For the record...!

[DOGMAN]

ycc your right. Elpel it is, not Epple. No disrespect meant. He is a hero of mine (right up there with Sourdough) I should have checked the spelling. thanks for correcting me

[sthrnstrong]

WE, I won the Elpel book in a contest and it is BRILLIANT. If you don't own it, you should really get a copy. It's really helpful in learning family characteristics and it does build conficence. I still remember Thayer's rules though.. If you aren't ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN what the plant is, don't eat it.
I try to get a plant down to the ssp. before eating anything. Some families are all safe to eat, but there are some that have a few poisonous members. Some families only have a few that are marginally edible.
The general public lacks any of this knowledge and pretty much everyone I talk to in the course of a day outright refuses to even consider eating "weeds". Yesterday alone, weeds were denied by 3 people I talked to.
This particular one is a winter perennial. abundant in colder months down here. Elpel's book won't get you down to the species, but will definately help you learn families. This picture is a good example of characteristics that define mustard family plants. ALL are safe to eat but depending on the person's tastes, might not be palatable.
Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.

Anyone remotely interested in wild edibles should get this book.

What is the name of the book that you are talking about? There is a few out there by Thomas J. Elpel.

[your_comforting_company]

"Botany in a Day"
It teaches you the characteristics of plant families, with a bonus crash-course in plant evolution. Of course, you can't learn it all in a day, but once you complete the "crash course" you'll be well on your way to understanding common traits of related plants.
The one pictured above is a good example. a quick rundown:
4 sepals, and 4 petals, 6 stamens: 4 long and two short, flowers and seeds in spiraling racemes. Flower petals are arranged in an X or H pattern. Pistils elongate into seedpods.
If you run across a plant with those exact characteristics, it is extremely likely that it is in the Mustard (Brassicacaea, Cruciferae) Family. Without knowing the name of the plant pictured above, by knowing the distinct features of the family, and knowing that any plant in that family is edible, I know that I can eat it.
Of course, you really want a positive ID before eating ANY plant. DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE.. KNOW! To reiterate Mr. Thayer: Contradictory Confidence means that you know a plant is what you say it is and you will argue with anyone who contradicts you, despite rank or title.

It is absolutely unacceptable to taste or eat any part of an unidentified plant under any circumstance.

Just because I tell you the picture above is Hairy bittercress, doesn't mean you should take my word for it. you need to learn it for yourself. Botany in a Day will help you take any random plant, classify it into a family based on it's observed DETAILED characteristics, and allow you to narrow your search to find the correct species. Often with this book you can find the correct Genus after placing it in a Family. BiaD does NOT give you species accounts. For that you will need reliable field guides, internet resources, or a trained Botanist to help you properly identify the plant by species.
I've learned more about plants in the few weeks since it arrived, than I have in the many, many months of walking around with field guides digging through vague, undetailed pictures.
Sorry for such a long answer to such a simple question. I don't want anyone thinking they can go eating plants on a whim. Botany in a Day is a great book for any beginner like myself. It will help you improve your observation skills exponentially. The key to identification is in the intricate details of the plant, and this book will help you learn what to look for.

[Justin Case]

"Botany in a Day"
It teaches you the characteristics of plant families, with a bonus crash-course in plant evolution. Of course, you can't learn it all in a day, but once you complete the "crash course" you'll be well on your way to understanding common traits of related plants.
The one pictured above is a good example. a quick rundown:
4 sepals, and 4 petals, 6 stamens: 4 long and two short, flowers and seeds in spiraling racemes. Flower petals are arranged in an X or H pattern. Pistils elongate into seedpods.
If you run across a plant with those exact characteristics, it is extremely likely that it is in the Mustard (Brassicacaea, Cruciferae) Family. Without knowing the name of the plant pictured above, by knowing the distinct features of the family, and knowing that any plant in that family is edible, I know that I can eat it.
Of course, you really want a positive ID before eating ANY plant. DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE.. KNOW! To reiterate Mr. Thayer: Contradictory Confidence means that you know a plant is what you say it is and you will argue with anyone who contradicts you, despite rank or title.
Just because I tell you the picture above is Hairy bittercress, doesn't mean you should take my word for it. you need to learn it for yourself. Botany in a Day will help you take any random plant, classify it into a family based on it's observed DETAILED characteristics, and allow you to narrow your search to find the correct species. Often with this book you can find the correct Genus after placing it in a Family. BiaD does NOT give you species accounts. For that you will need reliable field guides, internet resources, or a trained Botanist to help you properly identify the plant by species.
I've learned more about plants in the few weeks since it arrived, than I have in the many, many months of walking around with field guides digging through vague, undetailed pictures.
Sorry for such a long answer to such a simple question. I don't want anyone thinking they can go eating plants on a whim. Botany in a Day is a great book for any beginner like myself. It will help you improve your observation skills exponentially. The key to identification is in the intricate details of the plant, and this book will help you learn what to look for.

I really appreciate your Posts YCC,, always well written and informative, Thanks

[sthrnstrong]

"Botany in a Day"
It teaches you the characteristics of plant families, with a bonus crash-course in plant evolution. Of course, you can't learn it all in a day, but once you complete the "crash course" you'll be well on your way to understanding common traits of related plants.
The one pictured above is a good example. a quick rundown:
4 sepals, and 4 petals, 6 stamens: 4 long and two short, flowers and seeds in spiraling racemes. Flower petals are arranged in an X or H pattern. Pistils elongate into seedpods.
If you run across a plant with those exact characteristics, it is extremely likely that it is in the Mustard (Brassicacaea, Cruciferae) Family. Without knowing the name of the plant pictured above, by knowing the distinct features of the family, and knowing that any plant in that family is edible, I know that I can eat it.
Of course, you really want a positive ID before eating ANY plant. DON'T THINK IT'S SAFE.. KNOW! To reiterate Mr. Thayer: Contradictory Confidence means that you know a plant is what you say it is and you will argue with anyone who contradicts you, despite rank or title.
Just because I tell you the picture above is Hairy bittercress, doesn't mean you should take my word for it. you need to learn it for yourself. Botany in a Day will help you take any random plant, classify it into a family based on it's observed DETAILED characteristics, and allow you to narrow your search to find the correct species. Often with this book you can find the correct Genus after placing it in a Family. BiaD does NOT give you species accounts. For that you will need reliable field guides, internet resources, or a trained Botanist to help you properly identify the plant by species.
I've learned more about plants in the few weeks since it arrived, than I have in the many, many months of walking around with field guides digging through vague, undetailed pictures.
Sorry for such a long answer to such a simple question. I don't want anyone thinking they can go eating plants on a whim. Botany in a Day is a great book for any beginner like myself. It will help you improve your observation skills exponentially. The key to identification is in the intricate details of the plant, and this book will help you learn what to look for.

I am very thankful for people like yourself on this forum. Incredible amount of detailed information. Wish I knew a tenth of what some of yall know. YCC I hope you can make it to SC, GA, FL, NC, AL, MS, LA, TN -SOUTHEAST Division Jamboree Location, I bet we could all learn and benefit from just sitting down and talking with you for a spell.

[sthrnstrong]

BTW book is on order from amazon now

[your_comforting_company]

awesome! sthrnstrong. Right now while the flowers are blooming is a great time to practice putting them in families. It's still time consuming to get down to the species, but it's really fun. The kids especially love walking around looking closely at the flowers. They notice things like the veins in mustard-petals, and the curly stamens spotten bluecurls, in other flowers, and spurs and hoods, and banners, etc. We notice things that we used to just walk by without a second look.
I have to steal the Discovery Channel motto: "The world is just amazing!"

[sthrnstrong]

Botany is something I am just now trying to learn. Felt like trying to read Latin for awhile, but slowly starting to come together. Like I said wish I knew half of what you, owl_girl, war eagle know. There is no one around me that knows this stuff. It will come with time I'm sure.

[your_comforting_company]

perhaps, like myself, you just aren't looking in the right places. Patience is a virtue, and if you are persistent in questioning everyone you see, you just might happen upon somebody, who knows somebody, who can get you a phone number to somebody, etc..
I dropped off a specimen today to the county extension agent. He wasn't in, but hopefully he'll get back to me. It's in the parsley family so it's VERY VERY dangerous to assume anything about that plant...
Have you tried the local Cooperative Extension Office?
The lady we worked for today works for the DNR conservation dept. guess who she told me to contact, lol.