Identification: What is this plant.

Hi;

I was hoping that someone could identify this plant. My Granddaughter and I found it while walking in our forest picking berries. Sadly, my son had knocked it down with the tractor, however there are more of them. Both of us were wondering if the drupes/cherries were edible. I believe they are called drupes as they have a small pit inside them. They are also quite juicy. I, of course, told her that if we didn't know for sure, we couldn't eat them.

I included some pictures of the plant and drupes.

Having had a closer look at the forums, I believe I may have posted this in the wrong area. Looks like it would be more appropriate in the "Plants: Expert Identification" forum. I don't want to cross-post so I'm hoping the admin can move this. Sorry for the incovenience.

Thanks
Brett
Cloverdale, BC

 

Oemleria cerasiformis, Indian plum.

 

Foliage has a characteristic strong smell. Shrub is an indicator species for soils that are damp in winter and dry in summer, often therefore abundant on river flats where the water level rises in winter and drops in summer.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm impressed and my grand-daughter will be excited that they are edible.. Not just about plants, but also about expanding your own knowledge by contacting people who are willing to share their knowledge. To bad this one was cut down, but luckily there are more.

Of course, before I let her eat them, I'll sample them prior. Is there any possible lookalikes that are inedible? I didn't notice a strong smell on the foliage, but will check tomorrow. The location fits as it is along side the beginning of a spring fed creek. Doesn't really flow, but is damp in winter and dry in summer.

I really appreciate your help.
Brett

 

The only thing around here, perhaps anywhere that is just like this is Oemleria. I thought you were posting from eastern CAN and wondered what might be back there that was so like our western native shrub.

Pojar etc., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast (1994, BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing) say the fruits of this shrub are

"bitter and astringent, but they are quite palatable when fully ripe"

 

My 6 year grand-daughter was thoroughly excited to try these. Earlier yesterday, a few of us tried several before bringing the kids out later. We found them quite bitter and assumed that the kids would be unimpressed. To my surprise, my grand-daughter thought they were great and ate several of them. I honestly believe that as far as she's concerned, it doesn't matter what it taste like as long as she can gather them from the forest.

She and I would like to express our appreciation for your knowledge. The first thing out of her mouth, after finishing her drupes was: "I bet there are other things we can eat. Maybe we can take pictures and send them to the plant people." So, expect to see more from us :) So, till now, she wanted to be an "Animal taker-care-of", but who knows, maybe she'll be helping people on this site in another 20 years.

To further both our educations, I guess it's time to buy some books. Any suggested books for local edible plants? I'm interested in two areas:

1) Items we can find and gather on our hikes.
2) In addition to our raised bed garden, I've been wanting to create a wild garden of thriving local plants. We have 16 acres of forest that is quite varied in soil - it ranges from quite dry to partial swamp. I'm personally not much of a gardener, that's grandma's area. However, I think it would be great to have a source of food that mostly thrives on it's own. Any books or suggested plants would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again.

 

For books, we have a couple in the library here at UBC BG that you are welcome to drop by and browse when the office is open (and I think at least the first two are also available in the Shop in the Garden):

Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples by Nancy Turner (a Royal BC Museum Handbook) is a great start.

The aforementioned Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast is good, but the parts related to food are small sections of larger write-ups.

Gathering What the Great Nature Provided: Food Traditions of the Gitksan is a worthwhile read, but should likely be supplemented by either of the first two books, as it is not as specific about some plants (e.g., they use the generic term fiddleheads to refer to edible ferns, but don't specify the species -- and the fiddleheads of some fern species are known to be more carcinogenic than others (in quantities)). Still, here's a quote from the book that makes it worth reading (on wild onions):

Now, all that said, one caution and one point to note:

Caution: it is probably as, if not more, important to learn the poisonous plants -- there are species found in the lower mainland that are inedible at best, deadly at worst.

Point to note: harvesting from municipal/provincial/federal parks is illegal, so I don't know how that might impact your hikes. Gathering in quantity (e.g., perhaps larger than a small handful of berries) would likely be the sort of activity they are trying to discourage.

 

Thanks for the list. Sounds like we'll be taking a trip to the Botanical Garden.

It's definitely wise advice regarding the poisonous plants. Knowing what to avoid and what to enjoy is important for any endeavor.

I didn't know that it was illegal to harvest in our parks. However, this won't impact us since when were hiking, we only pick what we can eat. hand to mouth so to speak. We never take anything with us. Any larger harvesting happens on our own property. And to be honest, I tend to avoid any major this larger activity :)

Thanks again
Brett