Identify the following edible wild plants..help??

Question

Please identify the common name of the plants and how I could spot them and not confuse them with another poisionous plant..

Please identify all (or most of) the plants in each picture I took:

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http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/5066/dsc00504uz5.jpg

http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/8365/dsc00503ad0.jpg

http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/7484/dsc00502rp7.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/5679/dsc00501ov3.jpg

http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/2383/dsc00500it3.jpg

http://img86.imageshack.us/img86/1814/dsc00499fl8.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8338/dsc00498tt3.jpg

http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/4091/dsc00497xl2.jpg

http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5822/dsc00505mi7.jpg

Answer 1

The first photo has some type of violet (small, heart-shaped leaves), which is an edible plant.  You can eat both the flowers (candied) or the leaves (cooked green).  The best way to identify these is when the plant is in flower - the flowers look like "typical" violets, with 5 petals, the top 2 of which should be similar to each other, although the bottom ones can be different - some habe the bottom petal stripes, while in others all three are.  And one, or all three can be hairy ("bearded").  They can be found in purple, yellow, and white.

Another plant in the first photo I can make out is Virginia Creeper - a vine with 5 leaflets all arising from a single point.  Stay away from this one as it's poisonous.

Second photo, violets are all I can make out positively.

I couldn't get the third photo to open.

The fourth, there's not enough detail to make out the plant in the front, although I can make out the Virginia creeper in the background.  The main plant appears to be a type of shrub, but I'd need a better view of the buds, twigs, leaf margins, and petioles to be able to identify this.

Fifth, Virginia creeper again.

Sixth, a type of honeysuckle.  Not all honeysuckles are edible, and there's not enough detail to tell which type yours is.

Seven, wild black cherry - the fruits are edible, the leaves and twigs when dying are poisonous.  The best way to identify cherries is by looking at the stem of the individual leaves.  On each, you should see small glands (bumps) like these:  http://departments.bloomu.edu/biology/Ri...  Different species may have them in different locations on the petiole, and some have larger glands than others.  While the fruit is edible, it's not the best tasting cherry, but birds like them.

Eighth, lilac.  The flowers are supposedly edible (this is one I haven't tried personally), and they are said to vary greatly in flavor, including no taste at all.

Ninth, the creeping plant with paired leaves, purple flowers, and a square stem is gill-over-the ground, or ground ivy.  This is a member of the mint family, but not very tasty.  It was once used instead of hops for brewing beer.

If you are interested in trying wild edibles, I would suggest that you find someone local to you who knows something about them.  Some areas have botanical or horticultural clubs which give talks on this and other subjects, or a local or state park near you may have an "expert" on this.  Then, they can show you in detail with the actual plant what parts to look for to identify the edibles from the non-edibles.

And when trying something "new" for the first time, only try a small sample - even if a plant is edible for most people, you may be the "one" who has an allergic reaction.  And only try one new item at a time - this way if you have a reaction, you don't have to try to guess which plant it was that you ate.

You're also missing one of my "favorite" edibles - dandelions!  Try finding some that are still flowering, and look for unopened flower buds about the size of a pea.  Pick these and cook them for 15 minutes, changing the water about 2 times to remove the bitterness.  They taste like asparagus.  You can also eat the young leaves cooked or in salads.

Just don't pick from roadsides, or from lawns where chemicals have been sprayed.