Please help me identify an unknown wild berry (that I tasted...does that entice you to read more?)
August 16, 2009 9:02 PM Subscribe
Please help me identify a wild berry in Western Canada?
First, I admit to being a lunatic and tasting the juice of one berry (nice and sweet, no immediate negative effects. Maybe a tingle to my tongue, but that could very well be psychosomatic (though I don't think it is).
Second, I've checked images for the berries on this list and it's none of those.
Third, I have photos of it here!
First, I admit to being a lunatic and tasting the juice of one berry (nice and sweet, no immediate negative effects. Maybe a tingle to my tongue, but that could very well be psychosomatic (though I don't think it is).
Second, I've checked images for the berries on this list and it's none of those.
Third, I have photos of it here!
It almost looks like sumac, except the leaves are the wrong size. Where and how were the berries growing?
posted by fiercekitten at 9:23 PM on August 16, 2009
posted by fiercekitten at 9:23 PM on August 16, 2009
Response by poster: I think thebazilist has it...other pics on the web (and on Wikipedia seem to leave little doubt.
Also, there's this tidbit: "This plant should be consumed in moderation, as it can act as a strong laxative in sensitive individuals."
It...err...got me going just a few minutes ago. Could be coincidence, but the timing is suspicious.
posted by Kickstart70 at 9:29 PM on August 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Also, there's this tidbit: "This plant should be consumed in moderation, as it can act as a strong laxative in sensitive individuals."
It...err...got me going just a few minutes ago. Could be coincidence, but the timing is suspicious.
posted by Kickstart70 at 9:29 PM on August 16, 2009 [1 favorite]
Can I just say that I love the idea of a thread about "I just ate something, can anyone identify it for me?". Kinda breaths new life into the "should I eat it" meme.
posted by blue_beetle at 10:49 PM on August 16, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by blue_beetle at 10:49 PM on August 16, 2009 [3 favorites]
Seriously, don't taste random stuff in the woods. A friend of a friend, a nice young guy who was an experienced hiker & camper, died a few years ago on a camping trip, after accidentally ingesting what the coroner suspected was just a wee trace of a poisonous plant- possibly a smaller quantity than what you tasted today.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:04 AM on August 17, 2009
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:04 AM on August 17, 2009
dude, seriously don't don't do that. there's a plant with similar leaves called false hellbore that lives in similar (wetter) places and will kill you, like, pronto. stop it!
posted by klanawa at 8:16 AM on August 17, 2009
posted by klanawa at 8:16 AM on August 17, 2009
Response by poster: Just an FYI...I'm still alive. No negative effects from the tasting of the juice.
And I've decided not to do that any more. Instead I'm going to buy a book on the wild plants of this area and attempt to identify what's edible and inedible before ingesting.
Thanks everyone!
posted by Kickstart70 at 5:11 PM on August 17, 2009
And I've decided not to do that any more. Instead I'm going to buy a book on the wild plants of this area and attempt to identify what's edible and inedible before ingesting.
Thanks everyone!
posted by Kickstart70 at 5:11 PM on August 17, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
Dave's Garden
Close-up of berries
I've never heard anything either way about eating the berries. And even though you already acknowledged the lunacy of it, please try to resist the urge to eat unidentified plants/berries/mushrooms in the woods!
posted by thebazilist at 9:19 PM on August 16, 2009 [2 favorites]