Description. Wood sorrel is 3 to 11 inches high. It has three heart shaped leaves and yellow or violet flowers.
Food. Wood sorrels leaves and flowers can be eaten raw and taste like sour lemon. And is full of vitamin C.
Rang. wood sorrel can be found throughout America and Canada and grows in the suburbs and forests of So Cal
Habitat. wood sorrel lives in moist cool shaded spots.
Warning do not eat high amounts of wood sorrel for a long period of time. it may inhibit the absorption of calcium in the body.
Dandelion
Description. grows 3 to 16 inches high ti has jagged or rounded leaves. Its flowers are yellow and grow high on stalks above the plant.
Food. Its leaves can be eaten raw like lettuces, its flowers battered and fried and its roots roasted and ground in to coffee.
Rang. Dandelion can be found throughout the America and Canada and all over So Cal.
Habitat. Most commonly found in fields and valleys.
Dandelion root coffee recipe.
First gather Dandelions. Then cut off the roots. Wash the roots well and scrape the dirt and bark off with a knife. Chop dandelion root in 1/4 pieces. Roast root for 10 min at 350 in toaster oven or oven. Take dandelion and put it in your blender. Blend the root till its a powder roast another 3 min. take powder and put it in a coffee strainer. put it in a cup of hot water for 4 min. take strainer out and add cream and sugar to taste. Enjoy don't worry if there's a little smoke wile roasting.
Purslane
Description. Purslane is a low sprawling plant only 2 inches. Stems grow 3 to 12 inches along the ground.It has round leaves and flat white flowers.
Food. Stems and leaves can be eaten raw or cooked in soups and seeds can be ground into flour.
Rang. Throughout America and Canada. and flourishes in So Cal's suburbs and forests.
Habitat. Purslane can often be found in most sandy soiled areas. \
Mallow
Description. Mallow grows like crazy up to 6 feet tall in only a few months. It has round lily pad like leaves and white flowers which turn in to pods that resemble a mini pumpkin.
Food. young leaves and cheese like seeds can be eaten raw. Seeds can also be dried and ground into flower.
Range. Throughout America, and grows crazy in So Cal's since it never snows.
Habitat. Mallow can grow anywhere its really a weed.
Warning. There are mallow look likes that if eaten can cause muscle convulsions. Look alike plants can be identified by rounder flowers and a fuzz on top the leaves. Do not eat unless you are sure.
Fissile.
Description. Grows up to 3 feet tall and has dandelion flowers but multiple flowers grow on one stock
Food. young leaves can be eaten raw. When fissile is full grown leaves will have a purple tint. Do not eat those leaves.
Range. Fissile grows all over America and is a classic weed in So Cal.
Habitat. Fissile can grow anywhere full sun and dry or shady and moist.
Stinging Nettles
Description. Stinging nettles grow one to two feet tall. They have diamond shaped leaves and white flowers. And of course their the ones that when you touch them they sting.
Food. Leaves can be boiled twice to remove stingers and then eaten. And you can scape off the stingers of the stock with your knife and then eaten like a cucumber(Stocks contain a high amount of water great foe dehydration)
Range. Grows throughout America.
Habitat. Stinging nettles like moist areas like damp forests or swamps. But you can still find them in So Cal alone creeks and rivers and especially after it rains.
Waring. Stinging nettles can give major rashes and a burning sensation were stun. Some treatments are baking soda and water paste, jewelweed, cucumber, and if worse comes to worse human saliva.
pics from this web address http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinging_nettle
Hops
Description. Hops grow on a vine like grapes. The leaves have five points to them and the branches send out runners to scale trees. And the fruit look kinda like green raspberries but look at the pic above that's allot more descriptive.
Food. Well for if you don't know this hops are what make beer so you can make that. In the wild all you do is boil the hops to get a drink but it wont be alcoholic because it wont have time to ferment yet. You can also chew on raw hops but they will just taste like wheat.
Range. Hops do not have a native range so its kinda made upon sightings some say they grow as far north as Idaho. You can sometimes find hops in So Cal's wilderness but its not that common.
Habitat. hops don't like snow to much they like warmer climates. But hops aren't native so they sort of pop up in places, that's why there so hard to map.
pics from this web address http://www.brewrealbeer.com/Reviews/hops
Description. Gooseberries live on small woody and pointy shrubs. They have maple type leaves and little red flowers that turn into fruit in the summer.
Food. Gooseberries can be eaten raw and taste great.
Range. throughout America and Canada.
Habitat Gooseberries like to live high on mountains and hills and typically grow in groves.
pics from this web address http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gooseberry
Blue Elderberry
Description. Blue elderberry looks just like common elderberry but the berries are a little more pail. The berries grow together in tight bunches that are so heavy to branches bend down. Its leaves are spade like and get 3 to 4 inches. Elder berry gets 4 to 6 feet high.
Food. Elderberries can be eaten raw like blue berries but you can only harvest them in the summer.
Range. Conman elderberry the one everyone talks about does not grow in California. That's why when we were hiking and we saw the blue elder berries I thought they were something else. But my brother said it was elder berry and ate some. When we got back we discovered it wasn't elderberry it was blue elderberry which
does grow in So Cal.
Habitat. Elderberry grows alone forests and you can find it alone many trails.
Warning. The plant and unripe berries can be poisonous .
pics from this web address http://www.wisemountainbotanicals.com/
Ground Cherry
Description. Grows up to 2 feet tall with weak stems and alternate leaves. The leaves are large pointed and hairy. Fruit is yellow and raped in a shell.
Food. Ripe ground cherries can be eaten raw.
Range. It can be found all over America.
Habitat. Found in open woods fields and on roadsides.
Warning. Unripe fruits and leaves can be poisonous.
pics from this web address http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ground_cherry.htm
Evening Primrose
Description. Evening rose is a biennial plant it has basal shaped leaves. The flowers are yellow and have four peddles and they have a long white taproot.
Food. You can dig up the taproot that resembles a white carrot and eat it raw. But its better in a stew because it has a peppery taste. You can also trough in some young leaves.
rang. Commonly found in America and Canada most commonly found in the central eastern areas but still grows here.
Habitat. found in fields and roadsides.
pics from this web address http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/cm_primrosex.htm
Miners lettuce
Description. Miners lettuce appears after spring and summer rain it reaches 15 inches tall and has lily pad like leaves that grow on a shout. The flowers are small and white.
Food. Miners lettuce can be eaten raw just like lettuce and has a lot of water in it(good for hydrating.)
Range. You can only find it in the midwest and west of the Rockies in America and in west of the mountains in Canada. Some say its to hot for it here in So Cal but guess who took that picture of that huge patch.
Habitat. Miners lettuce likes coll moist shady places and is most conman after rain.
Prickly Pears
Description. Prickly pears grow up to 4 feet tall and have gray-green or deep green pads. They have yellow flowers that have 8-12 peddles. Their fruit is deep purple and are very juicy. Their fruit is ripe from late summer to fall.
Food. Pads can be peeled and eaten raw but are like slimy cucumbers and are best boiled. The fruits are also edible and delicious but they do stain your fingers and clothes purple so be careful.
Medicine. Crushed pads can be used to dress a wound.
Range. They grow though most of America.
Habitat. They grow in desert dry rocky sandy soils.
Passion Flower
Description. Passion flower is a trailing or climbing vine that can grow 30 feet tall. The leaves are thing green and grow 4 inches long. The flowers have 5 white peddles and 5 white sepals bellow with a purple corona. Its fruit are orange and look like apricots.
Food. Fruit can all be eaten but best if only meat and slim that holds the seeds together are eaten. The leaves can also be boiled and turned in to tea.
Rage. Throughout southern and eastern America but the best place to find it is in California.
Habitat. likes warmer climate and is most commonly found along walls.
