Showing posts with label Orange Flower. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Orange Flower. Show all posts

Canna Lily

Scientific name: Canna indica
Abundance: common
What: Tubers, young shoots
How: Pulp to remove starch, cook shoots
Where: Sunny areas, often in landscapes
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: Calories
Other uses: They will absorb pollutants/contaminants from wetlands.

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, forming a spiral pattern.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are broad, lanceolate to ovate, often measuring 1.5 to 2 feet long and 6 to 10 inches wide.

Leaf Venation: Venation is pinnate, with a prominent midrib and secondary veins branching off.

Leaf Margin: Margins are entire, smooth along the edges.

Leaf Color: Typically a lush green, but some cultivars may have variegated or purplish leaves.

Flower Structure: Flowers are large and showy, with three petals and three sepals, resembling petals.

Flower Color: Varies widely among cultivars, commonly red, orange, yellow, or pink.

Fruit: Produces a capsule-like fruit approximately 1" in diameter.  

Seed: Seeds are round and black, about the size of small peas.

Stem: Stems are fleshy, erect, and can be either green or pigmented, depending on the variety.

Hairs: Leaves and stems are generally smooth, without significant hairs.

Height: Typically grows 3 to 6 feet tall, though some varieties may reach up to 10 feet.

Mature canna lilies in the wild.
cannalily.jpg
The leaves look like banana plants and can be used to wrap foods for cooking just like banana leaves.

Mature canna lilies in my backyard.
CannaLilies1

Edible tuber. Use it just like a potato.
cannalilytubers

Young edible shoot.
cannashoot.jpg

Flowers (not edible).
cannalilyflower.jpg

PinkCanna

YellowCanna

OrangeCanna

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
CannaLily

Canna lilies were a vital food source for Northwestern Native Americans and contain the highest percentage of starch of any known tuber. They can be cooked like potatoes though the natives would also make flour from them. To obtain canna lily flour slice the tubers into 1/4" disks and allow them to dry for a day or two. Then crumble these disks up in a large bowl of water. The starch (flour) will sink to the bottom of the bowl and any fiber will float to the top where it can be collected and discarded. Allow the starch to dry completely then grind/pound it into flour.

The tubers can be eaten raw but cooking them makes their starch more digestible. Traditionally they are boiled but baking in medium heat (300F) a long time gives great results. Native cultures would bury them under a fire for up to 12 hours. Cook them with their skin to keep them from drying out during cooking but then discard the skin before eating.

The starchy tubers can also be used to make alcohol, just like potatoes. A amylase enzyme of some sort needs to be added to break its starch down into sugars which can be converted into alcohol by yeast. Yeast can't change starch into alcohol.

The young shoots can be cooked and eaten like asparagus and the leaves can be used like banana leaves to wrap food for baking.

These plants are hardy and grow very well in most conditions though they prefer sun and moisture. Leaf-roller caterpillars will "stitch" the top growing leaves together resulting in stunted, ugly growth but they don't kill the plant. Just open up the leaves and remove the caterpillar. You can also cut the rolled leaves off and the plant will resume normal growth.

These plants will thrive in the southern areas of the United States but north of the Mason-Dixon line it is best if you dig up the tubers and store them in a dark, cool (but not freezing!) place then replanting them in the spring.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Day Lily

Scientific name: Hemerocallis fulva
Abundance: common
What: leaves, flowers, flower pods, tubers
How: young leaves-raw or cooked; flowers/pods raw or cooked; tubers-cooked
Where: sunny areas, often in flower beds but have escaped
When: summer
Nutritional Value: calories, minerals, vitamins B & C
Dangers: The original species (Hemerocallis fulva) of day lilies is considered edible but due to extensive experimental breeding toxic forms of day lilies have been created. It is safest to only eat day lilies that you can confirm are Hemerocallis fulva at the time of purchase (it should say the species name somewhere on the sales tag).

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are basal, growing directly from the base of the plant in a fan-like arrangement.

Leaf Shape: Leaves are long and linear, typically 18 to 24 inches in length and 1 to 1.5 inches wide.

Leaf Venation: The venation is parallel, running the length of the leaf.

Leaf Margin: Margins are entire, with smooth edges.

Leaf Color: A bright to deep green, often with a slightly glossy appearance.

Flower Structure: Flowers are large, funnel-shaped, and borne on tall, erect scapes.

Flower Color: The blooms are typically orange, with variations ranging from yellow to red.

Fruit: Produces a capsule containing black seeds.

Seed: The seeds are black and glossy, enclosed within the capsule.

Stem: The flowering stem, or scape, is long, round, and hollow, rising above the foliage.

Hairs: There are no significant hairs on the leaves or scapes.

Height: The foliage remains close to the ground, while the scapes can reach about 3 feet tall.


Day Lily flowers and flower pods.
DayLily

Day Lily

Root tubers.
Day Lily Tubers

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
DayLily

The flowers add a colorful splash to salads while the unopened flower buds are best battered then fried...but then everything is good battered then fried. Roast the tubers.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Lantana

Scientific Name(s): Lantana spp.
Abundance: plentiful
What: ripe berries (dark blue colored)
How: raw or cooked
Where: sunny yards, borders, fields
When: summer, fall
Nutritional Value: low
Dangers: Leaves and unripe fruit are very poisonous and eating them can lead to death.

Medicinal Summary:

Leaves* - wound healing; antimicrobial (poultice, tisane used as a wash)
*external use only due to being extremely poisonous if taken internally

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged oppositely alternating along the stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are ovate to lanceolate, with a length ranging from 2 to 5 inches and a width of 1 to 3 inches.

Leaf Venation: The venation is typically pinnate, with prominent lateral veins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margin is serrated, providing a toothed appearance.

Leaf Color: The leaves are green, and there may be variations in color on the top and underside.

Flower Structure: The flowers are arranged in clusters, known as umbels, at the ends of the stems. Each flower has a tubular structure with a diameter of approximately 0.5 to 1 inch and features multiple small, tubular petals.

Flower Color: Lantana flowers exhibit a wide range of colors, including shades of pink, orange, yellow, and purple. In some species, flowers change color as they age.

Fruit: The fruit is a small, fleshy drupe, usually dark purple to black when mature.

Seed: Seeds are small, ovoid, and dark-colored, often found within the fruits.

Stem: The stems are typically green, woody, and may have a slightly square-shaped appearance.

Hairs: The plant may have fine hairs on the stems and leaves. Leaves have a rough texture.

Height: Lantana plants vary in height but generally range from 1 to 4 feet, depending on the species and growing conditions.


Lantana plant and flowers. TOXIC! DEADLY!
lantana1

Another lantana. TOXIC! DEADLY!
lantana2

Lantana berries, edible only when fully ripe.
lantana3

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
LantanaTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Lantana

Cooked lantana berries are considered starvation food in that they aren't eaten unless there's nothing else to eat. All other parts of the plant are deadly! Boil or toast the berries before eating them.

The pungent leaves of Lantanas contain powerful antibiotics and after mashing the fresh leaves they can be used EXTERNALLY on wounds to reduce the chance of infection. Do NOT chew the leaves to make the poultice as they'll poison you.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Nasturtium

Scientific Name(s): Tropaeolum majus
Abundance: common
What: flowers and leaves
How: raw
Where: yards, flower beds
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: Vit. C

Leaf Arrangement: Leaves are alternately arranged along the stem, with some varieties having a nearly peltate (shield-like) appearance.

Leaf Shape: Circular to kidney-shaped, typically measuring 2 to 5 inches in diameter.

Leaf Venation: The venation pattern is orbicular, radiating from the leaf's central point.

Leaf Margin: Margins are smooth and entire.

Leaf Color: Bright green, sometimes with a slightly lighter or variegated appearance.

Flower Structure: Solitary on long stalks, five-petaled with a distinctive spur, each flower measuring about 1 to 2 inches in diameter.

Flower Color: Colors range from yellow to orange and red, often with a peppery flavor.

Fruit: Produces a three-segmented capsule, each segment containing a single seed.

Seed: Seeds are large, wrinkled, and beige or brown.

Stem: Stems are trailing or climbing, slender, and can be either smooth or slightly hairy.

Hairs: Stems and leaves may have fine hairs, giving them a slightly rough texture.

Height: Plant height varies depending on growing conditions, generally reaching 1 to 2 feet tall or sprawling wider when trailing.


Nasturtium flower
Nasturium1

Nasturtium plant
nasturium2

Nasturtium flowers have a strong peppery-radish taste which really spices up a salad. They can also be added to assorted pickled foods for extra flavor. Blend some of the flowers into mayonnaise for spicy sandwich spread.

They make good companion plants for cabbage-family plants as they drive away harmful insects that want to munch on your plants. They will also help protect tomatoes, cucumbers and fruit trees.


Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

Pimpernel

Scientific Name(s): Anagallis arvensis
Abundance: common
What: flowers, leaves, stem
How: dried and powdered, tea
Where: sunny fields, yards,
When: spring, summer
Nutritional Value: medicinal
Dangers: contains small amount of saponins which can cause stomach upset. Some people develop skin rashes from contact. It also contains some estrogen mimics.

Medicinal Summary:
Leaves/Stem/Flowers - antimicrobial; anti-inflammatory; anti-fungal; appetite stimulant (tisane)

Leaf Arrangement: The leaves are arranged in an opposite-alternating pattern along the stem, sometimes appearing whorled at the stem tips. Leaves are connected directly to stems.

Leaf Shape: The leaves are ovate to elliptical, typically measuring about 0.5 to 1 inch in length and 0.2 to 0.5 inches in width.

Leaf Venation: The venation is pinnate, with a central vein and faint, smaller veins extending towards the leaf margins.

Leaf Margin: The leaf margins are entire, meaning they are smooth and not serrated.

Leaf Color: The leaves are a bright green, often with a slightly glossy appearance.

Flower Structure: The flowers are solitary, arising from the leaf axils on slender stalks. Each flower has five petals.

Flower Color: The flowers are usually scarlet-orange but a common mutation causes blue flowers. They often have a purplish center.

Fruit: The plant produces a small, round capsule as its fruit.

Seed: The seeds are small and numerous, contained within the capsule.

Stem: The stem is slender, square in cross-section, and may have a trailing or ascending growth habit.

Hairs: The plant is generally smooth, with no hair on the stem and leaves.

Height: Anagallis arvensis typically grows to a height of 4 to 12 inches.

Pimpernel before producing flowers.
Pimpernel

Scarlet pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) plants. Note the square stems. Flowers are only 1/4 inch across.
ScarletPimpernel2

Close-up of scarlet pimpernel flower.
PimpernelFlower2

PimpernelFlower1

Scarlet pimpernel, blue variety (Anagallis arvensis Forma azurea).
BluePimpernelFlower

Close-up of pimpernel leaf.
BluePimpernelLeaves

Texas distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture. The marked counties are guidelines only. Plants may appear in other counties, especially if used in landscaping.
PimpernelTX

North American distribution, attributed to U. S. Department of Agriculture.
Pimpernel

The scarlet pimpernel has a tradition of medicinal use going back to the ancient Greeks. They considered it to be a "cure-all", capable of treating any sort of injury, illness, or infection of bone, muscle, eye or other organ. The plant was dried and powdered, this powder then consumed in a drink. The raw plant has a rather unpleasant taste, probably due to the small amount of bitter saponin compounds it contains. It was also used as a wash for bad skin. Perhaps more importantly the pimpernel was thought to raise spirits and dispel melancholy, for which tea made from the fresh plant was recommended.

The pimpernel flowers close up when rain approaches, allowing them to be used as a crude method of predicting bad weather. The flowers also close up in the evening and won't reopen until stuck by sunlight.

The young leaves can be eaten raw or cooked, but generally they are too bitter. Also note that they can be fatal to small animals such as rabbits and rodents so don't feed them to pets. Also, don't mistake it for chickweed (Stellaria media)

Pimpernel contains an estrogen mimic and so if that sort of thing concerns you then avoid this plant. The estrogen mimic can cause problems during pregnancy as well with certain hormone-sensitive issues. These include cancers of the breast, uterus, and ovaries along with endometriosis.



Buy my book! Outdoor Adventure Guides Foraging covers 70 of North America's tastiest and easy to find wild edibles shown with the same big pictures as here on the Foraging Texas website.

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