Know your plants. Have 100% certainty in identification. Safety first. Leave more than you take. Only take 10–33% of the harvest. Avoid polluted areas, ask permission when necessary. Focus on invasives and protect rare species. Tread lightly and practice gratitude.
Keep it simple. A sharp knife, a bag, basket, or bucket and a good eye is all you need. For drying you’ll want a clean screen, or mesh drying rack, or a food dehydrator. Store dried plants in clean jars out of direct light.
Invasive
Invasive, non-native from Asia
Edible: flowers, leaves, rose hips, bark, roots
Uses: infusions, jams, syrups, teas, potpourri
Medicinal: immune support & antioxidant, digestive health & laxative, anti-inflammatory, calms nerves + more!
Size & Shape:
Multi-stemmed shrub growing 6–15ft tall with long, arching canes.
Stems:
Green to red arching stems armed with sharp, curved thorns.
Leaves:
5 to 11 sharply-toothed leaflets grow from several places along the stalk with noticeable fringed, comb-like stipules (leaf-like outgrowths) at the base of each leaf stalk. This separates these plants from native roses.
Flowers:
Clusters of small, fragrant white-to-pink five-petaled flowers blooming in May and June.
Fruit:
Small, bright-red winter rose hips that persist into the cold months.
Habitat:
Frequently found along forest edges, old fields, roadsides, and clearings.
Native
Native
Edible: fruit, leaves
Uses: fresh fruit, jam, tea
Medicinal: antioxidant, immune, cardiovascular & respiratory support, digestion aid, uterine support & labor prep, wound care + more!
*Consume in low amounts if pregnant.
Hollow Fruit:
Picked berry slides off the central core, leaving a hollow indentation (distinguishing them from blackberries, which keep a core attached). Red, black, yellow/gold and purple fruit.
Stems and Thorns:
Raspberry canes (woody stems) are generally round (unlike the angular or hexagonal stems of blackberries) and feature small thorns or prickles. Black raspberry stems have a whitish-purple powdery coating that can rub off. The plant often has long, arching, brambly canes.
Leaves:
Grow alternately along the stem and have 3 to 5 leaflets. Edges of the leaflets are serrated with a paler, silvery underside and dark green top surface. Surface textured with visible veins.
Habitat:
Often found along forest edges, old fields, roadsides, clearings, and disturbed thickets.
Invasive
Invasive, non-native from Asia
Edible: fruit
Uses: fresh fruit, jams, sauces, fruit leather, ketchup
Medicinal: high in lycopene & antioxidants, anti-inflammatory & metabolic support
Size & Shape:
Dense, branching shrub or small tree with a rounded crown.
Stems & Twigs:
Young twigs are brown or gray and covered with tiny silvery-white or brown scales.
Thorns:
Stems often have sharp thorns or spurs.
Leaves:
Simple, alternate leaves along stem. Oval or elliptical shaped with smooth, wavy margins, and dark green to grayish-green upper side and silvery-white and scaly underneath.
Flowers:
Small, trumpet or bell-shaped flowers with four petals. Blooms April – June.
Fruit:
Small, round to egg-shaped drupes. Dotted and flecked with silvery or brown scales with a single seed inside. Harvest September – October.
Habitat:
Sunny, open, and disturbed areas where they can outcompete native plants.
Native
Native
Edible: leaves only
Note: roots & bark have been used in the past but are now considered carcinogenic due to very high levels of safrole.
Uses: original root beer, tea, soup thickener
Medicinal: digestive & liver aid, cold relief, blood thinner, arthritis help & more
*Do not consume if pregnant or have compromised immunity.
Size & Shape:
Small-to-medium understory tree (30–60ft tall), can reach 80+ft.
Twigs:
Saplings and twigs have smooth, bright green bark that is photosynthetic and smells spicy when scratched.
Mature Bark:
Older trees have thick, dark reddish-brown to grayish bark with deep, interlocking ridges. Reddish-orange inner layer if bark scraped.
Leaves:
Alternate and have smooth edges. A single tree—and often a single branch—can have three different leaf shapes: oval, mitten, or dinosaur footprint! Crushed leaves release a pleasant, spicy, and citrusy or root-beer-like aroma.
Habitat:
Old fields and open woods, along forest edges, roadsides, and disturbed areas.
Invasive
Invasive, non-native from Eurasia & Northern Africa
*Avoid if allergic to ragweed, daisy, chrysanthemums.
Size & Shape:
Grows upright, usually 1–4ft tall.
Leaves:
Arrow-like leaves are heart-shaped at base with fine teeth on edges and few if any hairs.
Stems:
Smooth or with fine hairs.
Flowers:
Small, daisy-like flower heads are usually white, pale blue, or light violet. Central flower discs start out cream or pale yellow and change to pink, reddish-purple, or brown as they age.
Habitat:
Sandy or rocky soils along woodland edges, open woods, savannas, glades, thickets, and roadsides.
Native
Native
Edible: flowers, leaves
Uses: fresh flowers in salads, cooked greens, teas
*Avoid if pregnant or nursing, avoid if allergic to ragweed, daisy, chrysanthemums.
Size & Shape:
Grows 1–3ft tall with a 1.5- to 3-ft spread and forms neat clumps.
Leaves:
Dark green, alternate, lance-shaped to elliptical, sharply toothed along the edges, and slender (under an inch wide) without a distinct leaf stalk.
Flowers:
Tiny, bright yellow flower clusters emerge directly from where the leaves meet the stem, all the way up the arching branches. Blooms August – October.
Stems:
Slender, arching, and purple to dark blue-green, often covered with a whitish, waxy bloom that can be gently rubbed off. Stems often lean, sprawl, or arch gracefully rather than remaining rigid.
Habitat:
Found naturally in rich deciduous woods, forest edges, and partial shade.
*Toxic look-alike: Canada Moonseed – doesn’t have serrated leaf edges.
Size & Shape:
Spreading woody vines that climb high into trees (up to 20–35ft) using forked tendrils, wrapping around canopy supports or sprawling across shrubs.
Leaf Shape:
Simple, heart-shaped, and alternate with coarse, serrated edges and distinct shallow or deep lobes.
Tendrils:
Feature forked, branching tendrils positioned opposite the leaves on the vine.
Stems:
Mature stems have paper-like bark that shreds in strips.
Fruit:
Small, round green-to-purple or dark blue-black berries growing in clustered bunches. Late August – October.
Habitat:
Hardwood forest edges, field margins, riverbanks, streamsides, thickets, and rich bottomlands.
Native
Native
Edible: berries (cones) in moderation
Uses: wild yeast from berries, used as a spice in foods & drinks
Medicinal: respiratory aid (colds & coughs), digestive health support, antiseptic & mouth care, diuretic & urinary support, body aches + more!
*Do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Size & Shape:
Typically matures at 30–65ft tall and 8–25ft wide. Can live centuries (up to 450yrs).
Foliage & Bark:
Features dark green or blue-green scale-like adult leaves (and prickly needle-like juvenile leaves) that can turn a plum-purple shade in winter. Its reddish-brown bark peels in fibrous strips.
Fruit:
Female trees produce small, blue, berry-like cones (“juniper berries”).
Habitat:
Occurs in open woods, limestone-rich alkaline soils, and mixed stands with pines or hardwoods, disturbed and open areas. Adapts to a wide range of soils (not too wet) and full sunlight.
Naturalized
Somewhat invasive, naturalized, non-native, from Eurasia
Uses: fresh flowers in salads or dipped & fried, cooked greens, seeds as seasoning & in teas, roots fresh or cooked
Medicinal: anti-fertility agent, diuretic and urinary support, digestive aid + more!
*Toxic look-alike: Poison Hemlock – much bigger, does not smell like carrot, stem is hairless with purple splotches.
*Do not consume if pregnant, trying to get pregnant or breastfeeding.
Size & Shape:
Grows 1–4ft tall on erect, hollow, grooved, and rough-hairy stems during its second year.
Leaves:
Fern-like, finely divided, and feathery, emitting a distinct carrot-like scent when crushed. First-year plants form a low basal rosette.
Flowers:
Flat-topped, lacy umbrella-shaped clusters (umbels) measuring 2–4 inches across, composed of hundreds of tiny white flowers. A single dark purple or maroon floret often sits dead-center in the cluster.
Stems:
Hairy – this is important to distinguish it from toxic look-alikes.
Roots:
A tough, whitish or yellowish, spindly taproot that smells strongly of carrots.
Habitat:
Thrives in full sun to partial shade across dry fields, pastures, prairies, meadows, and along roadsides.
Naturalized
Naturalized, non-native from Eurasia
Edible: flowers, leaves, roots
Uses: flowers & young leaves eaten raw or cooked, roots roasted, ground & brewed as coffee substitute, tea
Medicinal: Rich in inulin, a prebiotic fiber that supports gut health, digestion, and liver function.
Size & Shape:
Reaches 2–5ft tall and grows in a rosette shape.
Leaves:
They form a low rosette of lanceolate (lance-shaped) leaves that look very much like dandelion greens, featuring irregular teeth or deep lobes.
Stem:
Rigid stems have a milky sap.
Flowers:
Distinctive electric or periwinkle-blue flowers that open in the morning and typically close by lunchtime.
Habitat:
Thrives in full sun and well-drained, disturbed soils, often found along roadsides.
Naturalized
Somewhat invasive, naturalized, non-native from Europe to Central Asia
