need ID help

[crimescene450]

SO i got the peterson book on edible plants
and rented a few others from the library and started working my way through the forest today

i ID'd a few plants and trees but need help with a couple

at first glance i thought this one was cow parsnip, but then i looked closer at it and my little book seemed to say otherwise
but as far as i can tell it doesnt match up with any of the others...

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/3285/forestplants003.jpg

http://img63.imageshack.us/img63/2674/forestplants004.jpg

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/9176/forestplants005.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/853/forestplants006.jpg

theyre growing along the stream

this is in California btw

*********************

the second is a tree
I think its California Buckeye?
but i didnt see any of the huge white flower stems

http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4030/forestplants007.jpg

http://img687.imageshack.us/img687/7160/forestplants008.jpg

http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/7430/forestplants009.jpg

the white-ish moss covered wood is the trunk
it wasnt too old of a tree

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/5715/forestplants010.jpg

[biddysere]

Sure looks like parsnip, or hemlock.They look similiar, that's why we avoid them

[your_comforting_company]

If the stem is mottled (spotted, not striped) purple, and has NO HAIR, then it is hemlock. Otherwise it is not hemlock and could be a wealth of other plants. There are a few details that are kind of hard to explain that also would help make an ID, but those are the first two things I look for. I can tell you that it's definately NOT Queen Anne's Lace (wild carrot, Daucus carota)
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN4024.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN4035.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN4038.jpg

The second set (the tree) is kind of hard to tell. I don't have my tree book handy. Buckeye is 5x palmately lobed, while most hickory family trees have 7 or more lobes (leaflets, pinnate) BUT young trees and new growth will sometimes lack a few leaflets. A wild guess is that it's a kind of Buckeye. I'll ask my co-worker to bring back the tree book and have a look tomorrow.
Hope that helps! I know that for a newcomer to wild plants, it can all be a little overwhelming.

[crimescene450]

to YCC

yes it had purple-ish lines and spots
so its hemlock?

as in water hemlock?
the poisonous thing?


edit: wait, does it matter if it was striped purple or spottted purple?
cuz if i remember correctly it was stripped
and only along the thickest parts of the stem

what else would help with an ID
im kinda curious to know what it is, cuz its growing everywhere

[your_comforting_company]

Water hemlock looks totally different from dry-ground hemlock. It's definately, absolutely not water hemlock, not even close. Regular, dry-ground hemlock looks much like what you have there. Let me see if I can list some of the traits that help identify it. Be aware, though, that I am relatively new to plants also. My struggle is with all the terminology, and latin names, but I'll do my best. That said, I have not encountered and documented all of the "look-similars" to the carrot, yet so all the differences might not be obvious to me either. As much as I'd like to tell you what the plant IS, without holding it in my hands so that I can examine all the details and go through a painstakingly long list of plant pictures, I just can't.

Both versions of hemlock are VERY poisonous, so it's imperative that you get a positive ID on this plant before you eat ANY of it. The Identity of the plant lies in it's details. Stripes are definately different than "mottles" or spots. Yes it makes a difference. Carrot,, Chervil, and a few other look-similars, have stripes not spots. Hemlock has a mottled stem with NO hairs.
The pictures above are of wild carrot. notice the stripes and hairs.
Chervil is a similar looking plant. Chaerophyllum procumbens
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN3790.jpg

Another detail is in the seedheads of the plants. this is Chervil seeds. I have not yet uploaded pictures of carrot seedheads.
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN3786.jpg

You're going to have to look at all sorts of details, like the leaf petiole sheath and midvein, How often the plant branches, the root system, etc. Here are a few things that look similar to what you have, that will show what details you need to observe. At this point, it doesn't matter what plant I post a picture of, as I don't think I have a picture of your plant.
different leaves and good display of the veins
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN4033.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN3799.jpg

different root systems
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN3788.jpg
http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg184/your_comforting_company/plants/DSCN4036.jpg

This is probably your best bet. You need good pictures or a plant in hand to go through the list. It takes a lot of time, but it's the best way I've found to find exactly what I have in hand. Some species are still questionable LOL!!
http://botany.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/cgi/gallery_query?q=apiaceae

I highly recommend getting the book "Botany in a Day" by Thomas Elpel.

And lastly, I have to thank lots of folks on here, as well as Mr. Chris Nyerges, for my progress in plant identification. Rick, Wareagle, Gryff, and lots of other folks on here have led me down the right path. If you want to learn plants, stick around and we can all learn together!

[crimescene450]

ok thanks

i think theres one guy on this site who lives near me
maybe he'll know what it is

[your_comforting_company]

edited and bumped

[justin_baker]

Im am pretty sure that is hemlock....not positive but it if it something different then it looks bizzarly similar to hemlock. I see that plant everywhere and i have always thought it was hemlock. It grows EVERYWHERE i know! Kind of strange to see a poisonous plant growing over such wide areas. It is classified as an invasive species so that may be why.

The tree below is california buckeye. The easiest way to identify is 5 leaves all originating from a single point. The leaves range from a dark green color to a light green color that you saw. That is weird that it doesent have any flowers. Mabeye it is a late bloomer or mabeye it is dying...but still kind of strange. A lot of times when trees are struggling to survive they wont produce many or any flowers, nuts, or berries. At times, really young trees tend to not produce those either. As long as you identify 5 leaves originating from one point, you can be certain you have a california buckeye.
You can usually see a buckeye from a mile away from its beautiful flowers. The buckeye makes nuts but they are poisonous. Be careful, the california bay tree and the california black walnut(although this tree can be rare to find nowadays) tree both produce edible nuts. The nuts look very similar, so make sure you know what tree you are pulling the nut from! That shouldnt be to difficult though.
There is another tree that has similar leaves but they arent five orignaiting from a single point, more like 8 or so running down the length of the branch. That one I am pretty sure is an ash tree.

[Rick]

Justin - YCC is correct in my opinion. That is not Hemlock and most likely Wild Carrot. The hairy stem makes the difference. There are a number of look alikes for Wild Carrot. Caraway, Yarrow, Fool's Parsley and Poison Hemlock can all be mistaken for Wild Carrot (Queen Ann's Lace) just by looking at a plant. There are a few others that are similar but those are the major ones. The "bird's nest" of the older plants will help you know that you are at least in the right group. The root of Wild Carrot smells like carrot, too. Queen Ann's Lace is pretty prolific and is probably what you see when you see a field full of it.

Crimescene - Can you confirm it has a hairy stem? It looks like it in your pictures.

[crimescene450]

There is another tree that has similar leaves but they arent five orignaiting from a single point, more like 8 or so running down the length of the branch. That one I am pretty sure is an ash tree.

wait
youre talking about another tree that is similar to the Ca bay tree?

does it look like this?

http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/4536/forestplants013.jpg

thats another photo i took, but i didnt get any other shots of it



Rick- Ill take some more photos (of the hemlock looking plant) that are closer and more detailed. and double check the features. and ill probably dig on up too. but i wont be able to until tomorrow or so

[your_comforting_company]

I don't think it's carrot. the flower clusters are wrong and lack the purple center flower. Probably a parsley or chervil, or some close relative, but the clusters on your plant are much smaller in diameter than the few carrots I've observed.
As much as I hate to say it, the only way to tell for sure is to go through that Texas A&M University database one species at a time. CalPhoto will have a good collection for each species listed, and you might also find their database helpful as it will list all your local plants.. It's the opposite coast for me so It only helps me if the weed is widespread.

[crimescene450]

Ok so i went down and chopped off a sample to bring home for closer inspection
and i got some more photos

the first thing i noticed upon cutting it, is that the stem is like a giant straw

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/3867/forestplants001.jpg

also, ive confirmed the purple-ness
im guessing these are spots. although in some areas they form lines

http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/555/forestplants002.jpg

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/3285/forestplants003.jpg


heres the top of the leaves again

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/2674/forestplants004.jpg


not sure if itll help, but this is the bottom of the leaves

http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/9176/forestplants005.jpg

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/853/forestplants006.jpg

http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/4030/forestplants007.jpg


i keep looking at the peterson book and keep thinking its water hemlock....
but on the flip side, i could also be a plant not in the peterson book
im on the west coast and the book says central-east america


edit: and also, to answer ricks question, the stem is hairless


edit again: ok i think i got it now. its Conium maculatum, aka poison hemlock

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Koeh-191.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conium

[your_comforting_company]

The last set of pictures here confirms it for me. Hollow stalk mottled with red spots, unforked bracts under the flower clusters, the slick branch sheath, and the multi-veined pinnules in each leaflet.
I have to agree with you. Conium maculatum. Poison Hemlock.
Good job working it out CS450.
http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-lifeform=any&rel-taxon=equals&where-taxon=Conium+maculatum

http://www.kswildflower.org/flower_details.php?flowerID=110

http://texnat.tamu.edu/cmplants/toxic/plants/poisonhemlock.html

[wareagle69]

this is too pic heavy for my dial up, but let me remind you of another very important id tool- the roots. Never cut a plant to id it, always dig it up and observe every thing

[your_comforting_company]

Agreed. The root would have clearly shown that it was not carot. Although, sometimes you must cut a plant to see if it is hollow or pithy, It's still a good idea to observe the roots as well.

(Sorry about all the pics.. You can never have enough details when IDing a plant!)

[Rick]

Great job, CS. It sometimes takes a bit of digging (pun intended) to figure out what a given plant is but the next time you see it you'll remember all the points you checked.

[crimescene450]

yeah i was gonna dig it up
but it was surrounded by thistle.

speaking of thistle. has anyone had them before?
are they any good

im trying to figure out what would be a good first plant to try
and theres alot of them

[your_comforting_company]

Oxalis spp (wood sorrels), rumex spp (sheep sorrels), leeks and ramps, and anything in the brassicaceae family are good for first edibles. Easy to identify and non-toxic.
There are all the pulpy fruits too, like right now plums are in fruit down here. Muscadines and bullaces will be fruiting soon too.

and set this rule for yourself: Don't eat anything you are unsure of.
I tell my kids not to eat anything without letting me check it out first. If I ask them questions about any given plant they are observing, and they get even one question wrong, no eats. Any plant that you are going to eat, you should be able to list features of that plant from memory. You should have a mental picture of the plant and be able to recognize it at a passing glance.
It only takes one mistake in plant ID, as with the Hemlock above, and your wild edibles adventures will be over!!

[Rick]

That's really an excellent post, YCC. Your instructions to your kids are exactly what we do every day with all the food we eat...if you think about it. We do have a mental picture of what a banana looks like so when you see one you know exactly what it is. Same is true with all our common store bought foods. There is no reason that we can't have the same intimate knowledge and memories of wild foods that we harvest. It was probably intuitive on your part but I could not agree more!! Good post!!

[justin_baker]

Man there are so many plants that ive seen these past few weeks, i have no idea what they are! Ill take some pictures, mabeye you guys will have an idea of what they are.

[crimescene450]

Man there are so many plants that ive seen these past few weeks, i have no idea what they are! Ill take some pictures, mabeye you guys will have an idea of what they are.


yeah same
right now im trying to figure out what this red ground plant is

it doesnt get higher than a few inches
its red and pink, no green at all
and its like carpet in the open grassy areas

[your_comforting_company]

Bring on the pictures. It's all good fun to try to figure out a plant. Not having it in hand makes it a bit more challenging. We'll do our best to ID them, but please remember to research the plants on your own. Don't take anyones word for what a plant is. If we give you an idea to a plant's ID, it's simply a direction to start looking in. It's up to the person with the plant in hand to make an accurate ID.

I'm also considering putting up a "botanical terminology" thread, since we have the edibles database. Anybody think it would be helpful? some of the terms can be confusing. Good Idea? Bad Idea? Already been done?

[crashdive123]

Learning new stuff is always a good idea. Post away.

[Rick]

+1 YCC. Post away! Create a new post and we can make it a sticky.

[your_comforting_company]

Great. I'll be working on it and will post it in a few days. I'll also try to provide pictures where I can. Stay Tuned!

[crimescene450]

Bring on the pictures. It's all good fun to try to figure out a plant.

I'm also considering putting up a "botanical terminology" thread, since we have the edibles database. Anybody think it would be helpful? some of the terms can be confusing. Good Idea? Bad Idea? Already been done?


ill try and take some pics this weekend
ive been pretty busy cuz im graduating next week and all my teachers are hammering me with finals and last minute essays >=(


and yeah definately on the guide
some of the stuff you say to me when describing plants leaves me scratching my head
haha

[your_comforting_company]

Sorry for the technical terminology CS450. I have started the guide and will be making an initial post sometime this afternooon. Right now, I gotta get out in the garden and get some work done before it gets hot. Most of the more in-depth and area specific books you pick up will be put together by colleges and such, and are very term-heavy. You will need to learn at least some of the terms to be able to use the books effectively. Hopefully my brief primer will help familiarize you with some of the terms.

[justin_baker]

yeah i was gonna dig it up
but it was surrounded by thistle.

speaking of thistle. has anyone had them before?
are they any good

im trying to figure out what would be a good first plant to try
and theres alot of them

Thistles are a bit tricky to eat. There are 3 main parts you can eat, the leaves, the roots or the inner core in the stalk.
For the stalk you have to peel the green fiberous stuff off until you get to the white inner core. The outside is waaaaaay to tough to eat. Once you have peeled the stalk you have like a little celery stick thing and you can eat it raw or cooked although most people cook them.
You can eat the leaves, there kind of like any salad green, but you want to boil them pretty good so the stingers dont sting you in the mouth. Boiling will remove its ability to sting you.
You can also eat the roots although i havent done that yet. You could either boil them or roast them over a fire.
The inner cores tastes really good, you should try them first.

[crimescene450]

The inner cores tastes really good, you should try them first.

cooked or raw?


************

alright i need another confirmation
i think i have some kind of mint species

it looked like a mint (i think)
had paired leaves
and my book said look for a square stem

so i went to roll it in my fingers and the hairs ?stung? me...
my finger kinda hurts from that still O_o

do mints have these little hairs on them?

sorry about the bad lighting btw, i was either under a bridge, or in direct sun

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/3867/forestplants001.jpg


http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/555/forestplants002.jpg

flower buds grew out of the leaf axils


http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3285/forestplants003.jpg

some leaves had yellow spots
the leaves were very soft and fuzzy


http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/2674/forestplants004.jpg

the leaf bottoms were white-ish


http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/9176/forestplants005.jpg

the stem looked abit like 4 individual round stems put together

[your_comforting_company]

I would say that it is very likely it is a mint plant. You could probably look through the pictures to pair up the leaf shapes and root habits on the TAMU botany base (still got tha link?) Look through the Lamiaceae (Labiatae) family and you'll probably find a match.
Did the leaves have a smell? Many of the mints are pubescent some with stiffer hairs. There are a few other families with square stems, but other attributes, like flower shape don't match. Look for the wierd shaped flowers. The way the flowers occur on the stalk will be a key feature in the identity. Most of the mints I've encountered so far have flowers in whorls (complete circles around the same point on the stem).
good job on narrowing it down to that family. Now seek the true ID.

[crimescene450]

my finger is still numb from the hair that jabbed me.
its kinda weird.

there arent any poisonous look alikes for mints, are there?


and yeah, YCC, the links earlier in this thread
ill try and figure it out,
unfortunately the flowers werent in bloom, which i thought was weird since everything else is in bloom right now

theres like 6 different kinds of mint in the peterson book.

edit: holy cow, theres wayyy too many subspecies of mint O_o
imana have to cut a sample and analyze every freaking square inch of this thing just to get an id

[your_comforting_company]

Mint family plants are known for their volatile oils. some can be toxic in excess. There are a lot of mint family plants, but you really only need to look at one or two plants in each genus to get close, then look through the species for that genus.
I know it seems overwhelming, but it's the same thing I have to do if a plant is not in one of my books.
The peterson guides are not very area specific. There are a lot of plants in there that don't grow around here. The fallback on Petersons is the way they are organized. Flower color is good for those who are new to wild plants, but still can take quite a bit of digging.
Have you contacted your local cooperative extension office? they should be able to tell you some books that are specific to your area. Most of these type books are organized by family and include keys in the front to help you get there.

Just a SWAG, but that plant favors the Stachys genus, but the flower cluster is wrong. Maybe that'll give you some direction (hopefully the right direction lol).
[oblanceolate, toothed, opposite leaves, wider near base and on somewhat short petioles]

check one or two plants in each Genus (this is a pretty specific grouping of similar plants) and when your sample is close to matching, run through those species. Ignore the plants in the list from across the ocean. While some are the same plants, many are not. That should help you eliminate a few extra plants and save a little time.

[justin_baker]

That looks like a mint to me, but it jabbed you in the finger? Thats weird......

[crimescene450]

That looks like a mint to me, but it jabbed you in the finger? Thats weird......


yeah it stayed numbed for a good 24 hours

although i did squeeze it pretty hard
i was trying to roll the stem in my fingers to see if it wasd a 4 sided stem

[your_comforting_company]

I just ran across that plant in "The Foragers Harvest". I believe that is stinging nettle.

[crimescene450]

I just ran across that plant in "The Foragers Harvest". I believe that is stinging nettle.

oh damn
i just flipped to page 150 in the peterson book, and there it is

i think your right
imana go down and double check later


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle


"The leaves and stems are very hairy with non-stinging hairs and also bear many stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject several chemicals: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-HT or serotonin, and possibly formic acid. This mixture of chemical compounds cause a sting or paresthesia from which the species derives its common name, as well as the colloquial names burn nettle, burn weed, burn hazel. The pain and itching from a nettle sting can last from only a few minutes to as long as a week"

[your_comforting_company]

Same thing happened with elderberry, to me. I looked for about a week, trying to identify it, and when I was looking for a different plant I stumbled across a picture of it and was like "duh". hehe.
the square stems and opposite leaves can throw you off. I knew that mint plants usually have inflorescenses in whorled spikes so I was a little bit off with that strange cluster in the axils.
Just goes to show you how confusing it can all be, but if you are patient and persistent, you'll figure it out sooner or later lol.

[justin_baker]

Check out this flower, its called Brodiaea.
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/files/Brodiaea/Brodiaea_elegans_br3.jpg

According to my book, it has a bulb you can eat, apparently its tastes like potatoes. Apparently it was an very important source of food for the native americans. Thats crazy because on this one trail you walk by like hundreds of them! If you see them around, you should check it out. Ill try and eat some this weekeend. Its pretty easy to identify, the only other purple flowers i have found were some Irises, but they look way different.

[crimescene450]

According to my book, it has a bulb you can eat, apparently its tastes like potatoes. Apparently it was an very important source of food for the native americans. Thats crazy because on this one trail you walk by like hundreds of them! If you see them around, you should check it out. Ill try and eat some this weekeend. Its pretty easy to identify, the only other purple flowers i have found were some Irises, but they look way different.

what book are you using? I am trying to find a good book for western US plants, cuz the only plant book i have so far is the peterson central-east US one.

ive seen fields full of similar looking flowers too
but ill have to take a closer look and see if its the same flower

edit: oh wait, arent these called blue dicks too? i remember reading about them in a book about the Pomo Indians (north cal natives)

[justin_baker]

what book are you using? I am trying to find a good book for western US plants, cuz the only plant book i have so far is the peterson central-east US one.

ive seen fields full of similar looking flowers too
but ill have to take a closer look and see if its the same flower

edit: oh wait, arent these called blue dicks too? i remember reading about them in a book about the Pomo Indians (north cal natives)

Im using this book
http://www.amazon.com/Edible-Useful-California-Natural-History/dp/0520032675
It kind of sucks, it only has pictures of half of the plants (and their in black and white) but its a good book just to figure out whats around. You will have to look up a lot of the stuff on the internet though, because of its lack of information.

[your_comforting_company]

CS450, Have you talked to your local USDA Cooperative Extension office? Our agent showed me the books he uses to identify lawn weeds and it is quite specific to my area. Anyone nearby that studies or even dabbles in botany should be able to suggest more specific books.

[crimescene450]

CS450, Have you talked to your local USDA Cooperative Extension office? Our agent showed me the books he uses to identify lawn weeds and it is quite specific to my area. Anyone nearby that studies or even dabbles in botany should be able to suggest more specific books.



well i dont know about the USDA, but im planning to go to the local nature center and study up there. maybe talk to a naturalist too.

I only have a week though. cuz this coming monday im flying out to my dads house in OHio where ill have a million new plants to ID.
haha

i cant wait to fish though!

[justin_baker]

well i dont know about the USDA, but im planning to go to the local nature center and study up there. maybe talk to a naturalist too.

I only have a week though. cuz this coming monday im flying out to my dads house in OHio where ill have a million new plants to ID.
haha

i cant wait to fish though!

Look up daves canterburies videos. He is from ohio. He has some good ones on edibles as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/wildernessoutfitters

[crimescene450]

Look up daves canterburies videos. He is from ohio. He has some good ones on edibles as well.
http://www.youtube.com/user/wildernessoutfitters


bookmarked.

ever since i started studying up on plants i have like a thousand bookmarks now
O_o

Edit: oh damn i didnt even realize, thats the guy from dual survivor

[crimescene450]

I just wanted to confirm here and make sure im on the right track:



Location: about 100 feet from a lake, in northeast ohio

Underneath mature maple, beech and white oak

I believe its Partidgeberry (Mitchella repens)

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9434/phonepics052.jpg

the berries were red, and fusing together. some were more fused, some less

leaves were opposite (paired?) , not sure which term is correct

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6506/phonepics056.jpg

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8353/phonepics054.jpg



this pic might be hard to see, but basically its a small shrub about shoulder hieght

this is what made me question my judgement. My book said its a ground cover plant...?

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8320/phonepics058m.jpg

[Survival Guy 10]

Justin - YCC is correct in my opinion. That is not Hemlock and most likely Wild Carrot. The hairy stem makes the difference. There are a number of look alikes for Wild Carrot. Caraway, Yarrow, Fool's Parsley and Poison Hemlock can all be mistaken for Wild Carrot (Queen Ann's Lace) just by looking at a plant. There are a few others that are similar but those are the major ones. The "bird's nest" of the older plants will help you know that you are at least in the right group. The root of Wild Carrot smells like carrot, too. Queen Ann's Lace is pretty prolific and is probably what you see when you see a field full of it.

Crimescene - Can you confirm it has a hairy stem? It looks like it in your pictures.

that is exactly what i was gonna call it

[crimescene450]

that is exactly what i was gonna call it


the original questioned plant turned out to be poison hemlock...

I now use this thread to address any plant in question that i come upon.
which might be a bad thing, cuz i think people just read the first page and skip the whole thread

anyhow., Im trying to ID the above plant
which i think is partridge berry

if anyone can confirm or deny that, please chime in

[LowKey]

Partridge berry is a prostrate viney thing that creeps along the ground and the leaves usually have a nearly white veining feature. That red-berried thing looks more like a honeysuckle. But I'm on the east coast and only trained thoroughly in wetland plants (for my original career a long time ago).

I don't like the Peterson Guides only because they rely mainly on color and I was brought up through school with dichotomous keys. And my botany professor was colorblind so he HATED them.

Here's a beginner's key that should work in Ohio, despite it's name:
Plants in the Vicinity of New York
It's out of print but you can usually find a copy or two around. There are a few small errors in it that our botany professor pointed out. If you decide to check it out, I can post what those are.
There are no pictures in this book.

Another good set is the Dover series: Plants of the Northern United States and Canada.
This is a 3 book series that should be good in Ohio as well. It is a little more complicated but still a dichotomous key. This book has line drawings and I use it to confirm identities after keying with non-picture books. Of course, you could just go to google images today but be careful of common names.

Both books are outdated. Botanists regularly define their reason for being by reclassifying plants into different Genera. Or renaming the Genera to suit some crazed reasoning. But they are a start.

Dichotomous keys also usually require a flower. That's why I can't tell for certain if your red berry is a honeysuckle or not. But it sure looks like one.

[crimescene450]

i thought honeysuckle had blue/black berries?


As far as books go, i need to get botany in a day. Everyone seems to say thats the book to read. I havent seen it at any bookstores yet. might have to buy kit online

[LowKey]

I don't know the book Botony in a Day but mistrust the title...

Honeysuckle here has red berries, some of them stuck together as you describe. I'm not saying I'm right, just that Partridge Berry is wrong.
Also in CA you get a lot of plant escapees. It could be an exotic that looks like a honeysuckle.

[LowKey]

I just checked the book you mentioned on Amazon... Check the one 3 star review.
It is definitely helpful to learn the various characteristics of plant families, square stems for mints for example, or what makes a flower a Compositae, but don't rely on similar characteristics for similar uses. As you learned with your first plant.

[LowKey]

Your red berried thing:
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Lonicera+morrowii
or
http://www.invasive.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=3040
Hard to tell without seeing the flower or knowing if the berries are on stems. More likely the second one. Was it growing in deep shade? That would explain the small number of berries. I didn't look up whether or not you could eat it.

I'm a little concerned about your reliance on a single source book and your determination to eat things. That purple flower for instance, just because you couldn't find any other purple flower in your book other than Iris, doesn't mean it is the plant you think it is. It looks more like some form of Lily and not at all like this CA plant called Brodiaea.
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/brodiaea-pulchella

And the Stinging Nettle, you can eat that. But you have to harvest it young (wear gloves) and boil it to deactivate the stinging hairs before you do.

I'm not sure whereabouts in CA you are, but there are tons of exotic tropical escapees that will not be in a native flora book. You might want to see if you can find a local plantsman who could help you out. Or an agricultural extension service as YCC mentioned. Or others that wild forage in your area who know what is safe.

[crimescene450]

Your red berried thing:
http://www.discoverlife.org/20/q?search=Lonicera+morrowii
or
http://www.invasive.org/species/subject.cfm?sub=3040
Hard to tell without seeing the flower or knowing if the berries are on stems. More likely the second one. Was it growing in deep shade? That would explain the small number of berries. I didn't look up whether or not you could eat it.

I'm a little concerned about your reliance on a single source book and your determination to eat things. That purple flower for instance, just because you couldn't find any other purple flower in your book other than Iris, doesn't mean it is the plant you think it is. It looks more like some form of Lily and not at all like this CA plant called Brodiaea.
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/brodiaea-pulchella

And the Stinging Nettle, you can eat that. But you have to harvest it young (wear gloves) and boil it to deactivate the stinging hairs before you do.

I'm not sure whereabouts in CA you are, but there are tons of exotic tropical escapees that will not be in a native flora book. You might want to see if you can find a local plantsman who could help you out. Or an agricultural extension service as YCC mentioned. Or others that wild forage in your area who know what is safe.

I managed to figure out that the bush was Lonicera morrowii (Morrow's honeysuckle). and its not edible.

Yes i know im still in the learning stage. thats why i havent eaten anything yet, and why im always double checking with the internet forums. Im going to college soon, and majoring in Biology, so ill be taking a botany class among others, so that should help me.

I live in Castro Valley, which is near oakland, CA

[rwc1969]

I was gonna take plant science this fall, but it wasn't offered. :(

[LowKey]

What'll really help you more is a Plant Taxonomy class. If that isn't an option, speak to the prof who teaches Wildlife Biology (or some variant of that) and see if you can get them to offer it. Don't let them use the Peterson Guide.
You might have to wangle up a minimum number of students but it isn't impossible.

Biology is too general. Specialize. I had a Botany major with a Wildlife Sciences minor, the first time around... After 8 years in a plant lab, I do something completely different now, but haven't lost touch with the native flora of my area.

Another good place to learn is a local Native Botanical Garden. They'll have labels near the plants so you can see what they are. Visit at various times of year to see the plants in all phases of their growth. If permissible, take pictures (sometimes you need to take a quickie class on the rules for photographing plants in the garden. Rule #1: Don't step off the trail.) Some Native Gardens will also include non-invasive exotics and will generally have a pictorial display picturing the invasive ones. It's also a great place to meet home-growers and foragers (No, they don't eat in the garden). Sometimes they even offer classes on wild edibles.

Looks like you have a big garden with a large Native collection at the UC Botanical Garden at Berkely

[justin_baker]

They have a tree and shrub taxonomy class at my local junior college, but it doesent fit in with my schedule :/

[LowKey]

Trees and shrubs are actually pretty easy. There's really not all that many different ones and most don't require flowers to come up with a positive ID (though they help immeasurably). Trees especially.

It's all the herbaceous stuff that's tough.