennial Riverside Grape Vitis riparia Yes perennial vine Rose Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos Yes shrub Plants may be available from NEWFS whole plant has tangy flavor; uncommon so use sparingly Yes Comments plant has at least four parts that are edible after boiling 7 minutes can be uncommon so use sparingly *native species (M. rubra) listed as Endangered in Mass. non-native M. alba is common - hybrids also fruit ripens in September and is prune-like in flavor and texture leaves used for tea Occurs more frequently in northern than southern New England acorns have reputedly less tannic acid content than most other Oak species A. patula is non-native to MA; A. cristata and littoralis are native; young leaves are edible edible fiddleheads available in April *listed as Endangered in MA; more common in Northern/downeast Maine and further northward pretty red berries are edible (but have almost no flavor) young leaves and seeds are edible (but might not be tasty) only edible part are cooked shoots 4 -10" high (be sure to avoid the highly cathartic root) purplish-colored canes make the plants easy to spot in the "off-season" old fields; field edges; woods tea made from the fresh or thoroughly dried leaves is clearings medicinal for women roadsides, fences, field edges; river fruit is smaller, ripens later and not as tasty as V. banks labrusca - young leaves are good for stuffing in wet open meadows or in wet species is related to the Marsh Mallow (Althaea ground along waterways officinalis), for which the confection was named Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No No No Yes No No Yes No No Yes 5 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Sassafras Sassafras albidum Yes Saxifrage Scotch Lovage Saxifraga spp. Ligusticum scothicum Seacoast Angelica Type of plant Preferred habitat Yes Yes small tree (to 30 ft., but usually much smaller) herb herbaceous perennial understory tree in hardwood forests; field edges; roadsides woodland seeps, esp. non-acidic rocky areas near the ocean Angelica lucida Yes herbaceous perennial rocky areas near the ocean Seaside Plantain (Goosetongue) Silverweed, Saltmarsh Plantago maritima var. juncoides Argentina (Potentilla) egedii Yes Solomon's Seal Polygonatum spp. Yes Spatterdock, Cow Lily Nuphar variegata Yes Spicebush Lindera benzoin Yes Spring Beauty Claytonia virginica + caroliniana Yes* Sumac, Smooth Sumac, Staghorn Sweet Cicely Rhus glabra Rhus typhina Osmorrhiza longystylis Yes Yes Yes Sweet Fern Sweet Flag (Calamus) Comptonia peregrina Acorus americanus Yes Yes Sweet Gale Myrica gale Yes Sweet Goldenrod Solidago odora Yes Toothwort Cardamine (Dentaria) spp. Yes herbaceous perennial up rocky areas near the ocean to 10 " tall herbaceous perennial salt marshes - a closely-related species (A. anserina) may grow elsewhere herbaceous perennial understory species in hardwood forests with rich humus layer herbaceous perennial shallow portions of lakes, ponds and aquatic plant slow-moving rivers shrub (to 12 ft. tall) understory tree in acidic hardwoods, esp, near small streams herbaceous perennial - rich woods and wooded floodplains spring ephemeral generally not found in acidic soils wildflower shrub old fields; field edges; roadsides Shrub to 15 feet tall old fields; field edges; clearings herbaceous perennial rich woods; river floodplains; tolerates shade well Small shrub open areas; sandy/gravelly soil herbaceous perennial wet fields and meadows; sunny wetlands; along waterways small shrub in acidic swamps and along waterways herb old fields; rocky areas; under power lines; sandy areas near the ocean herbaceous perennial - understory plant in rich woods spring ephemeral wildflower Yes Comments aromatic root bark used for tea, candy, etc. - young leaves are dried for file powder young leaves of several species are edible young leaves, stems taste like cultivated lovage (a relative of celery) Plants may be available from NEWFS Yes No No Yes be careful not to mix up with Arrowgrass, Triglochin maritima, which can be poisonous starchy root is edible - leaves may be used for tea young shoots are edible ripe seeds can reportedly be roasted in a skillet like popcorn twigs used for tea; berries may be dried ground up for a Szechuan pepper-like seasoning *C. virginica listed as endangered in MA - edible tubers ("fairy spuds") and foliage No No Yes No Yes Yes red fruit used to make a pink lemonade-like drink red fruit used to make a pink lemonade-like drink whole plant smells and tastes like licorice; closely related species (O. claytonii) does not leaves used for tea the similarly-appearing A. calamus is apparently nonnative to MA aromatic leaves used for tea Yes Yes No native to all counties in MA - leaves and flowers have a licorice-like flavor root has horseradish flavor - be careful not to disturb listed (protected) species in the genus Yes Yes No Yes No 6 Edible Native Plants of Massachusetts – sorted A-Z by Common Name Prepared by Russ Cohen [eatwild@rcn.com, http://users.rcn.com/eatwild/sched.htm], March 20, 2012 Common Name Botanical Name Native to Mass. Type of plant Preferred habitat Trailing Arbutus (Mayflower) Epigaea repens Yes prostrate plant Trout Lily, Dogtooth Violet Erythronium americanum Yes Twisted Stalk Streptopus lanceolatus Yes* Violet, Common Blue or Dooryard Waterleaf, Virginia Viola sororia Yes openings in acidic woodlands; sloping sides of paths + woods roads - likes some sun herbaceous perennial – rich woods; wooded floodplains; spr ephemeral wildflower woods with rich humus layer herb rich woods; woodlands with rich humus layer herb fields; meadows Hydrophyllum virginianum Yes herb rich woods White Oak Quercus alba Yes medium to large tree White Water Lily Nymphaea spp, Yes aquatic plant hardwood forests; field edges; roadsides shallow areas of lakes and ponds Wild Ginger* (see NOTE) Asarum canadense* Yes herbaceous perennial rich woods Wild Leek (Ramps) Allium tricoccum Yes herbaceous perennial rich woods Wild Lettuce Lactuca canadensis Yes annual Wild Raisin Yes shrub Wild Rose Viburnum nudum or cassinoides Rosa spp. Yes* shrub field edges; old fields; woods road edges; roadsides understory plant in open hardwood forests old fields, swamps Wild Strawberry Wintergreen Fragaria virginiana Gaultheria procumbens Yes Yes herb to 2" high perennial to 5" high Wood Sorrel, Mountain or White Woundwort Oxalis montana Yes herb to 3" high Stachys hyssopifolia Yes* herb Yellow Birch Betula alleghaniensis Yes medium to large tree Comments edible part are the spicy-scented flowers, which are the state flower of MA plant is reputedly nausea-inducing if you eat too much *species is "watch-listed" in MA, so shouldn't be harvested there are many other violets, some rare + some w/ laxative effect - stick to eating this species Is sporadic in N.E.; more common S.+ W. - the related H. canadense is listed as Endangered in MA acorns from this species tend to have lower levels of tannic acid, thereby requiring less leaching Plants may be available from NEWFS Yes Yes No Yes No Yes No *NOTE: while the plant's underground parts give off a pleasant, gingery aroma, the plant contains a carcinogen (aristolchic acid) so DO NOT CONSUME overcollecting by commercial diggers threatens ramp patches and their rich woods habitat – pick one leaf/plant only to not harm wild populations of the several wild species of Lactuca, this is the most palatable small fruit are ripe when purply-black in color Yes *The non-native Rosa rugosa is a better species for eating due to its large petals and hips old fields; mowed areas; roadsides fruit are small but delectable; species likes cooler climate ground cover in acidic woodlands - leaves used for tea - berries also edible (though not very can tolerate sun sweet) ground cover in acidic damp conifer common in White Mountains; less common further south woodlands damp meadows *S. hyssopfolia is a "watch species" in MA - pick the nonnative (to MA) S. palustris instead hardwood forests peeled twigs used for tea - sap can be drunk or boiled down to a molasses-like syrup Yes Yes No No No Yes No No No 7 8
